Sempre Fame Gourmet Grill & BBQ Catering
“I had the Brisket Bacon Melt on Texas Toast and it was unbelievable!!!!”
“The meatloaf sandwich on Texas Toast held its structure as I tore into the late afternoon sandwich with reckless abandon.”
“After looking at the menu and wiping the drool from my mouth, John, the proprietor asked me what I was in the mood for.”
Sempre Fame Gourmet Grill & BBQ Catering
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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After a long time thinking about checking out Sempre Fame, I finally did today. Located in Floral Park, in a small strip of maybe a handful of business, you can drive by this little gem and not even know it. As a matter of fact, my 1st impression was "this is it??" but the interior is a little larger than you would expect (although it's still on the smaller side). Thankfully, by the time I arrived for lunch, most of the lunch crowd was gone so I had plenty of seats to choose from.
The decor is not fancy but then again is that really what you look for in a quality BBQ joint? I don't – give me great food and a clean environment and the rest is just gravy ! They played country music the entire time I was there and that only added to the southern charm and transports you to Texas or one of its neighboring states. I know a little bit about that area and I can say Sempre Fame does as good a job as anyone else in the NYC area of capturing the charm of the South outwith being too kitschy or appearing to try TOO hard.
Although this was my first visit, the person behind the counter (who I later found out was one of the owners, Chris) greeted me like I had been there before. He was very personable and asked me if I had any questions about the menu. As soon as I saw the brisket platter option though, my mind was made up. Why? Because I am of the opinion that if you can make a good brisket, you can probably make many other things well.
I settled for the sliced brisket platter with potato salad and baked beans. The portions they gave me were more than sufficient and worth the $20 tab (which included a bottle of soda). I'm writing this over 5 hours since I left and I'm *still* not hungry!
The brisket was as tender as anything and served in its own juices. Chris said they smoke it for 13 hours or so, so that explains that. It didn't come with any sauce pre-slathered and I appreciated that because I was able to enjoy the actual flavor of the meat itself. It also was sliced pretty thickly. Those two details point to the fact that you are eating quality meat. Many times, when meat is not of the better/best quality, it's sliced super thin and drowned in sauce to give the diner the impression that it's better than it actually is. It (along with the beans) was served in an un-fancy paper tray. Did that faze me? Nope! Chris came by to check on me and asked if I liked spicier foods and I told him I usually do. He brought me a little cup of their house BBQ sauce to try out. Although the brisket didn't really need it, they paired well and the sauce enhanced the meat without overpowering it or masking it in any way. The sauce isn't really "hot" as it is loaded with spices that give it a slight kick. I'm sure pretty much everyone can handle it. One thing about the brisket to note, however, is that the flavor is not overly smoky. I know some people like it "the smokier, the better" but that wasn't the case with the batch I had today. Although I do enjoy smokier briskets, I wasn't displeased by its lacking in that character.
The potato salad was creamy and tender but still plenty firm for a decent mouth feel. It wasn't overly sweet or tangy so that may or may not play to everyone's preference. Then again, what does, right? The beans were sweet – but not too sweet – and added a nice contrast to the other items on my plate. They were piping hot and tender but without being mushy. I did enjoy the beans more than the potatoes, to be honest. I washed down the meal with a Dr. Pepper. I'm not a huge soda drinker anymore but you sometimes "just gotta have one" and it complimented my meal very well. Not exciting, I know, but it hit the spot on this warm day!
As I wrapped up and went to pay for my meal, Chris came out again and chatted a little more with me and asked me what my name was. Again, a small touch that really made me feel welcome and appreciated. That didn't spark me to embellish my review but I feel like I should give kudos where they're due because you don't get that in most places in New York unless you're a regular there, or family or something. I'm definitely looking forward to coming back and trying out other items on their menu (see pic I've posted).
Keep up the good work (food) and great service, guys – I'd like to see you guys stick around for years to come!
In an effort to write a balanced review among all these glowing ones, I'm going to rationalize it with a factual pattern to guide you through my thought process:
I dislike overpaying for food when the quality/price ratio is off.
I abhor tasteless food.
The only thing I abhor more than overpriced, tasteless food is when there are delicious components to a meal which are offset by insipid bits.
Sadly, all of the above applied to my lunch at Sempre Fame. I ordered the brisket/mac and cheese/bacon wrap with fries and coleslaw. Lets start with the good: The brisket was moist, marbled and hearty, and that's coming from someone who worked in a kosher delicatessen. The fries and coleslaw also deserve a shoutout, as they were adequately crispy and crisp, respectively.
Now the bad: The mac and cheese destroyed what would have been an otherwise decent sandwich. From the moment I parted the wrap, the runny, flavorless, off-yellow Kraft dinner-type liquid detonated from all sides. From other pictures on here it looks like they were pushing a bad batch during my visit. For a $15 wrap, regardless of location, I expected far more.
Let's start with the bad. The fries got soggy by the time we got home. Not a great take home choice. But really, who cares. This is barbecue, and it's barbecue done great!
Since I over ordered I got to try a lot. I started with the brisket bacon melt sandwich. Omg! Excellent brisket with the perfect amount of bacon and cheese. The thick cut white bread, aka Texas toast, held it all together perfectly. The sides with the sandwich was an excellent cole slaw that wasn't too creamy or sweet. A terrific complement. My other side with the sandwich was the fries. Unfortunately, they were just mediocre.
Next up was one of their ribs (I talked my wife into a whole rack instead of a half so I could try them). Wow! The ribs were perfectly cooked. Just a little bite to them and they came right off the bone. Perfect smoke flavor! Really great ribs!
My last dish was the grilled chicken platter. Two thighs and two legs with two sides. Perfect for a dark meat lover like me. The sides for this one were sweet potato fries and baked beans. Once again, the sweet potato fries were underwhelming, but better than the regular fries. The beans were an excellent prelude to the amazing chicken. This was not just chicken thrown onto a grill. The juicy chicken had a great smokey taste. Definately another dish to order again.
Sempre Fame us a real hidden gem in the middle of a quiet neighborhood. One that we will definitely be back to!
I have lived around the corner from this place for nearly 2 years and this is my first time visiting. It figures that it would take a blizzard for me to stop in. But I am certainly glad I did.
Upon entering your nose is immediately welcomed with the heavenly scent of smoke. I am certain that my feet did not touch the floor when I first walked in.
After looking at the menu and wiping the drool from my mouth, John, the proprietor asked me what I was in the mood for. Resisting the urge to say "everything ", I responded "brisket and two sides of your choosing." After taking my order he then proceeded to give me some samples of savory collard greens along with some pulled pork both with and without homemade barbecue sauce. This man knows what he's doing. Give a barbecue hound a sample of something and they will immediately buy it. So in addition to my brisket order, I ordered some pulled pork for the road.
The brisket was soft and tender and pulled apart with the easiest of touch. Delicious and full of meaty, fatty flavor, with just the right amount of sweetness and heat.
The pulled pork had an almost creamy texture and you could taste the cherry wood in it.
The mac & cheese and the coleslaw were perfect complements to both of these delicious smoked masterpieces.
I look forward to returning and trying the ribs and the chicken!
We went here with high expectations from all the raving reviews. The owner of the place was really nice. It's a small restaurant with lots of love.
The brisket sandwich was good but had a little too much fat for me. The sweet potato fries and french fries were very good. My husband had the ribs that he said was average.
I would give this place a 3.5 but yelp doesn't do half stars.
We are pretty much obsessed with their cheeseburgers. I'd vote it best in the area, by a wide margin. Also, the wings are excellent. They've become our go to take out dinner spot.
Sempre Fame is a Spot-ON BBQ Spot
It means always hungry in Italian and certainly has local customers who are
"Semper Fidelis."
I most definitely think their award-winning ribs should be in the spotlight.
The meaty neatly trimmed ribs have a sweet bark on them. The owner John was the friendliest gentleman I've met in quite a while. You can tell he really cares about what the customer thinks because of his hyper-vigilant sixth sense samurai likeness. The dude is a mind-reader.
I don't know how he knew I love spicy food but he offered me a spicy barbeque sauce which was perfectly sweet spicy which would have sufficed. He somehow knew I was a spice addict because he offered me some of his secretly stashed scotch bonnet hot sauce. The sauce was perfect for the mac and cheese balls.
The cheese balls were ginormous but felt like they could have been cheesier. I thought the slaw was slightly overdressed, and the baked beans weren't especially exquisite. The standout item here are their ribs. Ask for their sweet and spicy BBQ sauce if you want a little kick. Definitely coming back here in the future when I'm in Floral Park.
Get ready, this place will blow you AWAY!
My brother found this place a few weeks ago and said it was amazing and close to home.
Next thing I know we are ordering food from here for our game night. Everyone is ordering their own plate and we all decide to share. I had pulled pork with fries and beans. OMG! That was delicious! Never ate anything like that before! I also ordered the collard greens and it had pieces of pork in it and that was really good too! Everyone loved the ribs of course and we kept eating until midnight even after we said we wouldn't eat anymore haha
I haven't dined in, we keep ordering for pick up. They do not have delivery but that's fine. I'm not sure how else to describe the food but to say that it was delicious, juicy, cooked to perfection and probably my favorite place to go to. I pass it every time on my way home and never noticed it before. This is a place that will definitely be around for a long time and hopefully expand!
Great job guys!