Chelsea's RUB BBQ Shuts Down the Smokers After Eight Years

By James Mulcahy

2012 was an exciting year for barbecue in NYC, with joints like Fletcher's and The Strand Smokehouse opening in Brooklyn and Queens, respectively. Not everyone fared so well as these two venues. After an eight-year run on West 23rd Street, RUB BBQ served its last rib on December 31.It seems that the double whammy of Hurricane Sandy and having a Hummer crash into the storefront really took its toll. A message from its Facebook page:

"To our friends and patrons, it is with sadness that I must inform you that as of December 31st RUB has closed. We enjoyed the past 8 years of making new friends and fans of our barbecue but the universe has spoken and we must abide. We look forward to the future and wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year."

Those of you who are sad about the demise of the Righteous Urban Barbecue can still hit up Dallas BBQ across the street (though, for some reason we think it just isn't the same). Village Voice critic Robert Sietsema predicted that 2013 will have even more exciting 'cue in store, so at least you'll have something to look forward to through your smoky tears.