Taylor's Sausages

There was an article in the SF Chronicle about the best sausages in the bay area. Of course, we had to do our own taste test. I volunteered to get the boudin sausage from Taylor's Sausages in Oakland (winner of the specialty sausage category). My sister chose Mollie Stone's (winner of the mild Italian sausage category).

I got directions from mapquest (wrong move). It directed me into an area of Oakland you see on the 11:00 news. When I made a turn, there were emergency vehicles blocking the street. I made a quick right turn and got onto a main street. I wasn't going to be deterred. I pulled the car over, locked the doors and left the engine running while I checked my map. My sister (the same one who calls me Dory) makes fun of me for carrying maps, but I can read a map and I can figure out how to get to the right place from a map. I like having something in my hand where I can see the entire area rather than just a few blocks typically found on a GPS. I was totally in the wrong area. I needed to get to Chinatown on the other side of the city.

I found Taylor's Sausages located at 907 Washington Street but the entrance looked like it was boarded up. Darn it, this was not easy! When there's good food to be had, I wasn't going to give up. I again pulled over and called them. It turned out the boarding was on the store next door.

The store was actually a corner of Swan's Market and it had 1 case full of different sausages. I ordered the boudin, both mild and hot and asked what else was good. I got nearly 4 lbs of sausages, all for less than $20. Success at last!
 

 

 

From left to right: Mollie Stone's Mild Italian Sausage, Taylor's Mild BBQ Link, Taylor's Cajun Chicken Sausage, Taylor's Boudin Blanc Mild, Taylor's Boudin Blanc Hot. We decided to grill the links.

 

Boudin Blanc Hot & Boudin Blanc Mild. How can you go wrong with sausage stuffed with rice, innards and pork? These were delicious! I liked the mild better--you can fully appreciate the flavors of the sausage without the distraction from the heat.

 

Mollie Stone's Mild Italian Sausage and Taylor's BBQ Link served over soft polenta and onion relish. Mollie Stone's sausage was very lean and had a nice fennel flavor but Taylor's was juicy and just the way a sausage should taste. Taylor's was a big winner! I can't believe I'm only discovering it now.

 

 

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