One of the few dinner reservations I made before leaving the 50th was at Plin, the new brick and mortar of Chef Alexander Alioto. Pertly because I loved his Ravioli al Uovo from his days at Seven Hills, partly because the Alioto clan are like extended family to Chuck Furuya. But after spending a good half day at the Ferry Building Marketplace then exploring the changes on Fillmore Street, we returned to our room and started feeling... lazy. And since we had been dining primarily on Italian cuisine, the Mrs and I decided to cancel our reservations at Plin. But where do we eat now? We could have sampled one of the multitude of ramen shops in J-Town. So I did a web search on my Kindle and low and behold, Memphis Minnie's actually delivers to J-Town. For just a $5 charge if you order a $25 minimum. I always wanted to sample the food at Memphis Minnie's ever since Chef Bob Kantor attended one of the first Joy of Sake events in Honolulu and served his smoked brisket on plain toast. That brisket alone inspired me to try to recreate the perfect slow smoked brisket. But we always balked at visiting Memphis Minnie's since it was in the Haight and for a while, the Haight had these aggressive panhandlers and unsavory "elements"... But they deliver! We're there... I mean they're here.
So I do the online ordering through Grub Hub and pay through Paypal so no direct credit card info needed at all. We order the "Minnie's Taster" ($22.95) with St Louis Style Smoked Pork Ribs, Memphis Sweet-Smoked Pork and the Texas Beef Brisket.
It comes with both a tangy, vinegar based sauce and a mustard based sauce. Two sides come with the plate so we select the Potlikker Greens. and the Tart 'n Tangy Slaw and I also order a side of the Pit Smoked Beans ($3.75) and an extra Corn Bread Muffin ($1.35)
Plus a large order of the BBQ Seasoned Fries ($4.75)
And since the T's can't live with BBQ alone, I uncork a bottle of 2013 Leah Jorgensen "Loiregon" Cabernet Franc. Fruit forward almost like a Beaujolais but very good with the BBQ.
And for dessert, a fig bar from the Downtown Bakery and Creamery based in Healdsburg but now also at the Ferry Building Marketplace.
So while it wasn't a sit down dinner at Plin (I actually improvised a "picnic table" with the in room ironing board with a paper bag "table cloth"), I think it was the next best thing! The brisket was as juicy and tender as brisket gets and the pork was moist with just the right amount of smoke and both dippin' sauces were great - even with the fries. The ribs weren't as juicy as I expected but still very good and both sides had enough vinegar to cut through the rich flavors of all 3 meats.
Memphis Minnie's
576 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 864-7675
Tue to Sat 11am to 10pm
Sun 11am to 9pm
Closed Monday
Delivery links on their website
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