Dinosaur Bar-B-Que 12-22-2013

Location: 604 Union St. BK
Time: 1pm
People: RB, CK and myself

Feelings: This Gowanus outpost of famed barbecue chain, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, is huge-- both on the size of the dining room, 180 seat-space, and the portions of food. This is their seventh location and first in Brooklyn, and with Fort Reno and Pork Slope nearby, Union Street area has suddenly become a pork heavy neighborhood.

The over-sized dining room makes me uneasy with a reminiscence of chain suburban spots that serve gazillion empty calories and sodium and jumbo sized soda, but there is a definite Brooklyn vibe: Chandelier made of whiskey bottles, Christmas tree with beer cans, reclaimed wood, vintage movie posters. There are also Brooklyn Brine pickles and Brooklyn beers available if you really wanted to relax at The Pickle Shack, but your kid wanted to go Dinosaur instead.

The kids meal ($5.95) is the best deal. Mac and cheese is well seasoned with black pepper, but may be a bit over-spiced for the little ones, and with choice of two sides, turkey neck greens and french fries are excellent in portions and flavors. The Swag Sampler Plate ($6.95, drunken spicy shrimp boil, wings, fried green tomatoes and deviled eggs) is on a salty side as well as their salad dressing for chopped salad ($6.95).

RB's Tres Ninos ($15.95, sampling of brisket, ribs and pork) is a "small" portion of each smothered in sauce. The meat is very tender but a bit too saucy for his liking. The side of black eyed peas with kale is flavorful and compliments the meat well. The crispy cole slaw is a bit overly mayonnaise-y.

The flavors are excellent here although a little too salty for me. It is a perfect location for large parties especially with little ones who tend to scream, as the space is already noisy from dudes with beer and brisket. If you accidentally wore a Commes des Garcons shirt, guard it with your life from the sloppy BBQ sauces-- there's a box of napkin available at every table.

Dinosaur is open for lunch and dinner with takeout service available. Breakfast All Day ($14.95, smoked brisket and poblano hash topped with a sunnyside egg with a pressed Portuguese roll) is available all day, literally. There is a parking across the street--I never imagined I would talk about parking on Ramen and Friends.