22nd St. to 32nd St., Lexington Ave. to Madison Ave.
Profile
Forget what the 'cue quibblers say—Blue Smoke is an ingenious Manhattan barbecue joint with a woody barroom full of red-vinyl booths, a skylit dining room, and a hot jazz club downstairs. True, some of the barbecue isn't there yet, but each visit shows improvement, as pit master Kenny Callaghan breaks in those Missouri-made smokers. Salt-and-pepper beef ribs are terrific; so are sides and desserts, and as far as pit-smoked foie gras and salmon goes, what's the problem? This ain't East Treestump, Texas, after all. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld
Catering
Danny Meyer caters his popular barbecue for those who like to roll up their sleeves and dig in. His "Old Hickory" pits smoke everything from pulled pork, brisket, and vegetable sliders to grilled salmon and Memphis-style baby back ribs.
Recommended Dishes
Memphis-style baby back ribs, half rack $14.95/full rack $22.95; pulled pork sandwich, $10.50; macaroni and cheese, $7.95
My boyfriend and I were craving some nice juicy burgers and blue smoke was on the rating for best burgers. We decided to go there for dinner and the place was splendid. From beginning to end, the customer service was attentive, friendly and charming. The chipotle chicken wings were okay, nothing spectacular. The burger itself had a toasted bun and really full meaty burger. The french fries came out super hot and tasty. The portions were generous but overall nothing I would go more than once.
I went there on my Birthday after great reviews from a past experience. The Jazz band had already almost finished the set my BF did not do the best planning. So we decided to go upstairs to eat. The staff was not welcoming at all yes the place was packed but they all had this mum look on thier faces? We go sat at a table so small we could not fit all the food on the table, there was a mosquito under the table biting me up. And I ordered the so called 12 marinated chicken dry and boring as hell. His Salmon was alright but the squash was squishy. Our waitor was just average and not at all friendly just basically doing his job. I thought the food was going to be at least like this chain called Red Rock but not even close. Get a clue, I would go back with family on a more laid back vibe.