Hi Lo BBQ

3 ½. I rounded to 3 because at the end of the day if the food isn’t extremely memorable and I don’t have cravings to go back it’s not really 4 stars.
Both times I’ve been here have been on a date. The guy liked barbecue and dating and this place does a great job of mixing both. How often can you take a girl to barbecue on a date and still manage to impress her? Hi Lo has a great ambiance that is perfect for date night. Service is good, both times I’ve been here we got a server that was friendly and full of suggestions.
If only the food were as great as everything else. I’ve tried the carrots, pickled vegetables, pulled pork, and beef brisket. Surprisingly my favorite dish was the carrots. At a barbecue place I’m pretty sure it’s not a good sign if your favorite dish is a vegetable. The pulled pork was vinegary and definitely needed something to accompany it. The beef brisket was kind of dry.
I’d go back again if someone invited me, but not food that I would go out of my way for.

The management is really trying to change Hi Lo — the left side used to be a beautiful, long wooden table with shared seating. Now it’s a bar! Items on the menu seem to be more expensive, with smaller servings, like trying to be more of a «fancy» BBQ spot.
A few of us were here for a late bite (~9pm) on a weeknight. It was pretty empty and a good place to chill. The bartender (Chris? David?) was super friendly and even gave me the wifi password. He had this great timing & seemed able to hear just the right parts of our conversation to that were appropriate for him to chime in or notice when we were eyeing more drinks on the menu.
Someone near us got the pulled pork and it smelled amazing — I’ve got to get this next time!
Must-​haves:
POTATO, GRAINS, BEANS
Menu:
*Mac n Cheese (w/​parsnip, $ 8) — 4 stars
This was solid. The mac was very soft and large, almost like penne, and the cheese was heavy but coated the pasta just enough without drenching it. I liked the crunchy bits in the sauce, and the parsnip added a nice slight bitterness that gave it a healthy, fresh flavor.
MEATS & FISH
Menu:
* Pork Ribs (wet, w/​Hi Lo chili rub, $ 15) — 4 stars
I tried a bite — the meat was very soft and came right off the bone.
COCKTAILS
Menu:
* Ica Mule — 3.5 stars
(placo acholado, lime, basil eau de vie, ginger, angostura, $ 10)
This had liquorice-​y flavors, was a little smoky, w/​sweet & sour notes. This wasn’t quite what expecting — I thought I would taste more ginger/​basil but didn’t get any of that.
* The Phoenix — 4.5 stars
(Mezcal, sake, smoked strawberry, citrus bitters. $ 10)
Loved this! Liked smoked strawberry on top of Mezcal. If you like smoky drinks, you’d love this. The strawberry flavor was authentic, not like those artificial overly-​sweetened drinks, and wasn’t too overpowering either.
Starters menu:

Holy fuuuuh.
I don’t know what I was expecting when I was meeting friends for dinner there last night. Hi Lo? Oh that BBQ joint? Sure. I expected down and dirty, tie on the bib and get cracking on those ribs. What I got was a completely unexpected foodie (ugh that word) experience.
Right across the street from Hog & Rocks, Hi Lo is surprisingly dark and sexy inside. The service was on point and I joked with our waiter that I marveled at how he opened a bottle of wine– cloth napkin draped over the arm and everything. Classy. All about the details. And warm service with a smile to boot. I came in after my friends had been there for awhile and was transitioned right in seamlessly.
Now the food. Let’s talk about it. The presentation of each dish was so beautiful. I don’t typically like to snap away but couldn’t resist taking photos of everything. They were that pretty. The sausage was crispy, had just the right amount of heat, and was so flavorful. The «dirty rice»…the texture, with just the right amount of crunch was ridiculously good. The mac and cheese… I have never tasted anything like it. Pasta that was perfectly al dente and not too sauced-​up or cheesy. One of my friends who has always detested mac and cheese said for the first time in his life, he liked it. The side dish of carrots looked like they were just picked out of a hipster farmer’s market and also so tasty. Both desserts (s’mores parfait cup and drenched tres leches cake) were deelish, and presentation as fab as the food.
Have I made my point yet? Oh yeah, forgot to mention how reasonably priced everything is. We walked out full and tipsy and it was less than $ 40 a person for a party of 3. So this is how it feels to be in love…

This is what Southpaw Sandy Koufax should’ve been.
This is what Riverside Emmereffer Tupac should’ve been.
This is what LionOHead’s should’ve been.
This is what Q Resto Wino nearly was.
This is what Pete&Pete’s might-​could become.
There was a point during the chicharrones (!) app when I pretty much knew I regarded this place as 3 stars.
Then they threw on the Motown.
Then the Tribe Called Quest.
Then omg Outkast x Goodie Mob.
Then De La Soul.
Then the volume went up.
Look, I’m all about putting effort into service, but if they want #tryhard points, just get one of the chefs to walk up and challenge me to Mario Kart already. I mean dizaym. #sodapopinskis
Oh but hold up — RIBS.
Cartilage? «Whitebone» ahoy.
Meat? Fell (or slid) clean off the bone.
Bones chewable? Nosh-​nosh.
Charred sections? Cap’n Crunch.
The sauce and herbal-​whatever rub were a little off-​putting. Everything else was #drool.

Went last night with my bf to Hi Lo BBQ.
It was voted one of the best new restaurants of 2013 so I suggested we go.
It is super beautiful inside! It looks like a luxury cabin house in Tahoe; wood everywhere, including interesting burnt wood on the walls and great lighting.
We ordered the Beef Brisket and ribs, along with 2 sides — Mac & Cheese and roasted squash. We were really surprised at the portion size to be so, well, small… especially because we asked if the sides were sharable. But as we ate we were surprised at the enormous amount of wonderful flavors of smokiness and awesomeness the meat had, that it actually became filling :)
The food can be described as food network top chef presentation for sure and the taste, as good as it looks ;) I liked it, a lot.
I wanna go back for a cocktail and dessert! Yum

Check out my recently added picture of what about $ 83 in takeout gets you.
Looking at the picture, top to bottom and left to right:
1) Fish, which I didn’t even order. However, I did order something called «Black Cut» because I didn’t know what it was and wanted to be experimental. I guess they ran out of the Black Cut and decided to add the fish instead. Only, they didn’t tell me. Note to the naysayers that Black Cut is not the fish. I saw the fish on the menu labeled as such.
2) Pulled pork, which was super dry. Seriously, if it had any sort of moistness or juice in it, I would be ok with it. But it was chewy and I needed to drink some water to get it down.
3) Beans, which was very oily. Must’ve been about a quarter inch of oil on top of that, which would’ve been fine if it tasted good. But no way.
4) Beef brisket, which was dry and just tough.
5) Ribs, which was also dry and just very tough to eat off the bone. I know some places have fall off the bone ribs and others have ribs that are tender but stay on the bone. This is neither. It was again dry and tough.
6) Mac and cheese. I like most Mac and cheese, because I like pasta and cheese in general. But this tasted straight atrocious. First, it was super watery, as you can probably tell from the white on the bottom of the container. Also, they added parsnip in there, which wasn’t even cooked all the way. If you’ve never had parsnip before, it’s a root vegetable like a potato. So imagine eating watery Mac and cheese with a semi hard parsnip pieces. Disgusting.
Like I said earlier, this whole meal cost me about $ 83. I am from NYC so it’s not like I’m cheap, but if I spend that amount of money, I’d expect something more than what I’ve got. Something more. Either something tastier. Something more substantial. Instead, I got nasty good in small portions, with an item I didn’t even order but got charged for anyway.

I didn’t have the reference point of the «other chef» who apparently used to work here, but as a BBQ devotee I can see what Hi Lo is intended to be: a haute cuisine take on barbecue. My pork belly met that expectation last night… it was intensely smokey yet somehow not overcooked, a real treat. I tasted the short ribs which were ok but not as smokey (and there’s no way you can mess up short ribs) and several excellent sides: beans (with lots of leftover brisket in them which was unfortunately not on this night’s menu), pickles, pull-​apart puffy rolls and amazing chicharrones made with tendon, not skin.
But what knocks Hi Lo down to 4 stars (and actually, I was originally going to give it a 3) was the accompaniments with my $ 19 piece of pork belly. The cranberry beans were so salty as to be inedible. A piece of carrot was cooked in the smoker, I think, and basically was a piece of burnt carrot. And the hunk of cornbread was way too dense.
In short, most of the kitchen is putting out great product but someone or something is putting out some real klinkers that pull down the rest of the meal. Hopefully this can be fixed because I like this place. Nice atmosphere and friendly service. I’d like to see them succeed.

I believe every medically diagnosed minority group deserves their own barbecue joint, so why not manic-​depressives? Bipolar people should rejoice but maybe they’re too busy crying at the same time. Oh wait a minute, I thought that’s what Hi Lo referred to because I certainly experienced a roller coaster of food-​related emotion when I dined there with Jamie W. last week. Hi Lo, as it turns out, refers concurrently to the high heat of their broiler and the low and slow cooking that occurs on their 7,000-pound Oyler Pit which they cheekily named Precious. I prefer my clinically proven explanation better but whatever. We came here on a whim when we had a bit of a hankering for barbecue. The reviews looked promising, and the pedigree from Maverick was certainly a plus.
When we entered, we were pleasantly surprised how quiet and low-​key the place is, at least on a weeknight. That’s probably because there’s no bar. They definitely serve cocktails and such, but there wasn’t a loud, obnoxious scene to avoid. I already knew what I wanted from Cherylynn N.‘s appetizing photo of Smoked & Sake-​Braised Pork Belly, but alas, the waitress looked forlorn when she said they changed chefs (it’s now Robin Song) and don’t offer it anymore. WH-​H-​H-​A-​TTT? I held back the tears and told her to give me a few minutes. She did mention they were serving a special appetizer, the $ 12 Grilled Spanish Octopus in a Sunflower Seed Purée (photo:
). Shades of Tertulia and Coqueta, it was a deliciously bold tentacle with flavor to spare. Quite a surprising find at a Mission barbecue spot.
We were optimistic after that even though we both went for the Lo end instead of the Hi. Jamie ordered the $ 18 Heritage Pulled Pork, which was accompanied by shavings of summer squash, corn kernels, cucumber, and smoked tomato vinaigrette (photo:
). The vegetables were fine if rather indistinguishable, but the pork was fork tender and quite savory. Still smarting from the pork belly that got away, I went with the $ 19 Coffee-​Rubbed Pork Spare Ribs, which were truly delicious and not at all dried out. The sides, however, were nearly inedible — the Sahara-​dry cranberry beans which were nowhere near Boston when it came to baked beans, the sourpuss pickled romano beans, and the little wedge of cornbread (photo:
). Now you see what I mean by Hi Lo. We didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
But before I could reach for the lithium, we shared a $ 7 side of Grilled Corn, which was a quartet of sawed-​off cobs still hanging on to their full husks (photo:
). While quite tasty, the rustic presentation meant we spent time maneuvering around the leafage to get to the good stuff. We pinned our hopes on ending our meal on a high note by ordering the $ 7 Peaches & Corncake, which was merely adequate. Chunks of fresh peaches were mixed with meringue-​like cake pieces and topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream, all of it sitting in a caramel sauce with chopped nuts randomly sprinkled (photo:
). Sorry to say it looked better than it tasted. My suggestion to avoid a manic episode is to take a couple of lithium and stick with the meat. We’ll all be happier as a result.
FOOD — 3 stars… highs and lows for sure, excellent barbecue but oh those sides
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… nicely low-​key and hidden away from the cacophony that is the Mission
SERVICE — 3 stars… nice and attentive at first but tended to drift toward the end… a major ding from Jamie for not asking if he wanted a refill on his Diet Coke
TOTAL — 3 stars… creative, upscale take on barbecue that needs greater attention on the sum of the dish

I have no idea but when I see the name I immediately think of this song «i’d different — 2chainz «:
BBQ meter is 3 out of 5
Literally this spot is different from all the other barbeque spots, it’s a fancy date spot. Headed down with a few friends total I think it was 8 people, tried everything, literally everything.
I think they mentioned there menu changes daily so here is what we tried
pork spare ribs — smoky dry, good flavor just not fall off the bone type rib
brisket — dry, chewy???
hot links — for me I can’t really handle heat to well, but these were a walk in the park
bread rolls with cookies???
3 of the sides —
— brussel sprouts — ehh
— mac and cheese — standard
— cheesey grits — ehh
other then the presentation of the food and the ambiance the Q was sadly not up to par.
If you taking a date this would be perfect spot but if your looking to get fed and be satisfied stick to the spots that kool aid, all bbq spots that serve kool aid you know are legit hahahha
food *** Q level 3
price $$
service ****
ambiance ***** oh you fancy!!!

Dammit, Dammit, Dammit, Dammit, Dammit. :(I really wanted to just leave it at my glowing 5 star review of hi lo, what with its sweet love of their moist, fatty beef brisket, splattered all over the internet’s face.
But then I went back a couple months ago… they said there was a new owner or chef or something. The brisket was dry (no!) and lean (no!) for everyone at our table, even when ordered «moist only» (no!). Sad, dry face. :(Some of the other dishes were good though.

Solid 3.5. Round up if you like ambiance.
I came here for a guys night out, man food night. We ordered their BBQ Sampler for 6. $ 135.
*Brisket
*St louis ribs (four barrel rubbed, in a texas red sauce
*3 sides (brussel sprouts, mac and cheese, cheesey grits
*Hot links
*Bread rolls and cookies
*Some fancy drinnks (not included)
NOT THE BEST BBQ IN THE CITY!
–Ribs slighly dry, didn’t come off the bone as easily as great bbq. (They use a Four Barrel coffee rub –couldn’t taste any difference) WTF?! Folgers Crystals not good enough anymore?!?
— Tame hot links. Bring the heat and the bark! Woof!
–Dry pieces of brisket. Screw Man vs Food and Guy Fieri because I can’t get juicy brisket anywhere in the city!
If I was taking the wifey out for a nice meal and she wanted Q, then it’s either here or Wexlers. So if you’re into ambiance and need some Q in an environment slightly nicer than a cruddy old BBQ shack that uses styrofoam everything then this is your place.
Hipsters need date night «Q»!

Before going to Hi Lo for dinner last night, I (of course) obsessively checked Unilocal reviews to see what I was getting into. The mixed bag of outstanding to not-​so-​outstanding reviews made me dubious. I am very judgmental — a dedicated Unilocaler and food snob. So that should make this positive review mean all the more to you. I really, really loved Hi Lo BBQ. Maybe because I had lower expectations or maybe because it’s that good. The meat items were good but not out of this world (we tried the pulled pork and brisket). But the starters and sides — coal roasted beet salad with goat cheese, watermelon salad with grilled levain bread & smoked serrano pepper, housemade pull-​apart rolls — were the highlights of the meal. Really blown away by the two salads and the rolls were so good that once you stuffed some of the pulled pork/​brisket inside, the meat was transformed.
I wasn’t in the mood for alcohol, but I can’t wait to go back and dabble in what looks like a great, eclectic cocktail/​beer/​wine menu.
The space is really cool too. Nice vibe. Low key. Highly recommend.

As we were wondering while hungry last Saturday, ⁶⁄₁₅ we stumbled upon HiLo and bbq sounded perfect! This place has a cool interior, Ok service and very basic food.
The St. Louis Ribs are = Yum — but you’ve gotta like them dry. The bbq sauce served on the side was tasted as if it were straight out of a bottle — nothing special. My husband got the pulled sandwich, again very dry but would feed the hunger. The cheese grits were more like cheese with a splash of grits making you wonder where the macaroni was … and the coleslaw needed more flavor, mostly tasted of cabbage. Unless of course you love the taste of straight cabbage — in that case, you should definitely go for it! Though the black sweet ice tea was «perfect» says the Southern girl in me.
PS. the owner has a nicer restaurant across the street. So, not sure why this place would exist because it seems like the food is made across the way and «reheated» here?!
Overall it was just «ok,“pricey lunch nothing memorable and no reason to return.

Would have been 5-​stars had the grilled artichoke and duck wings still been on the menu when I returned with my dad. Everything there is great, but those items were on the silver platter. Not sure if those items are seasonal, but they were what convinced me to return in the first place. My father likes Armadillo Willy’s, and I knew items like those were a few steps up from there.
Still enjoyed both trips. Pork belly is damn good. Friendly service, with a refreshing dessert, too. Plus, cocktails!

Normally I’d give Hi-​Lo a solid 3 stars but the service was just TOO DARN amazing to justify a moderate 3.
Our waiter was incredible — he was fun, sassy, made customized recommendations and we all basically wanted him to be our gay best friend. But enough about how much we loved him. Let’s get to the food.
Since I went with my foodie friends, we ordered every single side dish on the menu. Duh. And we also ordered individual entrees per person. The sides were AMAZING. We had the collard greens, fried brussels, potato rolls, BBQ baked beans, cheesy grits and the grilled artichokes. I’m not even a veggie lover but this stuff was so addicting! I can’t even pick a favorite because they were all too good.
However, the entrees themselves were quite ordinary. I ordered the pork belly and it was okay, nothing memorable. The meat was a bit hard on the inside and juicier on the outside. So I basically ate the outside part and left the inside. I wish I’d ordered another round of the sides as my main course.
The cocktails are interesting. I wouldn’t come back for them though — nothing really noteworthy. If you’re into tequila and something refreshing, I’d recommend the Paloma.
So all in all, great sides, average entrees, average cocktails and FABULOUS service for this new trendy Mission spot.
Happy Eating, Unilocalers!

So this is how it works. You order at the counter (ask them to keep your tab open), they give you a number, you go find a table and place the number on your table. Someone will come serve you and bring you your food and drinks. If you don’t keep your tab open, it will be a mess to order more drinks or food later.
We had the Smoked Trout and Asparagus Salad ($ 13), it was very good. The asparagus had a really nice smokey flavor paired with the sweetness of the mustard seeds and richness from the poached egg. Great dish.
BBQ Sampler for two ($ 45). It comes with two rolls that were great. Brisket that was really dry, even the fatty pieces. The hot links were too hot for me to tell you if they were good or not. The only meat that was good were the ribs. The sampler also came with 2 sides and some cookies at the end. We had the grits and artichokes for our sides, both were good. The grits was bland to start with, but as you keep eating it, there is something addictive about it. The artichokes had an amazing smokey flavor like the asparagus did. The cookies at the end was the best part of the meal. If you like sweet and salty flavors together, you will love these.
I had a sweet tea, I liked it a lot. Free refills too. They don’t give refills for soda.
The staff was nice but we had to flag down someone constantly for things, like butter for the rolls, plates, etc.
Few minuses overall but I see a lot of potential for a great meal.

Came here for a birthday dinner and so glad I did! The food is really good, tasty, and perfect portions. I ordered the Jerk Chicken was moist and tender, and you old share it with another person. I also ordered the cheesy grits which were DELICIOUS! Cheesy, intense, but so tasty.
I’ll be back again!

Isn’t it lovely when your expectations are exceeded? THat happened last night for me and Hi Lo! We came around 7pm. There was definitely a line, but we tried to eat here last week and they were closed for an event, so we just decided to stick it out. They actually mentioned that they remember we tried to eat there the previous week, so it was also a nice touch that we were remembered! The line moved at a decent pace and if you’re with someone whose company you enjoy, then what does it matter?
When you enter, there’s a stand with some instructions and menus. You DO NOT seat yourself! Let this be noted or else you’ll mess up their system. As we were standing in line, someone came up to us and asked our party size. This gave a nice feeling that they had things under control and you weren’t going to be scrambling around for a table later on. You can order drinks while you wait and then you order food (and perhaps more drinks) at the counter once you get there.
We ordered the BBQ Sampler for 2. We nicely asked if we were able to substitute the hot links for sake pork and they said that was fine (score!). The two sides we chose were the baked beans and the much talked about brussel sprouts. Also note that the sampler comes with two buns, so there’s no need to order a side of them unless you’re really craving carbs. The drinks sounded interesting so we tried their version of the Old Fashioned and ordered a draft Czechvar.
After we ordered we were escorted to our table, but someone had put their belongings there, which messed up the system (again, you DO NOT seat yourself!!), but it was handled well and we were able to be seated upstairs right away. Our food came out really fast. We barely hit the seats of the chairs and the food was delivered, so once you get through the line, you get everything pretty quickly. The majority of the wait time is in line.
FOOD:
Beef Brisket: Good! juicy and not dry, like some others mentioned they experienced. My favorite of the meats.
St. Louis RIbs: Nice and smokey. I personally liked the sauce. It had a decent balance of vinegar and sweet.
Sake Pork: This was my least favorite of the meats. It was succulent, but not so flavorful. Forgettable.
Brussel Sprouts: My boyfriend does not like greens usually, but he ate this whole side practically by himself. It was truly delicious. Of course, it’s in a sugary sauce, but the flavor balance was great!
Baked Beans: Also great. I liked them because they weren’t too sweet, which is usually why I don’t like baked beans. If you prefer them sweeter, you probably won’t like these, but it had fantastic large white beans with strings of meat in a lovely sauce
DRINKS:
Fennel Old Fashioned: I’m a bad judge of this because I don’t like the taste of alcohol so much, but it was interesting to at least try because of the star anise syrup and fennel additions
Czechvar beer: great with the food and it’s nice to find this beer on tap.
Like I said in the beginning, I was pleasantly surprised by my experience and I think I would come back, but definitely earlier in the evening when the line is not as long!

So continues the seemingly never ending quest for BBQ in my fair city.
Let me start by saying I like my meat. I am not a salad-​y girl. I eat red meat, rare red meat. I drink hard liquor. I TOO AM A CARNIWHORE.
I have been following updates for Hi-​Lo, anticipating the opening. Let’s start by saying the space is beautiful. It’s sleek, industrial, and loft like with vaulted ceilings and amazing burnt wood walls. You have your choice of communal tables on the main level or standard restaurant seating on a mezzanine level overlooking the main floor.
Now Sake braised pork belly and beef short ribs do not a BBQ joint make, but seeing St Louis Ribs, Beef Brisket, and chicken gave me high hopes. Those hopes were dashed after my meal. The flavors and portion size did not justify a $ 64 before tip meal.
Meat:
Beef Brisket-​Not sure how there can be a smoke ring with no smoky flavor. The meat was dry, and the portion ridiculous at $ 15 for 5 overly small pieces.
St Louis Ribs-​For me the test of a good rib is pulling the bones apart and the tender, smoky meat falls off the bone… no luck here. I had to use a knife to cut them and believe me even with a knife they did not want to be separated. I did, unlike others, like the tangy BBQ sauce.
Sides:
Collard Greens with Bacon-​good flavor, but I prefer the collards to have a little more bite to them.
Brussels Sprouts-​by far best dish of the night, good bite, perfectly cooked, with just the right amount of char on the outside, tang and sweetness from pineapple chili glaze and some nice contrast with fried shallots on top.
Patatas Bravas-​perfectly roasted with a good bite on the outside and soft, almost fluffy inside, the accompanying aioli was good with a light lemon kick.
Sadly my favorite item of the night was not even a food item. It was the Michelada. This is my drink of choice when it’s made right. (When in Southern Cali they are easy to find.) Let’s just say in my younger days this would have been considered a leg spreader for me. *blushes* (I thank my tattoo artist for introducing me to them years ago down in Pico Rivera). This is the first one I have found here that I loved… spicy, peppery with a extra kick from the beet salt rimmed glass.
Staff was friendly and helpful answering questions, especially with the confusion of seeing the initial version of the menu online with by the pound pricing. Even the bartender came by to find out what I thought of my drink. This being said, I was disappointed to find that on opening night the owners were not making the rounds, welcoming guests.
Ultimately I do not see a need to come back. In press releases they are calling this California Style BBQ. I do not want a lighter take on BBQ. I want messy, smoky, finger lickin’, stick to your ribs BBQ. And so my search continues.

3.5 STARS
One of the perks of being in a relationship is that you can do things and go places on the fly with your significant other. Not to mention, if you’re a girl, you get a personal handbag holder, a grocery bag holder, a door opener and a boba milk tea holder when the damn cups are too girthy to fit in your car cup holder.
Luckily, you can easily repay your better half in non-​monetary ways. ;)
When I looked at my empty calendar this week, I actually felt a sense of relief that I would be staying home eating my ramen bowls for dinner and saving money.
However, as I sat in front of my computer yesterday during lunch like an anti-​social loser eating a can of tuna, I came across an article that the owners of Hogs & Rocks and Maverick would be opening a new BBQ joint that night. I became giddy with excitement as I’m a fan of both (My Hog & Rocks’ review:
and Maverick’s review:
). Not wanting to bother any of my friends at the last minute to indulge in my Unilocal craving, I dragged the BF out and figured I could just pay him back later; in a non-​monetary way of course. Besides how could a carniwhore like me resist BBQ?
Formerly a Filipino Community Center, Hi-​Lo is a new self-​service BBQ joint (across from Hog & Rocks) that offers your standard BBQ meats [some] with an Asian twist along with several vegetarian plates, fish plates and sandwiches. Menu posted on Grub Street SF:
(meat entrees are not by the pound as stated).
Order at the register, get a number, and seat yourself in one of their shiny new communal tables in the sleek industrialist main level dining area or regular tables on the upper terrace. Although it is self-​serve, the super friendly and eager staff does walk around consistently to check on you. I would definitely give 5 stars for service.
Considering it was grand opening day, I was going to cut them some slack but after giving it some thought, if you’re going to call yourself a «BBQ» restaurant, you better deliver good ‘que. I felt Hi-​Lo was more of a hipster take on BBQ. The food we ordered was a hit or miss; with the misses severely lacking flavor (i.e. no real smoky BBQ flavor) and not very well executed. Additionally, the price point was high given the portion size and for a self-​service restaurant ($ 66.44 pre-​tip for 2 people).
The highlight of the night was the Smoked & Sake Braised Pork Belly ($ 12):
. Sinfully divine, the savory sweet pork belly was intensely rich and melted in my mouth like butter. The Chinese in me adored this dish as it reminded me of the Braised Chinese Pork Belly dish I grew up with.
The lowlights of dinner were the St. Louis Cut Ribs ($ 13) and the Flank Cut Short Ribs ($ 15). The St. Louis Ribs lacked both seasoning and smokiness, and weren’t fall-​off-​the-​bone tender:
. I didn’t care for the accompanying BBQ sauce which was too tangy (needed smokiness and/​or heat). Just as mediocre were the Flank Cut Short Ribs ($ 15) which was essentially Americanized Kalbi:
. The short ribs were chewy and not very well marinated as they should be (very bland). Also, three slices for $ 15 is extremely overpriced for a self-​service joint.
Because you should always have greens with every meal, the Brussels Sprouts ($ 6) added a nice fiber boost to this carniwhoreist dinner:
. I loved the use of the pineapple juice for sweetness and the crispy shallots for a textural contrast.
After nearly $ 70 down the drain, I was wishing that I had more self-​control and held off on my Unilocal craving (it’s always a gamble with newly opened restaurants). Ahh, who am I kidding? That’s like saying, I’m going to be a born again virgin… for the 19 347 534 8347^th time. Now where did I put my chastity belt at? *scratches head*