The Hungry Palate
Hard Knox for service, sides, but friend chicken nears perfection at new Richmond soul food café
By Susan Dyer Reynolds

I had planned to write a review of the new Hard Knox Cafe in the Outer Richmond for last month’s issue; however, on my third and final visit, close to press time, the power went out. My dining companion had just gotten up to use the restroom and stumbled back to the table, unsuccessful. “No lights,” he said. We were luckier than some – at least we had finished our meal. But as we sat patiently in the dusk waiting for our bill (the credit card machine went down with the power), I was surprised, especially because the owners were present, that they didn’t at least offer us refills on our sodas.



On my two previous visits, the service was the same – friendly, but equally lackluster. The slow pace gave additional meaning to the “authentic soul food” moniker, as it could have been any of the locals-only joints in small southern towns that I’ve visited on my many road trips across the country. Unfortunately, we San Franciscans aren’t able to luxuriate in a laid-back ambiance during a weekday lunch hour.

I initially wandered into Hard Knox the day after they opened on April 30. After running errands in the area, I was craving Indian food and had planned to graze the better-than-usual buffet at India Clay Oven, which happens to be right next door.

The original Hard Knox, located on 3rd Street in the Dogpatch area, is an institution, known for terrific fried chicken with all the fixins prepared by a Vietnamese-American owner who learned to cook soul food in Texas. I was excited to see them open in the Outer Richmond, known for its eclectic mix of Asian cuisines, but definitely not for its smothered pork chops and blackened catfish.

My first visit started out great – a bubbly server dropped a plate with two steamy, crumbly, not-too-sweet corn muffins as she took my drink order. I chose a Thomas Kemper root beer, which arrived in a frosty mug perfect for a warm spring day. For lunch, as I am a self-confessed fried chicken fiend, I had to go with the three-piece fried chicken entrée, served with two sides, and reasonably priced at $9.50. The chicken was near perfection – piping hot with a thin, crispy batter that enveloped moist, juicy meat. The three pieces included a wing, a thigh, and a drumstick, which suited this dark meat lover just fine. The sides – mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans – were not as successful. Both arrived stone cold and without substance. The bland green beans were stringy and overcooked. The mashed potatoes were almost translucent and would have benefited greatly from a big whipping of cream and butter. While Hard Knox was generous with the chicken, they were stingy with the gravy, which was actually quite flavorful and helped the mashed potatoes, which had no flavor at all.

If the prices on the entrées sound too good to be true, it’s because they’re making up the difference on the soft drinks – there are no refills and, at $1 for fountain sodas and $1.75 for Kemper brand, they add up quickly after two or three. Excellent freshly brewed iced tea does come with refills (they also have wine and beer … no refills on those, either).
I took issue with the $15 minimum charge required for credit purchases – both Visa and Mastercard prohibit merchants from requiring minimum transaction amounts, as well as special “transaction fees,” for using their cards. (If you encounter these practices at any establishment, call your card issuer and inform them of it.)

Subsequent visits to Hard Knox over the next several weeks yielded the same results – good entrées, cold sides, friendly but slow service.

BBQ spareribs ($11), wonderfully sloppy in a rich, mild brown sauce, included four huge pork ribs full of velvety pork that had just enough resistance when pulling it off the bone. The red beans and rice were bland and overcooked; the corn niblets were not fresh, but they were bright yellow and crisp. They were, alas, also cold.

The shrimp po’boy ($8) was a soft French roll full of sweet, tender fried shrimp dressed in a tangy rémoulade. I asked for mine “undressed” because that’s the way I love them in New Orleans. My dining companion ordered the catfish po’boy ($8) “dressed,” with lettuce, tomatoes and onions. The fish was perfectly cooked – moist and delicate and wrapped in a satisfyingly crunchy breading. The side of macaroni and cheese hit the spot – it was (hurray!) bubbling hot and coated in Velveeta-like cheese goo reminiscent of the sleepovers of my childhood in the Valley of the Olive Garden.

I ordered the fried chicken on every visit (and took Jasmine Blue hiking for an extra half hour because of it), but my research paid off – I can now say unequivocally that the fried chicken at Hard Knox is among the best, if not the best, in the City. Consistently steaming hot, golden brown, and dribble-down-your-chin juicy, it even scored five out of seven on the Northside San Francisco Breastalyzer, with white meat nearly as succulent as the dark.
Sometimes giving a restaurant a little time is a good thing. I know that bloggers and Yelpers like to race out to the newest places so they can be the first to say, “I’ve been there!” but I’d rather let the proprietors get organized and give the kitchen a chance to get settled. It’s tough to ding a place for not having O’Douls for my dad (even though it’s listed on the menu) when they’ve only been open six days.

On a recent visit, with Hard Knox Outer Richmond now in business for nearly two months, I was thrilled that all of our side dishes arrived hot; they also changed to corn on the cob, which was considerably better than the niblets, and a lot more fun to eat with that great fried chicken.

Hard Knox Cafe: 2448 Clement St. (at 25th); Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. until 10 p.m.; 415-752-3770, www.hardknoxcafe.com