Bside BBQ lunch

Celebrated my 6 year anniversary at the real job here. 

Sweet glorious animal flesh! You warm my heart and fill my belly with your juicy goodness. It's possible I love you more than a choice parking spot.

I'm a gal of many names, one being Bacon Princess and I'm married to a man some call Meat Daddy so I've got a bit of cred when it comes to the meat... I was pretty excited to try this West Oakland BBQ joint run by the same lady chef who brought us Brown Sugar Kitchen.

The vibe inside is good and the decor simple...lots of wood and barn type understated western theme but who really cares about that. It smells good inside and the lady took our order right away. We started with the baked chicken wings with Rogue Creamery blue cheese dip and the fried okra bites. Both were a hit but the corn meal batter on the okra was a real stand out. So crisp and sprinkled with a bit of salt...I took the crumbs and mixed it in with what was left of the blue cheese dip proclaiming I could have kept up at any Roman feast. Or maybe I said I'd make a great Roman Emperor and demanded candied hummingbird tongues. You get the idea.

Dark & Stormy pork ribs

I ordered the brisket with a side of baked beans and my friend had the dark & stormy St. Louis pork ribs with a side of spicy coleslaw. We decided we could share if we each got something different. The brown sugar rubbed brisket was done just right and the BBQ sauce was pretty good but I didn't want to lick the bowl. The ribs were just alright but honestly, I'm just not that wild about pork ribs. The coleslaw was delicious and not a big sloppy milky mess. The beans had good flavor but weren't thick enough for my taste...more ketchup and brown sugar demanded my dining companions. The mac and cheese was so good my other companion finished that instead of her last rib and the potato salad was pretty good but was still on the table with the beans at the end of the meal.

Brown Sugar rubbed Brisket

The pickled veggies deserve a shout out of their own. Not one bit of those were left behind and I pined for more...my mates and I are all pickle lovers and these had us clucking like hens over a fat worm. Sweet and spicy with some clove and obviously homemade and fresh. Yum!

All in all, it was a good meal with good companions and we all felt satisfied. The portions are just right and the prices are decent. Check it out for yourself and tell me what you think. http://bsidebbq.com/