For my big style birthday secret party eating jam I was taken to Daisy May’s BBQ way over in the hinterlands of 11th avenue in Manhattan. While I had heard of it – I had never been there and was totally shocked to find out just how close to my work local that this gem of a restaurant is.

After a bunch of hemming and hawing with which kind of ribs to get – the nice girl behind the counter offered me the choice of an off the menu mixture of the two. My decision was made for me. I would be eating both the Kansas City Sweet & Sticky and the Memphis Dry Rub Pork Ribs (I ended up preferring the Dry Rub – as they had a nice spice to them) as well as the little army of sides that were must haves . . . the Rustic Creamy Corn with NY State Cheddar (the creamed corn had cheese in it – yum!), the Baked Beans with Burnt Ends (whoever invented burnt ends is on my short list of heroes, the Mashed Potatoes with Red Eye Gravy (you could probably put the gravy on a shoe and I just may eat it – or at least gum it a little bit) and the Golden Spicy Corn Bread (so – so tasty).

I had enough food to last for days – literally, I just finished it all today (three days later) – and I haven’t even gotten around to telling you about the sweet tea – that comes in a mason jar (that you get to keep!) – that has mint in it – that is the best sweet tea by far that I have had in many many moons.

The prices were kind of normal prices for a BBQ place in these and many other parts that I have been to and are pretty indicative of what I feel like I should be paying for food that is so time consuming to make – and which requires so much love to make . . . that cooking love is some expensive stuff. The only thing that was a bit rough was the $4.00 sweet tea – but again – since it was brewed in tea heaven in pitchers held by ancient gods that used cherub tears to get it to that perfect sweetness and sprigs of mint delicately harvested from the untouched (by dirty human hands) mint fields of legend to infuse the taste with an extra special level of depth . . . I really can’t complain – I mean criminy – how much is gas these days?!

Anyway – if you can get there – then go and eat as much as you can. Try not to fall into the boat that I did – which was going a little too far past my eating threshold . . . as you will have to walk quite a ways after your meal to get back to the mean streets of midtown – where I highly recommend that you maintain your wits at all times.

Because they are probably out to get you . . . that’s why.

Here is the info:

Daisy May’s BBQ

Restaurant: 623 11th Ave. (at 46th St.), 212-977-1500.
Cart: 50th St. between 6th and 7th Avenues, No Phone.
http://www.daisymaysbbq.com/