Fatty 'Cue Round Two

Zak Pelaccio's fusion-barbecue was an instant hit when Fatty 'Cue opened in Williamsburg. But the restaurant's back room closed for renovations not long into its run, and it left the small, front barroom to accommodate the droves that sought Pelaccio's cue. Then, in January 2012, the restaurant closed completely to undergo renovations. Those were originally scheduled to take two months, but lasted almost a year and a half. On Tuesday night, though, Williamsburg got its Fatty 'Cue back. The restaurant reopened with a new design, new menu by Momofuku Noodle Bar alum Anthony Masters, and cocktails by Death & Co.'s Phil Ward.

The Fatty Crew was busy elsewhere during the Fatty 'Cue renovations. In the last year, the team partnered with Top Chef alum Leah Cohen to open Pig & Khao on the Lower East Side (Pete Wells gave the restaurant two bright stars in March). The crew opened a Fatty 'Cue outpost in Barclays Center, and Rick Camac, a partner in Fatty Crew, established Fatty Crew Hospitality Group, which is going global and has a Hong Kong satellite in the works.

First Bite: The $39 Five-Course Tasting at Pig and Khao

Pig & Khao opened a few months ago on the same stretch of Clinton Street that's home to Yunnan Kitchen and wd-50. The immediate neighborhood, like many in New York, is a concentrated nucleus of popular restaurants and good eats, ie Pok Pok Phat Thai, 'inoteca, and Mission Chinese Food a few blocks away on Orchard Street. One way Pig and Khao stands out is by offering $1 beers and a five-course tasting menu for $39. Pig and Khao introduced both deals last night. The $1 beers are available for happy hour seven days a week, from 5 - 7pm. The prix fixe is available at the bar (six seats) Monday through Wednesday with a menu Leah Cohen put together exclusively for the tasting. We stopped in last night to check it out.

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