The Early Word on Daniel Delaney's BrisketTown

[Daniel Krieger]
BrisketTown, pitmaster Daniel Delaney's new Williamsburg barbecue restaurant, has received quite a bit of attention since it opened a few weeks ago. A lot of early diners love the brisket, but some people take issue with the price of the meat ($25 per pound), the setting, and the service. Here's what early diners are saying about BrisketTown:

The Ri-God-Damn-Diculoustly Delicious News: One Yelper is positively smitten with BrisketTown: "There are no words that speaks to how RI-GOD-DAMN-DICULOUSLY DELICIOUS the brisket is at BrisketTown. It can be described as 'meat candy.' I must confess, when it comes to barbecue I usually go for the ribs cause the brisket usually lets me down, But not in BrisketTown. No Sir!!! Brisket is king (ALL PRAISES DUE!!)." [Yelp]

The Moist and Tender News: A blogger at Brooklyn Based is impressed by the meat: "The brisket comes fully charred, with a slightly sweet caramelized crust, but inside it's about as moist and tender as you can get. The plastic forks are barely needed to cut bites out of these slices and the fatty ends of the meat-which I often find to be throwaways-are particularly juicy, flavorful nuggets of joy. Delaney was serving the brisket Wednesday night with a red cabbage slaw accented by basil and raisins, plus spicy, heavy-on-the-clove pickles. The frills stop there: you can scoop extra pickles and onions out of candy jars on the counter, or throw on a few drops of Cholula, but Delaney doesn't believe good BBQ needs sauce. In this case, he's right..." [Brooklyn Based]

The Beyond Delicious News: Eater commenters have a lot to say about BrisketTown. One reader offers this: "We were there the night before Thanksgiving and the brisket and sides were all beyond delicious. I've eaten at a number of well-known BBQ spots in and around Austin and Dallas (and NYC), and your brisket is way up there. We'll be back." [Eater Comments]

The Bad News: One Yelper is not pleased: "If You Like HYPE, then you've come to the right place. Unfortunately the food speaks for itself and tells a different story: Overpriced, dry, lumps of meat plus bad service to boot...Spoiler: on Fridays-Sunday they let the people who 'supported them' in early at 6:00pm. So by the time they officially open at 6:30pm the tables are already full and you will be waiting outside in the cold. But this is Williamsburg and there's actually tastier places you can go for your meat fix." [Yelp]

The Transcendental News: Jen over at Greenpointers files a report: "The outside was perfectly crispy and caramelized and it was really happy with extra hot sauce. And the ribs – the ribs were perfect, transcendental ribs, meat falling off the bone, sweet and tons of smokey flavor. I can't wait to go back with my man!" [Greenpointers]

The Somewhat Disappointed News: A handful of reviewers mention a priority reservation system that was not honored during their visit. One Yelper's take: "I wanted so much to LOVE Delaney BBQ, but found that despite the friendly service and great ribs, there were a number of significant flaws, such as: not following reservation policy; long wait on the line and slow service; and price. I understand WHY it was so pricey, but given the taste of the brisket I wouldn't say it was worth what we paid for it." [Yelp]

The Great News: Another Eater commenter chimes in: "So, so legit. Better than Mueller's and Salt Lick in Austin, that's for sure! Daniel and his team were more than gracious during our visit, but honestly, even without the level of service, the BBQ speaks for itself." [Eater Comments]

The Foursquare News: Liang S: "As a Texan, I refuse to eat BBQ in NYC. This place is the ONLY exception." Laura B.: "Meat's great, but expect a deli feel, more than a restaurant. Not a big space, so small parties are best & don't expect to sit & linger, to finish your drinks. BYOB by the way." Alex G: "Amazing brisket. Dan is incredibly dedicated and passionate about serving the best brisket around." Zane L.: "Daniel tries every single piece of meat before he serves it to you. He is that dedicated to quality and meat." [Foursquare]

· All Coverage of BrisketTown [~ENY~]

— Aaron Baer-Harsha