Mark and Lynn took the Perkins branch of our family (Dave, Kristina, Jackson and Sloane) to Brooklyn as part of Kristina's birthday weekend. First up was Fatty Cue a restaurant that specializes in mash ups of US barbecue and Asian cuisine. First off, the place was predictably attractive with a dark, rugged bar area and a cozy but naturally lit back dining room that felt cloistered and brought to my mind a tavern where early American politics might be debated.
The staff were the most friendly we have ever seen anywhere. To appreciate how jarring this kind of thing is to me remember I am from North Carolina where everyone is supposed to be friendly and everyone North of say Virginia are supposed to be unrepentant jackasses. Our experiences in New York and particularly in Brooklyn have seen us get great service and nice attention, the result of which is that we have seen these stereotypes smashed to bits (ironic, in a way that we have had consistent trouble with restaurant service in my native Tar Heel state). Most impressive from this experience was the ease at which the staff handled our grandchildren. Jackson and Sloane are well behaved and are actually very sophisticated in this kind of environment but they are spirited and get excited in a stimulating environment. Jackson and Sloane typically get a lot of attention (click this link to see an example of this) and the staff here were great in accommodating our stroller, getting a high chair for Sloane and so on. One of the waiters was predictably charmed by Jackson and took the trouble to download "Thomas the Train" pages that he (Jackson) could color.
As is the pattern in Brooklyn we loved the cocktails; Lynn had something called a Big Ben which combined Scotch, Elderflower, Lillet Blanc, Orange and Campari. I rarely like cocktails which feature Scotch but this one really helped sweeten up the masculine smokiness of the Scotch making for a great cold weather cocktail that packed just the right amount of punch. I had a great rye Manhattan but I mildly regret not having stepped out of my comfort zone to try a "Dark and Stormy" a rum based drink with ginger beer that I will be sure to try next time.
The food was definitely stick to your ribs fare; I had a grilled cheese with chili butter that was really huge and my son in law David (a fellow Southerner) had Pork Ribs that were flavorful and hefty. We went out into the Brooklyn cold pleasantly stuffed and proceeded to walk off some of the hefty carbs and protein vowing to return to experience dinner and more of the savory cocktails.
