NYC's new comfort food

Dr. Pepper Ribs | Brooklyn Star

This solo venture by Momofuku and Rusty Knot alum Joaquin Baca is one of the newest additions to the city's expanding sprawl of Southern-inspired restaurants and watering holes. But unlike other wood- paneled urban saloons, The Brooklyn Star doesn't need to try so hard for that authentic southern touch: Baca himself is a native of the Lone Star state ("The fine nation of Texas," he says). It certainly bodes well for diners in search of homestyle favorites like black-eyed peas and rice. But, Baca notes, there are few rogue items on the menu too—take his Dr. Pepper ribs ($16).

The lowdown: A quirky spin on the classic Coca Cola–glazed ribs, Baca's appetizer riblets are a toothsome nod to his home state and its "national soda." To make them, Baca soaks St. Louis–cut ribs overnight in a marinade of Dr. Pepper cola, beer, onion and garlic before braising them and then dousing them in a Texas-style barbecue sauce (also containing Baca's star ingredient). To finish them off, Baca gives the ribs a quick turn in a wood-burning oven and then a final toss in a second barbecue sauce. The result is a crackled and caramelized smoky-sweet bite that will leave you licking your cola-stained fingers and singing the praises of the Lone Star state.

Brooklyn Star
33 Havemeyer St. between Seventh and Eighth Sts.
Williamsburg
718-599-9899