Midtown Lunch

Don’t know how we missed this one, but I walked by the Irish Rogue pub the other day on 44th street between 8th and 9th avenues to find that it’s now a BBQ joint called Harley’s Smokeshack & BBQ. A little research told me that the management hasn’t changed, and the switch probably happened sometime last fall. There’s an original outpost in East Harlem and it’s “2013 Michelin Recommended,” but this location is not doing so hot on Yelp, so that inconsistency is troubling. The regular menu looks intriguing, though not in ML budget. Unfortunately, the lunch menu bores me, but a couple of the $10 brisket sandwiches have caught my eye. I will miss drinks at the Irish Rogue — home of countless after-work drinks with my coworkers over the many years I’ve worked in the area — but if you’ve been since the Harley’s took over, let us know in the comments!