Kin Smoke & Kin - February 4, 2016
(I want that pig & the next several posts aren’t Minnesota based)
Back in 2010 I was in a wedding in the Bay Area. Best Man. Besides the cementing of the primary relationship we were all there to celebrate, I was lucky to have the seeds planted for a few relationships of my own. Some sadly withered due to poor gardening skills on my part or incompatible conditions, some continue to flourish, happily renewed once or twice per year. Instead of replenishing rains it’s beer, primarily Surly with the occasional Bells’s Two-Hearted since neither company distributes to the Bay Area. Furious and Abrasive have become fast favorites.
The beers from Minnesota and Michigan aren’t the only libations enjoyed though. I venture out the first Friday in February to head up to Sonoma County for the release of Russian River’s Pliny the Younger a “Triple” IPA that is only available on tap, and only for two weeks. It’s not my favorite beer, but I enjoy the camaraderie of waiting in a long line talking about all the great beer experiences the other queuers have also had.
On Thursday I fly into SFO around 9 AM and then take the Airporter up to Sonoma County Airport, checking into the hotel in Windsor around noon. That usually gives me the better part of a day to kill. My friend Eric, groom in the aforementioned wedding, has taken to riding up and hanging out Thursday. So we usually catch up, eating and drinking far too much for someone that’s going to get up at 4am to go stand in line for beer. What else is vacation for?
While walking around downtown Healdsburg before heading to Bear Republic for beers we decided to hit up KINsmoke. We were both fans of KIN when we happened upon it in Windsor on this trip last year, so we figured we’d check out its barbecue focused sibling.
Brisket Sandwich, KINsmoke Mac n’ Cheese, Bourbon Baked Beans - Occasionally a place in the Bay Area will surprise you and have a really good brisket sandwich, this wasn’t one of those times; it was okay, but pales when compared to the sandwich you can get down the road in Petaluma at Lagunitas. The Macaroni was standard, I think Revival has ruined me for other Mac n’ Cheese. Beans were the best part, but could have used a bit more seasoning.
Homemade Sausage; Hot Link and Texas Link - if you ever go, go for these. The Hot link has a great grind and awesome flavor, not too hot; the Texas Link has an amazingly snappy skin and it’s very tasty.
After a couple hours and lots of beers down the road at Bear Republic, yay for four lettered taxi alternatives, we headed up to the original in Windsor.
Chicken Taquitos with red pepper aioli, guacamole, and pico - standard. Good textures, nice flavor.
KIN Burger, with smoked white cheddar, apple wood smoked bacon, and BBQ sauce - good. Not sure if it’s in the same league as hometown burgers, but that might be geographical pride more than an objective opinion. It does the establishment proud wearing the name.