Wednesday Food and Drink Round-Up

Palo Santo
“Bean-stuffed, Salvadoran-style pupusas are served steaming from the griddle and topped with pickled slaw and avocado ($7). The mole for the duck tamales ($7 at lunch) is thick and bittersweet, which Mr. Gautier attributes to the whole-roasted plantains, skins and all, puréed into the sauce, a trick he learned from a carpenter who worked on the restaurant and now cooks in his kitchen.” [NY Times]

After the jump: A barbecue joint in Fort Greene; a taste of Oaxaca at Cafe Mexicano; Korean fare in Prospect Heights; and balls of meat at Dumont Burger.

Smoke Joint
“Craig Samuels and Ben Grossman, two old chef buddies who met in 1996 when they worked at Picholine, will open Smoke Joint this week, a barbecue pit restaurant in Fort Greene. From a state of the art smoker built down South, they’ll serve a menu they describe as ‘an amalgamation of American barbecue.’ It will include snacks like Brooklyn Wings dipped in jointsmoke, a riff on Kansas City style sauce with a tomato, vinegar, brown sugar base, ramped up with Cayenne, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic, mustard, chipotle, and a few secret ingredients.” [The Strong Buzz]

Cafe Mexicano
“The chicken enchiladas poblanos in mole sauce ($6.00) came with shredded lettuce, sliced avocado and sesame seeds on top. I was struck by the simplicity and freshness of ingredients… Another treat were the chicken tinga tacloyos, corn cakes stufffed with Oaxacan cheese and chicken with chipotle sauce.” [Eating for Brooklyn]

Noo Na
“The codfish fritters sounded appetizing, but the saeng sun jun ($6), with its eggy batter and greasy texture, didn’t meet our expectations. For $4, the mi yuk gug (seaweed soup with tofu) is a deal. A bowl as big as a child’s head holds hot, salty miso broth with wide, pleasantly chewy ribbons of seaweed amid tofu cubes.” [NY Press]

Dumont Burger
“They serve a 9oz tennis ball of lean ground beef which still manages to kick ass. I order mine medium rare and that’s just what I get — a thick wad of bright pink burger. And it comes on a grilled brioche bun, so shiny you can see up your nose in the reflection. The best part is the backyard char flavor and the super-crisp shoe strings that come with it.” [Clean Plate Club]