Barbeque

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Blue Smoke [116 E. 27th St. (bet. Lexington and Park Aves.) 212-447-7733]
Linked with an excellent jazz club, the Jazz Standard, but also a self-contained restaurant, the popular Blue Smoke serves up some tasty barbeque. Eating while listening to some jazz, I went for the Rib Sampler, featuring three different types of ribs with three different sauces. I probably liked the Kansas City ribs the best. If I had to do it over again, however, I might have chosen the Rhapsody in 'Cue due to its wider variety of cuts of meat.

Daisy May's BBQ USA [623 Eleventh Ave. (at 46th St.) 212-977-1500]
I will call this review incomplete for now, but I will come out and say that as far as I know, Daisy May's has the best BBQ in the city. I trekked to the far reaches of the West Side and attempted to diversify my portfolio (even though I know that a return visit is in order). I had the Carolina Pulled Pork sandwich and I was especially pleased with the fact that there was not too much sauce, a common problem used to mask inferior meat I suppose. The pork was delicious, but did not spill out all over the place. I also tried the Memphis Dry Rub ribs. Again, I was very impressed with the taste of the meat. There was no sauce (that's the style) and it wasn't necessary. The spices and flavoring were more than enough. As for sides, I tried the Creamy Corn and the Sweet Potatoes. Both were good, albeit a little heavy for my taste. I could probably eat half a small portion of each. I can't wait to try the other ribs, and if I can get a group together, I'd be interested in attempting to eat a half or whole pig (we used to do this back in college...it was amazing). The prices are a little high for the pigs, but I would guess that you can bring more people than they recommend and just have some of them eat a little less. Finally, look out for the street carts around Midtown. I know I will.

Dallas BBQ [1265 Third Ave. (at 73rd St.) 212-772-9393 (See www.bbqnyc.com for more locations.)]
Good, but not great, cheap BBQ all over the city. Texas-sized drinks pack a serious punch. Perfect for large groups that don't want to spend that much. I usually order the Chicken and Ribs combo.