HOT SAUCE AND PANKO--IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SAUCE

November 9, 2011 A.W.

**Seems the building they are currently located in is being demolished! They will be moving somewhere else but the future location is not yet set. They are currently closed for the holidays but when they reopen it will only be for roughly 2 more weeks. Better get your wing fix now!**

It's a rainy Saturday and I'm venturing all the way to the other side of the city, the Richmond district to be exact, past Presidio Parkway, somewhere around Clement and 17th, almost all the way to Ocean Beach, ok not quite but still. I'd heard about this place on somewhere on the web so I thought let's give it a try. Beyond the unusual name Hot Sauce and Panko is a tiny storefront that you could miss even when walking by it, I certainly did. It's a clean little place with 2 small tables on the sidewalk and 1 small table inside, looks like it's mostly a neighborhood take-out spot which explains why they are mostly known for their wings in many flavors as you can see on the menu. But being me I decided to try something different and went for the fried chicken sandwich with bacon and a 50/50 side of sweet potatoes and onion rings. Overall I will say it was mostly good.

The chicken was the best part of the sandwich, nicely breaded and deep fried it was very tasty. The bacon, 2 slices, got a little lost as did the cheese, which though the menu said it was cheddar was actually American wrapped in plastic cheese. The slaw was an okay mixture of cabbage, purple onion, jalapenos without the seeds and not much else, really needed salt, pepper maybe some vinegar, just something. The o-rings and fries were good and they were real onions not the yucky frozen kind. Now there is a reason this place has hot sauce in its name, and it's because it's not so much about the food as it is about the sauces.

As you can see they sell quite the variety and they also have roughly 30 bottles out to sample and use as dipping sauces on the food, which came in handy to help liven things up. After sampling about half of them I found a couple I liked and that meshed well with the sides and the fried chicken. One favorite was Georgia Peach and Vidalia Onion Hot Sauce, it tasted best on the sandwich adding spice and sweetness. I also enjoyed Chulola Chipotle and Chulola Chili Lime hot sauces for dipping. The added a good tanginess to the sweetness of the onion rings and sweet potatoes. Overall these sauces saved the food and "kicked it up a notch" as Emeril would say.

Next time if I ever get back to that side of town I would try the wings and possibly with the waffle since those are their specialties and the people who came through the place while I was eating were getting wings to go. So if you are ever in the Richmond district neighborhood and just happen to be near 17th and Clement you should stop for a look and maybe a spicy snack or just pick up a flaming hot bottle of sauce to add spice to any meal.

One FYI--skip the curry ketchup--blech!