Little Brother BBQ in Brooklyn, New York

Little Brother is kind of like its namesake: small, casual, and cheap. More importantly, it serves some of the best barbecue in New York City. Bonus points for the ability to take your grub next door to Hot Bird, where you can sit (and scarf) outdoors.

A generous side of mac and cheese arrives blanketed with succulent pulled pork. Add some hot sauce and rev the engines.

Each sandwich comes paired with a different bread. This crispy short rib is supported by a soft and sweet potato bun. Do the right thing and ask for extra pickles.

The pulled doruc pork sandwich is sturdier and less messy, but still packing plenty of juices, pickles, and spicy homemade coleslaw. The larger, denser, toasted white bun holds down everything.

Smoky collard greens are a cut above the rest and laced with crunchy bits of garlic; you’d never know it’s vegetarian unless you asked.

A typical meal for two at Little Brother will cost you about $21 dollars, and countless hours spent jogging along the Promenade. Well worth the money and the sweat.

Bring out those dollars bills. Unfortunately, with good food, comes greater responsibility. In this case, that means no credit cards.

Grade: Highly Recommended. This is no-frills, mouth-wiping barbecue, and it’s damn good smoked meat. Surprisingly, the vegetarian options are just as tasty. Really, the only reason not go here is if you are short on cash.
Dish Tips: Shredded short rib sandwich, pulled duroc pork sandwich, macaroni and cheese with pork or short rib, collard greens, sriracha wings, kale caesar salad.
Good For: Casual dinner, especially on a beautiful day, or before a game or concert at Barclays Center. Unfortunately, Little Brother BBQ is not open for lunch.

Pok Pok in Brooklyn, New York

Pok Pok’s name comes from the sound that the pestle makes when hitting the mortar, and Andy Ricker’s kitchen has definitely made some sweet music since opening the Brooklyn branch of his award-winning Thai eatery in April of 2012. The menu might look intimidating, but there are enough street-food staples (Ike’s famous wings, anyone?) to placate the masses. More importantly, there is enough variety to surprise even the Bangkok-traveled backpacker. Pok Pok has it all, even tap water soaked in pandan.

Khao Soi Kai is a Chiang Mai specialty with Chinese origins, but it reminds me of some of that comforting Vietnamese chicken curry available to those fortunate enough to live in Little Saigon. The curry paste-coconut milk combo is hearty without being decadent, and the mustard greens and shallots add a bite of verdancy to the dish.

Pet Pha Lo is straight-up medicinal: ideal for just about any weather. Tender duck leg falls off the bone with a faint tap of the fork, while crispy garlic, black mushrooms and mustard greens provide some substantial roughage. You’ll want to tip the bowl back for the 5 spice soy broth and the accompanying chile vinegar sauce.

Pok Pok shows off its Vietnamese-leanings once again with this gorgeous Cha Ca La Vong: catfish marinated in turmeric and sour sticky rice, fried in turmeric oil with scallions and dill, everything sitting atop rice vermicelli and laced with peanuts, mint, and plenty of cilantro. Squeeze a lime and enjoy, especially in the warmer weather–and preferably with a bottle of Lao.

The durian custard is a lot more interesting, but this mango sticky rice is still a cut above the rest of the versions found elsewhere.

You cannot go to Pok Pok and NOT order Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings. Except, of course, if you head next door first and grab a large plate for only $10 at Whiskey Soda Lounge’s happy hour.

Even better are these spare ribs, marinated in whiskey (of course), soy, honey, and ginger. Ask for extra of each dipping sauces (one is smoky, the other is sweet. Both are excellent).

Believe it or not, Pok Pok is actually known for its salads, and this Spicy Isaan flank steak salad is case in point. Loaded with fish sauce, lime and chili powder, shallots, lemongrass, more of the customary mint and cilantro, and the kicker: toasted rice powder, the Neua Naam Tok may make vegetarians second-guess their lifestyle.

Not as satisfying as the steak salad, but a lot more unique is this Laap Pet Isaan. This chopped duck salad (including duck liver and skin!) is redolent with lemongrass, dried chilies, lime juice, and fish sauce. It’s spicy-as-hell, and thankfully, served with phak sot, an assortment of pickled vegetables for munching in between (mouth-watering) bites.

Grade: Outstanding. Pok Pok is one of the best places–Thai or otherwise–to eat in all of Brooklyn. This isn’t Thai fusion by any means, yet Andy Ricker has taken Thai influences and paired them with Vietnamese and Chinese flavors to adopt his own cuisine. Moreover, since moving to larger, paired-down digs, the dining experience is a lot more comfortable.
Dish Tips: Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings (spicy), Spare Ribs, Khao Soi Kai, Pet Pha Lo, Flank steak salad, Durian sticky rice. To drink: Tamarind Whiskey Sour, Hunny, Tennessee Stud, Khing & I, Yuzu Honey Whiskey Hot Toddy
Good For: Any occasion. Pok Pok just opened for breakfast seven days a week (8 to 11:30)! It also serves lunch on the weekends, beginning at noon.

Cocktail Hour: Red Gravy’s Third Wing

This week we feature one of Red Gravy’s bourbon mainstays: the Third Wing. Hailed as “the booziest smooth sip” by its own mixologist, this week’s Cocktail Hour pick is highly-drinkable in any season.

The combination of Wild Turkey bourbon, amaro nonino, and lustau east india sherry–and of course, an enormous ice cube–can give you wings. Unlike Red Bull, however, you’ll want to savor this, and swallow slow.

Cocktail Hour: Pok Pok’s Hot Toddy

It’s finally spring, but that doesn’t mean you should forego Pok Pok’s Hot Toddy, which is smooth and comforting in any weather. Dangerously addictive, this medicinal libation can also be found at the Whiskey Soda Lounge next door.

Korean yuzu is the star here; you’ll want to spoon the pieces out once the bourbon is all gone.

Pasta Night at Red Gravy

Every Monday and Tuesday, Red Gravy hosts Pasta Night, where those glorious hand-pulled noodles are $15 a pop and happy hour drink specials go on till the doors close. We couldn’t decide what to eat, so we ordered everything on the menu.

Orecchiette, laced with spicy lamb sausage and broccoli rabe, and garnished with a welcome heap of ricotta salata, is the one pasta on Red Gravy’s menu that never goes out of season. And for good reason.

Maccheroncini isn’t just fun to say, it’s also delicious to eat. Asparagus, leeks, and pecorino are balanced with house-cured pancetta and egg.

The campanelle is by far the most surprising pasta on Red Gravy’s current menu. Breadcrumbs and meyer lemon elevate the dish far beyond the conventional clam pasta.

Taleggio ravioli is loaded with hearty pancetta and balanced with crushed walnuts and pear. Tip the bowl back and slurp; you’ll be forgiven.

Conchiglie is for green-lovers. And while verde is my favorite color, the charred broccoli pesto might be a bit too one-note for me. Still, the noodle–a cross between a chickpea and an olive–is a rarity.

Dish Tips: Pasta Night is every Monday and Tuesday, but Red Gravy changes their menu often. Head over before the campanelle and maccheroncini are out the door. The orecchiette, fortunately, is a mainstay at 151 Atlantic Avenue.

A Burger A Week: Anella’s Burger

There’s only one kind of burger at Greenpoint’s Anella, and it’s phenomenal. Spare to the point of elegance, this is all about the meat (a mix of short rib and brisket!). The only thing you need to add to this baby is the bacon jam (why wouldn’t you?), which might be the best two dollars you spend all day. Did we mention the patty is a mix of short rib and brisket?

As you can see, Anella is not shy with its cheddar. The house pickles and a few crisp leaves of verdant lettuce are welcome accompaniments for the fluffy, well-toasted brioche bun.

Rating: 9.5. This burger gives fellow Brooklynite, Diner, some serious competition. The fries–the best we’ve had outside of Five Leaves–certainly don’t hurt. Neither does the aforementioned bacon jam, or the garlicky, whipped gribiche (if ketchup isn’t your thing) that arrives with them.

Cocktail Hour: Locanda Vini e Olii’s Sicilian Old Fashioned

Hidden inside “Lewis Drug Store” is a prescription for pure bliss: the Sicilian Old Fashioned from Locanda Vini e Olii.

Amaro Lucano elevates the typical Old Fashioned into something extraordinary. Old Overholt Rye, Muddled Orange, Peychaud’s Bitters, and some brown sugar do the rest.

Brother’s Pizzeria in Elm Park, Staten Island

One of the perks of teaching in Staten Island is the pizza, and Brother’s Pizzeria on Port Richmond Avenue is our favorite parlor in town. One of the reasons why is its old-school charm. Another is the ability to get positively pie-happy by mixing and matching slices as diverse as a gooey, thick Sicilian with a thin and crispy Grandma. If that isn’t reason enough to eschew the no-slices offering at nearby Denino’s (a legend in its own right), there’s also the tattooed, back-slapping brothers behind the counter who might even tell you a joke while your pizza bakes in the oven.

Brother’s is known for its pillowy Sicilian squares, and for good reason.

We suggest ordering spinach with your slice of white. Dollops of ricotta and a healthy sprinkling of garlic round out this excellent pizza.

We’ve previously featured Brother’s pink vodka slice on The Best Thing I Ate Last Week, but the glorious Grandma, pictured here, is no slouch: thin and crispy, with a smattering of fresh basil.

If you’re looking for cheese, look no further than the pan pie. This is the closest to deep-dish you can find without making the trip to Chicago.

Thin but flexible enough to fold is the classic margherita, which is layered with fresh mozzarella and some more of that fresh basil.

Brother’s is old-school and so is its cheese pie. The sauce, which is slightly-sweet, is the real star here.

Grade: Highly recommended, especially if you are with a group and want some variety. Nearby rival Denino’s only offers pizza by the pie.
Dish Tips: You can’t come here and not order a pink vodka slice, but stay for the others, particularly the Grandma and the Sicilian. If you’re hankering for the sandwich, the Chicken Parmigiana is out of this world.
Good For: A casual lunch or dinner. Brother’s is no-frills, but it is also cash-only. Bring those bills.

Cocktail Hour: Yerba Buena Perry’s Cholula

We’ve reviewed Yerba Buena Perry; we’ve also showcased its extraordinary dishes multiple times on our The Best Thing I Ate Last Week, but this West Village hangout has got some lethal cocktails, too. This week we feature the Cholula.

Mezcal is combined with combier, cucumber, agave, green pepper, and lime for a kick of smoky and sweet.

A Burger A Week: Rye’s Double Cheeseburger

Rye in Williamsburg serves up one of the best happy hour deals in Brooklyn: a $5 double cheeseburger.

The cheeseburger at Rye is not only delectable, it’s also a serious bargain.

The two patties are slider-sized, medium-rare and accompanied by a smattering of pickles and endive, and a healthy coating of melted American, everything held together by a crunchy grilled bun. This is the American classic done right.

Rating: 8. Rye’s double cheeseburger is so good–and so cheap–you’ll probably want two. Happy hour at Rye is Monday through Friday, from 5:30 to 7pm.