The Atrium Wine Bar
Brand BBQ Market
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Brand BBQ is the embodiment of the new-style urban barbecue joint, with a chef who’s a graduate of culinary school, a spiffy interior with art on the walls, and not an anthropomorphic pig in sight. The formal training of pit mistress Sweet Charity Smith—a name perfectly suited to barbecue—shines on the cheffier portions of the menu. The BrandCheezie is a flabbergastingly delicious smoked venison sausage stuffed with Gorgonzola, wrapped in bacon drizzled with brandy-cherry barbecue sauce, and served resting on a bed of microgreens and deeply caramelized onions. Smoked pulled duck is moist and rich, the hints of porcini mushroom in the brandy-cherry barbecue sauce highlighting the earthy flavors of the duck. Drop-dead-tender smoked pork belly confit is offered as stand-alone with bourbon-mustard barbecue sauce or on a bun with a fried egg and maple mayo. Slow-smoked chicken was the highlight of the traditional barbecue items, a Caribbean jerk barbecue sauce and smoky, spicy chipotle sauce complementing the moist, tender bird. Pulled pork was an odd combination of dry and mushy with little smoke flavor; barbecue sauce and a judicious application of slaw helped, but at present the smoked tofu is better—which alone speaks volumes. Burnt ends—actually more brisket “lardon”—provide a tasty accent to creamy mac ‘n’ cheese and give bacon a run for its money on the eight-ounce burnt-end burger topped with smoked Gouda. Sides include tangy vinegar slaw, bourbon-creamed corn, crispy fries, and surprisingly tasty spicy broccoli studded with slow-roasted garlic cloves. —Gary Wiviott
Crepe Crave
DeColores
Manghal
Pasha
