Brown Sugar Kitchen is one of those places you hear about in the Bay Area on all the brunch lists as a “must try”, but I can’t lie when I say I got more interested in trying it when the owner, Tanya Holland, was on the most recent season of Top Chef. I also wanted go someplace headed by a minority woman as the food industry does seem to be fully loaded with white men. I have definitely been meaning to get here, but it’s a bit of a trek, plus they were closed for remodelling for awhile, so I was kind of excited when a couple of people I know suggested it for lunch while we were all in Oakland. So we headed over there to give it a try. I had high hopes for the restaurant, but after having disappointing experiences at other restaurants from Top Chef alum (notably 299 Parks in Alaska and The Girl and the Goat in Chicago), I was hoping that my expectations weren’t too high.
We did have about a thirty minute wait (and I do hate a wait, but sometimes it’s what you do when you’re with your friends), but they do have a lovely area outside where you can wait, and my friend was very grateful that they allow you to have some coffee while waiting, as he was in desperate need for some that day. After we were seated, I perused the menu, and I was really torn between the chicken and waffles (because I always want chicken and waffles) and the catfish po’ boy. Ultimately, I chose the chicken and waffles, because if it is my only foray over to Brown Sugar Kitchen, I should probably just go for broke. My friends ordered the vegetarian dirty rice (which was on special for the day) and the pulled pork sandwich with macaroni and cheese. We also decided that some of the brunch sides sounded fantastic, so we decided to split the beignets and the bacon-scallion cheddar biscuit.
The beignets arrived, and they did look fantastic, but given the size of the three that were on the plate, I was shockingly disappointed with the amount of jam that came with it. It just didn’t feel like enough. They also seemed a bit dense and chewy to me, but in all honesty, I’ve never been to New Orleans, so I have absolutely no idea if that’s the correct texture or not. The biscuit was really flavorful, but it was really doughy and undercooked in the middle which seems like such a very basic cooking error.
When my chicken and waffles arrived, my dining companions did look a bit jealous as it looked fantastic. It was also really tasty, with a slightly spicy coating on the perfectly cooked chicken and crispy waffles. The apple syrup was also a great counterpoint as it was sweet and acidic and really balanced the dish out nicely. I also got to try a bite of the macaroni and cheese, and while it was nice, it was slightly underseasoned, and honestly, I make a better macaroni and cheese at home. The pulled pork in the sandwich was very flavorful but also incredibly dry, and while my friend insisted it was fine, I would have been severely disappointed at such dry, overcooked meat on my sandwich. The dirty rice was also nice, but not really amazing as it also lacked some seasoning.
While there were some really great flavors coming out of the Brown Sugar Kitchen, there were some basic cooking errors that really made the meal slightly disappointing. Overcooked pork and underbaked biscuits just seem like something that could be avoided with just a bit more care and effort put into the dishes. I was very thankful that my dish was actually cooked well, but I’ve also been places before where I’ve managed to get lucky with my dish and the food around the rest of the table needed work. I think if I were in the area and people wanted to go back, I would definitely be okay with stopping in (as long as the wait isn’t too long), but it’s not a place I would really go out of my way to as a must visit destination.
Score: 3/5
Recommendation: Chicken and waffles and maybe some baked goods.
Brown Sugar Kitchen
2534 Mandela Pkwy
Oakland, CA 94607
