north of the Williamsburg Bridge. Sarah Buck and Carolyn Bane resurrected the legendary cafe after a two-year hiatus following an abrupt shutdown by the health department over an outlawed pork smoker. New York is apparently rather finicky about pork smokers.
If not for the palpable smell of buttermilk and steady procession of locals out front you could easily miss this place. There’s a small hand painted sign in the window and old school-house furnishings inside. The menu is as charming and simple as the decor. Four entrees; Fried Chicken ($11), Fried Catfish ($10), Pulled Pork ($10) or the Insane Burger ($12), and a host of delectable sides, most 
notably the Mac & Cheese with hot sauce ($4). They also offer a watermelon cucumber salad with slivers of jalapeño, a perfect starter for a hot day ($4). Did I mention part of the rustic charm is a lack of air conditioning?
The chicken is moist and sumptuous, dark meat brined for a day before it hits the fryer for a perfect flaky crust splintered with hot oil. They give you a drumstick, thigh, wing, a blissfully dense buttermilk biscuit and one side. For contrarians, the catfish is a delicious alternative. A fresh strip of fish with gritty breading is doused with a mix of tartar and hot sauce and served over pickles and coleslaw with a slice of toasted corn bread.
Of course it would be sacrilege to leave without trying the pies ($4.50 and $6 per slice, $30 a whole pie). The Banana 
Cream is truly epic. Nilla wafer crust with a sweet rich center. The Key Lime with homemade graham cracker crust blends superbly with a tangy but well toned filling. The Guava Cheesecake and Rhubarb are next on my list. A meal this good in New York for less than $20 is worth the $20 in cab fares to get there!
Pies ‘n’ Thighs
166 S 4th St (between Bedford Ave & Driggs Ave)
Brooklyn, New York 11211
(347) 529-6090
www.piesnthighs.com
– special correspondent James O’Donoghue
A mouthwatering review, I can almost smell the warm Guava cheesecake with rubarb pie and the sizzling fried chicken sounds like a page right out of my youth. Even though I am at least 100 miles and and more than 100 dollars in cab fares away from Brooklyn, it sounds well worth the trip.