• Blue Smoke

  116 E. 27th St., New York, NY 10016, 212-447-7733

  Barbecued beef brisket, in its classic Texas form, is the most local of delicacies, which is why designating the best barbecue brisket in New York City is a dicey business. It’s a little like trying to find the best croque monsieur in Uruguay, say, or the best Philly cheese steak in Toulouse. There’s decent barbecued brisket available on Thursdays at Guastavino’s, under the 59th Street Bridge, and if you go to Queens regularly, the brisket at Pearson’s is ample, though occasionally a little dry. But day in and day out, our favorite is the brisket served at Danny Meyer’s ever-evolving establishment Blue Smoke. Order it at lunch, when it’s fresh, and ask for marbled instead of lean. It’s best in sandwich form (as opposed to on a platter with bland mashed potatoes), served with coleslaw and a pickle. .

From the 2004 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine