376400 Thu Mar 01 15:29:54 -0800 2007 52 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2343125 There seems to be a mixed reaction to Memphis Minnies on here -- I wish I understood the positive reviews. After reading a bunch of reviews on BBQ in the city on Yelp.com, I figured MM would be the best spot to cure the deep craving for BBQ that had been building inside of me since I moved to the city. My boyfriend and I each ordered the meal deal (where you get the meat of your choice and two sides). He liked the quality of the meat, even though it was cold. I thought it was worse than the ribs I've had at TGIF (who would've thought that was possible?) ... they were cold, and the sauces looked and tasted like they had been sitting around for months. The side dishes were the worst part of the meal. I had the mac 'n cheese and fries. The only thing I could actually finish were the fries. Ugh! And to top off the whole experience, the small portions that made up the 2 meals, cost nearly 40$. No where in the South would it ever cost that much for a BBQ meal, especially one of this quality. As for environment, it was a cold winter night and the front door was left wide open, leaving the food to become even colder than it already was and goose bumps all over our skin. I don't recommend this place at all! Thu Mar 01 15:29:54 -0800 2007 72761 lexcre8 1 2343299 Sorry you had a bad meal. Unfortunately, their ribs can be hit or miss. Surprisingly for a restaurant with “Memphis” in the title, their brisket is king. I love their fries and mac & cheese though. Sounds like you probably should have closed the door... Thu Mar 01 16:19:52 -0800 2007 2343125 13300 Civil Bear 2 2349793 The name is not a reference to the style of BBQ - the owner's mom's name was Minnie and she was from Memphis. Sat Mar 03 17:40:12 -0800 2007 2343299 10252 larochelle 3 2351176 They claim to do various regional styles: Memphis pulled pork, St. Louis pork ribs, Texas brisket. The brisket and pork ribs are pretty darn good when they're hot. I found the sauces and some of the sides too eccentric. Sun Mar 04 10:26:05 -0800 2007 2349793 11369 Robert Lauriston 4 2390318 Perhaps I should've ordered the brisket. Sounds like people have enjoyed it there. Too bad there's not enough of a desire to even attempt trying another dish at this place. Thu Mar 15 17:12:13 -0700 2007 2351176 72761 lexcre8 1 2343387 Brisket ... brisket ... brisket ... MM is only about the briket. Thu Mar 01 16:43:06 -0800 2007 2343125 10264 rworange 1 2343397 Cold BBQ, jeez. That's disgraceful. How $40? The "plates" that come with two sides range from $9 to $15. MM's prices are similar to other BBQ places in SF. Thu Mar 01 16:45:57 -0800 2007 2343125 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 2390314 Well, it was closer to 15 for two plates, plus two drinks, and tax = too much for a bad meal. Yeah, the prices are similar to other places in SF, but for all BBQ restaurants in the city, it would be nice if the pricing was relative to the quality of food. Just living in an ideal state. Thu Mar 15 17:10:46 -0700 2007 2343397 72761 lexcre8 1 2343757 I have to concur -- in working my way through Bay Area BBQ, Memphis Minnie's does not rank that highly on my list (preferring Coyote Sam's in Fairfield and Texas Smokehouse BBQ in San Jose). I was very disappointed in MM's sauces and only their collard greens made up for the mediocre meat. Thu Mar 01 18:54:45 -0800 2007 2343125 16933 Carrie 218 1 2344003 I haven't had the ribs recently, but did takeout a pound each of the brisket and pulled pork recently and both were great. I've had great ribs at MM's in the past; probably should try them again and see if they've changed. Thu Mar 01 20:49:16 -0800 2007 2343125 10724 Mick Ruthven 1 2390420 All Bay Area BBQ joints are hit or miss. When I eat at MM's, I'll usually ask the cook if the brisket is moist before ordering. Of course he says it is, but I've noticed that the mere inquiry is enough impetus for the cook to make the effort to give me a juicier, warmer cut. Thu Mar 15 17:48:41 -0700 2007 2343125 11947 Benny Choi 2 2390452 I agree about hit or miss, except I think T-Rex may have it together. Last couple of times I've been the spareribs were perfect. Thu Mar 15 17:58:42 -0700 2007 2390420 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 2390686 I don't think there is a BBQ joint in the country that isn't hit or miss at times. Some are just more consistent than others. Imagine it has to do with working with the cheapest pieces of meat. That said, MM's spareribs have been a disappointment the last few times. Thu Mar 15 19:39:22 -0700 2007 2390452 13300 Civil Bear 2 2390901 Yep, I always ask too and almost make 'em swear on a stack of bibles. Thu Mar 15 21:19:14 -0700 2007 2390420 10039 Melanie Wong 3 2598033 I find so much wrong with this thread that it is embarrassing that I live in a food city. First of all none of the employees would ever swear on a stack of bibles because the owner is Jewish. As for the food, barbeque is not the easiest thing to cook and takes a lot of trial an error to get it right. You will never find Que in this part of the county that will be as cheap as in the south because we are paying 2-3 times as much for rent, wood, meat, ECT here. Lastly if you don’t like the way something is, why not say something while you are at the restaurant, most places will be more than happy to accommodate you, instead you come here and complain where the restaurant has no way to fix a problem that they may not know about. You can please all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time. But you will NEVER please all of the people all of the time. Thu May 24 07:47:44 -0700 2007 2390901 99378 cowtipn 4 2598339 Wouldn't 'swear on a stack of bibles' but does serve pork.... Asking if the brisket is moist before ordering is hardly waiting until after the meal to complain without alerting the restaurant! Thu May 24 09:23:05 -0700 2007 2598033 10158 susancinsf 5 2598493 Yep, being direct with the staff before I order and only going during the week (Sunday seems to be the worst bet) does the trick for me. Thu May 24 10:07:32 -0700 2007 2598339 10039 Melanie Wong 6 2634751 I stick to the stuff I know Memphis Minnie's does well, i.e. the brisket, the pork ribs, and the pulled pork. I think Melanie is right about going during the week. I went last night (Tuesday) and everything was wonderful, whereas going on Sundays has been hit or miss. I would give them another shot.... Wed Jun 06 08:51:48 -0700 2007 2598493 91425 virtualguthrie 1 2598328 Memphis Minnie's prices are similar to other BBQ places in town: a spareribs dinner is $13.95 vs. $14.75 at Lilly's (former Brother-in-Law's) or Big Nate's. Thu May 24 09:20:18 -0700 2007 2343125 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 2600155 I can certainly understand the sentiment - they're a neighborhood joint for me, so I eat there fairly often. That said, they are wildly unpredictable. We've had fairly dry chicken and fantastic fall off the bone stuff. I've had a very small portion of slightly dry bristket and a mound of moist nearly Texas quality stuff the next visit. The cornbread can be dry tasteless hockeypucks or really good. No place is perfect, but I really wish they had better consistency. I though the last several times there the brisket was darn near perfect - sorry you had a bad outing. Thu May 24 18:01:35 -0700 2007 2343125 86627 epicurious_sf 2 2600459 Seems like part of the issue with BBQ in the BA (besides economics as mentioned) are there's cultural reasons - healthier food and other options. A $14 buck BBQ meal is competing against a $6 buck burrito or $7 buck rice plate. Without support and competition, this leads to low turn over and thus inconsistencies. I remember when Flint's was great and I recall high turn over. The best inexpensive places always seem to do brisk business which also feeds into fresher food. Oh well... Thu May 24 20:23:53 -0700 2007 2600155 27275 ML8000 1 2600465 This place is expensive: I had a pulled pork sandwich and a side of coleslaw and it was almost $15!!! Outrageous. Especially since the small side container was barely larger than a shot glass. The eating experience was not good either. The the pulled pork had almost no flavor and the meat was completely dry. I'm serious, it was just meat on bread. They threw in two puny containers of sauce - one, a tangy mustard sauce and the other, some kind of red concoction that made me wince. Neither did anything to satisfy my craving for the classic bbq sauce that usually smothers this dish. And the coleslaw was some kind of raw foods nightmare. The flavor and texture were all wrong: no sweetness, just sour with other vegetables mixed in. More like pickles than slaw. Not sure whose idea of bbq this is, but it's definitely not mine. I'd recommend Brother's in Law's for classic bbq. Thu May 24 20:26:22 -0700 2007 2343125 97205 sondrac 2 2600544 >I had a pulled pork sandwich and a side of coleslaw and it was almost $15!!! According to their website, the pulled pork sandwich with one side is $7.95. >Neither did anything to satisfy my craving for the classic bbq sauce that usually smothers this dish Bob Cantor is very clear that his barbecue is about the meat, not the sauce. That's why the sauce is served on the side. Everyone's taste in sauce differs. I love the mustard-based sauce with the pork. Their red sauce isn't my favorite red, but for me it really is about the meat. Thu May 24 21:12:28 -0700 2007 2600465 10724 Mick Ruthven 3 2601997 >>Bob Cantor is very clear that his barbecue is about the meat, not the sauce. That's why the sauce is served on the side. Agree 100%. Bay Area joints that serve their Q smothered in red sauce do it for a reason. To hide the meat. Also, traditional pulled pork barbecue is from the Carolinas and is served with vinegar based sauces (w/ added ketchup in the west an mustard in the south). Sandwiches are typically topped with a tart coleslaw that on its own isn't so good, but manages to enhance the pulled pork sammy. Fri May 25 11:27:05 -0700 2007 2600544 13300 Civil Bear 4 2602028 Memphis Minnie's pulled pork is billed as "Memphis sweet smoked pork." I think their sauces and slaw are eccentric even by the standards of the regions that inspired them. Fri May 25 11:36:52 -0700 2007 2601997 11369 Robert Lauriston 5 2633194 Admittedly, my experience with the Carolina deep-south style of mustard-y sauce is limited, but MM's seems spot on. The "Texas Red" would not be out of place in many of my favorite joints in Central Texas. Tue Jun 05 18:09:38 -0700 2007 2602028 86627 epicurious_sf 4 2603742 Some traditions like sauce on the meat. That is just what is BBQ to some people, although not purists. I try to think of it as an entirely different thing, then I don't have to get mad about it. Sometimes the sauces are good bad/bad good. Sat May 26 00:14:45 -0700 2007 2601997 40489 P. Punko 2 2600632 Brothers in Law's is closed. Thu May 24 22:23:12 -0700 2007 2600465 10039 Melanie Wong 3 2600640 But reopened as Lilly's. Hasn't changed much. Thu May 24 22:30:09 -0700 2007 2600632 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 2600639 A pulled pork sandwich is $7.95 and cole slaw is $2.25, total $10.20 before tax and tip. I find Memphis Minnie's sauces weird, which means their pulled pork doesn't cut it. I like their "slaw," but it's very eccentric, more like pickles than cole slaw. Thu May 24 22:29:34 -0700 2007 2600465 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 2600739 ..also known as "Health Salad" in some East Coast delis. Thu May 24 23:49:24 -0700 2007 2600639 10485 ChowFun_derek 3 2602779 I live around the corner from MM's and always get hungry when I smell the white oak smoker going. I'm from Texas and by my standards the brisket is the best you can get out here, now that Rudy's in the Bayview is closed. The idea of serving it on a sourdough roll rather than the cheapest possible white bread makes no sense so I buy it by the pound and use my own bun. As for the slaw, it's what we call "sour slaw" at home and MM's is certainly expensive for the portion size. However, they shared a recipe some time ago with the SF Chron. I just checked and it's still archived at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/07/02/FD265564.DTL&hw=memphis+minnie+slaw&sn=001&sc=1000 This isn't exactly what they currently serve but pretty close and with some tinkering (use less sugar and add some chopped squeezed-dry tomatoes at serving time) it gets better. Fri May 25 15:42:21 -0700 2007 2600639 10889 otis 4 2602829 Never been to MMs but tried VCC Enterprises in San Jose after overhearing a couple guys rave about it. Excellent BBQ, fall of the bone tender spare ribs.Best BBQ I have had in the BA. Fri May 25 16:00:39 -0700 2007 2602779 96274 dhoffman1421 5 2603523 I get no results from Google for VCC Enterprises in San Jose. Are you sure the name is correct? Fri May 25 21:10:14 -0700 2007 2602829 10724 Mick Ruthven 6 2605005 It's BCC, not VCC (aka Jon Jon) BCC Enterprises 1305 Oakland Rd San Jose, CA 95112 (408) 297-5799 Info under the Hoggs report http://www.chowhound.com/topics/38082#178601 From this long report ... http://www.chowhound.com/topics/40841#200070 " BBQ in the Everett & Jones' vein: the church group's place on Old Oakland Rd. a few blocks north of 101, on the west side of the road. Can't remember the name, but your nose should lead you there. Just don't go on the Lord's day or late. They mostly do lunches, early dinner and go home to their families or church. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/373430#2319843 Here's a review with picture ... it is in an old gas station http://www.webdives.com/listings.php?cityfind=San%20Jose%20North "Formerly Bethesda Community Church Enterprises. You can't help noticing if you've passed this place. A converted gas station with a trailer out front and a couple of 55 gallon drum BBQ ""pits"" off to one side. " So that's what BCC stands for. Another review (scroll down) with a picture of Jon Jon at the smoker http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/10.26.05/secrets-0543.html Some pictures of the chow http://www.jatbar.com/reviews/San_Jose/BCC_Enterprises.asp Sat May 26 17:46:49 -0700 2007 2603523 10264 rworange 7 2607183 When I worked in San Jose, about 8+ years ago, BCC (I would have never remembered the name) was a popular group lunch spot. A group of us would pile into a car or two and make the short trip from downtown. Excellent ribs as I recall, totally falling off the bone with no sauce required. I also remember their peach cobbler. Very funky, small place with a long line and lots of picnic tables. Memorable enough to recall I haven't experienced much better in the Bay Area since then. Sun May 27 22:39:59 -0700 2007 2605005 86832 Dan Wodarcyk 7 2856822 My wife and I tried BCC for lunch today. The ribs were dry and not trimmed at all. I hate it when people don't trim off the tips. The Tri-tip was very tender. I don't know if I've ever had smoked tri-tip before, but it was quite a treat. I'm used to the Santa Maria style tri-tip from my college days at UCSB. BCC's smoked version is very tender and the pieces I got were nice and lean. My wife liked the chicken, it was moist and had a great smokey flavor. I love Everett and Jones, but their chicken tends to be dry. My biggest problem with BCC is the sauce, it was too sweet and lacked depth. The one dimentional flavor got overwhelming a few bites into the meal and essentially ruined the tasty meat. The beans were just awful and the potato salad was nothing special, but none of the Bay Area places seem to make extraordinary sides. I usually order links at a BBQ joint, but the ones at BCC looked like Louisiana hot links, and with those I'd rather put 'em on a bun with some mustard as opposed to covering them with BBQ sauce. In the end, I would much rather prefer a beef and link combo at Everett and Jones or a sweet smoked pork platter at Memphis Minnies. Fri Aug 17 19:17:55 -0700 2007 2605005 103870 Fussy Foodie 4 2605499 >Rudy's in the Bayview is closed. > apparently Rudy [sic] *can* fail :-) Sun May 27 02:17:42 -0700 2007 2602779 16770 psb 3 2603517 >A pulled pork sandwich is $7.95 and cole slaw is $2.25, total $10.20 before tax and tip.< Has the $7.95 pork sandwich including one side (which could be cole slaw) changed? That's the way it was and the way it is on their website. Fri May 25 21:06:49 -0700 2007 2600639 10724 Mick Ruthven 4 2604191 Ah, right you are. Maybe sondrac was overcharged. Sat May 26 09:29:17 -0700 2007 2603517 11369 Robert Lauriston 5 2851505 Nope. My bill with tax plus a tip was almost $15. I got the pulled pork sandwich with fries and then ordered an additional side of cole slaw. I'm sorry, everything else was such an unpleasant surprise that forgot to mention the fries. They were basic - and cold. Allowing for differences in bbq style, I can appreciate that this was not what I expected - but that doesn't change the fact that the meat was bland and dry. Seeing that BCC is more aligned with my taste preferences, I will trek out to Oakland to try BCC. Thanks for the pictures of the smoking drums and the dishes of food - they made my mouth water! Thu Aug 16 10:26:29 -0700 2007 2604191 97205 sondrac 6 2851530 BCC's on Oakland Road in San Jose. Thu Aug 16 10:32:45 -0700 2007 2851505 11369 Robert Lauriston 7 2852248 Noooo! Thu Aug 16 12:59:35 -0700 2007 2851530 97205 sondrac 3 2603744 A North Carolina cole slaw is a non-creamy vinegary concoction. It can be good. I think of it as the American version of a Vietnamese salad. Actually, that wouldn't be bad- some pulled pork but with a 5 spice/soy based seasoning and vietnamese salad on a crusty baguette. southeastern US BBQ meets southeastern asia. Sat May 26 00:19:58 -0700 2007 2600639 40489 P. Punko 3 2632526 Yea but the sandwich comes with one side. So you can get the slaw with it. So $8.63 w/ tax. Tue Jun 05 14:35:00 -0700 2007 2600639 99378 cowtipn 2 2852885 Brother's in Law no longer exists and even when it did the best that could be said was a poor rendition of classic Mississippi Q. Thu Aug 16 15:34:53 -0700 2007 2600465 10252 larochelle 3 2853162 Brother-in-Law's is now called Lilly's. No big changes, Lilly is brother-in-law's sister-in-law. Thu Aug 16 17:19:38 -0700 2007 2852885 11369 Robert Lauriston 4 2853286 Other than downhill reports, being open even less and daytime shootings (8/7/7 1pm - check the police log.) Thu Aug 16 18:05:37 -0700 2007 2853162 10252 larochelle 5 2854422 Like I said, no big changes. Fri Aug 17 07:26:02 -0700 2007 2853286 11369 Robert Lauriston 6 2854994 That neighbhorhood has its issues and I watch the police reports fairly carefully, are you saying that customers (people in the restaurant) have opened fire before? Fri Aug 17 09:48:03 -0700 2007 2854422 10252 larochelle 7 2855393 Not often enough for them to have installed bulletproof glass, like Do City down the street used to have. Fri Aug 17 11:22:09 -0700 2007 2854994 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 3113601 Hey, I agree. Ain't nothin' like Southern BBQ. I haven't been to MM yet. I still plan on checkin' it out. However, have you tried 'Rib Shack' in San Bruno. Or the newly opened, 'Gorilla BBQ' in Pacifica ? These two places are good. Nothin' like the South, but alright considering where we happen to be. Good eatin'! Sat Nov 10 16:30:17 -0800 2007 2343125 141938 Just pay me in pork 2 3118940 If you like the Rib Shack, then you will love MM's. There is a difference however, as MM cuts their spareribs St. Louis style. If you like the tip portion, you can order them separate. Mon Nov 12 17:04:58 -0800 2007 3113601 13300 Civil Bear