Portrait: A taste for life
Robert Moses knows all about music, drinks -- and good barbecue
By Bob Sylva -- Bee Columnist

Published 12:01 am PDT Sunday, July 23, 2006
Story appeared in Scene section, Page L3

Robert Moses has been playing the saxophone since high school. He later toured Europe with a group called African Roots of Jazz. Sacramento Bee/Kevin German

Robert Moses' three great passions in life are mixing cocktails, playing the saxophone and finding some tasty, hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint. In that latter search, he's something of an insatiable crusader.

The perfect martini, says Moses, is made with Bombay Sapphire and just a grace note of Martini & Rossi vermouth. Asked his all-time favorite jazz cut, Moses says "My Favorite Things" by John Coltrane, closely followed by "In a Sentimental Mood" by Dexter Gordon. So far, no argument. And the best barbecue?

"Sugar!" cries Moses, which is not a rib joint but his all-purpose, PG-rated exclamation. Moses doesn't swear. But he enjoys a plate of brimstone. Accordingly, the Bay Area native is partial to Big Nate's Barbecue in San Francisco, and Everett & Jones in Oakland.

Robert Moses is 58 years old. Along with the sax, he plays a decent set of tennis. He is a trim, graceful man, with brown eyes, a mustache, short, stubby fingers. The veteran bartender is gifted with a good ear, an easy patter and a repertoire of cool drinks. And, much like his biblical namesake, he is eager to lead folks into the promised land.

"People come up to me all the time asking, 'Where's the best barbecue? The best Cajun? The best Creole?' " he says. "These places are usually little neighborhood spots. I remember when Chris Webber said he couldn't find any soul food restaurants in Sacramento. I was thinking he wasn't looking very hard."

Moses has thought and looked plenty hard. The results are www.soulfoodguide.com, which he launched seven years ago. The Web site contains about 7,000 listings of soul food restaurants across the country. It also contains articles, recipes, commentary from Moses, plus barbecue news, music events and links, not the hot pork type, but other dining/food sites.

Moses assembled the formidable listing by firsthand experience and from tips from a cult of fellow barbecue and soul-food lovers in the United States. Right now, he says, the site gets about 100,000 visitors a month, and has a growing menu of advertisers.

"It needed to be done," says Moses of the herculean compilation. "Depending upon where you come from, each city or region has its own style, its own claim to barbecue prowess. I'm just trying to coordinate it and put it in one spot. This is not designed to be a literary work. It's just a labor of love."

Robert Moses grew up in San Francisco's Po- trero Hill neighborhood. A boyhood playmate was O.J. Simpson, though Moses attended Galileo High. His father was mostly gone; his mother ill. "We raised ourselves," says Moses. "I was the oldest of three boys. I washed, ironed and cooked. We were left to our own resources."

Moses was resourceful. He had a newspaper route and shined shoes. He first dipped his toe into the food business at China Basin. There, he and his buddies would wrap burlap around a metal hoop, bait it with a fish head and toss the cage into the Bay. They would pull up crabs, which they sold to Muni bus passengers for $5 a grocery bag.

In high school, he played saxophone at the blues bars along Fillmore. Later, he toured Europe with a group called African Roots of Jazz. Coming back, he settled into a career as a bartender. He worked years at the legendary Keystone Korner. From his post behind the bar, he mixed scores of drinks and was held spellbound by some of the best jazz musicians in the country.

Today, Robert Moses tends bar at the Embassy Suites hotel. Dining recommendations? He's high on Tower Bridge Bistro, the hotel's restaurant, of course. But for soul or barbecue, you might try Ella's Southern Catfish and Ray's Table 260, both in Elk Grove. There's also an Everett & Jones Barbecue in the south area.

"Life is a journey of a thousand miles," says Moses. (Sugar! Moses should know something about travel.) "I take it one step at a time. I'm not sure where I'm going. I just know I'm not going backwards."