The Fillmore Jazz Preservation District in San Francisco is getting a high-profile barbecue joint.
Black Bark BBQ debuts on Wednesday from Chef David Lawrence and wife Monetta White, the owners of the popular 1300 on Fillmore restaurant.
The menu's focus is on Texas-style barbecue, with dry rubbed meats like ribs, a popular item at 1300 which inspired the idea for Black Bark, which is across the street. Offerings include platters and sandwiches.
Lawrence said that he hopes the beef brisket from which the restaurant took its name will be the star, noting that the mark of a great brisket is to develop a crunchy black "bark" on top of the meat and fat.
Mayor Ed Lee attended a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday. He praised Lawrence and White for their passion and their key roles in revitalizing the neighborhood to attract food offerings "other than McDonald's."
The neighborhood is slated to open some high-profile new restaurants this year, including Brenda's Original Po'Boys, the fourth component of chef Brenda Buenviaje's "French Soul Food" empire, and the first of several bagel shops planned by Wise Sons Deli.
Lee was pleased with Lawrence and White for hiring half of their Black Bark staff from the neighborhood, including many youth, and presented them with a certificate declaring Tuesday as Black Bark BBQ Day in San Francisco.
"You really take the time to get to know people," he told them.
