"CATHEAD'S BBQ" SOUTHERN INVASION OF SAN FRANCISCO CONTINUES

I'll admit it, I'm from the south, and though I haven't lived there in decades I still have a bit of an accent, especially after talking to my father on the phone.  And being from North Carolina one thing we love in there is barbecue, specifically slow-roasted, smoked, pulled pork with vinegar seasoning--NO SAUCE.  Recently there has been a spate of new barbecue cooking restaurants opening in the city and I'm trying my best to try them out and see if any live up to my memories of home cooking.  (Mostly so far its been hit or miss but these days I just try to judge the food itself instead of the memory.)  Thus my journey to Cathead's BBQ which has taken over the old Nate's BBQ joint (which was good but he has retired).  

The interior hasn't changed much except they have nice long wood tables to sit at now plus you can sit at the bar and eat and watch them cook, which we did.  It was a Saturday night around 7pm and it was busy, I'm guessing word has gotten around.  I decided to go with the pulled pork combo plate with mustard slaw, (I subbed out the baked beans for) collard greens, a mini biscuit and some pickled carrot cauliflower medley.  

Right off the top the pork was delicious.  It was tender, juicy, a slight hint of smoke and melt in your mouth tasty--one of the better ones I've had in the city.  There is no sauce on this pork--but you do have your choices that are sitting on the counter of mustard based (ok), a Coca-Cola thick tomato based sauce (tasted odd) and a habanero based sauce (good but way too spicy).  After tasting them all I went with the natural flavor of the pork which to me as the best option.  The collard greens were also some of the best I've had.  They were tender without being mushy and I didn't need to add any extra salt, pepper or vinegar as they were perfectly seasoned and just a tad tangy which I like.  The mini biscuit was good but a bit too small for me to get a full taste, I will have to get the full sized one (as big as a cat's head they say) next time.  The pickled cauliflower and carrot side was a delicious surprise, originally I was dubious but whatever they've done works.  It was tangy and sweet and crunchy and I only wish there had been more.  The only downside to the whole meal was the mustard slaw--it just was not good.  The spicy mustard overwhelmed any flavor from the two types of shredded cabbage and carrots and when you tried to mix it with the pork it again was the dominating flavor.  It's one of the few times that I just didn't like it enough to finish--that's right folks I left a large chunk of food on my plate--yeah I know starving kids in Africa and what not but it wasn't good.  I suggest getting the beans or one of their other sides, but skip the mustard slaw and skip the habanero slaw which the S.O. had--it wasn't good either.  Hopefully they will try a better recipe somewhere along the line because good barbecue like this needs good slaw.  

Outside of that I really liked the food here and while eating we watched them slice up a brisket which made my mouth water and definitely had me making plans to return for that AND the large size of the biscuit.  So go and get your meat on or better yet--they actually do delivery until 7pm--bonus!! I'm picking up the phone now.  

CAFE MADELEINE HAVE THEY GOT A COOKIE FOR YOU

Everybody makes a chocolate chip cookie and I do mean everyone.  They were the cupcake of desserts before cupcakes came along.  Many a corporation has been built upon them--Mrs. Fields, Nestle, Famous Amos, etc.  They have become as American as apple pie and fill up lunch bags, snack shops and kitchen cabinets everywhere.  I won't say my obsession with them runs as deep as it does with a good red velvet cupcake or my search for the perfect burger but it's definitely up there.  I don't like the processed bagged ones but the ones baked fresh at local bakeries or restaurants thus when I see one on a menu or in a shop I will give them a try.  There are several places in San Francisco that do them well but one of my favorites is done by Cafe Madeleine.

LAFITTE...IT'S MOSTLY ABOUT THE SWEETS..AND THE SEATS

UPDATE: SADLY THE CHEF HAS GIVEN UP AND CLOSED THIS PLACE DOWN. 

The SO had a birthday so we decided to head a short walk (sort of) down the Embarcadero to try out Lafitte located at Pier 5.  I'd passed this place on a number of my runs and kept thinking every time--we should eat here sometime.  It's a great space on the water and has an moderately enclosed outdoor area to sit in where you can see the moon glow on the water and watch the tourists wander by wondering how the hell to get to Union Square.  We went on a Saturday night after the holidays so it was a sparse crowd and we basically picked where we wanted to sit.  I'd seen chef Russell Jackson profiled on numerous websites and blogs--he's part of what I like to call that new breed of tattooed, young, hipster urban chefs that follow food trends and here he does it by going the sustainable locally farmed way.  Since it was the SO's day I let him pick the appetizers and here they are:

Chicories salad with toasted cumin dressing and duck confit along with a splurge (it's $35) for the potted foie gras with an apple cherry gelee on top.  Chef Jackson is a proponent of keeping foie gras legal in California--you can read about it here and here.  As for the salad it was okay if a bit on the bitter side for me, between the chicories, radicchio and cumin it was a bit much without a balancing flavor especially since the duck was a little salty for my likes.  The foie gras, however, was buttery, rich, sweet, smooth, creamy and any other adjective you could probably add.  I enjoyed it but finishing all of it between the two of us took some effort due to the richness, but don't let that stop you from ordering it you can always take it home.  I do wish the bread served with it was a little more stiff and hearty.  The pieces we got were thin and didn't hold up well under the foie gras and the sweet gelee.  Overall good, though we probably shouldn't have gotten two duck dishes.

I chose my own entree and went with the coq au vin with pommel puree, turnips, carrots and truffle jus.  This wasn't the typical French stew version, more deconstructed, but still well done.  I like a good coq au vin and this was a good one.  The skin on the chicken had a good crisp for texture and I like how they take all but the one bone of it so it pretty much all chicken.  The carrots were sweet the turnips roasted and  the puree was creamy potato heaven, this dish was seasoned well and everything worked for me--I cleaned the plate.

Dessert was a multiple affair with chocolate layer cake spiced with peppers and a side of iced cream and then the freshly cooked brownie and cookies--oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, double chocolate.  I like the texture of the cake and the first bite and taste is great but then the pepper (as in hot pepper) kicks in and well, didn't like this so much.  The SO likes this kind of thing and it was his favorite.  I much more preferred the brownie which to me didn't even need the cookies, which were just okay.  The brownie was warm, moist and delicious I just with it had come with some fresh cream or even vanilla ice cream to break down some of the sweetness, but let's face it I ate all of it anyway.

Overall it was mostly a good experience more highs than lows as they say.  A few notes, to me the wine list was limited and pricey, we had called ahead about corkage and it was $20 so brought a bottle and felt and were happy we did after seeing the list and the prices.  The service was good but considering how few people were there I'd have been really surprised if it wasn't.  The place is pricey, even if we had shared one appetizer and one dessert it was still expensive thus it makes a good special occasion place due to this and its location.  The menu changes daily so check their website to see what they are serving before you go since right now you can get away with not having to make a reservation.  They also do lunch/brunch if you just want to try it a little (less money).  Either way it's worth going to see what Chef will come up with next time.  

AQ...THE GOOD...THE BAD...THE MEH...

Nestled in what used to be the offices of SOMA Grand at 7th and Mission is the new restaurant AQ.  While the neighborhood is sketchy at the best of times, they've done a great job with the space giving it a city living loft style look.  I do like the look but with the caveat that a number of new places opening in the last few months have the same urban loft look and feel, hopefully it won't permeate every place in town.  There is a dining area downstairs also but didn't have a chance to peek in.  As I've said before though, for me it's about the food so here it is.