Tuesday Nights: Southern Hospitality

Towards the end of the last year, my friends thought that we weren't hanging out enough. It's true, we weren't. So they started Tuesday night get-togethers. Every Tuesday, we'll pick a bar to drink, eat, and hang out for a couple of hours. Whoever can make it will attend. If you're busy, it's okay. There's always next week. So this is Tuesday Nights on Tasty Eating where you will find bars that serve food and how we like them.

On this recent Tuesday Night, we headed out to: Southern Hospitality

I've always been curious about Southern Hospitality. They serve barbecue BBQ which I love eating. So when a Tuesday Night came around and no one had any ideas, I suggested it. Also, it's in my neighborhood: Hell's Kitchen.

We arrive and the place is crowded but not packed. We got one of the last booths to sit the 6 of us. We weren't sure about what to order, so I took over and ordered...or over ordered for everyone. Okay, so I went a little overboard. I was really hungry that day.

First up, the Over the Top Platter ($50). Okay, this is where I over ordered. But you know what? I wanted to try the different ribs and was selfish about it. This huge thing came with wet and dry Memphis style spare ribs, babyback ribs, bbq chicken, and cornbread. It also came with 2 sides which I picked mac n cheese and coleslaw. This platter was a mountain of meat but that's all it was. The ribs are mediocre and didn't have much low smoked flavor. That they were really difficult to separate. Not your off the bone type rib. I like some chew to my rib but this was really not tender. The chicken was the most disappointing. The least amount of flavor and not juicy. Dry chicken...a crime to humanity. Oh and that corn bread. It was not good. I slathered it in the honey butter and it was much, MUCH better.

As for the sides, the mac n cheese was okay. The pasta was definitely overcooked and the cheese gloppy. But it's still pasta and cheese. The coleslaw was okay as well. It definitely helped cut the richness of the meats but on its owm, it didn't stand up.

Although we ordered appetizers, everything came at once. So much for timing. Anyway, here are the BBQ Nachos ($12) with pulled pork (+$5). This wasn't too bad. I liked the combination of BBQ beans, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, and pork. The tortillas were thin and cripsy and held up through the end.

We also had an order of Smokin Hot Wings ($10) which is their version of Buffalo wings. They were spicy indeed but nothing that I couldn't handle. The wings were meaty and juicy while the flavor was tangy and spicy. I would order this again.

When I saw the Fried Pickle Chips ($8), I had to order them. I was wondering what the rave was all about. So when they arrived, I quickly dove in for one. I was so fast that I didn't even take a picture of the order. But here's my picture of one chip with BBQ ranch dipping sauce. I thought the pickle chip was pretty good. It was certainly crispy on the outside but soft and sour on the inside. I nice combination. I would order these again.

Oh so I couldn't stop thinking about fried chicken that day so I was happy to know that Southern Hospitality sold a platter. The Home Style Fried Chicken Platter ($19) came with 3 pieces of chicken (all dark meat) as well as mashed potatoes and cole slaw. I had a whole piece of chicken to myself and thought of it to just be okay. Not particularly crunchy nor juicy on the inside. Meh. The side of mashed potatoes were also really meh. Way too smooth for my own liking.

And if all this food wasn't enough, I also ordered onion strings ($4) and tator tots ($4). Both were just okay. Fried sure. But fried really well? Not exactly. But crispy enough.

Overall, the food was just okay. The main dishes like the ribs and fried chicken were especially underwhelming. However, I wouldn't be opposed to going back for the more bar type food like fried pickles and nachos. Basically, they serve BBQ; not barbecue.

Southern Hospitality
645 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10036-3606
(212) 265-1000
southernhospitalitybbq.com