Blue Jay Cafe

(415)447-6066
919 Divisadero St.
(@ McAllister)
San Francisco, CA
(Western Addition district)

Price: $$
Rating: 3.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 03/10/06

Pretty good Southern/Soul Food fare in a cute space, but somewhat spacey service. Sarah & I ordered soju cocktails, her a mojito ($4.50), me a bloody mary ($3.50) and debated whether or not to order an appetizer.

Our drinks arrived speedily (although the waiter got our orders backwards) and we ordered at that time. Sarah chose the fried chicken with macaroni and cheese ($10.50) and I ordered breaded and deep-fried catfish with candied yams (also $10.50). You don't get a choice of sides unfortunately (I'm not thrilled with yams), although you can substitute other ones for an extra $1 charge, which seems fair enough.

Sarah's soju mojito was good and very minty. I wasn't terribly fond of my bloody mary, however, as it tasted overwhelmingly of horseradish (which I do like, but not as a primary flavor!). We were soon glad we hadn't ordered starters, as a pair of delicious cornmeal muffins arrived, and no sooner had we finished them than a cup of bisque with two spoons appeared. It would have been nice if these two freebies were mentioned on the menu, as we were dangerously close to severely overordering as it was, even with no appetizer. Be it far from me to complain too loudly about free and delicious food, though! The muffins were nicely moist, and not at all like the mealy pucks one often gets, and the bisque was excellent and full of seafood goodness..

Our entrees arrived in due course and were, like the drinks, served to the wrong person, a minor misstep. Both Sarah & I enjoyed our dishes. My catfish had a crunchy dry breading and was piping hot, moist and tender inside, and Sarah's chicken was likewise nicely-executed. I didn't care too much for my side dish of candied yams, but that's more due to my not liking candied yams than anything else. The mac and cheese side on Sarah's chicken was a little weak - bolder flavors would stand up better to the crispy and delicious chicken.

The restaurant started to fill up as we were finishing our meals, and it took some time to get our server's attention to order another round of drinks. Understandable, as until shortly thereafter, he was the only server in the place. Despite a few small missteps, the service was decent, and our waiter bade us adieu with a "see you next week!"

On subsequent visits, our impression remained much the same (including the spacey service). The fried chicken was again notably good (and the mac and cheese was decidedly not), and my special of blackened salmon was excellent, cooked perfectly, and served with corny mashed potatoes and a side of al dente vegetables including a rarely-seen brussel sprout (I love the things!). The free cups of bisque that accompanied our first visit were absent on the following ones, but the tasty cornbread muffins remained.

Note though that our most recent visit, on 11 May 2006, was marked by truly terrible service (but okay food, once we managed to order and receive it). Our waitress acted as though she was on valium, with absolutely no multitasking and a slow, shuffling walk. It took at least half an hour to have our drink order taken and the place wasn't even all that busy! Rule #1 - get your customers drinks, and they're likely to forgive subsequent waits! We weren't the only ones annoyed, as most of our fellow diners were grumbling about the service, or lack thereof. If they keep this up, their time in business is going to be short and not-sweet! We nearly walked out, and probably should have. It also took about 15 minutes to get our check after I asked for it. Simply inexcusable! Hopefully this was an off-night or they were short-staffed (which they always seem to be).