It used to be a tradition every year to go to a different BBQ restaurant for my birthday. For the first 5 or 6 years I lived in New York, I’d chow down on baby back ribs. I think the tradition started when I was growing up in Florida but I made sure to explore all the options in the five boroughs. And there are really only a few BBQ joints that I have yet to try. I eventually moved on because I realized it’s my birthday and the best food I can treat myself to is a rack of ribs?
Through those 6 years of cornbread and wet naps, I never made it to Georgia’s Eastside BBQ (mainly because it wouldn’t accommodate my large birthday gathering) in the Lower East Side. The joint is tiny with maybe five tables and a few bar stools. And they don’t have a bathroom. Fortunately, the bar across the street is open late and is cool with diners using the facilities.
I was also confused as to the origin of the name Georgia’s. I sort of assumed the moniker was inspired by a woman (isn’t everything?), but once I saw the Georgia license plates as menus, I realized it’s about the peachy location (and not the post-communist country). And while Georgia doesn’t seem to have their own distinct BBQ style (like Memphis and St. Louis), they certainly know from Southern cooking and culture.
So this restaurant felt more like a Southern spot than a straight-up BBQ joint. Besides ribs, they do have BBQ chicken, sausage, pulled pork, and offered brisket as a special. But the dish we were sent to try was the fried chicken.
It comes with two sides so we only ordered a half rack of ribs (to satiate my rib craving). We picked mashed potatoes and collard greens. I was amazed to see no mac and cheese on the menu. In its place were some less typical sides (which they charged extra for) like pickled beets and brussels sprouts.
The chicken was moist and flavorful and the skin was extra extra crispy. But I found the buttermilk crust to be both slightly bland and a bit too salty for my tastes. It’s a decent fried chicken, but certainly not the best I ever had. However, I do commend them on the awfully generous portion size.
The ribs were also not the best in the city. They lacked much smoke flavor and while they were tender, I couldn’t quite pinpoint a style. Was there dry rub here? Should I douse them in sauce? The flavor certainly veered on the tomato side rather than vinegar, but I found the whole experience rather forgettable.
I did like the homey yet hip urban atmosphere and the prices were right (especially the really cheap Southern beer), so I’ll probably come back. But it won’t be on my birthday when I now like to pamper myself with some unique and extraordinary food or at the very least, some amazing BBQ.
Would Georgia Eastside BBQ’s Fried Chicken make my Top 100 of the year? Big portions and moist chicken can’t save the bland, greasy crust. However, it’s still a modest try so 6 out of 10.
