San Francisco Swine Dining (Leave Your Vegan Friends at Home)
Written: Feb 10 '02 (Updated Feb 04 '03)
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Pros: bbq
Cons: pricey
The Bottom Line: Carnivores unite!
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| megugrrrl's Full Review: Memphis Minnie's Barbecue |
I really resisted going to Memphis Minnie's for a long, long time. It's a barbecue restaurant, but not like a serious barbecue joint... Memphis Minnie's is cute-sy, brightly-colored, and cartoony, with an annoying smiling cartoon pig for a mascot and an ambiance that is nothing like the respectable cue shacks like Brothers-in-Law, Doug's or Big Nate's. I was afraid this place would be too Disneyland, with weak sauces, bad cuts, and bland flavors like a chain restaurant.
Boy, was I wrong.
Memphis Minnie's, which has actually moved to Haight, is one serious and amazing barbecue place; there is nothing cute about the food. Despite its chain restaurant facade, the food's delish. It's a little on the pricey side, but the meats fall off their bones and the smoky sauces are worthy of repeat visits. (Many, many repeat visits.)
The Food
Memphis Minnie's has a variety of giant sandwiches with chainfood names like "Memphis Sweet Smoked Pork" or the "Texas Slow-Smoked Beef Brisket". (Or you can get the "Southern Star" ($6.95)- which is a half of each sandwhich.) The long names of the sandwiches kind of annoy me because real 'cue joints don't need all the funny adjectives. Despite this, the massive sandwiches stand on their own; tender and flavorful - they don't need the funny names, they're good! All sandwiches come with a side - your choice of potato salad, barbecue beans, turnip greens, coleslaw, mac and cheese or potatoes.
But if you're going to show up at Memphis Minnie's, you have to try a platter of meat - falling-off-the-bone ribs (pork or beef), rib tips, brisket, tri-tip, smoked chicken, smoked turkey, or a combination. All pit-smoked plates also have funny names and come with a choice of two aforementioned sides and cornbread. Average price of a platter is $10.95. For the ultimate experience, try the Minnie's Taster for $16 - a three-way combination with two sides. (Which I've almost finished once.)
Memphis Minnie's barbecue is simply mouth-watering, smoky, flavorful, and decadent. It's easily my favorite barbecue place because the sauce is sophisticatedly yum, the cuts are of top-notch quality and the meat falls off the bone. (The only downside is that the chicken is never as moist as you want it to be - so just don't order the chicken.) There are barbecue sauces in cute old-school glass bottles - the Texas sauce (a red, smoky, sweet, and spicy treat) and a mustard sauce (yellow, vinegary, not-so-great), which you probably won't need since the bone suckin' ribs are packed with taste.
The Sides
Your best for sides would be a cup of the barbecued beans and the creamy, cheesy macaroni and cheese with a light breadcrumb topping. The beans are a smoky goodness, with just enough spicy heat mingling with cumin, cinnamon and sweet. The greens, on the other hand, are mushy and on the sour side and the coleslaw is sadly reminscent of the kind you can buy in a carton.
Other Stuff
And, as if a platter piled with smokey meat love wasn't enough, Memphis Minnie's offers appetizers like a basket of fries, pre-pig out rib tips, or wings, which I have always looked at as useless filler so I've never tried them. They also sell slabs and sausages by the pound for you to take home for whatever reason you can come up with.
Have room for dessert? I'm always stuffed silly to get dessert but they offer banana pudding, pecan pie and cookies.
Don't go too late because like a lot of barbecue places, Memphis Minnie's tends to run out of popular favorites and since they slow cook everything (as in 18 hours slow) you'll have to come back tomorrow to fill up.
Opens for lunch at 11, closes at 10 after dinner. Sadly closed on Mondays.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Best Suited For: Trendy Crowd
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Epinions.com ID:
megugrrrl
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: Oakland
Reviews written: 147
Trusted by: 317 members
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