By: Daiyu Tang
At four in the morning, Hathian is different. Perhaps it is more dangerous (although that’s debatable; violence is everywhere) but it can sometimes feel more honest. Sunlight illuminates corners and crevices; sunlight provides a more ‘safe’ backdrop than the night does and most importantly, at least to this editor’s point of view, the night brings change. We see the consequences in the morning; or hear them. Hospital Reports. Police Reports. Whispered rumours of gang fights and confrontations. Maybe we even see first hand the ruins, wreckage or bodies.
Sometimes it’s nice when things don’t pretend to be more than what they are. Bros. BAR-B-Q , part of the small strip mall in Hathian does not pretend to be anything other than what it is. It has barred windows, bold red signage, fluorescent defiance that screams ‘come at me bro’ and, next door, a laundrette humming with Hathian’s perpetual need to rinse something clean (and yes, I can truly imagine that it’s not just clothes there, but well…)
Into this oh-so-Hathian setting as a new business owner comes Zeek Rookswood, sharply dressed, composed, and wearing around his neck the necklace that earned him one of Hathian’s more enduring titles, “the Tooth Collector”. We’ve covered him plenty of times before, if you search for him, he doesn’t hide (including his disdain for the HPD). His reputation is one that is carefully curated, one that has given him a menacing aura that even pleasant smiles and winning compliments can’t quite mask. After-all, this is the man who has Camden Fabers on speed-dial; with filing cabinets close to hand…
A Reopening
Bros. has reopened under his name. Why? What’s going on that a man with that kinda reputation needs to do BBQ food. Well, his stated ambition is culinary rather than territorial. He seems to want to mix Louisiana smoke, island sweetness and a menu that moves from brisket boards to Samoan-style chicken and banana-leaf plates. Sounds ok by me right?. The King Street Platter is lacquered in bourbon molasses; Island Heat Ribs will arrive glazed in guava-chipotle and finished with grilled pineapple and as far as I can tell the Polynesian Pit Pork Plate, which I ordered, was tender, fragrant and confidently executed. It was not revelatory, but it was good and in Hathian, good is good enough. Dear reader, when you’re stumbling home from the Plant and needing something filling and tasty then this is better than the Gein. It’s a little further out of the way, which is annoying, but not a big issue. Walk a block get better food. Not a hard deal right? I also enjoyed my dessert, because. it would have been rude not to. The Panipopo coconut buns, soft and indulgent, were arguably the quiet success of the evening. They didn’t shout ‘food orgasm’ but they disappeared from my plate. Yummy!
If this were simply a reopening, the review could end there. It would be a competent addition to the city’s offerings. Better than the Gein, as I said, but not perhaps at the level of the Prohibition once was. But then again, Prohibition and most higher end restaurants have failed. Has Zeek found an opening? Yet restaurants in Hathian don’t exist in isolation from the reputations of those who fund them and appear behind the counter grinning in a tooth necklace; I mean come on my dears. If you go there you are partly going for the spectacle (and I don’t just mean Zeek in a cock-sock). Rookswood is, as you all know, openly affiliated with the King Street Bones. When asked directly why a man with that history would choose a strip mall and a smoker (Had he joined the Hoppers? I asked…), he told me it was reinvention; a desire for “a more stable and less violent way” to earn a living. It is an appealing sentiment. My dear readers, I’ll let you judge for your own his food (recommended) and his sentiment (not 100% convinced).
My own history with his wider circle is somewhat known. I can admit that I and filing cabinets and freezers are not best friends and my memory doesn’t simply fade simply because a menu has been laminated and given to me to review (or free food – but that at least helped a little).
When Power Rebrands
Rookswood spoke of hosting a farmer’s markets and of an Island street party when the weather shifts to warmer (and when the cock sock can probably come out and you expect to see Jizzabelle and many more as customers), and of drawing late-night crowds from nearby events at the Plant toward his meat. Maybe his venue will becomes a meeting point? Maybe this meeting point will become a network; and a network becomes leverage. None of this would be illegal and I guess with the Butcher’s shop now occupied by someone else than Cam… ‘meat is back on the menu’ (to quote Lord of the Rings…)
When I mentioned the recent spate of theatrical robberies affecting other businesses (The Scooby Gang stuff), Rookswood responded with further branding. He handed me a card for ‘Tooth Fairy Security & Extraction,’ a parallel enterprise that trades unabashedly on the mythos he has built. He clearly understands the value of a name and the fear it carries and he is not attempting to distance himself from it; he is monetising it and who can complain about that?
In Conclusion
It would be easy to draw conclusions beyond what is visible… You know this city and these people. But for now, I will not, I’ve left you a few thoughts but you can make up your own minds on the food and on Zeek. What I will note is this: Bros. serves solid food at reasonable prices and appears determined to embed itself within the city’s foody scene (however small that is). Hathian has seen power shift from overt to subtle before. It has also seen men attempt to trade notoriety for normalcy with varying degrees of sincerity (and success). Most leave or die, rather than re-invent, and perhaps it’s telling that Camden has moved to Chicago to make money in a more structured way. Still with Zeek staying here to keep the KSB’s on the pulse you can be sure if needed he’s just a plane flight away.
For now, the smoke rising from Bros. is culinary rather than Hathian gang wars or secrets. The coconut buns are worth the walk and the meat? Well, this reporter left full and happy. The place could do with a tidy a bit though. But I know it’s hard to keep anywhere in Hathian spotless. Final Verdict? 3.5 / 5
