Q is not Q
By trade, I’m a marketing guy. For years, I’ve had an ongoing debate with a friend of mine, another marketing guy with whom I’ve worked at two companies, regarding naming businesses. I maintain that the name should say something about the company. B-Mon thinks otherwise, claiming a name that reflects the business can hurt a company if, as often happens, it evolves in a different direction. After dining at Q and being misled by a name that didn’t change when the concept did, I’m awarding a point to B-Mon.
Mackie and I were pining for some barbeque. Based on the name (short, in many circles, for barbeque), the Zagat cuisine description (barbeque) and rating (food score of 20), as well as our assessment of parking in the area (more difficult than we calculated), we decided that Q fit the bill.
My first hint of trouble came when I glanced at the specials list before I walked in the door. A cheese plate led off the appetizer section. What kind of self-respecting barbeque joint serves a cheese plate??? Nevertheless, I soldiered onward.
My second hint came when I looked at the full menu. The only barbeque item on the regular menu was a chicken breast. A second item, spare ribs, appeared on the specials list. That was it.
About this time, if I’d had any sense, I’d have resigned myself to not eating barbeque. I’d walked into a joint that serves gussied up comfort food. I should have ordered accordingly. I didn’t. I’m a stubborn old grump. The results were predictable.
I started with a cup of red bean and ham soup ($4.50). It wasn’t so much a soup as a serving a baked beans in a cup. Really good baked beans, I might add. Nice big red beans that were cooked to the right texture, generous chunks of smoky ham, a touch a sweetness in the sauce, er, stock.
Mackie ordered baked goat cheese on mixed greens with roasted peppers and garlic plus grilled focaccia ($9.25). She deemed it just okay, in spite of the proliferation of roasted garlic, which she loves. I sampled a little and concurred. The roasted red peppers had a nice smoky flavor but the goat cheese didn’t do much for me.
For a main, I chose the smoked pork spare ribs with baked beans and spicy slaw ($13.75). Garlic fries usually accompany this dish but I’m not a fan so the restaurant happily substituted tater tots.
The tater tots were the best thing on the plate, a crunchy guilty pleasure. The baked beans weren’t bad but were essentially my second course of the legumes, my earlier red bean and ham “soup” having been superior. I simply didn’t care for the cole slaw, which looked like shredded pickled beets and tasted nothing like I expect slaw to taste.
I didn’t think much of the spare ribs either. They weren’t anywhere close to the fall of the bone tender that I expect from good ribs. Aside from being chewy and lacking sufficient moistness, I didn’t like the flavor.
I originally asked for all sauce to be on the side. Our waiter counseled me that this was a bad idea because the ribs would be too dry if they weren’t finished in sauce. Given this, I went with the mild sauce on the ribs and the hot on the side, as the server recommended.
Mistake. The mild sauce had an unpleasant flavor and the hot sauce wasn’t. And, the ribs were still dry so it was a loss all the way around.
Afterward, when I looked at the Chron's most recent review, I saw that Miriam Morgan said, “The meat…was nearly lost under too much barbecue sauce. Next time, I'd request the sauce on the side.” That's a second vote saying that sauce on the meat doesn’t work. But, if the staff says sauce on the side doesn’t work, then I’m left to conclude that the dish doesn’t work.
Mackie went for Q’s pick a main/pick a sauce/pick a side menu, opting for a boneless chicken breast ($14.75) with spicy barbeque sauce and rice pilaf. She opined that her dish was better than mine but that’s damning with faint praise. While I’m not a big barbequed chicken fan, I agreed with her assessment. However, the sauce didn’t work on her chicken any better than it did on my ribs.
Both Mackie and I felt that the presentations were very sloppy. This was a real problem on my plate because liquid from both the baked beans and cole slaw oozed into my tater tots, ruining the taste and texture of those that I didn’t eat as soon as my food arrived.
To make matters worse, while we were suffering though our meals, Mackie and I contracted serious cases of food envy when we watched our neighbors being served. The fried chicken looked absolutely delish as did the mac and cheese with tater tots.
Service was informal but excellent – prompt, friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable (I’m willing to believe that the ribs without sauce would have been even drier than what I received – can’t blame the front of the house for what the kitchen does).
The décor can best be described as Southern kitsch – a jumble of folk art and junk that’s more appealing than it sounds. While I saw no evidence of a kids’ menu, what small fry doesn’t like mac and cheese? That, coupled with the informal setting, including magnetic letters on the wall behind the tables, makes Q a good place for the young ones. Parking proved to be challenging – I had to circle a few times before I found a spot.
When I looked at Q’s web site, the presence of wild Pacific king salmon on the menu struck me as odd. How’s that possible when the wild king salmon season is closed? I don’t remember the particulars from the printed menu at the restaurant. At a minimum, it appears that the web site needs to be updated.
An old Chronicle review shed some light on the naming and the confusion it bred. In it, Robin Davis said, “[I]t was originally christened Q because it specialized in barbecue when it opened in August of 1998. But now with a new owner – Andrew Gillen, who was the consulting chef on the original concept – it's a funky space serving an eclectic mix of homestyle, upscale and vegetarian food.” I wish I’d read this before we went to the joint.
If you’re looking for barbeque, don’t be fooled by the name or Zagat description – Q doesn’t have what you’re seeking. Skip it.
But if you’re looking for comfort food, I suspect that it may be another story. I’m going to give Q another shot, ordering for comfort. When I make it back, I’ll write another report. If you get there before I do, tell us about it in the comments section.
Q
225 Clement Street
at 3rd Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-752-2298
Map
Web site
Food inspection score: 96
Symbol of Excellence: Yes
-Friendly: Kid
Posted by Grumpy at 5/25/2008 5:54 PM 
Categories: Romantic Date-Friendly, Inner Richmond, New American
Categories: Romantic Date-Friendly, Inner Richmond, New American
Good heads up on that, Grumpy. I've been there a couple times for brunch, on the recommendation of others, so never made that association with BBQ. Sounds like I saved myself from "misaligned expectations."
I wouldn't hit Roadhouse BBQ either...fresh food, great service but...not the spicy soul type of BBQ that we look for. Let me know when you find a place in the 'hood that does it for you. (And please do not suggest Big Nate's. I'm talking legit 3-alarm spicy ribs where no self-hating yuppie would dare to step foot.)
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I have yet to find BBQ that excites me anywhere in the City. It's totally lame when Boston, of all places, has more, better BBQ joints that San Francisco. I keep hearing how great Brother-In-Law's used to be. Why can't we have a place that's awesome now, not a decade ago?
Anyone have suggestions on where to go for some smokin' ribs, pulled pork and brisket???
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Check out Olivia's (but it's not sit-down, nor would I recommend going there in the evening) - http://www.grubgirl.com/cuisine/usa/olivias-soul-food-san-francisco-sole-lip-smackin-good/
I've heard more positive reviews than the one I gave, for Hard Knox Cafe.
There's got to be something in Dogpatch, Bayview/Hunter's Point, or Visitacion Valley.
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I love Hard Knox. IMO, they have the best ribs in the City. But that's damning with faint praise. My favorite thing at Hard Knox is the fried chicken -- the best I've ever had. See http://grumpyglutton.com/2008/02/21/hard-knox-caf%C3%A9.aspx for my review.
I remember seeing your review of Olivia's. You inspired me to put it on my must-try (during the daylight hours) list. I'll let you know when I get there.
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