He added insult to the menu.
The New Jersey restaurant bashed by New York Times columnist David Brooks about its supposedly high prices — has created a cheeky blue plate special in the scribe’s honor.
The “D Brooks” special at 1911 Smoke House BBQ includes a burger, fries — and what amounts to a virtually free double shot of whiskey for — $17.78, according to NJ Advance Media.
“It was quite popular yesterday,” 1911 Smoke House BBQ owner Maurice Hallett told The Post on Saturday.
“The first few thought the double shot of whiskey was a joke, no, it’s real, you just gotta be over 21. And for my vegans, you can swap the blackbean burger.”
The Trenton-based steakhouse also has a location in Terminal A of Newark International Airport, where Brooks was a guest.
On Wednesday, the columnist griped on X, formerly Twitter, about the pricey $78 tab — but failed to mention he ordered bourbon with his meal — which accounted for a staggering $61 of the bill.
“This meal just cost me $78 at Newark Airport. This is why Americans think the economy is terrible,” he wrote, adding a picture of a burger, crinkle fries, and a honey-colored drink on the rocks.
Hallett told The Post earlier this week that by the looks of the photo and the bill, the journalist would have ordered “two doubles,” since double whiskey costs between $28 and $29. His burger and fries cost around $17.
The state of New Jersey even weighed in on the controversy, showing their support for the business owner.
The Garden State’s official handle, @NJGov posted two photos of a large order of food from 1911 Smoke House BBQ yesterday on X, with the caption “Hey @nytdavidbrooks, here’s what $78 at Smoke House actually looks like,” with a wink emoji. The post already has over 1 million views.
Hallett, a New Jersey native, who grew up right outside of Trenton, said Brooks has not reached out to him.
However, the journalist did publicly apologize for the faux pas.
“But the problem with the tweet — which I wrote so stupidly — was that it made it seem like I was oblivious to something that is blindingly obvious: that an upper-middle-class journalist having a bourbon at an airport is a lot different than a family living paycheck to paycheck,” he said during an interview on PBS Friday.
Brooks’ now-infamous post, which has over 37 million views on the platform, now has a disclaimer attached, which notes, “The price of the burger and fries is $17, which means that all or part of the other $61 of the tab is due to the glass of whiskey shown in the photo,” with a link to The Post’s first article on the subject.
Although Brooks didn’t name the restaurant, X users quickly realized it was 1911 Smoke House BBQ.
The restauranteur also explained that his prices at the airport are higher because it works in partnership with food travel company SSP America — so he won’t be offering the “D Brooks” special at the airport. It will only be available at his Trenton location.
Hallett, who will be opening another 1911 Smoke House location in Willingboro, N.J. next month, said the special was inspired by the “C Rock” special on his menu, named after Chris Rock for his quote in the 1988 film “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.”
“It’s homage to one of Chris Rock’s first roles where he asked how much was the price of one rib,” he explained. “That’s a fun thing that people like when they see it on our menu.”
He said he is not worried about the low cost of the “D Brooks” special — which he believes will have staying power.
“I think it will be a permanent item on the menu,” he said. “If it draws people to the restaurant, I won’t be losing money.”
