Char No. 4

Char No. 4 is a close walk from my digs, and I had long heard about it being a destination for pork and bourbon lovers. Guess what! I love both of these things.

I met Jennifer there after going to the gym, still wearing my work-out clothes. Probably not the best choice, as it's on the classier end of things, and the waiter even pointed it out. Lucky for him, he was nice and cute, so I didn't punch him in the face with the leftover adrenaline from my intense work out. Totally could have knocked his lights out. Instead, I giggled pleasantly. Anyway, the service was pretty good (not just looks).

The menu here is meat-tastic and a little southern tilted, with dishes often revolving some kind of pork. For some weird reason, I ordered the shrimp and grits instead ($14). I really liked the size of the portion, and I got about 6 plump, grilled shrimp. The grits were pretty good, and my experience with grits in this neck of the woods have been less than stellar. My grandmother could still do better, but you can't have everything. It had a nice flavor, and a lot of greens and chives on top (I happen to love both, but I could see someone thinking it distracting).

I also ordered a bourbon cocktail to make myself appear classier, which was very nicely mixed (Noreaster- $9). I think I just ended up looking like a younger, female iteration of The Dude. Also okay. Overall, it's pretty low-key and low-lit, and the prices aren't too bad. Try it out if you are looking for some smokey drink and meat. -Laurel

BAR-B-QUE. What else can a Southern gal ask for? We’ve talked about Smoke Joint before, but let’s introduce you to our new favorite, Char No. 4 (yes, we do seem to be into No. restaurants lately). Situated in Carroll Gardens, this cute, rustic restaurant has the perfect combination of two things I love: bourbon and Southern food.

The menu offers a wide range of Southern sweetness – from Laurel's aforementioned Shrimp & Grits and BBQ sandwiches to Smoked Brisket sandwiches and Jambalaya.  I’ve gone a couple of times for dinner – not yet for brunch (working weekends makes brunch damn near impossible). The first time I had the chopped pork sandwich ($14), which comes with a side of baked beans; the next round I ordered shrimp and grits. The barbeque is great – a bit different than what I’m used to, slightly spicy and vinegary (they have mustard in their bbq sauce). I wasn't down with the baked beans - honestly I think I only ever liked baked beans mixed with mac and cheese (I was a weird kid). The shrimp and grits were spicy, and delicious – only complaint is it’s not quite enough food. I also can’t say no to the bacon jalapeno cornbread. If anything, just order THAT - it's bomb.

And of course – the bourbon. They offer over 150 American whiskeys - which pretty much makes this place my mecca. Due to a cold, I ordered the Bourbon Insider Hot Toddy (admittedly I ordered it as a Hottie Toddy first, which our server - who totally WAS adorable - thought was hilarious). At nine smackers, this drink went down smooth and strong. We also split the Sticky Toffee Pudding for $8... the cake was moist and... sticky, and the ice cream was fresh and delicious.

Gotta say, it's a little on the expensive side for me (now that I've turned away from my "real" job), but I still love this place. Currently accepting applications for whiskey and bbq loving boys with about $30 to spare on a whiskey and bbq loving girl over at letsgetdrunkandfattogether.com. - Jennifer

Address: 196 Smith Street

Website: CharNo4.com, Yelp

Payment: Cash, Credit

Delivery: Nope

Open Late: Sunday thru Thursday, 12am; Friday-Saturday 1am

Large Group Friendly: Somewhat



Bar/Happy Hour: Full Bar; Tasty Cocktails

Kings County BBQ

A barbecue truck near our house? Yes, please. The Kings County BBQ truck rests on Quincy Street near Bedford Ave. in Brooklyn. We were unsure how it would taste considering the website is a little tacky, but of course, we're up to give anything a try - especially if it's barbecue.

When I called, the woman was extremely nice and explained that they were out of beef brisket, but that they had everything else. She also was patient when I made sure with Laurel that we ordered everything we needed, and they were patient when we called back to add some things on. We ordered enough to try everything.

The pork is smoked to perfection and they are very generous with their servings. The barbeque sauce is sweet with a touch of twang to it, a great compliment with the slaw, which was also sweet and had vinegar in it (exactly how I like it). I have since then ordered again, with some friends, and tried the pulled chicken. It was tender and juicy, but I prefer the pork. Our friend Davis tried the beef brisket, and it was thick cut, tender and absolutely delicious. Also, the second time around, they forgot our jalapeno cheese grits, but the guy was nice enough to go back and get them, so it was no big deal.

Definitely ordering from here as much as possible, and if you're near the 'hood, you should too. -Jennifer

The faithful Southern in me explodes all over the place when it comes to barbecue. I love barbecue, especially when done right. Pork is a magical meat. These feelings accounted for, I obviously was pretty excited to find out that there was a BBQ truck equipped with a smoker near our apartment, and that it would deliver to us. Deliver barbecue. To me. M-A-G-I-C.

We called to order and the people were super nice and let us know how long it would take. They were even courteous about us calling a few minutes later and adding on to our order. About 30 minutes later a nice guy showed up with our order and we dug in like it was a limited time offer.

The pulled pork and pulled chicken were very good-- pretty moist and flavorful, and even better with the accompanying barbecue sauce. Only complaint was that they were a little cold when they got here, but it was a cold night and they didn't seem less than fresh. Both came with slaw and pickles and a bag of chips for $6 (barbecue can be expensive in NYC, so this is a much fairer price IMO). We also tried out their jalapeno cheese grits, which were a bit thick but oh-so-delicious.

We will obviously be ordering from these guys again, I can't believe we haven't yet. If you're lucky enough to live close or be nearby when the truck is moving, you should try it out too. -Laurel

Address: Moving location, usually in BedStuy (delivers). Check Twitter/call for info.

Website: http://kingscountybbq.com/

Payment: cash only

Delivery: yes

Open Late: yes

Large Group Friendly: no, but you could order for a crowd

Bar/Happy Hour: no

Smoke Joint

After a day of unusually good weather and wandering around the park, we decided we must have some barbecue. Odd craving considering where we currently reside, but we found a way. Smoke Joint was pretty busy but we waited in the ordering line and slobbered over the smells. They smoke their barbecue on site here, and they offer it a few different ways-- pork or beef ribs, "hacked and stacked" (pulled as we know it), and smoked chicken. They offer it in sandwich or plated form, along with lots of sides.

Jennifer and I both ordered hacked and stacked pork sandwiches and a couple of sides (mine included mac and cheese and barbecued beans), and our counterparts ordered roasted corn, barbecued hot wings and beef ribs. The sandwich was really very good-- the pork was piled high and moist. It had a nice smoky flavor, but definitely benefited from the kick of added barbecue sauce. The mac and cheese was pretty good, but I can't say I'd recommend the barbecued beans. They were a big mess of meat and beans and barbecue sauce that just didn't quite come together.

I will be back for the pork sandwich, and if you aren't extremely hungry it might be enough to fill you up. Don't order two sides unless you're ravenous, and the beer list is interesting. One nice thing was the owner was working and they were out of seating, so he sat us at his restaurant next door (Lil Pig) and brought our food to us there. -Laurel




This place is completely and totally 150% everything I miss about the South. The food is extraordinary - yummy sweet cornbread, pork sandwiches with mayonnaise slaw (and no one judging you for it for putting it on top of your sandwich except for one of your fellow dining companions...), perfect sweet tea, and some good old fashioned southern hospitality.



The place was packed, and considering our party was 5 people, it was hard to find a seat. The owner came over to me, without us even having to ask, and told us we could sit in his other restaurant. We went through a back adjoining hallway and came into the 'Lil Pig. This place was cute too, but much more New York. There were real plates and fancy looking food, rather than our huge portions and paper take out "baskets". Let's be honest - it was everything I liked about New York, too - including the overly snobby old ladies and gay men.



Either way - the food is perfection here (minus, of course, those unsightly baked beans. There was huge pieces of meat in them, which is fine, but they had no flavor.) Oh yeah! And one more thing I miss and love about the South, FREE REFILLS! GO and when you do, call me. I'm game. - Jennifer




Address: 87 S Elliot Place (Fort Greene, Brooklyn)

Website: http://www.thesmokejoint.com/

Payment: Cash, Cards

Take Out: Yes

Open Late: I couldn't find the hours anywhere.. possibly 9pm.

Delivery: no

Large Group Friendly: yes if they aren't too busy.

Bar/Happy Hour: serve beer.