CatHead's BBQ

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San Francisco seems to do well in almost all types of cuisine, except bbq.  I'm still searching high and low for some satisfying, stick-to-your-bones bbq.  After having some disappointing bbq at Sneaky's (see post HERE), I've been a little reluctant to seek out more bbq spots in the city.

With the one main and two sides being $14 and the two mains with two sides at $18, its almost a no brainer to order the two main combo.  The ribs and pulled pork came with the sauce on the side so you have the option to make it as messy as you like. The ribs are tender, but not falling off the bone succulent.  The pulled pork seems to be a popular item here, but it was a little dry.  I prefer mine soaked in the sauce so the meat absorbs that smokey bbq flavor.   

The bbq chicken has the oddest texture and presentation here.  Its so smooth that it almost looks like a sliced mushroom or abalone.  Its juicy, but doesn't have much flavor.  I'm not sure if I like how the chicken is sliced here.  It just doesn't give it that hearty, messy bbq feeling.  The smoked brisket here is probably the best of the four mains I tasted.  The meat is ultra tender and pulls apart right away when you stick your fork into it.  There are some fatty bits in the meat, but, hey, that's bbq. 

The collard greens are made slightly bitter with a hint of vinegar.  I prefer mine a little more on the tangy side, but there were not bad.

Its not your average mac and cheese.  The mac and cheese was probably my favorite side of the meal.  It has a little sweetness and wasn't as rich as most mac and cheese, which made devouring it a lot easier.

After having a taste of the habanero sauce, I was a little afraid to try the habanero slaw.  The slaw isn't remotely as hot as the actual sauce and its toned down quite a bit with only a slight heat aftermath.  The red cabbage is nice and crunchy with a hint of vinegar.

The potato salad had an interesting twist.  Its made with dandelion green so it gives it the soft potato salad a little crunch and a slight bitterness.  Not bad.

A slight tangyness from the vinegar gave these pickled vegetables a nice kick.

Before putting this sauce into my bag, I was heeded with a warning about using this habanero sauce sparingly, just a couple drops would do the trick.  Having had habanero flavored stuff before and not really feeling like I was on fire, I unknowingly licked my finger when taking the top off this container.  This sauce has an insane kick!  The flavor is good, which I find is rare for extremely spicy things.  Usually the sauce is too hot to even have a decent flavor, but this sauce has a good balance of spiciness and flavor.  The couple drops is definitely enough.  I even saved the extra containers to use on other foods.

To the left is the CatHead's biscuit, which is named because the biscuit is the size of a cat's head.  Having had a cat growing up, I can vouch that it is the size of a cat's head.  A mini biscuit (left) comes with each meal.  Even though the biscuits are made of the same dough with the cathead's biscuit, you get to experience the full fluffy texture of the biscuit.  Even a day old the cathead's biscuit was soft and fluffy. 

Pepper jelly is one of the spreads for the biscuits.  I've had pepper jelly at Comstock (see post HERE), so I'm familar with the taste.  CatHead's pepper jelly was a little milder than Comstock's, but it still delivered a little peppery kick.  I preferred this spread on the biscuit over the honey butter.

My first taste of honey butter was at an unusual spot - Sweet Tomatoes, which is a better version of Fresh Choice.  The creamy whipped butter there had a sweet honey flavor and is delicious.  The honey butter here has a nice spreadable consistency, but doesn't have much sweetness to it.  

CatHead's not bad and its better than Sneaky's, but I think I'm still searching for something more chompworthy.

 

Address:                  Cat's Head BBQ
                                 1665 Folsom St.
                                 San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                        bbq

Popular chomps:      brisket
                                 pulled pork
                                 biscuit
                                 mac n' cheese
                                 sweet tea

Chomp worthy:       biscuit with pepper jam
                                brisket
                                mac n cheese
                                habanero sauce