Where in the World is Kaye?

It's been more than a month since I joined DC Gluttony and I have yet to contribute something. I'll introduce myself later on, I'd rather just jump into it and tell you guys where and what I've eaten here in the Bay Area (Northern California) so the next time you come over and visit, you'll know where to take me *grin*. I've been to quite a few places (though not nearly enough) so I'll try to shorten this entry even though I'm very much in the mood to talk about food all day... Maybe I just need to eat lunch... Hmmm..

Q Restaurant

My friend and I visited this place just recently. They were featured in the Food Network show, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Speaking of Food Network, I am currently tuned in and am grimacing at the sight of Chef Tyler smell some dried chiles, practically inhaling and stuffing one up his nose, and then drop them in the pan... Ugh. Anyways, back to Q. We arrived there in time for lunch and the place was packed. Once we finally got a table, we were given the lunch/brunch menu. My heart fell because the dishes I wanted to try out were not in there. Dejectedly, I searched the menu for something else.

For appetizers we got the Garlic Kennebec Fries. They're thick cut fries (not wedges), deep fried, and seasoned. By themselves they were good, but sprinkle some of this awesome seasoning they have in that unassuming small shaker jar and dip it in ketchup, and they could possibly be the best fries I have ever tasted! And if you're even thinking of comparing these fries and the ones they have at Red Robin, because they have the fries and offer seasoning salt as well, they're not even close. Red Robin fries are thicker, starchier, not as crisp, bland without the seasoning, and always too damn hot to eat right away lol. Back to the Q seasoning: the color's a dark, dark, red so my natural instinct was to think it's spicy hot, which I actually wouldn't mind, but it's not. I tasted it by itself and I picked up the flavor of dried thyme, a little bit of powdered garlic, and since it's that color and no heat, I'm thinking maybe some kind of paprika and maybe a touch of cumin, barely any salt, if there is any. Anyways, whatever is in that seasoning mixture made the fries magical. The fries perked me up and actually made me look forward to the rest of the meal.

For my entree, I chose the Southern Fried Fulton Valley Natural Chicken on Mashed Potatoes with Country Gravy and Braised Vegetables. The fried chicken was piping hot and deliciously golden brown. If I remember correctly, there were maybe 3 or pieces of chicken, a leg, a thigh, and a breast. They're not KFC sized, they were actually quite small, which is fine with me. Nicely seasoned and very crunchy. Once again, add that magic seasoning and it's better. Yes, I did eat my chicken with some ketchup haha. The country gravy was fine but I still prefer the stronger kick of the ketchup. It's just how I grew up. The dark meat was juicy and delicious. The white meat was okay. Maybe I should've started with the breast first (this is the first and only time I'll ever say that statement). There was nothing exciting about the mashed potatoes and vegetables, which is a mix of zucchini, yellow squash, and some spinach.

My friend's dish, the , and my friend went with the Grilled Harris Ranch Angus Meatloaf on Mashed Potatoes with Country Gravy and Braised Vegetables, is basically composed of the same thing just with the meat loaf instead of the fried chicken. I tasted it, and it was alright... Nothing really jumped out flavor-wise. It was on the sweeter side and kind of dry. Bring on that no salt seasoning salt and ketchup!

Overall the food was okay. It started out great with the fries, then good with the chicken, but plateaued to alright with the side dishes and the meatloaf. I checked the website today and gave myself a mental kick for not checking when they actually served the Duck Confit and Carne Adovada, which were the reasons I wanted to try out Q in the first place. They only serve them for dinner. And for that, I'm definitely driving back to the city and give Q another try... Hey, the fries are good enough to earn a second visit anyways.

Damn, I'm hungry....

Q Restaurant
225 Clement Street
San Francisco, CA   94118
415.752.2298