So a couple of weeks ago I walked passed tiny restaurant with a line going outside the door. Of course being as nosy as I am, I decided to go and investigate. The line was to get inside of Mexicue, a new Mexican/Barbecue fusion restaurant (for lack of a better word. The place is very small. Theres really nowhere to sit aside from a thin counter across the window and 2 or 3 stools). Everyone waited outside eagerly with grins on their faces and drool on their lips waiting to try a new treat.

Their menu was pretty bare which makes sense for a new venture, but the little bit that was listed sounded delicious so i tried a few things and here is what I thought of them.

Short ribs taco ($4.00). Not good. The tortilla was grainy and the meat didnt have the best texture or taste. Honestly it tasted like beef jerky in a tortilla.

Berkshire Pulled Pork Slider ($3.50). Not good. I didnt like the flavor or texture of the bread, and the meat wasnt that good either. It tasted better than the taco, but it definitely wasnt worth 3.50. I mean HELLO!? Its a SLIDER, not a real sandwich!

Burnt ends Chili Slider ($3.50). The WORST slider I’ve ever had. It was full of meat tough slices of beef. I think they found the cheapest, lowest grade of beef they could find! It was tough, and gristly and just gross! Worst sandwich ever!

Spicy Potato Salad ($3.00): This was pretty good….the first time I tried it. But after having it a couple more times, each time tasting worse than the last, ive come to the conclusion that maybe it only tasted good in comparison to the other bad food next to it. The next time I had it, it tasted like it was mixed chipotle mayonnaise. I’m not in love with the taste of chipotle mayo, so maybe you’ll love it. I guess Im a glutton for punishment because I gave it a third try! This time they put too much paprika and the potatos werent cooked well enough! There is nothing worse than crunchy potatoes! If its not potato chips or fries, potatoes should not crunch. EW

The price of the potato salad went from 3 dollars to $2.50. I guess since they lowered the price, they had to lower the quality as well. *shrug*

I guess its safe to say that I do NOT like Mexicue….AT ALL! The food is bad. The prices are high and the portions are low! But with food that tastes like that, who needs big portions? If you decide to try this place for yourself, be prepared to spend 15 to 20 dollars if you actually want to get full. Everything is priced separately! There are no meals aside from “Rice Bowls”.

The rice bowls range in price from $8.50 to $10.50. So basically, whatever comes on a taco or in a slider can be turned into a rice bowl. Im not sure why something that costs $3.50 as a sandwich becomes 10 dollars just because you add some rice to it. And I wont find out because I definitely will not be eating from Mexicue again. I have a feeling there wont be much of a line coming out of there in the near future now that the novelty has warn off and people know what to expect. I doubt Mexicue will be around very long…especially with Chipotle right down the block.

Chipotle isnt my favorite restaurant, but at least their food is edible and they make great guacamole! I ordered chips and guac at Mexicue and they didnt have any guacamole! They were all out! How are you gonna be a mexican restaurant and not have guac! Thats like Popeyes being out of chicken (which i have also experienced but thats what I get for going to Popeyes…ew! the only thing worth eating there are the biscuits, but another story for another time.)

Maaaan BBQs is like an old friend. We go WAY BACK! Ive spent plenty of fun evenings with family and friends at this place. Its not the fanciest place you can go to, but its decent and if you want some good grubbin on a budget, its a great place to go. My favorite location is the one in the East Village. It feels a little more trendy. Maybe because its in the village and because they have the outside seating area.

The west village location has always been a ghetto mess! And its even MORE of a ghetto mess since their original location closed down and turned into a bank, and they moved into an old shoe store! They didnt even TRY to make it look like a restaurant! It looks like people are eating their food in a shoe store window! Everytime I walk past that store I secretly laugh at the people inside.

Aside from that, the food is great! My favorite thing to get is the baked half of chicken with fries. They give you a choice of a quarter chicken (costs an extra dollar for white meat), or for 2 dollars more you can get half of chicken. I just get the half. If Im gonna pay extra for white meat, why not just get the white and the dark right? The meat is always seasoned well, cooked well and the barbecue sauce is great! I usually ask for a side of their warm barbecue sauce. For some reason that barbecue sauce in the bottles on the table just isnt the same. I dont know who they think theyre fooling but theyre not fooling me!

The quarter chicken meal is only about 7 dollars. If you go for the early bird special (before 6pm) you can get TWO quarter chicken meals for 10 bucks! If thats not a recession special I dont know what is! Imagine going out to dinner, and only spending 10 dollars for two people!

Their fries are fresh cut and tasty. Sometimes I get the rice. The rice is simple but they put scallions on it which makes it great! Anything with scallions in it is great to me! My mom loves their cornbread and I understand why! It tastes like somebody’s mama made it!

If you go with a group, make sure you get the onion loaf. Its a fried onion dish shaped sorta like a top hat! Its pretty good but its a bit overwhelming for one or even two people to eat. You need about 3 or maybe even 4 people to polish it off. Its not really something you take to go. Some things taste best when fresh out of the oil.

Their fried honey wings are pretty popular. Ive had them before and theyre good but theyre not a staple in my list of things to get. Theyre a little too messy and the wings are HUGE!! I like dainty little chicken wings. They say theyre chicken wings but they look more like turkey wings! I dont like to eat things that can put me in a headlock.

The baby back ribs are great! Dowsed in barbecue sauce and crisp around the edges. My stomach is getting an attitude with me for teasing it with all this barbecue talk when all its getting is a baked salmon and some white rice for dinner tonight. Thats good food but its no baby back ribs!

BBQs has a pretty decent menu with a little something for everybody! Everything from shrimp cocktail and popcorn shrimp to pulled pork and brisket. If youre in a warm and fuzzy mood try their chicken noodle soup. If youre in the mood for gas, try their chili! Its great! But tell them to hold the onions if youre on a date.

I love to go to BBQs with my mom and sister. Its a special place we go when we want to hang out or celebrate something but we dont want to go overboard. Its a great place to get a hearty meal and a few drinks while bonding with your friends and family without breaking your pockets.

Its also a great place to take a date, especially if youre cheap or broke. Just make sure you hide the drinks/daiquiris menu and tell the waiter to ZIP IT (Because theyre obligated to ask if youd like to purchase a frozen drink!) Drinks cost more than the food! A drink runs between 8 and 15 dollars.
I love the strawberry daquiries! Im a dork, I get the virgin. I really dont like the taste of alcohol and I think the alcohol taste takes away from the deliciousness of the drink. I know. Im weird.

Sidebar: Dear East Village BBQ, please get rid of that ugly green awning! It is HIDEOUS! Whos idea was that? THEYRE FIRED!Go back to the brown, it was much more classy and inviting.

Dear “Rib Cage”,

Why did you change your name? I thought the name was fun and clever. “First Dibs On Ribs” is way too long. I had fun saying, “Lets go to the rib cage!”

Anyhoo…I’m not here to post about your name, I’m here to post about your fame! (Or pending fame anyway. )YOUR RIBS ARE THE BOMB!!! (Do people still say that? I do! shooo).

I *heart* your ribs.

Let me tell you guys about “First Dibs on Ribs”. Even though the name is annoying the food makes up for it! This isn’t a sit in restaurant, so don’t gather up the family and start making your way over. This is a takeout joint, but its definitely not “Fast Food”…no waaay. This is SOUL FOOD! Food for the soul..and yes it makes your soul dance. The ribs are so tender they fall off the bone. They’re smoked, tender, succulent and delightful. And don’t ask me if they’re BEEF ribs! Because obviously they’re not, if I just described them as delightful. I haven’t tasted a beef rib that I’ve liked yet! These are good ole pork ribs! PORK IS MY FRIEND! But if you’re on the outs with pork let me tell you about some of their other yummy dishes.

Collard Greens:
OOOOH WEEE! The collard greens will make you slap somebody they’re so good. Notice I didn’t say ya mama! I don’t advocate slapping ya mama…Unless you’re balloon boy! If you’re on a diet, then go for the greens and nothing else. You wont be sorry.

Mac & Cheese:
Need I really say much? If you screw up mac & cheese, then you just suck and you may as well just close up shop and go home. You can’t be a soul food restaurant and not make good mac and cheese…theirs is pretty darn good.

Sweet Potato Pie:
YUMMERRRRS!!!! You can have Thanksgiving every day (except for Monday. They’re closed on Mondays) if you visit this place.

Cakes:
Their cake is good. You wont be disappointed, but honestly I think its box cake and not cake from scratch. Which is a good thing because I usually like boxed cake better. Now don’t look at me sideways and discredit my taste buds. I grew up on boxed cake so maybe it’s like a little slice of childhood every time I eat it? I don’t know but its good! Be quiet! lol

Fried Chicken:
I hate to have to do this but…their fried chicken is really touch and go. One problem I have with some restaurants is that they don’t always stick to a particular recipe. KFC might be fast food, but one good thing you can say about them is no matter WHAT KFC you go to, no matter what time of day it is, your chicken will always taste the same. This cant be said for “First Dibs On Ribs” fried chicken. Depending on who’s in the kitchen that day makes a big difference. Sometimes their quarter chicken (I prefer white meat) is crispy, tasty, cooked all the way through and just some of the greatest chicken you could ever have. Then other days it’s soggy, wet and just nasty! And it has a red tint to it. Whoever cooks that day must make it with Sazon. So if the chicken is light and crispy looking. GREEN LIGHT! GO FOR IT! If its reddish and soggy looking, RUN! Cuz some chicken botcher done effed up the chicken! Someone revoke their black card IMMEDIATELY! You can’t be black and eff up chicken!

Now I’m not saying all black people can fry chicken. But the ones who cant know better than to be in the kitchen effing it up! I guess that person didn’t get the memo!

Overall I think that “First Dibs on Ribs”, “The Rib Cage” or whatever you want to call it, is a great place to get some food to go! Its ok that its not an eat in kind of restaurant because the food is so good, you wont want to eat it in public anyway. You’re going to want to sit home and eat it like the fat pig at heart that you really are! Grease on your lips, barbeque sauce on your shirt, and glory in your heart! HALLELUJAH! LOL

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you where its located. Put on your bullet proof vest, because its located on Ralph Avenue in Bedford Stuyvesant! But its worth the risk!

Wanna buy me a cookie?

THANK YOU