From the World of Eating - Fatty Cue, Brooklyn

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There is an Adam Platt review on Fatty-Cue that refers to it as "one of the great destinations of this year’s barbecue season". I think I might actually quibble with that - BBQ its not.
Before you get up in arms about it, hear me out.
   - The service is great (sit at the bar.  Its more fun), and everyone clearly loves what they are doing. 
   - The prices are (for NY) quite reasonable, and you don't have to get a second mortgage, a tendency that is all too common in this neck of the woods.
To me, however, BBQ implies a certain savoriness of experience, dining umami if you will.  The food should be thick, comforting, slightly (or very!) messy, protein-aceous, and bulky - the type of food that call out for wet-wipes.
The experience here, however, tends more towards the twee side of existence.  Don't get me wrong, the food tastes really quite good, but it doesn't quite get to that dining umami side of the equation, with quite a few items actually being resolutely, well, Good.  Destination dining its not.
Come to think of it, some of the items were resolutely not good.  The Thick Cut Fries were - wait for it - Fries that were Thick, which sounds like a wonderful idea till you bite into one and discover that
   - the ratio of surface to volume is too low, an absolutely no-no in fries
   - the interior is more towards the hard side than the ethereal potato lightness side
In short, fried thick wedges of potatoes that are kinda dense.  A resolute meh.
The black-eyed peas are really quite remarkably good, till you have your epiphany moment, which is that it tastes exactly like lobia - a north-indian dish made w/ black-eyed peas.  At which point you realize that yes, burnt ends in your lobia are great, but hey, the lobia in most Indian restaurants (even in NY) is just as good, and heck the stuff you make at home is better.
Sigh.
Double sigh.
Triple sigh.
Because, you come to the signature dish - the ribs.  Which are unquestionably good.  Quite good.  Remarkably good.  And then you realize that while the BBQ at Live Oak (Austin) may not be Malaysian influenced, and the flavor might not be as good as here, the ribs there are meatier, tender-ier, and less-gristly-er.

Ah well, like I said, Been There, Done That,No reason to Go Back.

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