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April 19, 2014- By Steven E. Greer, MD
BatteryPark.TV previously posted the 13-minute-long “documentary” video on the award-winning Mighty Quinn’s barbeque team of Hugh Mangum and Micha Magid. They are opening in May another Mighty Quinn’s in the Brookfield Place dining hall.
We have now sampled the grub, and have our formal “review” Mighty Quinn’s. For what it is worth, here it is:
Immediately upon entering the 6th Street and Second Avenue Mighty Quinn’s, one is hit with the wonderful smell of smoked meat emanating from the in-house wood-fired smoker (they installed special ventilation flutes to be allowed by the city to have this unique contraption). This is not just an aromatic gimmick. The meat tastes remarkably different from Hill Country and Blue Smoke BBQs, both fine establishments we have recently reviewed.
We ordered the “Burnt Ends” brisket and spare ribs (much like “baby back” ribs) from the menu. Normally, one cannot get such a combo-dish, but they made an exception for BatteryPark.TV. The brisket was incredibly tender and moist, with a deep smoked flavor. No sauce is necessary. The same goes for the ribs.
The smoked chicken is a great value. One gets an entire half-chicken for only $8.75.
Do not expect any frills or fanciness, however. You order from a line as you look through a glass partition at the staff slicing the meat, which is then served on compost-able paper containers. Despite this, the New York Times reviewed Mighty Quinn’s as a full restaurant with 2.5-stars, and Zagat ranked it the Best New Restaurant of 2013.
Everything works perfectly for this East Village location. No frills high-quality food fits in fine with the hipster neighborhood. However, for Battery Park City, they will have to make some changes.
The side dishes served now are just afterthoughts. It’s all about the meat. That won’t be enough for the BPC community who needs healthy vegetables and carbohydrates to go along with a protein entree.
Blue Smoke made this same mistake when they started, having a limited chicken-less and fish-less menu. After some free consulting advice from Greer Hospitality Consulting, the menu is now much more suitable for a people who choose to eat there weekly.
Chef Hugh Mangum is a skilled chef with culinary school training. He should have no problem building up the side dish offerings.
Perhaps the best part of Mighty Quinn’s is the management (see our documentary). Hugh and Micha are young stars who share Los Angeles roots and a parent (they are stepbrothers). Mighty Quinn’s is their passion, and it shows.