By Deirdre BourdetThe restaurant MECCA in San Francisco was one of my favorite spots in the city when Stephen Barber manned the stoves. I was devastated when he and the management team left to open BarBersQ in Napa's uber-suburban Bel Aire Plaza, so I moved to Napa as well. (Kidding... though I did move to Napa.) The new digs are not quite as sexy or dramatic, but they do have plenty of urban flash. And the restaurant's lusty flavors and mood music make up for whatever style points are lost for the slightly less soigné clientele.
The restaurant obviously bills itself as a barbecue specialist, and the menu reflects this. Pulled pork and brisket sandwiches, spicy chicken wings, ribs, barbecue chicken, collard greens...the classics are all there. But so is homey southern fried chicken, as well as more California items like whole roasted vinegar chicken with Round Pond olive oil, roasted brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts, and a baby spinach and pear salad with Laura Chenel goat cheese and candied pecans. In addition to the main menu, each night features a different regional American blue plate special at $15 or less--think beef stew, chicken pot pie, meatloaf, etc.
Though pricier than most places dishing up this kind of fare outside of SF, BarBersQ also uses much higher quality ingredients: Fulton Valley chickens, Painted Hills and Long Meadow Ranch beef, Rancho Gordo beans, Point Reyes blue cheese, and potato buns from local ABC Bakery. I think it's worth the price. Unlike so many others, the kitchen doesn't hide behind the brand-name meats and produce, counting on their sterling reputation to carry the meal. This place actually seasons its plates with gusto. The plain jane BBQ half chicken has tons of rich flavor in the spice rub, great smokey nuances, and plenty of juicy meat--well worth the $16 in my opinion.
And honestly, the people-watching here is priceless... just as it was at MECCA. But I'll leave that for you to discover yourself.
BarBersQ
3900 Bel Aire Plaza, Suite D, Napa
707.224.6600
www.barbersq.com
Though pricier than most places dishing up this kind of fare outside of SF, BarBersQ also uses much higher quality ingredients: Fulton Valley chickens, Painted Hills and Long Meadow Ranch beef, Rancho Gordo beans, Point Reyes blue cheese, and potato buns from local ABC Bakery. I think it's worth the price. Unlike so many others, the kitchen doesn't hide behind the brand-name meats and produce, counting on their sterling reputation to carry the meal. This place actually seasons its plates with gusto. The plain jane BBQ half chicken has tons of rich flavor in the spice rub, great smokey nuances, and plenty of juicy meat--well worth the $16 in my opinion.
And honestly, the people-watching here is priceless... just as it was at MECCA. But I'll leave that for you to discover yourself.
BarBersQ
3900 Bel Aire Plaza, Suite D, Napa
707.224.6600
www.barbersq.com
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