"Send me, gods, a whole hog barbecued,"

- Pope.

If you were asked "Define a person from San Francisco with a word that starts with 'Q,'" the first word most folks here would think of would likely not be "Que" as in Bar-b-que. And if you land on Haight Street -- no matter what end of the street -- you probably wouldn't expect to find authentic slow smoked Southern Style cooking in these parts of the city, made by a Jewish guy, no less, originally from New York. You also wouldn't expect to be invited here by one of your vegetarian friends. And when you got there, you certainly wouldn't expect to be offered an imported premium sake along with a entire roll of paper towel to go with your Smokehouse Texas Beef Brisket served on a fresh San Francisco Sourdough roll. That's just partly why BBQ Bob Kantor's Memphis Minnie's is such an unexpected "place of taste" selected by Rugged Elegance.

That's also why this city of wonderful contradictions has so much flavor.

Thanks to my first introduction to "swine dining" created by a "Que Jew" I've got my 2004 Fourth of July picnic fare figured out. Next time you want to have a pig pickin' without the mess, think catering with Kantor.

Just make sure you order enough Potlikker Greens (that's without the Pork fat) for your vegetarian friends and you. This "sidekick" alone is worth the indulgence.

Creator, Bob Kantor has been perfecting his slow-smoked dished for over twenty years. His son said, "This is a guy who takes three years to buy a car." Bob said, "I've been to probably 150 bbq joints in Texas. Just a fraction of the number that exist there. But with every one I learn more and bring this back to Minnie's. My inspiration came years ago from a trip I took through barbecue country. The trip was a book called Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country by Mr. Lolis Eric Elie."

In June 2002, the same author wrote a glowing review in Gourmet Magazine which put Memphis Minnie's in the national spotlight. Elie wrote "Memphis Minnie's may well be the finest barbecue restaurant in the state. His brisket, without a doubt the best I tasted in California, was fork-tender, crusted on the outside with spices and slightly charred meat. Most importantly, the flavor was complex all the way through."

Minnie's was also partly inspired by Kantor's mother who loved pork, hence the name.

These days, Kantor's inspiration comes from a desire to hold onto the rich, delicious tradition of regional barbecue tecniques."

Rugged Elegance is a huge fan of the Slow Food movement started in Italy. A graduate of the prestigious California Culinary Academy, Bob Kantor epitomizes the American version of the Slow Food movement.

For a taste call 415.864.7675 or go to:

SF.RuggedElegance.com/MemphisMinnies

Neighbors Michael Alderete & Rochelle McCune who hired Bob to cater their wedding said, "If you eat meat this place is practically heaven. And if you don't eat meat, there's some very good side dishes too."

Fud Court's Judge Aus raved, "MM's is everything that pork BBQ should be: rich, smoky, flavorful, falling off the bone, fork-tender. I got two-thirds of the way thru mine before I even thought about using some sauce. Speaking of sauce, the red, smoky, spicy blend is a delight. MM is hands down the best BBQ in the Bay area."

Inspire & Be Inspired.

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful and slow-cooked living!

~Jennifer King