Fette Sau: Le Oink
They smoke their meats in the huge smoker that can, according to the Times, smoke 700 lbs of meat in one go. They use a blend of red and white oak, maple, beach, and cherry. I've personally have only used hickory chips. The meat has no sauce, only dry rub, but they offer sauces on the table. The BBQ was delicious, hands down. However I did have my qualms about the place.
Here a shot of the exterior. The neon sign says Fette Sau, but it was really hard to photograph. You'll just have to take my word for it.
Right after you go under the neon sign, you'll come across this alleyway filled with tables. This shot of the entrance was actually taken as we were leaving. The line didn't extend outside when we came around 6:30. Apparently after 7 PM people flood the place like it was Noah's Arc. Yeah. I went there.
The interior is probably one of the major selling points of this restaurant. It was originally an auto-repair shop, but the current owners kept remnants of the shop around to create this UBER hipster vibe. As you can see from the photo, the beer glasses are mason jars. The seating sort of works like a cafeteria, if there is a open spot at a table, you sit down with your food. Generally if you are in line and you see someone leaving, you should have your party reserve that spot by sitting there, while one person orders.
When you do finally reach the front of the line, you will discover that there is limited selection of barbecue presented to you. Here we have spicy sausage, chicken, brisket, beans, corn, pulled pork, and tips. I didn't see the pork ribs that night, although I have heard very good things about them. The meat is sold by the pound, with the exception of the sausages which are sold by the link. The beans come in a container that's either small or large. A large is probably a 16 oz container, vs a small 8 oz. I was disappointed that the only potatoes they offered came in the form of potato salad, and there was no mac n cheese (though I hear they carry it occasionally). They also didn't have corn bread, which leads me to assume that while the menu changes you are still only offered a limited selection of things every night. That being said, everything I ordered was pretty tasty.
The food comes on a platter lined with wax paper, and complimentary dinner rolls. It's real fancy stuff. We ordered a small potato salad, small beans, two sausage links, half pound of brisket, and a pound of pulled pork. And yes, of course we ordered two Cheerwines to drink. Why would you not?
A shot of the brisket. The black exterior portions are extremely salty, probably from whatever rub they used. The meat is also very fatty, which is my preference, but more health conscious people should opt for something else. I thought the pulled pork was a bit dry, but that's just me. The potato salad wasn't mayo based, and I was trying to figure it out all night. I think it was relish based, with a hint of mustard. The flavor is unique, not what you would expect of a traditional potato salad. I also thought the beans were a bit salty. Aren't beans suppose to be sweet in BBQ to contrast all of the salty meat? The sausage was tasty, the traditional fennel and pork wrapped in a casing. It wasn't overly greasy which was nice, but overall nothing was mindbogglingly awesome, which I sort of expected.
We fought the good fight, but in the end we were forced to ask for a doggy bag. GG Fette Sau, WP.
I would definitely do it again if I had the chance, but I would invite more people. I assume the price of the meal is more reasonable with more people. It ended up being 60 after tax and tip for this platter (though this platter could have easily served 3-4 people).