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Restaurant review
Memphis Minnie's Barbecue Joint in San Francisco, CA
By Henry Joe Peterson, Director,
cbbqa
First posted August 23, 2002
Truly authentic barbecue in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO, California - When most folks think of San Francisco, they
think of crabs, sourdough bread, and Rice-a-Roni. Thanks to Bob Kantor
and Memphis Minnie's, you can add truly authentic barbecue to that list.
For the past 8 years, Bob Kantor has been cooking real barbecue at
various locations throughout the City. Now Memphis Minnie's has settled
down to its current, down-home location on Haight street.
Decisions, decisions, decisions
The menu at Minnie's is quite extensive, offering a variety of
mouth-watering slow-smoked meats. The stars of the menu are Bob's Texas
beef brisket and Carolina pulled pork. Bob smokes his briskets for a
full 18 hours to impart a rich smoke flavor. You can order it straight
up with your choice of sides, or as a sandwich on a crusty roll.
Same goes for Bob's pork butt, which he smokes for roughly 16 hours and
serves naked with sides, or on a sandwich topped with tangy slaw. Meat
choices also include pork ribs, chicken, turkey, and beef ribs.
Bob smokes his meat on a JR Manufacturing smoker. No gas allowed, all
meats are cooked entirely over white oak. Bob doesn't play around much
with other types of wood. He prefers the flavor of oak, and sticks with
it.
Sauce on the side
For Bob, it's all about the flavor of the meat. So he insists on serving
everything with sauce on the side. His philosophy is this, "Just because
something is slathered in barbecue sauce, that doesn't mean it's
barbecue." Bob believes the customer should taste the smoked flavor of
the meat first and foremost. So Bob offers 3 varieties of home-made
sauces served on the side.
Recently Bob began bottling and selling his tasty sauces. He offers 3
varieties, Texas red, South Carolina mustard, and North Carolina vinegar
sauce. All of which are available at the restaurant for $5 a bottle.
Lip-smackin' sides
Just as impressive as the meat selection is Bob's variety of delicious
sides, all made entirely from scratch. This writer's favorites are the
pit-smoked beans, pot-likker greens, and the tangy slaw. The slaw is
vinegar-based, a refreshing change from the typical mayo-laden mush they
sell at KFC. Other sides include home made macaroni and cheese, pasta
salad, sweet potatoes.
Did you say, "Sake?"
The perfect beverage to complement all this amazing BBQ is, naturally,
an ice-cold sake. That's right, sake. Bob loves the stuff, and sells
some of the finest sake available at Minnie's. Surprisingly, a chilled
sake's light flavor goes hand-in-hand with Bob's expertly smoked meat.
For the traditionalists, Minnie's also serves beer on tap, including San
Francisco's own Anchor Steam.
All about Bob
Bob Kantor has been around the block. A graduate of the prestigious
California Culinary Academy, Bob has amassed over 22 years of culinary
experience. Bob's passion for slow-smoked barbecue grew over the years.
Then he picked up a book called Smokestack Lightning by Lolis Eric Elie
and his life was changed. The book chronicles Elie's journey across the
U.S. studying the differences in regional barbecue and the culture
surrounding them.
Inspired by the book, Bob began a barbecue journey of his own. He
traveled the country and learned regional barbecue techniques and
recipes wherever he went. He arranged to meet the pit bosses and cook
with them for a while. Bob lived in the kitchen with these guys from
anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. It was here that Bob learned
how to create the diverse menu of authentic regional barbecue served at
Minnie's.
Bob and the CBBQA
CBBQA veterans may also know Bob as one of the founders of CBBQA. At a
meeting of California folks at the American Royal in Kansas city, the
idea to form a formal association in California was discussed. Not long
after, Bob Kantor was named the first President of CBBQA. As Memphis
Minnie's began to take up more and more of his time, Bob chose to focus
on his own business - and with great success.
In June of 2002, Bob captured National attention with a glowing review
of Memphis Minnie's that appeared in Gourmet Magazine, written by
none-other than Smokestack Lightning's Lolis Eric Elie. If you would
like to read the
review,
click here.
Better yet, drop by Memphis Minnie's next time you're in San Francisco.
Your taste buds will thank you.
Location
Memphis Minnie's Barbecue Joint
576 Haight Street, near Steiner
San Francisco, CA
(415) 864-PORK
Web Site
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