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First Impressions: Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque
The third in a series of flash reviews of the restaurants at Hudson Eats in Brookfield Place. Previously: Black Seed Bagels, Num Pang Sandwich Shop.
I hadn’t really noticed the lack of food aromas at Hudson Eats until I had Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque there. Eating barbeque without smelling it cook is sort of weird; the antiseptic (by which I don’t mean clean; see below) vibe of Hudson Eats was heightened considerably by the lack of smell.
At Mighty Quinn’s, you order Chipotle-style, choosing a meat (either “naked” or as a sandwich) and then choosing garnishes and sides as you move along the counter. From the menu, I understood slaw to be a side, but then it was offered as a free garnish (along with various pickles and I think the guy said “burnt ends,” which is also a main meat option?). The pommes frites—can you imagine a roadside joint calling them that?—looked worthy, but I was still recovering from cheese fries at Murray’s Cheese Bar for lunch, so I also got baked beans, the edamame and snap pea salad, and a Founders Dirty Bastard Ale.
As I’m always mentioning, I don’t eat a lot of beef, and if I miss anything about it, I miss the texture—so barbecue isn’t exactly what I crave. And yet the brisket at Mighty Quinn’s—which has the least vegetarian-friendly menu in the complex, as you might expect—was extremely good. Don’t let the photo above fool you: The portion is large. The beans were spicy and tangy; I only wished there was less meat in them. Likewise, the edamame salad, which should be an opportunity to balance out all the heaviness, was creamy and way too salty.
Hudson Eats was surprisingly busy at dinnertime, and this was the first meal where I was asked if I wanted it for here or to go. (I was given a tray instead of a paper bag.) The food court vibe that’s totally acceptable at lunch can be a bit sad at dinner. I look forward to the weather clearing up so I can take my food, if not my beer, outside.
How was Mighty Quinn’s for you?
P.S. A general thought regarding Hudson Eats: Darcy’s comment about the tables and chairs always being messy was spot on. They really have to do something about it, including getting the crumbs out from between the banquette cushions.
Recent New Kid on the Block/First Impressions articles:
• B Dry Blow Bar
• Hudson Eats: Black Seed Bagels, Num Pang Sandwich Shop
• Tutto Il Giorno
• Union Bar + Kitchen
• Bâtard
• Il Principe
• Arcade Bakery
• Sweet Green
• Hotel Hugo
• El Vez
• Racines NY
• Juice Press
• Daruma-Ya
• By Suzette
6 Comments
Comment:
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Re: smell. Sometimes it’s great to walk in to your favorite eatery and let the smells ( hopefully food-related) welcome you back and remind you what you’re about to enjoy.
However, if you work (or live!) in a place with a restaurant attached, those smells can be horrible, no matter how much you thought you loved BBQ, Indian, pizza, soup, whatever.
I suspect Brookfield has had to (or will have to) do a lot of work to keep those delicious odors out of the office spaces.
Re: cleanliness. We arrived and had to clean our table. I’m not super-picky. It happens at some places, some times.. Fine. But after eating and watching my little ones make an even bigger mess, I kept my eyes open for staff who may clean up and clear trays. I saw one person. For dozens of tables.
Now I would have cleaned-up anyway (it’s embarrassing and not cool to walk way from a table that looks like a disaster, that you made), but I was reasonably sure that if I hadn’t done it, another patron would have had to do it. I’ll bet you a non-existant Montreal bagel that it wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
Yes, Hudson Eats clearly has an issue with table cleaning. For such an “upscale” food court to get this more wrong than your average mall is a shame. There seem to be one or two people languidly patrolling the area who might clean a table if it gets in their head. This needs to change.
You mentioned the most important thing about Mighty Quinn’s, Erik – THE BRISKET. It’s the best I’ve ever had, and I’m happy to not have to go stand in what is normally a huge line in the East Village. That’s an immediate huge plus to me, even if I will only eat it as a rare treat. If you like barbecue brisket at all, this stands way above most NYC places, even Hill Country, whose early reputation was based on their brisket.
I’ve never been a big fan of their sides. The selection is limited, and there’s something about most choices that I don’t really like. The creaminess of the edamame salad is a good example. For me, the brisket is so good that I will definitely get it once in a while, mediocre sides be damned!
yes, like i mentioned back on the bagel place…the tables are a reck….but the BBQ. was great….and i loved,loved the baked been’s…wow…….but i took a friend and it came for the 2 of us, with 4 sides to try…. $42.65…i don’t know, but i was a little ataken back…..maybe its from living in GA. for so long.
We thought the brisket was tasty as well but they were pretty cheap with the slaw. I guess that’s what happens when it’s free.
I finally made it there last night. I thought the prices all looked high, which was disappointing. I ended up choosing Umami Burger. I’ve never been to one. They have a pastrami burger that I’m told is unique to this location. It was very good as were the smashed potatoes. So that is all I had and with tax it was $17 and change. Who thinks that is too expensive for a burger and potatoes, even if the meat is unique and very good?
I should add that the staff were very friendly and helpful as was the manager who I tried to talk into trying delivery, at least to Gateway, which you can see from his counter (his concern was over the travel distance negatively impacting the “taste profiles”).