Pulled pork from Hog Island BBQ

Hog Island BBQ is just a few blocks from my office, and I confess that I've passed it several times without stepping inside to see what it's all about. I had actually wandered over with a hankering for soon dubu chige (spicy tofu soup), but once I smelled the smoke and hickory wafting out of the shop's narrow entryway, it called for a change of plans. (I was also accompanied by my coworker from Alabama, which convinced me that this was a meeting of fates! BBQ Shop, meet my Southern Friend!)

Turns out, the shop is run by a sweet couple of self-identified "food snobs from San Francisco." They brought in and trained a chef from the South, armed with a bona fide South'un smoker and all. My coworker and I were pretty excited. 

We both ordered plates of the pulled pork. Each came with two sides, so we decided to get four different ones and share: baked beans, mac and cheese, potatoes, and cole slaw. 

In the end, we were full and happy. The pulled pork was tender and smoky. It fell apart easily with a mere nudge of my plastic fork. The plate also came with a plastic cup of BBQ sauce, which was sweet and rich. 

We felt the sides were a mixed bag. I was happy with the baked beans because they were tangy and flavorful, but my coworker — who knows much better — said that she's had much better. They carried a pepper bite. The mac and cheese had some impressive number of cheeses inside, but I felt disappointed that they didn't carry more punch. Potatoes were soft and could have benefited from a thicker sauce. Lastly, I enjoyed the coleslaw. (I always find coleslaw so hard to judge — there are just so many types of the salad, doesn't it seem? I'm not sure how it's supposed to taste. The most prominent slaw in my memory is from my elementary school cafeteria, which was either ice berg lettuce and mayonnaise or shredded carrots, raisins, and mayonnaise.) It had green and red cabbage and also a few raisins. 

Overall, a fun lunch expedition!

READING: Forbes on Oysters

"Swift is right to commend that first hearty gastronome who, throwing caution to the wind, slurped down the first oyster, savoring that exhilarating salt taste of the sea as it burst upon the tongue. Perhaps he had seen gulls drop the shells from a great height to the rocks below and perceived that there was something tasty inside. (What inspired the gull to figure this out remains a mystery but apparently chickens are particularly fond of the shell itself.) Since that day, oysters have occupied a unique position in our culinary history. Few comestibles have been as celebrated and scorned, relished and rejected as this humble bivalve."

Read the full story at forbes.com.

Sandy's Café and Deli: PHO!

This little Vietnamese café has become one of my favorite haunts for my
workday lunch. When I'm having a sour day, what's better than a nice big
bowl of fragrant pho? The soup here is great! The only cons of the pho here
is that the plate of vegetables is small (I like tons of bean sprouts in my
pho!), and I think the noodles sit in the bowl for a long time because
they're often really stuck together.
 
I noticed they have sandwiches for about four dollars. I have to try that
some time. It's just that every time I go there, I'm drawn to pho!
 
Sandy's Café and Deli
1382 9th Ave
(between Irving St & Judah St)
San Francisco, CA 94122
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sandys-cafe-and-deli-san-francisco