St. Patrick's Day at Fletcher's Barbecue

Fletcher's Brooklyn Barbecue was recently on the receiving end of some high praise from Times critic Pete Wells. After eating at three of the city's newest barbecue restaurants (Mighty Quinn's, BrisketTown, and Fletcher's), Wells wrote, "The sides made the strongest case for Fletcher’s." Yesterday, in celebrating St. Patrick's Day, one of those was butter braised cabbage. It was part of an $8 special that included corned beef and Irish soda bread, which owners Bill Fletcher and Matt Fisher sourced from nextdoor neighbors Four and Twenty Blackbirds. For $14, you could wash it all down with a bottle of Brooklyn Brewery's Dry Irish Stout.

Matt Fisher had brisket curing for the better part of the month. After nearly two weeks covered in all spice and bay, they were steamed and then sliced to order. The meat was tender and juicy, with a fatcap that was eager to melt in your mouth. Grainy mustard spiced things up, and the hearty chunk of soda bread turned out to be an excellent sponge for the cabbage's butter broth. It's the perfect meal to fortify your stomach at the start of a day that requires drinking Guinness for the majority of it.