Fette Sau

After literally years of being told I must visit this former auto-garage-turned-BBQ joint, I finally made it to Fette Sau. The place is fun, with a nice service gimmick - that being the whole "food served directly on the tray" thing. I can see seating being a nightmare on the more lovely spring and summer days (the majority of seats being picknick tables outside in the alley), though after the incomparable amount of time I've spent waiting for tables at Dinosaur, I have to say FS was quite nice.

The food was pretty good overall - in comparison to Dinosaur, I'd say it was a mixed bag. Some things I liked better, others I did not.

Ribs - these were good, but not great. I like Dinosaur's better, which tend to be juicier and are cooked with BBQ sauce. The version at FS were a little too charred on the outside (I like a good bark, but this was overcooked) and a bit dry on the inside.

Pork Shoulder - fantastic! Juicy and delicious through and through. Needed no sauce whatsoever.

Pork Belly - an interesting one. Being the fan of pork belly that I am, I immediately knew I must try BBQd belly, though the results were a bit mixed for me. Honestly it was the single most delicious thing on my plate (err, tray), but when you're paying by the lb, I don't know if choosing something that's 80% fat is the best way to go. I have to say though, those extra pieces of fat went great on the rolls, which were perfectly soft and airy.

Sausage Links - not totally sure what meat they used in these (my guess is it was pork), but they were good. Fairly juicy, a little spicy, and a light snap when you bit into them.

Potato Salad - this was a more German-style potato salad, meaning it was vinegar based as opposed to mayonnaise based. I really enjoyed it - tons of flavor from all the oil, vinegar, and whole grain mustard.

Burnt End Baked Beans - deep red in color, a touch spicy, and filled with flavor. The addition of bay leaves and the burnt ends were very nice, however I tend to enjoy a slightly less al dente texture to my baked beans. I suppose it's a good thing that they weren't "mushy", but it made the dish feel a bit raw to me.

Half-Sour Pickles - I have no idea if the restaurant makes these themselves or if they simply buy them. At first taste I enjoyed them quite a bit, as I love a good half-sour (my favorite pickle). But after a while I did notice how overly salty these were. I do know that Dinosaur makes their own pickles, and I do quite prefer those.

Overall I enjoyed the place quite a bit - the rotating menu of meats is a major reason to go back. Can't wait for a return visit!