Barbers Q satisfies yen for high-class 'cue

Stephen Barber may have hung up his chef's jacket at Barbers Q, the restaurant that bears his name, but the name is also a double entendre, referencing barbecue and down-home cooking.

Under chef Joey Ray, that trend continues; it's a barbecue restaurant with a very refined pedigree thanks to owner Gene Tartaglia, the mastermind behind this stylish spot.

The menu is still steeped in smoke, and the kitchen continues to turn out respectable plates of pulled pork, ribs and smoky, caramelized beef brisket. Diners can choose a combo of two meats - ribs, chicken, brisket, pulled pork or sausage ($17.95) - which comes with excellent coleslaw. A mild sauce flavors the meat, but three other sauces on the table let diners personalize their meats.

Chicken is also served three other ways - a whole roast vinegar chicken ($29.95), smoked chicken breast sandwich ($12.95) and fried chicken ($16.95) on Sunday.

When the restaurant started offering the fried chicken a few years ago, I was a fan, but now it's strayed from the original recipe, and the batter doesn't adhere as well. On my last visit, in fact, the portion consisted of a very small wing, drumstick and two thighs; I guess the breast must have been saved for the chicken sandwich. The accompanying mashed potatoes tasted mostly of starch, and the collard greens had a sweet undercurrent. I tried dousing it with the jalapeno vinegar that comes with the chicken, but sweet still dominated.

On the other hand, I wasn't the least bit disappointed in the chicken soup ($4.95/$8.95). This is what I want to have when I'm recovering from a cold and need a little comfort. The rich golden broth is filled with little pellets of pasta, vegetables, shreds of chicken and a rich, roasted flavor. It's accompanied by thin house-made herb Parmesan crackers.

Other ways to start include chili ($4.95/$8.95), fried shrimp ($12.95), oysters Rockefeller ($12.95) or an iceberg wedge ($6.95) doused with bacon, radishes and blue cheese dressing.

I generally am annoyed when the staff recites the desserts rather than bringing a written menu, because I always end up ordering the wrong thing. But at Barbers Q, you can't go wrong. I don't recall our server mentioning the pumpkin pie ($6.95), but I was happy with the Key lime pie ($6.95) with a nice puckery filling, and a rich chocolate Bundt cake ($7.50). I should have picked up on the waiter's body language when I turned down her offer of ice cream ($1 more) - as good as the cake is, it's dense and needs something more than whipped cream to refresh the palate.

While I don't think the restaurant is as good as when it opened, I still like going to Barbers Q. It's settled into a pleasant neighborhood restaurant. Located in the back of a retail center, it attracts a lot of locals. So when you're done shopping at Target, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, you can stop in for a little Q.

Michael Bauer is The Chronicle's restaurant critic. E-mail him at mbauer@sfchronicle.com, and go to sfgate.com/food to read his previous reviews. Find his blog daily at insidescoopsf.com, and follow him on Twitter at @michaelbauer1.

This article appeared on page E - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle