SacFoodies

Saucy in San Francisco

by SacFoodies

By Cheyenne Cameron-Pruitt
It’s the last week of National Sauce Month (*cue sad music*), but as they say, don’t cry because it’s over – smile because it happened! We’ve been getting saucy every single week, and this week is no exception.
We took our adventure on the road this weekend to San Francisco.  Nestled in a small space on Polk and Eddy Streets is Brenda’s French Soul Food. If not for the huge crowd gathered outside, it would be pretty easy to miss. Brenda’s boasts a large menu that blends French, Creole and soul food influences into creative takes on everyone’s favorites. You can taste the soul in the food and feel it in the atmosphere, making it well worth the 45 minute wait!

Even though everything looked fantastic, it was really easy to figure out what I wanted. Since it was breakfast time, and I was there for research purposes, I ordered the Eggs Benedict.

Eggs Benedict sounds like a classic breakfast. Poached eggs, English muffins and hollandaise sauce. Pretty straightforward, right? In any other case the Eggs Benedict wouldn’t be all that special, but at Brenda’s, I swear I heard a choir of angels sing when I saw my plate. When I took a bite, somewhere far away a butterfly shed a tear of happiness.
In all seriousness, this was best Eggs Benedict I have ever had. I think this dish represented the French, Creole and soul food influences so perfectly. Instead of the classic English muffin, the base of this dish was a fluffy and huge cream biscuit. Now for the exciting part: Brenda’s offers up the classic ham option, but also offers fried chicken and catfish as toppings. I opted for the fried chicken, but it wasn’t an easy decision.
Let’s talk about the hollandaise sauce – which is what I was really interested in – and how it upped my eggcellent experience by 1,000 percent. The usual slight citrus flavor of the hollandaise was replaced with a kick of Creole spices, but still managed not to overwhelm the flavors of the fried chicken and the biscuit. I have not stopped thinking about that sauce, I’m seriously worried I will never be able to enjoy Eggs Benedict the same way again!

I finished off my meal with an order of beignets. Brenda’s offers the classic flavor with simple powdered sugar, but also changes it up with chocolate filled, granny smith apple filled, and even a savory crawfish option. The crawfish option is filled with a mix of crawfish and cheese and is spiced like the hollandaise sauce. I was able to get a taste of all four options, and they were just as good as they sound, if not better. 10/10 I would them eat again.
Brenda’s is a great little spot for a weekend brunch or anytime. They’re very popular, so be prepared to wait awhile, but I promise it will be worth it!

Let's Get Saucy!

by SacFoodies

It’s National Sauce Month, everybody! If the SacFoodies love anything, it’s getting #lostinthesauce (in the most culinary sense of the phrase). We’ll be featuring a different kind of sauce each week of the month, ranging from barbecue to chocolate. Bring on the ranch, marinara, caramel, and curry – we’re hunting down our favorite sauces, and all the delicious food that goes under them!
For our first saucy spot, we stopped by – you guessed it – Sauced BBQ & Spirits on 7th and K. Sauced takes pride in the quality of their meat, the integrity of their smoking process, and their generous (i.e., gargantuan) portions. We had a great time at our lunch, which included great service, a lively atmosphere, and an overall satisfying work-day meal. Below, we each talk about our favorite part of the meal, and of course, our favorite sauce!

Laurel: For my lunch at Sauced, I ordered the appetizer Smoked Wings plate. As someone who doesn’t like my meals pre-drenched in sauce, I was happy that the wings came spiced, smoked, and with sauce on the side. This meant that I could add as much sauce as I wanted, and experiment with different kinds! Sauced has four house BBQ sauces – Tin Roof, Hot Tin Roof, Pig Candy, and Georgia Gold. I felt like the Georgia Gold, which is mustard-based, went best with the smoky chicken, but I definitely liked all four. Disclaimer: I also love mustard and vinegar, so it wasn’t suprising for me to pick this as my favorite!

Cheyenne: When I see tater-tots of any form on a menu, I’m blinded by their golden light and know that I have to have them. Even with the incredible number of menu options at Sauced, tater-tots had my heart. I ordered the Tot-Tas for lunch. “What exactly are Tot-Tas?” you may be wondering. Well, according to the menu it is a plate of tater-tots covered with cheddar cheese, bacon jam (yes, bacon jam!), sour cream, green onions and jalapenos. If you ask me what a Tot-Ta is, I’ll tell you it’s how Sauced made me say goodbye to plain tots forever. I’m counting bacon jam as the sauce on my meal, because there was really no need for anything extra on that plate. Every single thing – from the crunchiness of the tots, to the sweet, salty, smoky flavor of the bacon jam – made me fall in love with each bite. I probably could have used a little more sour cream, but that is a personal preference. If you are going to stop by Sauced I cannot recommend the Tot-Tas more, whether you plan on keeping them to yourself or sharing. Though I didn’t need anything extra on my meal, you can’t go to Sauced and not try the BBQ Sauce! If I had to choose one I would go with the Tin Roof, it is a classic ketchup-based sauce and I’m a classic kind of girl, but they were all delicious in their own special ways.

We can’t wait to go back to Sauced and try more #saucyspots throughout the rest of March. Word to the wise: Sauced is the spot to go before Golden 1 events, but be ready for crowds! We liked going for lunch to reap the rewards of a Sauced lunch without dealing with the pre-game rush. Tot-Ta for now! (Get it?)