New Barbecue places popping up all over Long Island

By Rich Branciforte

Watch out Smokin Al’s, there may be a new sheriff in town, or at least a deputy. Recently opened Harbor Q ( 84 Old Shore Rd., Pt. Washington, 516-883-4BBQ) is the closest we’ve come to Texas style barbecue outside of Lockhart, Texas.
Harbor Q is easy to miss, the building dwarfed by the car wash next door, but it’s worth the ride to Port Washington’s coastal area.
Barbecue-pit master Keith Dorman traveled the country, checking out the different barbecue capitols of the country, learning what stands out, and brought it all back to his new restaurant.
Dorman slow cooks his brisket and meats for 22 hours over hickory. It shows in the results.

Carolina style pulled pork is the best of the trough, tender, smokey and delicious. You can order it for lunch on a ciabatta roll (which unfortunately takes away from the meat) or as an appetizer, 3 pork sliders for $6.99.
Skip the skimpy portion of Smoked Beef Sausage with crackers and cheese from Kreuz’s Market in Lockhart. Inside, go for some nouveau barbeque (coined by Jim Sabella of Sabella Studios) with the Buffalo Soldiers, a crisp egg roll filled with intense buffalo chicken and Gorgonzola cheese in a sweet dip. It works!
Buffalo or Texas Wings, 12 for $7.99 are a must taste.
Entrees are a super bargain at $16.99 for two meats and two sides. Pass on the BBQ Beef Rib and head right to the Memphis Style Baby Back Ribs, wet or dry. Dry is especially tasty and almost has us converted. The BBQ grilled chicken is great.
The brisket was the highlight of our visit on three out of four visits, a bit dry the last time out. Otherwise, they have an intense smoky flavor and you’d think you were in Austin. Ends are coated and ask for slices that have some fat (you’re not on a diet if you’re here).
Great sides include the sweet potato fries or regular, and the baked beans, which has chunks of brisket in them is outstanding.

Harbor Q is located across from Manhasset Harbor. Décor of the restaurant is casual, but we would can the pictures of boating scenes and put in some authentic advertising signs, no repros please.
Harbor Q has a party special that can’t be beat…1 slab of baby back ribs, 12 Texas Wings, 12 Buffalo Wings, 4 mini pulled pork sandwiches, 4 sides…all for $47.99 and it feeds 4-5.
Enough said … hitch up the buckboard and head over to Harbor Q for some of the best barbecue you’ll have outside of the South.
We wish we could say the same for Freedom BBQ, 4160 Austin Blvd., Island Park. Two visits there yielded the same sad results … poor service, overcooked foods and higher than warranted prices.
You know you’re in trouble when there are only four tables occupied and the people at the next table are asking, “ Has anyone seen our waitress?” This was the theme of the night for our waitress, here now, gone forever.
The menu says the bbq sauces are made from scratch in house but its hard to believe. The pulled pork and brisket were a disaster. The menu says better than grandma’s, but that’s only if grandma didn’t know how to cook. The words dry and chewy sum up the meal. Two meat combos are $18.99, three meat combos are $20.99.
The barbecued chicken was actually quite good, but we were charged an extra $1 when we ordered the item, even though we had checked with our waitress before we ordered. When we spoke to the owner, she did nothing but express her regrets that we didn’t enjoy our meal. Sides are mediocre, the cornbread is non-descript.
Pass on this one big time and let freedom ring!
A few other places to check out or miss entirely.
13A, 600 W. Old Country Rd., Hicksville
This review is a bit late, don’t know if the place is still open but the barbecue was miserable, dry and chewy. The waitress didn’t have a clue as she seated us facing a wall instead of out into the restaurant. The place, formerly the Spare Rib, seemed like it couldn’t decide whether it wanted to serve bbq or be an after-hours drink place for the 30 something crowd. Their ad said it was voted best Ribs on Long Island, but this must have been by a vote of the cook out back.
Recent passings: Smokehouse Grill, Sayville … Newsday gushed about the “Joe”s Peruvian Chicken Soup.” After all, isn’t this what we go to a barbecue place for?
I was the only person there at lunch, the place looked like an upscale restaurant that changed the name and theme but nothing else. Obviously others agreed with me, the place is closed.
Laura’s BBQ Roadhouse in N. Bellmore has also bit the dust. This is too bad because the food was decent.
Does anyone know if Big Ed’s in Long Beach is still open? They served up some good Q but the sign on the door has said “Closed for vacation from before Thanksgiving.”
Reviewed previously was Bobbique in Patchogue with a great assortment of blues and brews and excellent barbecue.
Speaking of the godfather of BBQ, Smokin Al’s is opening a new outpost in Massapequa Park on Merrick Rd.

SMOKIN' AL'S Famous BBQ Pit

SMOKIN' AL's FAMOUS BBQ JOINT

19 West Main St., Bay Shore (631) 206-3000

Over the years, Long Island has been a vast wasteland when it came to real barbecue. Ten years ago, Tony Roma's and Bobby Rubino's tried to ride the rib craze, only to be closed down by public apathy. Now, two strong contenders have turned the barbecue landscape upside down. Smokin Al's in Bay Shore is the new gold standard that all other barbecue joints have to be measured against. Al' s is an attractive place, with exposed brick walls and great paintings of pigs doing unpiggy things like torch-singing and dancing. St. Louis ribs are good, the baby backs are better. A half-pound hamburger was juicy and delicious, the fries are home-made and outstanding. Cole slaw is fair. Pork is the way to go at Smokin' Al's, the pork sandwich is excellent, but The Works is in a league all its own. It's a gargantuan hoagy roll covered with pulled pork, sausage and brisket. Succulent, tender and mouth-watering. Onion rings and French frieds cover the sandwich. Eating it as a sandwich is near impossible, knife and fork are required. Check out some more of the menu at www.smokinals.com

We told you it was the best, now tell us.

ELDORADO in Port Jefferson Station

ELDORADO SOUTHERN BARBECUE
(2 locations)
1980 Middle Country Rd., Centereach
(631) 588-7227
4837 Nesconset Hwy., Port Jefferson Station
(631) 473-8525

While barbecue aficionados are sucking it in at Smokin Al’s on the South Shore, Eldorado Southern BBQ has accepted the gauntlet with two locations on the North Shore, one on Middle Country Rd in Centereach and the other in Port Jefferson Station on Route 347. Eldorado is a big place, and the menu has great items. Chicken fingers were declared to be “from heaven” by our official chicken finger man, Richard. But let’s not beat around the bush, we’re here for barbecue, aren’t we? A great time to go is between 3-6 pm, Monday to Friday, that’s when the appetizers are 1/2 price as are the gargantuan margaritas. Chipotle chicken wings are a great selection, and the Texas onion loaf is a work of art. A platter of riblets is over one pound of tender meat. Highly recommended is the "Pig Out", over 1 pound of Memphis pulled pork, Texas brisket, and bbq chicken breast. It comes with great French fried potatoes, excellent cole slaw and wispy onion straws. At $13.95 it’ s a best bet. Jim, the owner, has owned other restaurants on the Island but his love for this place is obvious. The second location in Port Jeff can hold nearly 200 diners. It is decorated like a Texas Roadhouse and the music is true Texas. This place is great and it’s hard to decide which I like better, this or Smokin’ Al’s, so I try to go to both and give each equal time.

We told you it was the best, now tell us.

ELDORADO'S signature dish "PIG OUT"