Jackson Heights Life

Glad you're amused, I'm from Georgia. And not the Russian one.

Finally went to try out Alchemy... It was phenomenal! Honestly, some of the best brisket I have had, and possibly the best in NYC. Also enjoyed the prime rib, pork ribs, sausage, and wings. Sides were decent as well. The cole slaw was really tangy and cut the richness of all the meat really well. The beans weren't your typical, sweet, baked beans, they were savory with no sauce to speak of, almost a bean mash. Very tasty. We were given some prime rib chili to bring home and try, so looking forward to a taste of that today.

Ron, the chef, is very enthusiastic about the food he is making here, and really eager to build a solid customer base. He is really embracing the neighborhood, and wants to try lots of new recipes that appeal to and reflect the diversity found in JH. He'll be experimenting more with sides as well. In general, it sounds like he'll be testing out more new recipes on the weeknights, so if you want to be the guinea pig (which, based on all the samples he had us try last night, is a good thing), that's when to go.

He also mentioned that their regular hours will be Tuesday-Thursday 6-10; Friday-Saturday 6-11; and Sunday 12-5; closed Mondays. For take-out, you can call in orders and pick them up for now; they hope to be delivering soon, as well as on Seamless and/or GrubHub.

This is such an awesome addition to the neighborhood, and I really couldn't be happier about it!

Had my first taste of the new bqq, half pound of brisket and pork and beans. I have to say, I probably wouldn't order the brisket again. It was too fatty and a bit chewy. The flavor was okay but had a lot of pepper. The pork and beans were very different with a lot of pepper, but I did like them. The lone sauce was a strange choice for your only sauce, again very peppery. For the price ($16), it was not worth it. For that kind of money you should at least get a couple of sides. They need to expand the menu with some cheaper sandwich options. As it is right now, everything is by the pound and a meal will run you $15. I do want to try their ribs before passing judgment.

I'd agree with dssjh on the brisket, although everyone's taste is different, and I'm certain I prefer the fatty end of the brisket, which is what I got the other night. And I thought the cost was commensurate with the quality of food and service I got, but that is probably subjective as well.

As for expanding the menu to include sandwiches, just ask... There is free white bread with every order. Depending on how hungry you are, I'd say 1/4-1/3 lb. of any of the boneless meats would make a great sandwich, and I'm sure they'd even prepare it on the bread for you. And, if there is a protein that you want to see that they haven't had yet, again, just ask. The menu is a big experiment, but they want to please those who might be frequent customers too, so if you want pulled pork, it's worth a mention to the chef. If he hears it enough, I'd bet we'll start seeing it show up here and there.

Now, the facebook page says they'll have lamb belly tonight. I'm intrigued enough to go give it a shot... Will report back!

  First off, we're thrilled to have them so nearby. Then we ventured slowly into the waters with some chicken
and the beef ribs. Both tasty! But different from the BBQ that we know with more peppery smokey denser
flavors. The plan now is to work through the menu before settling on a regulars type of order. Sides are
delicious and would just like a few more.
  Overall v.positive experience and very! welcome in JH. We hope to make it worth their while.
 

We've gone 3 times now and it gets better every time - I think they are just getting used to the equipment and the setup of their new place.  I tried the beef rib, which was too chewy for me, and the sausage, which I was hoping to be like the kielbasa that I have had in Texas bbq places, but it wasn't.  The pork ribs were really good, juicy and tender, and the brisket is great, better than they do it at John Brown. 

Re sandwiches: they were making a brisket sandwich on a roll for someone last night when we were there - just ask them and I'm sure they will do what they can.

We've been twice now - once on a Friday, and once on a Wednesday for take-out. We've sampled everything but the chicken at this point, and haven't really had a bad bite of food. The beef ribs are tougher than one would expect of BBQ, but by no means inedible, and that is the nature of the beast, in my experience. The brisket was excellent (we got it both times), the pork ribs great, the sausage nice and moist, the prime rib and lamb belly both tender and delicious.

I think the negative reviews come down to a matter of taste, honestly. I prefer a dry-rubbed, smoky BBQ; I rarely use sauce; I like fatty cuts. If someone is used to a leaner cut drenched in sauce, they're probably going to take issue with the style of BBQ served here.

It's possible, too, that there have been cuts here and there that miss the mark (I haven't had any, but it's possible), but I'd be shocked if the chef didn't replace any piece of meat that was deemed unsatisfactory. He seems to take a lot of pride in what he does, and I imagine he'd be as disappointed as you to find he served a sub-par piece of meat.