The Pulled Pork Sandwich @ B Side BBQ, West Oakland

Pulled Pork Sandwich with Yukon Gold Potato Salad @ B Side BBQ, West Oakland.

I’m writing this latest entry under a bit of culinary duress: I’ve just recently returned from House of Prime Rib in San Francisco, and not only did I vanquish the Henry VIII cut (along with all of the standard side dishes), but I earned the fabled “bonus slice” of red meat, and I devoured that one, as well. A hot fudge Sunday followed, and the wine flowed freely — some high-end Napa Cab, a little Left-Bank Bordeaux, some Barolo from 1999 — it was an epic feast with some old college buddies. But that’s beside the point. Everyone already knows about HOPR, since it’s been a San Francisco institution since 1949; I’m actually here to make a brief, albeit lethargic, pitch for B Side BBQ in West Oakland, which I believe just opened last December. I have a bit of a crush on B Side chef-owner Tanya Holland, which I’ve already mentioned here before, or maybe I haven’t, but I’ll state it right now, for the record. Not only does Chef Holland make the best waffles in the universe, but her taste in soul music (at least from what I’ve heard at her original Brown Sugar Kitchen location) is impeccable, just like mine. Being a secret admirer, I made my first visit to B Side BBQ last week, and I ordered the pulled pork sandwich, pictured above. It was delicious, if not a little short-sighted on my part; I feel like I’ve had a similar sandwich at BSK, and I probably should’ve opted for something more unfamiliar, such as B Side’s brown sugar-rubbed brisket. That’s okay. Next time.

The exterior brick wall at B Side BBQ. As I think about it, my favorite three words might actually be three letters.