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Title : standard furniture ltd barbados
standard furniture ltd barbados
â announcer: a kqed television production. man: it's like holy mother of comfort food. kastner: throw it down. it's noodle crack. patel: you have to be ready for the heart attack on a platter. crowell: okay, i'm the bacon guy, right? man: oh, i just did a jig every time i dipped into it. man #2: it just completely blew my mind. woman: it felt like i had a mouthful of raw vegetables and dry dough.
sbrocco: oh, please. i want the dessert first! [ laughs ] i told him he had to wait. sbrocco: hi. i'm leslie sbrocco. welcome to "check, please! bay area," the show where regular bay area residents review and talk about their favorite restaurants. we have three guests, and each one recommends one of their favorite spots, and the other two go to check 'em out
to see what they think. ah, hi, y'all! [ laughs ] we're celebrating america with a special show revisiting some of the good old southern cooking spots from past episodes. we begin with the front porch. it was guest otto thav who brought this cozy spot, complete with rocking chairs and blankets out front, to our attention.
the chef has moved on, so the kitchen's emphasis is now on louisiana- and new orleans-style cooking. get ready to spoon up some of those tasty grits on 29th street at mission in san francisco at the front porch. [ indistinct talking ] kirnon: so, i was born in the u.k. my father is from antigua, and my mom's from barbados,
and my parents chose to have my brother and i grow up in the caribbean so we could learn about our culture and where we came from and who we are, and i think it paid off because that's -- that's where my interest came for food. my grandmother was a cook on a sugar plantation in barbados, and later in life she had a stroke, and, being the youngest girl in the house,
i had to learn how to cook, so they built me a little stool which i'd stand on and reach the stove, and those are my first memories of cooking good -- good caribbean soul food. so, often here at the front porch, the food is mistaken for southern food, and the only reason i can put that down is 'cause of similarities in ingredients that we use. but you have to remember that most of this food
came from africa to the caribbean to the south. so, for me, i cook with the caribbean soul, and, you know, i'm cooking recipes that were inspired by my grandmother. the evening starts off here with a lot of families. we feed a lot of people in the neighborhood, and later on in the night tends to get a bit rowdy and raucous, but i think it's all in good fun. it's loud, the wait is long,
but it's -- it's definitely worth it. the caribbean sits in the heart of the mission. sbrocco: now, otto, you love this place. is it just because of the st. peter's cream stout -- your favorite beer? thav: this by far is the best ale i've ever tasted, but it's not the only good thing about the restaurant. it just complements everything that --
every dish that they make at the restaurant. it's -- sbrocco: i love a man who brings his own beer to our table. that's fantastic. thav: you've got to taste it. sbrocco: all right, i'm passing it around. i'm passing it around. we'll each take a slug. [ chuckles ]
so, tell us about the food at front porch. thav: it's kind of nouveau southern with soul and caribbean, and it's just a melange of all these different tastes, and everything is slow cooked. like, my main was the special cod, and you could tell it was slow cooked because the skin peeled off in one section. it didn't crack, it didn't break,
so you can tell it was very slowly cooked and it was just awesome, awesome taste, 'cause they let the flavor just blend in as it's being slow cooked. sbrocco: and it really does have a front porch. you can sit on rocking chairs in the front porch while you're waiting for your table. jones: the front porch is great. sbrocco: yeah.
jones: it's a really nice place to wait. if you're going to go there, especially on the weekends, you're going to be waiting, so be prepared for it. the front porch has great rocking chairs. i went with my 3î©-year-old daughter. she sat in a little rocking chair just her size and she really loved rocking, so the front porch was really terrific. conner: actually saw somebody sitting out there,
and they had brought her sort of rag-style quilt to sort of keep her warm, you know, against the san francisco fog, so i thought that was really great. thav: they actually have quilts inside, too. they'll bring it out if you ask for it. conner: yeah, that must be what i saw. and you walk in, it's got these low pressed-tin ceilings, red-and-black check floors,
so it feels almost like a speakeasy. -thav: mm-hmm. -sbrocco: used to be the garage, i think, of the building. conner: was that what it was? yeah. yeah. thav: it's an edwardian above. conner: well, and i love in the rear dining area, they've got the banquettes that are car seats. did you sit at those? with seat belts and everything,
so i thought that was really kind of cute. sbrocco: well, when you drink too much st. peter's stout, that way, you don't fall out of your chair. conner: there you go. sbrocco: [ laughing ] you can strap yourself in. all right, tell me about some of your favorite dishes when you went. conner: well, you know, we actually had an amuse-bouche. it was really, really good.
it was a salt cod that was mashed with sweet potato and topped with an arugula and red-pepper salad. sbrocco: mmm. conner: and it was really good on these sort of olive-drizzle toasts that was just a perfect kind of combination of flavors, and it was unexpected, and it also let you know that the chef was willing to take risks and there was more going on than just kind of
standard soul food preparations -- that there really was kind of a creative mind at work. sbrocco: but it is a rather eclectic menu. it isn't just pure soul food. conner: sure. sbrocco: now, michelle, jump in here, because you said you brought your 3-year-old and...? jones: and my two other kids. sbrocco: and your two other kids.
jones: and i'm so sorry. i wanted to like this restaurant so much. i live in the neighborhood. i almost could walk there. i had heard wonderful things about it, and there were so many things i disliked. i really thought i was getting southern comfort food. what i got instead was more west indies caribbean food, and it mostly was just flavors i didn't like. -sbrocco: mm-hmm. -jones: and so, i can't --
thav: well, what dishes did you have? jones: we tried the duck p‚tãˆ, which was nice. it came with a mango chutney, and i just didn't like the combination together. the west indies chips were nice. the plantain cakes were served with a crã‹me fraã“che and a mashed avocado, and they were very good. i think they were probably the high point of the dinner for me. unfortunately, they were these two teeny-weeny little cakes,
and it wasn't even enough to try sharing, so -- thav: what about the conch fritters? -did you try those? -jones: we didn't try -the conch fritters. -thav: and the pork dish? jones: my husband had the pork dish and he said it was very good. we ordered a bucket of fried chicken, which was eight pieces, and i thought, "oh, this is great,"
and i shared it with my two youngest children, and my one son ate most of the chicken 'cause he was hungry, and there wasn't enough food for us. and it took 20 minutes to get there and it was $30 for this bucket of chicken. and i have to say, the breast pieces were this big. and it was so loud. we couldn't hear each other, the waiter couldn't hear us.
i just -- we waited for a really long time. there was cigarette smoke wafting in from the porch into the restaurant. we had to ask them to close the door so the smoke would stop. and i wanted to like it so badly, and i just didn't. the high point for me were the plantain cakes and this huge red stripe. so, i don't know if you have to maybe drink enough first. conner: red stripe takes the pain away.
jones: maybe if you drink enough first and then you don't mind the portion size. conner: wait, i have to jump in, though, because, i mean, i had the molasses-brined pork chop, and there's no complaints about the portion size with that. i mean, that is a big hunk of meat. jones: my husband had it. he said it was really good. conner: yeah.
jones: he said it didn't compare to ana mandara's, so -- and i think that's his standard. sbrocco: all right, come on, get back in there, guys, -come on. -thav: i beg to differ because, i mean, i loved all three restaurants, but i thought this, for southern soul food, it was phenomenal. i mean, the pork dish was huge. it's, like, 10 inches long and a half inch wide.
conner: and really good. like, i don't know what molasses brining is, but yum. -jones: and grits. -conner: grits. oh, my god, the grits cheese -- chock full of cheese. what's not to like about the grits porridge? jones: right. right. thav: and we, in fact, the portions were so big, we never got to eat dessert 'cause we were just too stuffed. conner: my partner and i are both kind of big guys.
we got the bucket of fried chicken -and we didn't finish it off. -jones: mm-hmm. conner: although, i mean, we ordered a bunch of sides, as well, you know, plus appetizers. but, you know, we were plenty satisfied with -- we even took it home. sbrocco: and should people expect a wait? -thav: yes. -jones: absolutely. sbrocco: okay.
conner: although, we got there early. we got there around 6:15 and we didn't have to wait at all. there was a table open in the back. jones: by 6:30, it was a good 40 minutes. conner: yeah, it got crowded pretty quickly after we got there. sbrocco: all right, otto, this is your restaurant. tell people why they need to get to the front porch.
thav: it's totally unique southern cooking with a lot of caribbean flavor. and yes, it's loud, and yes, there's plenty of people there, so it's gonna be hard to get a table, but it's well worth the wait. sbrocco: and david? conner: funky, soulful, satisfying, in a great neighborhood. i'll totally go back.
sbrocco: okay, and michele? jones: i think it just wasn't the restaurant for me. it was too loud, it was too crowded, it was -- portions were too small. it just wasn't the right restaurant for us. sbrocco: all right, you're not getting any more beer. -jones: okay. -thav: [ laughs ] jones: that was the only good part. that was what i did like, was the beer.
sbrocco: if you would like to try the front porch, it's on 29th at mission in san francisco. the telephone number is 415-695-7800. it's open for dinner every day with brunch on the weekends. reservations are accepted, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $20. next, kevin corbit craves barbecue and chooses memphis minnie's barbecue joint for meat cooked low and slow,
just like they do it in tennessee. for fork-tender brisket that melts on the tongue and home-made sauce, it's hard to save room for dessert on haight street in san francisco at memphis minnie's barbecue joint. campbell: memphis minnie's is devoted to southern-style slow-smoked barbecue. 18-hour brisket, 16-hour pork shoulder,
everything smoked with white oak wood -- no gas, no charcoal. everything made from scratch, in-house, from the rubs to the sauce to the dessert and everything in between. we have a very special, secret recipe for our rubs. myself and the owner are the only ones who know about it currently. we use a red rub on all the beef and chicken products
and a white rub on all of the pork products. that's about as deep as i can go into it. the knickknacks and whatnot are from my collection, from the owner's collection, and sort of a safe haven for some of our customers who have cow and pig stuff in their house that need to get it out. one of the more interesting things is a parking ticket that the owner got from dpt
for food that was too good to miss by sergeant foodie. we now know that even dpt has a sense of humor. sbrocco: okay, kevin, this place takes, what, 18 hours to make the brisket? corbit: 16 to 18 hours. and you can really, i think, taste the care and the seriousness that they take. you know, barbecue's supposed to be fun, and it is. but when it's done poorly,
i think you can really, really tell. one of the things that really first drew me to memphis minnie's was the fact that they don't just slather their meat in sauce. you actually taste the meat, which leaves little room for error, and hence, the great care that they take. sbrocco: and the owner's really interested in that. he says, you know, forget the sauce.
-it's all about the meat. -corbit: forget the sauce. i mean, as we say, leave the sauce for the fries. brian: though he does make his own sauces. corbit: he does make his own sauces, and three different sauces, which is great, because you get to try different regional varieties of barbecue flavors. you have the texas red, which i actually love because it's got this clovey cinnamon thing going on.
sbrocco: right. corbit: there's a traditional south carolina mustard sauce, which is a little more tangy. and then i think the one that most people aren't familiar with is the vinegar-based north carolina barbecue. corbit: which works for me, 'cause it's not too acidic. -kealy: so distinct. -corbit: exactly. kealy: so distinct. and you didn't need to drown the meat
because the hot rubs were -- sbrocco: and let's talk about the meat. let's talk about the beauty in the beef here because this place -- brian: beauty in the beef. sbrocco: the beauty in the beef. kealy: i like it. sbrocco: i mean, this is where it's at. brian, give me your take on the meat.
brian: i got to say that i -- kevin, i love this place. -corbit: great. -brian: i love this place. and like i say, have i said to people, with all due respect to my eastern-european roots, my jewish eastern-european roots, this is the way brisket should be done. -corbit: yeah. -brian: you know, with a spiced crust. corbit: the crust is -- oh.
brian: the crust is unbelievable and juicy, and, you know, i'm used to a steamed brisket. corbit: mm-hmm. brian: the pulled pork was unbelievable. a lot of times with smoked meat, sometimes it can be dry. -corbit: mm-hmm. -brian: you know, -this was just succulent. -corbit: or too smoky. i mean, he only uses white oak, which gives it this kind of subtle --
you can get the smoke, but it's not bowling you over with the flavor. kealy: it's redolent, and yet it doesn't overcome. i had the rib, and that wasn't as moist as i would've had, i would've preferred, but i was a happy camper. i mean, three meats? are you kidding me? corbit: and the other thing i love is -- it doesn't stop there --
because i think the sides are genuine. kealy: the sides are wonderful. sbrocco: and that is really the definition of a barbecue place is what is their coleslaw like or their potato salad. corbit: what are you bringing with your coleslaw? brian: and the greens. corbit: the potlikker greens. and they make everything in house. the pit-smoked beans.
sbrocco: you know, when you get a nice hunk of meat, you need to refresh your palate a little bit with either a beer or the coleslaw, right? brian: well, speaking of beer, we have to mention the sake. the sake really goes with meat. corbit: you would never think that, would you? brian: who knew? kealy: do you have it regularly? corbit: i do. because i was so skeptical.
kealy: i thought i needed to drink beer. corbit: i was so skeptical. kealy: i think it was my first beer i've ever had in my life, so... corbit: well, the beer works well, and i was so skeptical -- sbrocco: it was the first beer you've ever had -in your whole life? -kealy: yeah. yeah. -corbit: congratulations. -sbrocco: mary joan.
corbit: mary joan took the plunge. sbrocco: you're a virgin no longer. kealy: it was good for me. sbrocco: and let's talk about the atmosphere, because it really is a casual, with your buddies. corbit: it's in the middle of the haight. brian: picnic tablecloths. corbit: you get a, you know, roll of paper towels, you get the sauces right there.
kealy: i didn't think it was gritty. i thought it was down-home dinette. it was comfy. what i liked was the magnificent diversity of the place. it was friendly, it was jumping, it was fantastic. sbrocco: and talk about price. because value for the money here. corbit: that's one of the reasons why i love it, because i can go get a top, top quality piece of beef
with two sides, a piece of cornbread, and a beer, and after taxes, i'm gonna pay under 20 bucks. and i guess i forgot about the desserts. kealy: what about those desserts? corbit: did you have the deep-fried peach pie or the pecan pie? kealy: i had that and the scratch pecan pie. corbit: the scratch pecan pie.
not too sweet. it's got this great spice to it, dense. kealy: my companion, who is from the south, said it was the best pecan pie he ever had in his life, so now i know what to get him for his birthday. corbit: did anybody have the banana pudding? -brian: banana pudding. -corbit: banana pudding. brian: i've said it more than once -- they should give it to leaders of the free world.
corbit: bring them together. bring them together. brian: might get something done. i mean, the banana pudding and the fried peach pie -- corbit: the fried peach with the two little turnovers, -the powdered sugar. -brian: little empanadas. -it borders on sexual. -corbit: [ laughs ] sbrocco: actually, this is your spot, so wrap it up for us. if somebody wants to go, what should they look for? corbit: it's a down-home place
that takes their food very seriously, and with the homemade sides, the homemade desserts, and the perfectly-smoked meat, it's an ideal comfort-food place. sbrocco: okay. would you go back? brian: it's authentic barbecue in san francisco. it's the real deal. just go. it's fantastic.
it's great. sbrocco: okay, mary joan, now that you're no longer a beer virgin, what do you say about memphis minnie's? kealy: if i was in the haight, i would absolutely go back. it was absolutely wonderful. and parking was easy. it was easy to get to, so... sbrocco: there you go.
if you would like to try memphis minnie's barbecue joint, it's on haight in san francisco. the telephone number is 415-864-7675. it's open every day for lunch and dinner, closed on mondays. reservations are not accepted, and lastly, guest tom temprano, cycles across town to auntie april's for their finger-licking-good chicken and waffles. he goes for the soul food recipes that are priced right.
you won't find the red velvet cake mentioned on the show anymore, but you will find red velvet waffles on the menu on 3rd street in san francisco at auntie april's chicken, waffles, and soul food. spears: i didn't name myself auntie april's chicken and waffles. the customers did that on their own. they really like our chicken and waffles
and they write about our chicken and waffles so i became the chicken and waffles spot. i really love to cook. i grew up cooking in my grandparents' kitchen. my grandmother is from texas and my grandfather is from louisiana, so i sort of infused both of those styles of cooking to come up with the flavors that you taste today. i'm really delighted to have been able
to open a restaurant in my community because there's not very many soul-food places around. people can come and relax and enjoy great food, congregate and have a great experience. auntie april's is a family-owned restaurant. we work really hard together as a family to set an example for young families and people that come in to dine with us. we're here seven days a week, serving the public, and i'm just blessed to be able to have them here to help me
'cause it's a heck of a job by yourself. sbrocco: now, tom, you are a chicken-and-waffles specialist, as i understand it, having grown up with roscoe's in l.a. temprano: indeed. indeed. many, many a friday night were spent, you know, under age out at roscoe's down in l.a., so i've had my fair share of experiences. sbrocco: and that's where your soul-food roots come in, right?
temprano: well, i mean, my dad grew up making great barbecue, but roscoe's sort of cemented it for me. sbrocco: right, and actually, you were telling me, stacy, you went to roscoe's. roach: i went to roscoe's just this past weekend. i was down in l.a. and i thought, "okay, "so i've been to auntie april's, and everybody talks about comparing auntie april's to roscoe's,"
and i thought, "i got to check out roscoe's and see what the real deal is." sbrocco: all right, so what did you think? roach: you know what? i like auntie april's better. sbrocco: ah. roach: on both counts, i liked auntie april's chicken better, and waffles. the belgian-style waffle that she does is fantastic. temprano: phenomenal.
yeah, that was my shock, too, because i'd had no idea there was a chicken and waffles place in san francisco and just stumbled onto it one day, and -- sbrocco: it's not easy to find. i mean, it's out in bay view, and it's not like you're gonna just drive by and pop in, probably. temprano: i was actually on a sunday bike ride and just skidded to a stop on this street
and popped in and got some chicken and waffles, and yeah, blew roscoe's right out of the water. sbrocco: now, you're a musician, terrence, and the chicken-and-waffle story goes, you know, in harlem in the '30s, it was developed, really, this combination of chicken and waffles because the musicians would get off work at 4:00, 5:00 in the morning and it was too late for dinner and too early for breakfast,
-right? -brewer: absolutely. sbrocco: so you put them together and you get chicken and waffles. brewer: absolutely. sbrocco: and what did you think of -- brewer: i thought it was good. you know, going into it, there was the whole it's in bay view, and but for me, it felt like home, you know?
it was this great neighborhood hang. restaurant was, you know, real nice and open and spacious. everyone was really friendly. i liked the belgian-style waffle. full disclosure, i'm not really as much of a waffle guy. i like pancakes, so i did order a side pancake, and the pancake was fantastic, actually. temprano: good to know. brewer: so, if you're into, you know, maybe, like,
thin, crispier waffles, this might not be the place 'cause -- sbrocco: 'cause this is pretty doughy. brewer: nice, fluffy, belgian-style waffle. the syrup, it wasn't my favorite, but it was still very good, right? and actually, what i liked was the hot sauce. it was like the hot sauce comes in this nondescript big red bottle,
and i had chicken and chicken and waffles, and i just dumped it all over the chicken. it was fantastic. and for me, because i also got a side of yams, right -- sweet potatoes -- sbrocco: you were carbo loading for a run there. brewer: i was carbo loading. well, you got to taste it because actually interesting, when i first got there, first thing i saw caught my eye
was catfish on the menu. but i had -- said, you know, "i'm gonna go with the chicken and waffles because that's why we're here." sbrocco: got to do it. brewer: but i had to get a side of something that was a little soul-food related, so i got the yams, and they were fantastic. like, cinnamon, you know, brown sugar, butter.
really, really good. sbrocco: and cubed -- kind of cubed. brewer: cubed, yeah. so i would actually go back to have the catfish and do the yams again, definitely. but the chicken was good, it was lightly battered. yeah, it was really nice. -sbrocco: mm-hmm. -brewer: very fun. sbrocco: and what about you? you go again and again.
temprano: yeah, well, i've had all those things, actually, except for the pancake, which will happen next time. yeah, and i actually got the catfish the last time i went. i got the catfish dinner, which came with two sides -and was something like $11. -brewer: right. temprano: it was just ridiculous for that much food. and their catfish actually has, like, a cornmeal batter to it. that's really light, really delicious.
i'm not -- i mean, as much as i love soul food, i'm not a fan of grease, and auntie april's, they go real heavy on the butter on those waffles. brewer: [ chuckling ] yeah. temprano: not light in that regard. sbrocco: butter is a health food. -didn't you know that? -temprano: it is. it's part of my diet. special diet. but yeah, actually, the catfish was just so light,
and i went with the yams, which i've had before, as well, and they are perfect. so syrupy. they're always putting me on the verge of a diabetic coma. brewer: right. temprano: but i can't stop ordering them. and then i got the mac and cheese, as well, which i don't know if either of you had a chance to try, but it's really that just, like, good, well-seasoned,
kind of almost crunchy mac and cheese that you just, you know, really shouldn't be eating after you've already had four pieces of catfish and a bunch of yams and have designs on that red velvet cake behind the counter. -roach: oh! -brewer: i saw that, also. sbrocco: red velvet cake is my favorite. brewer: i'm definitely gonna have to take another stop back because the catfish --
and catfish, when you're frying it, it's supposed to be in that cornmeal, so that's a good tip. and then when i went to pay at the counter, i saw they had this massive red velvet cake sitting behind the counter that i didn't see at first. and i had too much. i couldn't eat it. but i had my eye on it, so i'll definitely go back. so plenty of reasons for me to go back.
i'm not in that neighborhood too often 'cause i'm in the east bay, but if i'm ever even close, make another stop there, for sure. sbrocco: and stacy, what did you think of the neighborhood? roach: it was fine. i mean, we went -- the only thing is when we walked in, i don't know if it's more of a lunch place than a dinner place, but we walked in at 5:30 on a saturday,
and there was nobody there. roach: and i had two teenage boys with me. but we ended up having a great time and had a wonderful meal. we did try the red velvet cake, because my wife is a huge fan of red velvet cake, and it was a little disappointing, actually. it was beautiful and it was huge, but it was just a little bit dry, so i don't know if it was intended
to be consumed earlier in the day, but that was probably our only disappointment, was the dryness of the red velvet cake. sbrocco: and what about value? i mean, this is a place that -- boy. roach: i fed two teenage boys and two grown girls -for 38 bucks total. -brewer: yeah. roach: hard to go wrong with that. brewer: great value. great value.
but do remember to take your cash with you because a cash-only spot. sbrocco: all right, tom, auntie april's is your place, so wrap it up for us. temprano: sounds good. well, auntie april's, again, as we've all said, is a place to get really good, clean, tasty, affordable soul food in san francisco. it's in a neighborhood that not a lot of people venture out to,
but if you take the time to go there, you certainly won't be disappointed. sbrocco: all right, and terrence, your thoughts? brewer: good food, good value, lots of things on the menu soul food-wise for me to try again, so i would definitely recommend it to people and i would definitely go back. sbrocco: and stacy, what about you?
roach: fantastic chicken and waffles. if you've never tried it, you should go. the lake of butter on the waffles with the syrup mixed in is just a thing of beauty. sbrocco: if you would like to try auntie april's chicken, waffles, and soul food, it's on 3rd street at mckinnon in san francisco. the telephone number is 415-643-4983. it's open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.
and the average tab per person without drinks is around $15. and now they accept credit cards. well, now that y'all are craving southern flavors, it's fun to look back and make plans to try these places one more time... tom temprano and the fixin's served up at auntie april's chicken, waffles, and soul food, otto thav and the down-home cooking and hospitality at the front porch,
and finally, kevin corbit with his tennessee tastes did you enjoy this show? let us know by visiting our website at kqed.org/checkplease. it's where you'll find a lot more information and details on all the restaurants featured in every show. you can even watch every episode again and again and again, and don't forget you can stay in touch with us via facebook and twitter.
so, join us next time when three new guests will recommend their favorite spots right here on "check, please! bay area." i'm leslie sbrocco, and i'll see you then. cheers. announcer: this show is available on demand and online. to watch an episode, find restaurant information, or to apply to be on the show, go to our website at... you'll also find us on facebook and twitter.