The Redhead

Fried pork ribs with peach-cabbage slaw

Photograph: Jeff Gurwin

Over the past few months, the Redhead, which started out as a bar serving food only on Thursdays, has been steadily morphing into a restaurant that just happens to look like a bar. Think Spotted Pig filtered through a Deep South sensibility. Chef Meg Grace (formerly of Danny Meyer’s café at MoMA) offers her full ambitious menu—featuring prices as relaxed as the vibe—both at the amber-lit wooden tables and the bustling barstools. Nearly everyone, whether just drinking or beginning a full sit-down meal, orders a mini mason jar packed with bacon peanut brittle, because—as the menu points out—“everything’s better with bacon.” The sticky, salty, smoky snack sets the stage for the homey, rib-sticking treats to come. While starters, like plump shrimp and spicy andouille atop rustic buttery grits, are manageably portioned, entrées are huge. The succulent extra-crispy fried chicken is a half bird served with corn bread and spinach salad with strawberries. The oddly compelling “Deviled Bones”—essentially cured, breaded, chicken-fried pork ribs—are served in a daunting stack with cool peach-cabbage slaw underneath. Polish them all off and you may make the mistake of skipping out on the signature Ho Ho dessert, a delicious upmarket facsimile of the Hostess classic featuring a devil’s-food spiral around salted caramel cream.