Brenda's Meat and Three: A Taste of Louisiana in San Francisco

I recently moved to San Francisco. There are many reasons I made the move, but perhaps tops on the list was for all the great food.

With so many places to eat at, why did I choose Brenda's? Well, I walked by it one day, and the people inside looked happy and well fed, and I got inspired.  This place seemed oozing with personality. Also, I saw Johnnycakes on the menu, which I had never tried before and sounded really tasty.

Brenda's is a southern restaurant — specifically, Louisiana cuisine. See the company's webpage for more info, and here's a video about the founder, a New Orleans native.

I arrived at about 12 PM on a Saturday for lunch. It's a small-ish but very welcoming interior, with open seating at the bar for about eight people. There was a free seat next to the cash register and it had good lighting for photos, so I plopped myself down.

Brenda's Meat and Three. San Francisco, CA. Photo taken from the back of the restaurant, not where I sat.

First impression: What a lovely place to sit and sip some coffee! Lively chatter all around me, some vaguely southern music playing not-too-loudly in the background, and from my seat I had a clear view into the bustling kitchen. Since I was next to the cash register, I could hear people talk excitedly with each other about the restaurant as they walked up, many hopeful to get a table without a reservation. (Most did, but on the smaller back patio.)

I looked over the menu, and started with a cup of black coffee. I don't have a pic of the mug, but it was a great mug — sturdy porcelain with a nicely rounded lip. It may sound a bit silly, but I really appreciate a good coffee mug!

For a starter, I ordered the Johnnycakes as planned. For the main course, I was considering the biscuits and gravy, but ultimately decided on the pulled-pork hash because I heard a customer at the register say "the hash smells great!" and I wholeheartedly agreed.

The food came really quickly even though the menu advised to allow 15 minutes for the Johnnycakes. First impression: Wow! The Johnnycakes are THICK.

Johnnycakes. Look at that crispy top and bottom!

I was imagining latke thickness, but these were hockey puck thickness. They looked moist, with a crispy pan-fried cornmeal crust, and stuffed with all sorts of oniony, shrimpy, meaty, cheesy goodness.

The Johnnycakes were served with an orange-ish, pimento-cheese-looking butter. The staff informed me it was "three pepper butter" and said the names of the three peppers, but I only remember one: habanero. The Johnnycakes alone were quite tasty and satisfying, but the addition of the butter gave it an extra layer of spice and luxury that made it one of the best things I've eaten recently. Yum.

Three pepper butter.

The best combo of the day.

Look at that cheesy, buttery goodness!

You can almost taste how good it is just from looking at this.

And then the main: Pulled pork hash, two scrambled eggs, and a cream biscuit.

A formidable plate.

The biscuit was much more light and airy than I was expecting! I've had some great biscuits, but this one was great while being delicate. I didn't grow up in the south, but in my limited experience, southern-style biscuits typically have some heft. So, it was really interesting to taste one that has a lighter texture. I loved it paired with the hash and eggs and with the three pepper butter.

The eggs — which I ordered scrambled — were well-executed, diner-esque fare, and tasted great when paired with the Louisiana hot sauce on the table.

The pork hash had a deep, rich, smokey flavor that reminded me of andouille sausage. I didn't expect that, but given the cuisine it makes total sense, and it brought a bit of a spicy kick to the cast of characters on the plate.

Eggs, hash, and hot sauce.

Eating at Brenda's Meat and Three was a great experience. I hope I get a chance to try some of their other dishes, especially all the sides! I should really go back and order nothing but sides...

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think of the photos or of Brenda's.

ryan@ggfoto.com