Inside Billy Durney’s New Hometown Bar-B-Que In Industry City

Food-wise, Industry City is on a roll. At the end of last year the one-time warehouse and factory complex, now a creative- and production-company "campus," opened the huge food hall Japan Village, followed recently by a nifty little vegan sandwich shop and a spacious new Sahadi's, the first time in 70 years that NYC icon has expanded beyond their Atlantic Avenue home.

And now pit-smoke hero Billy Durney, who's on a bit of a roll himself, amps up the Sunset Park party with the second NYC location of his Hometown Bar-B-Que, which opened this week with exclusive new menu items and a lot of local excitement.

Durney's Red Hook original is a true destination spot, routinely hosting hour-long lines of meat fiends hungry for magnificent beef ribs, lamb belly banh mi, and pit beans with burnt ends, among other delights. These and many more of Hometown's greatest hits are also available here in Industry City, and they're exactly the same as you'll find at the mothership—all the meat is prepped and smoked in Red Hook, and hauled over each morning—though right now with a much shorter wait time.

But Durney isn't the sort to coast on past success, so there are a number of new offerings in Sunset Park, most notably a version of that NYC classic, the Pastrami Sandwich, which I wolfed down yesterday and can assure you that his fatty slabs of peppery beef are every bit as rich and delicious as you would hope. Properly slathered with a strong mustard and served on seedy, lightly toasted rye, it's an honorable addition to our city's pastrami pantheon.

The sleeper hit at Hometown Industry City may be the three new tacos, served in Durnery's thick new flour tortillas and not only overflowing with big, vibrant flavors—from the meats, from the sauces—but also enormous, a solid deal even at eight bucks a pop. Definitely get the Brisket, the smoky meat covered in melted cheese and a zippy salsa; and the juicy Pulled Pork, with crispy fried onion and spicy ranch; and the funky Oaxacan Chicken, thick with Lime Crema. You know what, get all three, I guess is what I'm saying.

The Industry City Hometown has made only a slight adjustment to the Turkey Club, subbing in Neuskis bacon for the pastrami bacon seen in Red Hook, so that's not really "new." There is one more creation making its debut here, however, a Jalapeño Cheddar Link that may not be as oozy with melty cheese as I usually like, but is still a sausage of some character.

Located right off 35th Street, the new Hometown is, as expected, a counter-service operation, with seating for about 40 inside at various four-tops and communal tables. Like all Industry City restaurants, you can (and should) take your food outside to one of the many seating areas in the courtyard. Handily enough, Hometown abuts "Alcohol Alley," a series of bars that share the outdoor space, so you're set in that department until Durney gets his beer and wine license.

The design is all rustic Americana, with lots of raw wood and red-white-and-blue, counterpointed nicely with large, framed photographs of places and people that have personal meaning for Durney, such as Wo Hop, Katz's and Di Fara's Dom Demarco. There's also a cavernous hall adjacent to restaurant proper, set aside for party rentals and special events for when you want to share a meal with about 100 friends.

Hometown Bar-B-Que Industry City is located 87 35th Street, just across Third Avenue within the campus, and is open for now from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, with nighttime hours to come (hometownbbq.com)