Long Island Restaurants

Swingbellys Beachside BBQ

(Note: recent change in chef. Bryan Forgione is no longer with restaurant. New chef is Alexis Trolf. Restaurant has yet to be re-reviewed) Barbecue should never have anything to do with Spode china, Towle silver or damask napkins. The true 'cue experience requires sticky fingers and greasy lips. At the new Swingbellys in Long Beach, platters of glistening meats are served with a pile of paper plates, the better for sharing. To my knowledge, nobody's complaining about the dinnerware - not when they're elbow deep in the joys of slow-smoked pork, beef and chicken.

Although pitmaster Bryan Forgione comes from a culinary family (his father, Larry Forgione, is executive chef for Lord & Taylor's restaurants), the guy knows what down-home dining is all about. Sure, he does sneak in some fancy peanut barbecue chicken lettuce wraps, but those pulled chicken wraps are pretty darned good. Even so, they're not in the same league as his batter-fried pickle chips -- crisp, salty and addictive.

One night, he offered, as a special, a Cuban sandwich containing pulled pork, brisket, mustard, pickles and cheese. While not precisely Cuban, the end product was irresistible. Barbecued wings, meaty and smoky, were available either Buffalo style, with barbecue sauce or simply dry-rubbed. Dry-rubbed was best.

Therein lies the beauty of Forgione's 'cue: it doesn't need any sauce, not so much as a finishing glaze. The rub, a crust of nubby spices, seals in all the juices.

In order to taste everything, our party of four ordered the "swing sampler," supposedly meant for three but easily enough for five or six. A half chicken was bronzed and smoky to the bone. Rib tips, while easier to eat than they looked, were eclipsed by the classic St. Louis ribs. Brisket was juicy, infused with the flavor of the pit. So, too, was the pulled pork, which needed not even a touch of barbecue sauce.

I liked that the mac and cheese (served in kitschy wood parquet bowls) was thrown together at the last minute, allowing the al dente pasta to keep its identity in the rich cheese sauce, a sprinkling of seasoned crumbs on top. Corn bread was moist and just a tad sweet. Fine, too, were the smokehouse beans, the creamy (but not too creamy) cole slaw and the hand-cut sweet potato and regular fries.

I overindulged with two desserts, a homey all-American apple and a deliriously rich bourbon chocolate pecan pie.

In the spirit of overdoing is the restaurant's ongoing challenge: anyone who singlehandedly finishes a platter containing a full slab of St. Louis ribs, ¼ pound each of pulled pork and brisket, 4 wings, 3 rib tips, two side dishes plus corn bread gets the dubious honor of a spot on a "Wall of Fame."

This joint isn't called Swingbellys for nothing.

Reviewed by Joan Reminick, 6/1/07.

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