Georgia's Eastside BBQ
Thu Nov 22 2007
Fried chicken, ribs and coleslaw Jeff Gurwin
Time Out Ratings
<strong>Rating: </strong>4/5For New Yorkers whose palates for ’cue have been forged at BBQ temples such as Hill Country and Blue Smoke, Georgia’s might seem lacking. There’s no smoker here—owner Alan Natkiel believes in oven-roasting his meat with beer and finishing it on the grill to achieve a satisfying char. Though orthodox barbecuers may consider it sacrilege, this technique suited us just fine. What you’ll find at this seven-table eatery is a slim menu of quality barbecue staples, served in a wood-paneled space evocative of a basement rec room. We loved the gargantuan rack of pork ribs—the tender flesh, fortified with a bracingly spicy rub, needed little coaxing to be separated from the bone. Fried chicken, which arrived in similarly dinosauric proportions, was spectacular—crunchy, salty crust, the meat oozing with moisture. The gratifying sides included a hefty wedge of corn bread stippled with sweet kernels, a basket of crisp, hand-cut fries and a tangle of cool slaw that complemented some of the more unctuous mains. There’s no dessert menu to speak of, but sugary glasses of lemonade and sweet tea did the trick for us (for diners needing a fix, cupcakeries Baby Cakes and Sugar Sweet Sunshine are just around the corner). Let the city’s more traditional pit masters scoff—Natkiel’s feat is a noble one: fire without the smoke.
—TONY
