Manimal has been the talk of the town lately. I took all the raving with a grain of salt, not wanting to be disappointed in decent, but not fantastic barbecue. I needn’t have worried – Manimal is scrumptious and totally worth the commute any day.
After you enter through the incredibly steep stairs in the alley on the left side of the building, you’re greeted by the enormous smoker. It has its own little room and takes up about an eighth of the entire dining room floor space. They are not kidding around here. It was a sign of delicious and wonderful things to come.
Like always, we started off with a few adult beverages. Eric got my first choice – the I Shot the Sheriff made with black tea, bourbon and honey. I chose the Lush Blush, featuring vodka, fresh maple syrup, and strawberries. Both were great, refreshing summer cocktails that went perfectly with the wonderful breeze from the open windows at our counter seats. The Sheriff was a smooth, sweet concoction that tasted a little like an iced hot toddy. The Lush was very sweet, but with just the right amount of maple syrup. Both were complex and mellow enough to be enjoyed by even the pickiest of drinkers.
Chile, cheesy heaven in cast iron
I had a bit of a crisis when I had to choose side dishes. I simply wanted them all. Fresh baked corn bread, bacon braised beans… how could I leave without sampling everything? We finally settled on the chipotle lime potato salad and the green chile mac and cheese. I really don’t think you can go wrong at this place. The mac and cheese featured a flavorful and spicy sauce that gave depth to an old classic. The potato salad was constructed beautifully, red potatoes and hard boiled egg elevated with the addition of the chipotle sauce and tasty mustard. The slightly more complex flavors took a side I usually avoid and made it into something I couldn’t stop eating.
To borrow an expression -These ribs? I can’t even.
The ribs were just this side of perfection. It’s not an exaggeration to say these were the best I’ve had in Korea. The rub and glaze were amazing – they’re so good naked, they don’t even need a lick of sauce. The meat was tender and smoky. Describing how good these are is hard to do without more synonyms for delicious. I really need to invest in an eating thesaurus. The brisket, in comparison, was definitely tasty, especially when doused in the vinegary, slightly spicy barbecue sauce, but not nearly as mind-blowing. Do yourself a huge favor – go early and grab a slab of ribs before they sell out. I’m not kidding. We got to Manimal exactly when they opened, and the ribs were 86’ed before we ordered dessert. We were told by staff that the chicken is stellar, the pulled pork certainly looked good, and the brisket was indeed quite yummy, but the ribs are definitely the star of the whole show.
One of the biggest surprises of the night was dessert. We usually plan on going to a second place, since we can usually end up with something a little better at a place that specializes in sweets. Don’t make that mistake and miss Manimal’s ice cream, though. House made, very vanilla ice cream served with bananas, crispy vanilla wafers and crumbles, and chunks of sweet cake. Our waiter told us we needed to try this, and he was completely correct. It’s delicious for being so deceivingly simple, and is totally one of those things I’ll be back for over and over.
Manimal is a pretty small place, and it’s probably a good idea to call for a reservation or at least show up right when they open. A lot of the seating is counter seating at the windows, and there’s really not a lot of room for a group any bigger than 6. As I mentioned before, they may start running out of ribs, corn bread, brisket, and other items as the night goes on, so show up early and make sure you order your goods right away. Don’t miss the ribs. You’ll hate yourself when you see other people eating them. This place is definitely going to be a regular stop for me.
***EDIT – Looks like Manimal doesn’t take reservations – make sure you get there early!
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I Can Haz Kimchi? 