
No Ray's Famous allowed. That's all we have to say.

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What's kick-ass about New York is that a lot of people are taking these things that look a little bit like bread and then sticking cooked ground beef in between them. They're called hamburgers. You're probably not ready for one yet, unless you're really an "extreme" kind of person.

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Talk BBQ in this town and you're inevitably going to dredge up acrimonious, finger-wagging proclamations from douches. OK. We get it. There is no Sweatman's in NYC. There is no Jackie Hite's in NYC. There is not even a Salt Lick here, either. There did used to be an awesome Texas-style place called Pearson's, which was started by an English hairdresser and operated out of a Queens sports bar that looked like the kind of place a character in a Richard Price novel would go to sniff women's butts and incinerate his liver on Gatorade Schnapps, but that, sadly, is long gone. Pearson's then moved to the Upper East Side and served tremendous link sausages, but that folded, too.People liked the place because although there were all sorts of archaic city laws about how, where, and when you could operate a smoker within the city limits, somehow Pearson's always made it happen. Oh well. Pearson's BBQ was reborn as the equally great Legends Bar in Queens. The name is different, but the food is the same. If you're lucky, a Texan will take you there on your birthday.What else? Never listen to anyone who says Dallas BBQ is worth a try. It's like Gravy Train, and a lot of your sightseeing will be canceled following a meal there. There are still some decent options, like this:
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DINOSAUR BBQThis place is in Harlem. Foodies from all over the East Coast trek here. Eat whatever you want, but we're suggesting the ribs. Fact: It is not owned by J. Mascis. 646 W. 131 St., Manhattan, 212-694-1777.

