Biscuit Rides Again!

karl the druid

Remember BISCUIT? Fall-off-the-bone, NC style BBQ ribs.? Where went Biscuit? Your porcine prayers have been answered. Josh, Kris and Robin will be opening the new BISCUIT soon at 230 5th Avenue.

Authentic BBQ + Killer Margaritas + Live Music + Great Pastries + Cool T-shirts + Tons of Space + Giant Paper Mache Pig.

(They deliver.)

pitu

I googled the address - 230 5th Avenue is where Night and Day is, at President St.
Are you sure? When?

karl the druid

Night and Day will re-open as Biscuit in roughly two to three weeks. That means I have to walk down the hill from PH until they get delivery going.

carnivore

Karl, do you know if they're going to start having the monthly pig roasts again when they reopen? If so, will they offer "season tickets"? :P


Mmmmm........ Pig....................

karl the druid

Subject: Pig Pullin'

I don't know about the season tickets but Josh yes to pig pullin', early on, but let me confirm it. I also told him to read the mssg. boards on a regular basis to get a good opinion from the hood.

jamzer

Oh my! Oh my! I live right near there! Oh my! Oh my!

deedee

Well, believe me Biscuit served medicocre bbq and sides when they were located in Prospect Heights. As a native of Alabama, I was thoroughly disappointed with the quality of their food. Hopefully, they will get a new chef otherwise this is nothing to look forward tol

linusvanpelt

Subject: Re: Biscuit Rides Again!

Karl the Druid wrote:
Remember BISCUIT? Fall-off-the-bone, NC style BBQ ribs.? ...

1. NC-style barbecue is pulled pork, no? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_variations_of_barbecue#North_Carolina

2. Even assuming there is such a thing as NC-style BBQ ribs, Biscuit was not it. They heavily slathered their ribs in a sweet, thick, tomatoey sauce. If anything, that's maybe KC-style, but frankly it was more like, baked-in-the-oven-with-bottled-BBQ-sauce style.

I didn't hate Biscuit, it was better than no BBQ in the neighborhood at all, but their stuff had no smoke to it. I much prefer Bar B Q, whose stuff is much smokier, plainer and less sauce-y.

Biscuit did, however, have far better sides. If only I could get the same place to deliver Bar B Q's meat (they don't deliver at all) and Biscuit's sides.

linusvanpelt

Oh, and credit where it's due, I do miss Biscuit's fried chicken.

dailyheights

This is very interesting news. Opinion on the old Biscuit (on Flatbush Ave.) was deeply divided--unusually so--either you loved it or you hated it. You can find comments on these boards if you search. Also, here are some representative comments on the DH blog:

http://www.dailyheights.com/archives/518#comments

oneasternparkway

Night & Day sure didn't last long. They were just putting the finishing touches on their back room a year ago. Anyone know what happened there? It was a nice place for an after-dinner drink, but the food never struck me as anything special.

I'm assuming Biscuit will go beyond the Rheingold on tap if they are inheriting that great bat at Night & Day. Anyone know specifics of the reopening?

carnivore

I wasn't impressed with Biscuit's BBQ, but their monthly pig roast was awesome.

8thandprez

OnEasternParkway wrote: Night & Day sure didn't last long. They were just putting the finishing touches on their back room a year ago. Anyone know what happened there? It was a nice place for an after-dinner drink, but the food never struck me as anything special.
.

Ahhh.... how I love to see my Unified Theory of Bad Restaurant Naming borne out!

idlewild

DeeDee wrote: Well, believe me Biscuit served medicocre bbq and sides when they were located in Prospect Heights. As a native of Alabama, I was thoroughly disappointed with the quality of their food. Hopefully, they will get a new chef otherwise this is nothing to look forward tol

I'm with you. I thought they really sucked.

street shooter

I actually really liked Night & Day. I'm sad to see them go. Maybe they just weren't busy enough to pay the rent.

karl the druid

Subject: The Pig Whisperer

Night and Day as a concept seemed like it would've done well on the upper east side. I actually have never been there until recently.

I don't know the specifics as to when Biscuit will be opening, but it's with in two weeks. Give or take a day or two. I guess you can always look in the window, they'll probably have some kind of sign up.

BBQ is personal. I've never been to the South so I can't say what there is to compare, I've been told Virginia is "North South" so that doesn't count. But one of the best places I've been to is on the outskirts of Cleveland. A BBQ trailor called Hot Sauce Williams, lines literally two blocks long and you get meal A, B or C. with three sides. William said he served Missippi BBQ and he came up on the bus.

What's the best BBQ place you've been to and what did you like about it?

sweet tea

i am a north carolina bbq snob -- and whoever said that in nc, bbq means pulled pork is on the money. today i saw a "north carolina style bbq chicken sandwich". in north carolina, i assure you, there is no such thing as bbq chicken. bbq is pork. other items cooked on grills are "grilled".

once you have your pork -- preferably a whole pig-pickin -- you must use the right sauce. my biggest pet peeve is places that list "north carolina style" pulled pork and then serve something drenched in sweet tomato sauce. yuck.

to sum up: north carolina bbq = pulled pork with a thin vinegar-based sauce with a little heat to it. it is superior to all other kinds of bbq and to most other forms of sustenance. and nothing goes with it like sweet tea!

pitu

hmmm. Carolina loyalist here too.
What I liked about Biscuit in its first incarnation was that they slowcooked the pig and had different sauces on the side in squeeze bottles (including vinegar hot sauce for NC loyalists)
They had slaw for the sammy, on a hamburger bun . . .
It wasn't what you'd get from a back woods pool hall in NC, but t'wernt half bad.

Come to think of it, that's how it comes down south if you order a pound of pulled pork to go -- you get a red and white paper thingee of meat and a jar of homemade sauce.

I'm wondering about the chicken. I don't feel like making it myself very often, and I don't like that honey-dripping stuff at Blue Ribbon that people rave about . . .

drano

street shooter wrote: I actually really liked Night & Day. I'm sad to see them go. Maybe they just weren't busy enough to pay the rent.

That location is harsh, too. The previous place ( I forget the name...Bebe, maybe) was pretty respectable and didn't last long.

Edit: I don't mean the location is bad per se, it just seems to be bad luck.

pitu

Drano wrote: [quote=street shooter]I actually really liked Night & Day. I'm sad to see them go. Maybe they just weren't busy enough to pay the rent.

That location is harsh, too. The previous place ( I forget the name...Bebe, maybe) was pretty respectable and didn't last long.

Edit: I don't mean the location is bad per se, it just seems to be bad luck.

I don't think anybody has carved out the right niche there. It's theoretically a great location . . . or rather, look what al di la manages a block away.

An expensive restaurant (Night and Day, or anyplace with entrees over $20) has a LOT of competition on that strip. I went for dinner once, but no way did it beat out al di la or convivium or stone park or (you get the picture)

The jazz thing :roll:
well, I just don't know.

At a street fair, their then-new New Orleanian chef made up a deeeeelicious jumbo.
But that never made it to the regular menu.
Missed opportunity imho.
They *did* make it into a very pretty space. I bet the back room could be a goldmine for small reception rentals, or monthly pig parties for Carnivore.

I hope Biscuit does LUNCH - there's lots of working-at-home people around here. A couple of good soups, veg sides, and a pig sammy - THAT'S a restaurant plan.

karl the druid

Subject: Location Location

pitu wrote: I don't think anybody has carved out the right niche there. It's theoretically a great location . . . or rather, look what al di la manages a block away.

Yep, location is a weird factor. It's as if some sections of blocks are cursed. Does anyone remember what was in the space that Christie's patties is in now? It's had a few lives. Laundrymat, flower shop party room... I hope they do well. Over the years there stuff has become a bit greasier but I still stop in to get a chicken patty.

pitu

Before N&D was Bibi, but that was BRIEF.
What was in that spot before that? I don't think it was a restaurant...

karl the druid

Think back to the early 80s when no one would dare walk past that corner, they'd rather cut up to 6th or 7th av, past the church, working their way around until around 8th street then returning to 5th near Smith's Tavern.

I'm making an educated guess. It's right on the corner and it's not too far from 4th av: Crack-den Bodega or Laundrymat.

karl the druid

Ahhhhh Biscuit BBQ, much beloved by some, yet reviled by others launches Monday, October 30 at 5:00 pm.

jamzer

I saw that it opened last night. Did anyone go? How was it?

pitu

We went. I like the menu ALOT - big salads along with big meat. And a shrimp boil. Most stuff comes in a variety of sizes, which is very handy. It's not cheap, but the portions were big.

I like the collards. The sauces need work...BBQ (sweet and vinegar) and salad dressing on the Cobb were 'meh', or maybe they hadn't dried the salad greens so the dressing wasn't sticking.
They were asking for feedback, so I'm hoping that stuff will get better.
The ribs were good without sauce, and the fried chicken at the table next to us *looked* good. I want to try more of what they're cooking . . .

They are going to do 50 million X the biz of Night and Day, and since it's some of the same owners, Biscuit is way better functioning than the usual startup. The food came fast, they already have liquor license and take credit cards.

AND they still have the same good beers on tap (Six Point, Omegang etc)

alafairnadia

brisket - Texas style - is my BBQ of choice. preferably in a po-boy, drenched in spicy spicy sauce.

that said, I liked the old Biscuit, but hated their biscuits. they were rock hard, tasteless, and generally useless. but I liked their pulled pork and chicken. and their sides were lovely, especially the greens. can't wait to try the new joint. but I will avoid their bread products.

pitu

they make a big deal about the brisket on the menu, but that's the wrong animal for me so I couldn't say . . .
when I asked for hot sauce, a bottle of Tabasco appeared
they could open up any summer issue of Food & Wine and nick a better bunch of BBQ sauces
(sigh)

alafairnadia

at least it wasn't a bottle of "Red Hot"



but yeah, my favorite BBQ joint in Houston has great sauce - you can see bits of jalapeno and serrano peppers, but it's still nice and vinegary/smokey. now I'm hungry. fooey.

pitu

o yeah, and they have a veggie burger called the Token Gesture or something
ha

and oo ooo ooo they make New Mexico green chili stew, which I reeeally hope is good

I had leftover collards for breakfast :roll:

linusvanpelt

Pitu, how were the ribs without the sauce? I'm not a BBQ purist who believes sauces are evil or anything, but I do think BBQ should taste good -- smoky, full of flavor -- even before you sauce it. My big problem with Biscuit's old ribs was that they tasted like they were baked, not smoked.