03.07.10
Review of Duke’s, Friday January 2010
560 3rd Ave. & 37th St., 212-949-5400
Great for: big parties, a good approximation of soul food in Murray Hill
The Boyfriend’s friend from college works here – she wasn’t able to get us any discounts, although we did a free shot at one point. We didn’t realize quite how large the plates would be and ended up taking some home, which was delightful.
To start with, the Smokin’ Stack of onion rings, pulled pork, melted cheddar and chipotle sour cream was great. The rings are large and crispy and there’s lots of everything else. It’s not for the dainty, that’s for sure! Ma’s mac and cheese with a crispy top was amazing. We loved the combination of cheeses and the tender elbow noodles. Whoever this Ma is, she definitely beats my mom.
He went for the Big D burger with bacon, Chattanooga chili and melted American cheese plus sweet potato fries and cole slaw. It was great, very big and thick. We got too many apps for him to finish it. Same problem for me – with an eye to trying as much of the menu as possible, I got a two barbecue combination with Kansas City sloppy ribs and barbecue sliced beef brisket, accompanied by herbed green beans and herb mashed potatoes. It’s even more food than it sounds like. Tasty as hell, though the sauce was a little sweet, and the ribs indeed fell off their bones. Some of the brisket was chewy but overall it was pretty good. I am not sure I have ever liked simple green beans as much.
As if stuffing ourselves like piglets wasn’t enough, we also indulged in their yummy Friday special of $20 pitchers of sweet vodka and lemonade. (The waitress friend helped us drink some, we’re not that gluttonous!) Most of the waitresses are pretty nice but ours clearly had her mind somewhere else; the others took up the slack for her, which we appreciated. This is not a fancy place. It’s a large down-home kind of kick-back-and-relax sort of dive. And after you have some of their delicious food, you won’t be worried about anything for a while.
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Our cost: $120 (2 pitchers)
Noise level: frat kids noisy
Chance of walking in: it’s a pretty big restaurant, but it’s also always busy, so be prepared to wait.
