Jacob's Pickles...

I just want to say that over the weekend (Friday) I had THE MOST amazing restaurant experience! Last week a very very good friend of mine asked me a rather interesting question. "Have you ever been to Jacob's Pickles?" *Immature Pun Alert!* Don't know who this Jacob is and I definitely don't want anything to do with his pickles! What actually came out my mouth was: "No." She sent me the link and with one skeptical eyebrow still in the air (from the name of the joint)...I thought...venue I've never been to with someone I love breaking bread with?....I'M IN!

So what is this place? A pickle restaurant?
I know that's probably what you would think at first glance of the name, but no. It's a very down home, southern style-ish, restaurant that takes much pride in their biscuits, beer, and for obvious reasons their pickled products. Very cozy, very southern but still New York (if that even makes sense)...exposed brick and wood panels, mason jars, long high tables, etc.

You mentioned that you had THE MOST amazing experience...what was so amazing about this pickle place?
Pickle place? SMH! Aside from the look, the food and service was outstanding! Upon arrival, we decided to have a seat at the bar and indulge in some Cpt. Lawrence Pumpkin Ale while we waited to be seated. The bartenders were cool as hell! Because of the mixed reviews about the original selections we were making, they let us try it before we confirmed order (thus leading to the Pumpkin Ale). Beer sample...check! The wait was no longer then 10-15 minutes (which actually wasn't all that bad considering the amount of people in there). Quick seating...double check! Our server was THE. BEST! Very pleasant, very engaging, and more importantly very knowledgeable about the items on the menu. *Tangent* too many times I've gone to a restaurant and the server doesn't know anything about what I'm asking. Yeah they can tell me what's in it and how it's prepared but when you get down to brass taxes I want to know should I or should I not order it. *Back to the post* If I'm making a decision that chances are I'm going to regret, I don't mind if the waiter steps in and advises me otherwise. This dude did just that. Very attentive, didn't let the crowd discourage him from checking up on us frequently...just an overall good waiter. Great service...triple check! And last but certainly not least...THE FOOD IS AMAZING!!!...which sealed the deal

Sounds like you did have a pretty good experience...what did you order to eat?
Surprisingly/Unfortunately, we did not get any appetizers. After seeing the portions of the entrees we didn't want to find ourselves in a situation that would lead to us having to be wheel barreled out the door. So we got the Country Sausage Beer Mussels (for me) and the Honey Chicken & Pickles (for her). I start of with my order...

The Country Sausage Beer Mussels was nothing like what I expected! I'm thinking some sliced sausage mixed with some mussels (already taken out the shell) soaking in a pool of beer broth. It was similar to what I thought but not exactly. It came out in this HUGE (took up the whole plate huge) cask iron pot FILLED with mussels, some diced sausage, a biscuit cut in half, soaking in the still bubbling beer broth, and a side of fries (as if I really needed that!). Overwhelmed at first because of the whole look and size of everything, I managed to conquer the beast one mussel at a time. Let me just say that the mussels and sausage was good, but once dipped in that broth it took the meal to a whole new level! Kinda like a tangy, slightly fishy...but not really. I can't even really put it in words to be honest. What I will say is that I wasn't disappointed with my selection. Now on to her order...

The Honey Chicken & Pickles, I feel embodies a lot of what this place stands for and you'll see why I say that as you keep reading. First off, this is a sandwich ladies and gentleman, but don't think it's just a pickle and chicken sandwich. The chicken is buttermilk fried and the pickles are their in home hot sours. Oh and lets not forget that it's all in between 2 of their humungous, flaky biscuits! And are you ready for this?...wait for it....wait for it....a side of some of the cheesiest grits you will probably ever have in your life. *Tangent* Let the record show that neither one of us are fans of grits, but these made us quickly reconsider our dislike! *Back to the story* You have 2 ways to eat this beast of a sandwich...either dislocate your jaw and take as many bites as you can...or take the girly way out and knife n fork it. *we knifed n forked it* Before chowing down there was a slight audible play called, and a side of gravy was thus entered into the mix. That gravy! LORD JESUS that gravy! It basically turned an already outstanding dish into something heavenly! It's like a white sausage filled gravy. I mean...I'm sure there was much more to it but again I'm at a loss for words. It LITERALLY had to be taken away from the table so I wouldn't dip my finger in there trying to get every last bit of the remains.

OH. MY. GOODNESS! I don't even know what to say to all that...
Sorry to cut you off, but that's not it. After we struggled through all that food we were basically strong armed into getting dessert...Fried Oreos to be more specific. It came with a side of this frosting/whipped cream stuff...OH MAN! The GM Manager wasn't lying when he described those things as crack! Thought I was going to end up scratching and shaking looking for my next hit of these fried oreos! And I think that's pretty much all I have to say about that.

DAMN! Are you sure there isn't anything else?
No. That was everything that we ordered. There was absolutely no way anything else was going to fit inside our bodies. 

This may be a bit of a stretch question but was there anything that you didn't like about this place?
To be honest, I can't find one thing that I didn't like about this place. Ambiance was great. Service was excellent (even the GM Manager stopped by to chat it up with us for a little bit). Food was amazing! The people we shared the table with were friendly. And to top it all off, the Captain from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit came in and had dinner (not with us but he was there).

I think I already know what you're going to say but any recommendations?
This is a hands down a MUST GO place! You would be seriously missing out on a great experience if you chose not to come here! Oh and before I forget...their prices are COMPLETELY reasonable! Even more of an incentive! No BS put this place on the top of your "TO GO" list...I promise you won't be disappointed!

Jacob's Pickles

509 Amsterdam Avenue

(212)-470-5566

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You got BBQ in Times Square???

I'm going to start off and say I took no photos of my meal because I straight up devoured it, and I'm not mad at that ONE BIT!!!

So where did I go you ask, I went to Virgil's BBQ in Times Square on 44th btwn 7th and 6th.  You're probably asking yourself, "this dude went to Lunch...in Times Square?? What a Joke, he doesn't know food." Well, "food expert" I do know about food (check out nominny.blogspot.com - this is a shameless plug) and you obviously have never been to Virgil's.

I was very skeptical about going because IT IS Times Square, and frankly it's a hot spot for tourists. However, I took the really long walk of 2 minutes, got a seat at the bar, and opened up the menu.

You're instantly greeted with a 3 page folding menu with one full page dedicated to beers and drinks, and I have to say the beer selection was quite impressive and took my by surprise.  I started my meal off with an always solid Six Point Sweet Action (my #1 favorite). It did not disappoint one bit, because really, Six Point just does not disappoint plain and simple.

For lunch, I went with the Brisket with a side of Mac N' Cheese and Cole Slaw.  As I was waiting for my food, I realized that this place wasn't as big as I thought it was, however, I only went to the first floor, so I'm not quite sure if there is a second floor of seating.  If not, it seems MUCH bigger from the outside.  It is a cool little joint though, that I can see myself going back and enjoying a happy hour there or something.  The clientele was a mix of business people from the area and tourists. A very large bar area with about 50 bar stools, and 5 TV's evenly spaced apart showing NFL Network, Golf, and Tennis.

After a few minutes passed, my plate was put in front of me, my mouth watered immediately.  I dug in first to the Mac N' Cheese, and it did not disappoint one bit.  The cheese was a blend of a cheddar and jack, as it definitely had a very nice flavor to it, also, it was a creamy cheese so don't expect some half-assed melted cheese on some pasta. I took a bite into my cole slaw and very much enjoyed it, however, it was your typical finely chopped cole slaw, nothing more, nothing less.

I took a swig of Six Point, cleaned my pallet, and cut a nice chunk of my brisket. I took that first bite, and, honestly, I wasn't instantly impressed with it, but after that second bite, WOW!! It was so tender and juicy that I didn't even need a knife to cut it. Sitting next to me was a bottle of Virgil's sauce, so I poured a healthy dose of it on top of my meat. Again, you're sitting there asking yourself, if the meat was so good, why are you putting BBQ sauce on it...it's because I LOVE BBQ SAUCE...deal with it! It had the right amount of kick to it as well, and just enhanced my meal to pretty good, to pretty damn good!

Honestly, I walked away from Virgil's extremely impressed with the quality of the food, beer and drink selection, and the service.  My only gripe is that it's dab in the middle of Times Square, down a side street of course, but still, the location takes away from it honestly.  But, also, a very smart move on there part for making delicious, quality food and putting it in the busiest parts of New York City.

If you're around the area, if you're visiting from another state or country, or you just want good BBQ....check out Virgil's, you'll thank me. Also, for you lazy people out there, or if it's raining, they do deliver as well.

Virgil's Real Barbecue

152 West 44th Street (Between Broadway and 6th)

New York, NY 10036

(212) 921-9494