`Cueing Up - Fahrenheit 250 BBQ

’Cueing Up
Get in line for these local barbecue standouts
BY GREG SABIN
RESTAURANT INSIDER
C
alifornia is known
internationally as one of the
great dining destinations
in the United States. From the
originators of farm-to-fork dining
like Berkeley’s Alice Waters to
wine-country innovators like
Thomas Keller, from the sweeping
variety of international foods to the
homegrown concept of “California
cuisine,” from Petaluma chickens
to Monterey sand dabs, there is no
lack of world-class food culture in
the Golden State.
Yet one of the most American of
culinary traditions has never really
taken root here. While it may be
popular, iconic even, in places like
Texas, Memphis, Kansas City and the
Carolinas, barbecue has never been
something that Californians were
particularly good at.
Sure, there’s that whole Santa
Maria barbecue thing popular on
the Central Coast, but any barbecue
purist will tell you that Santa Maria
style involves grilling, which is just
outdoor cooking. Barbecue, traditional
American barbecue, is something
completely different. It involves
smoke, and lots of it. Ask a Texan and
she’ll tell you that unless your meat is
smoked, it ain’t barbecue.
So it’s a brave restaurateur who
opens a barbecue restaurant in
California. That bravery should be
lauded. Here are a few establishments
worth checking out.
Tank House BBQ
and Bar
Located in the belly
of Midtown, Tank
House BBQ and Bar
has upped the scene
quite a bit when it
comes to barbecue on
the grid. In the year
it’s been open, the
frequently belching
outdoor smoker
and packed patio of
revelers have drawn
plenty of eyes to
Tank’s conspicuous
location at 20th and J.
Put in your order
at the bar, pub style,
then grab a seat at the
bar, at a cozy table
in the eclectically
decorated dining
room or out at one
of the communal
tables on the patio.
Menu choices include
smoked brisket, ribs
and turkey with sides
of greens, mac and
cheese, tater tots and
slaw.
The bar is well
stocked with local
brews and premium
booze, and the service
is saucy. Unlike most
barbecue joints, this
one serves weekend
brunch, doling out
pancakes, mimosas
and a drool-worthy brisket hash.
A few specialties on the menu
include “dirty” mac and cheese,
featuring the already-good mac with
tater tots topped
with pulled pork
then topped with
cheese sauce.
If you’re looking
for a party with
good food and good
drinks, this is the
place. However, if
you’re not looking
to tie one on and
raise four sheets
to the wind, best
clear out by 10
p.m. on weekends
as Tank House
tends to cater to a
particularly soused
crowd.
Tank House
BBQ and Bar
is at 1925 J
St; 431-7199;
tankhousebbq.com
Fahrenheit
250
a generous mix-in of smoked chicken;
the smoked turkey sandwich; and the
absolutely guilt-inducing “dirty” tots:
Every now and
then, you walk into
a new restaurant
and think that
everything is a
little too perfect
to be authentic,
that the place is
too spotless, that
the decorations
too safe, that the
menus too well
printed for there
to be any room
left for the food.
Fahrenheit 250 BBQ is one of those
rare cases where all the little things,
has a pretty decent selection for
vegetarian and vegan diners. With
options like a smoked vegan meatloaf
sandwich, there’s something on the
menu for everyone.
Fahrenheit 250 is at 7042 Folsom
Blvd.; 476-4508, fahrenheitbbq.com
Mo Mo’s Meat Market
Baby back ribs from Tank House BBQ and Bar in Midtown
from decor to floor polish, seem to be
taken care of with chainlike precision
without putting a dent in the menu.
Each dish on the menu is crafted
well, with some true standouts. The
ribs are some of the best I’ve tasted
in California. The corn and crawfish
fritters are tiny dollops of ecstasy,
easily overlooked on the apps menu,
but once eaten not easily forgotten.
Some of the sides are otherworldly,
including an absolutely ridiculous
serving of green beans, buttery and
crunchy. They’re enough to make
As Seen In...
any fussy child eat his vegetables.
The grits are a thing of beauty, rough
milled and dense, chock-full of more
butter and cheese than is probably
legal.
And unlike almost any other
barbecue joint I’ve been to, this one
It should say a lot that when we
wanted to get food for my wife’s
birthday party, we went straight to
Mo Mo’s. The Tahoe Park favorite
has been serving up some darn good
meat for almost four years out of a
little strip mall on Broadway and 57th
Street.
When you see the smoker outside,
you’ll know you’ve come to the right
place. If you’re lucky, there’ll be no
line, but be prepared to wait a few
minutes to get your order filled.
The highlights of the menu are,
without a doubt, the hot links and the
ribs. They are standout meats and
deserve their own spotlight. Heck,
they might deserve their own sitcom.
Finally, don’t leave without a bundt
cake from Spirit of Jazz Cakes. These
little rounds of joy are the perfect
tasty treats to finish off any meaty
meal.
Mo Mo’s Meat Market is at 5776
Broadway; 452-0202
Greg Sabin can be reached at
[email protected] n