What’s better than BBQ and pie? How about when the pie is arguably better than the BBQ? This was the thought running through my mind upon tasting First Prize Pies S’Mores Pie ($6/slice) last week at Fatty Cue. All of the Southeast Asian-inspired BBQ was spot on, but when someone can take a foolproof recipe like S’Mores and make it better, it’s time to rejoice. Creator Alison Kave’s recipe features a tightly packed, buttery graham cracker crust which provides a crisp, crumbly and slightly salty shell for a layer of creamy Belgian Callebaut milk chocolate ganache crowned by sticky and pleasingly burnt homemade marshmallow fluff.  It’s the dessert dreams are made of.  Kave’s culinary prowess is no accident. Her brother is Corwin Kave, executive chef at Fatty Cue, and her mother is Rhonda “Roni-Sue” Kave, of Roni-Sue’s Chocolates, home to NYC Food Guy’s favorite bite at the Hester Street Fair: the red velvet truffle from Roni-Sue’s new Bake Sale collection.  But enough about Mom.  You need to go try her daughter’s S’Mores Pie which you can find at Hester Street Fair, Fatty Cue, Saturday at Roni-Sue’s Chocolates, Sunday at God Buns Market (next to Fatty Cue), or on the First Prize Pies website.

Looking to make this pie at home? Here’s the recipe complements of NYTimes.com’s T Magazine Blog

It’s pretty cool being the first person to try a new drink.  Thursday night at Fatty Cue, NYC Food Guy received this honor alongside Hagan the Wandering Foodie and Andy from Wined & Dined.  Adam the bartender calls his $8, Thai-inspired pickle back “Tong Po,” a reference to the pony-tailed villain from the 1989 Jean-Claude Van Damme classic “Kickboxer.”  And while you don’t have to coat your fist in broken glass before taking this shot, Adam’s custom made pickle juice is definitely a kick to your taste buds.   First you take a shot of Mekhong, a dark Thai sugar cane spirit with a slightly smokey flavor.  Then you follow it with the pickle juice giving yourself a nice kick of spice right in the back of the throat.  If you actually taste it for a moment, before drowning it out with your can of Singha Thai beer, the pickle juice’s flavor is complex.  Adam cooks Thai basil stems, honey, pineapple juice, vanilla bean, and assam (tamarind skin) to a simmer.  Then he strains it all and purees the concoction with smoked long green Chiles, ginger, rice wine vinegar, and salt to taste.  It all goes down a lot easier than you’d imagine and unlike a beating from the real Tong Po, it will have you calling for seconds.  Read on to find out about Fatty Cue’s other pickle back shot and how you can get it for just $6…

There’s also an $8 “recession special” pickle back on the bar menu, featuring a shot of whiskey, a different variety of spicy pickle juice and a PBR tallboy.  And Thursday to Saturday, from midnight to 4AM, is Late Night Happy Hour, where you can get your “recession special” for $6 alongside a late night only pork shoulder bahn mi that Adam the bartender calls the best in New York City.

Fatty Cue website 91 S. 6th Street near Berry Street Brooklyn, NY 11211 718-599-3090