Eating My Way Through OC

Off to the Hill Country for Our Last Hurrah in DC - CLOSED

2025-08-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hill Country Barbecue Market

410 7th Street NW

Washington, DC 20004

One of the main reasons we picked Washington as our winter vacation destination was that we like watching our beloved Anaheim Ducks on the road. Even though the Ducks have fallen on some hard times recently, they were well on their way to a seventh consecutive season of not making the playoffs when we watched them in DC. It's still always fun visiting new arenas and being one of the few, if not the only, among the 17,000 fans rooting for the Ducks.

As is our custom, we usually shy away from the mediocre arena food in favor of a restaurant near the game. Capital One Arena is located in the Chinatown area of Washington, DC, an area of town that has many good restaurant options. I did a Google search to see where most people eat before hockey games, and just picked a place at random. That's how we ended up at Hill Country Barbecue Market.

We arrived at Hill Country at 5pm, two hours before puck drop, and were met with a ton of people wearing Capitals jerseys. As we were shown to our table near the back of the restaurant, there were some weird glances our way because we were decked out in our Ducks jerseys, but no one jeered us or made us feel unwelcome. Maybe they pitied us because our team was near the bottom of the standings, or perhaps the fact that we only play each other twice a year made us seem like less of a rival.

Hill Country Barbecue Market had been in this location for fourteen years and was spun off from their original location in New York City, near Madison Square Park. This restaurant specialized in Central Texas-style barbecue and was also known for line dancing and karaoke in their basement. They were on a month-to-month lease, and two months after our visit, they were informed by their landlord that they were to vacate the premises to make way for another restaurant. The Hill Country website has a coming soon message on their DC page, so there might be hope that they are looking for a new location.

The dining room at Hill Country was huge, with wooden tables and chairs. At least 200 people could fill this space, and most tables were full with two hours to go before game time. Your server takes care of your beverages, and you order your food in the market, located in the rear of the space. Meats are weighed out in one station, hot and cold sides are available at another counter, and drinks and desserts are available at the checkout. It was reminiscent of a cafeteria.

You have the option of getting things à la carte, or you can choose from a couple of combos. Meats available were brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork, chicken, turkey breast, and sausage, which was flown in from Texas. You could also get your pulled pork or BBQ beef in a sandwich. Sides were just as you'd expect from a barbecue restaurant: mac and cheese, baked beans, a sweet potato mash, coleslaw, collard greens, and German potato salad. Here's what we ended up with after our trip through the market.

Whenever we are eating barbecue, Katie's always partial to having her meat in sandwich form. The Pulled Pork Sandwich ($14.95) came with plenty of the pit-smoked pork, pickles, and sliced onions, which Katie got on the side. The pulled pork at Hill Country was solid. It had a good variety of textures, and the two bites I had were not dry and not too heavy with the flavor of smoke. The bun was standard, and the barbecue sauces provided were a good accompaniment to the pulled pork. The sandwiches come with a side, so Katie selected the Confetti Cole Slaw. This slaw was okay. Nothing really stood out about it, but it was not awful. Just standard coleslaw.

I selected the Cue and 2 ($32) for my meal, which means two meats and 2 sides. I also ordered a Jalapeno and Cheese Sausage ($9), which I did not get charged for. This may have been because the cashier did not see it due to the way the brisket was piled on top of my ribs. I didn't notice it until I looked at our receipt while I was writing this review. Of the meats, the sausage was clearly the best of the three, and not just because I got it for free. It had a good, smooth texture, and the cheese, with a slight hint of jalapeno, made it a pleasure to eat. The brisket and pork ribs both had the same problem: there was a lack of a smoke ring, and they both fell flat flavor-wise. They were tender, but tasted like nothing. The barbecue sauce helped, but good barbecue meats are not supposed to need barbecue sauce. Even the bark of both the ribs and brisket was devoid of flavor. Something I haven't come across in a long time.

For my two sides, I got the Collard Greens with Bacon and the Longhorn Mac and Cheese. The collard greens were good, with plenty of bacon, which helped boost the taste of each bite. The mac and cheese was the better of the two. The cheese-to-noodle ratio was on point, and the cheese blend they used was tasty and clung to the noodles perfectly. Crisping the cheese under the broiler for a minute or two would have brought this mac and cheese to even bigger heights. Nicely done, mac and cheese, though.

Our last hurrah at Hill Country was the Cornbread Muffins ($3.75) that Katie ordered. These came three to an order, but Katie snatched one before I could take my picture. They were soft, but served cold, which was odd. The ancho honey butter was spreadable, but I would have liked a little more heat from the ancho chili side to balance out the sweetness from the honey and the cornbread itself.

I enjoyed the game day atmosphere of Hill Country, but as I thought about it later, I should have done some more research on where the best places to eat are before the Capital games. Hill Country was not awful, but it wasn't remarkable barbecue either. From what I've read online, this was the first spot for authentic Texas barbecue in DC. Still, after pitmaster changes, there was a noticeable drop in the quality of the meats, and the fact that other highly rated barbecue restaurants opened up in DC, Hill Country lost some of its luster. The ordering process here was fine, but I can imagine that the ordering line could get pretty long at peak meal times. Service was okay, with us getting our own food; we only saw our server a couple of times to see if we needed refills of our drinks. It's pretty crazy that we closed our dining adventure in Washington, DC, with a restaurant that is now closed, because the first restaurant we ate at at the start of our trip is also now closed. I hope we are not a jinx to the rest of the restaurants where we ate.

As you can see from the scoreboard above, the expected outcome from the game happened. Our Ducks did not make it much of a game, but hopefully, the coming season will be the start of an upward trend for them. This was our last few hours in Washington, DC, and we had a great time. It's a must-visit city to view the history and story of our country. The food scene was impressive as well, and I'll file away my restaurant wishlist, which still has some places to try, for the next time we visit. Thanks for everything, DC.

Out of five phone booths (because the original name of the arena where the Capitals play was MCI Arena, which was nicknamed the phone booth by the media in 1997), with five being best to zero being worst, Hill Country Barbecue Market gets 3 phone booths.

For more information about Hill Country Barbecue Market, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.hillcountry.com/

Our Last Breakfast in DC at Nino’s Bakery

2025-08-07T11:00:00.002-07:00

Nino's Bakery

1310 L Street NW

Washington, DC 20005

It was our last day in Washington, DC. We had a full day ahead, so I decided to let Katie sleep in a bit while I went to get us some breakfast. I had done a search for the best bakeries in DC, and one kept coming up continuously, Nino's Bakery. The only problem was that at the time of our visit, they were only open three days a week, Wednesday through Friday. We had arrived in our nation's capital on Friday afternoon, so this particular Wednesday would be the only chance I'd get to try what some people say is the best bakery in all of the DMV.

Nino's Bakery is the brainchild of Miranda Rinaldi. She had a post working for the US State Department in Italy back in 2012. When she first got to Milan, she adopted a dog, Nino, and they would traverse the city, and his strong sense of smell would often lead them to numerous bakeries. Rinaldi, who was ready for a career change, started taking pastry classes in Italy, and when she returned to the US three years later, she enrolled in a French baking class in Chicago. Yes, Nino was still with her.

In 2018, after a few bakery internships, Rinaldi opened her own place. Croissants, scones, cream puffs, Sicilian pistachio cookies, and other baked goods were a big hit with people, and she often had a line out the door of hungry Washingtonians waiting to get their morning carbs. The pandemic curtailed the hours and days at Nino's, and then in early 2023, motherhood forced a six-month closure. A quick check of their Yelp page reveals that they are now open Tuesday through Saturday from 8am - 12:30pm, which is excellent news for the croissant lovers of DC.

I braved the frigid low 20-degree temps of early January and walked the six blocks from my hotel to Nino's Bakery at 8am. When I arrived at Nino's storefront, I was met with a line of about three people ahead of me. Not bad considering that later in the day the line stretches out alongside the sidewalk. The bakery could be described as cozy at best, with not much seating inside or out. As my turn in line came up, I made my selections from what was in the bakery case, and was headed back to our hotel with my box of baked goods being held protectively like a running back heading towards the goal line.

My go-to in a bakery is always a Chocolate Croissant ($5). This version was one of the better ones I have ever had. It was very French, not like the overly buttery soft and limp American croissants that you can find in your local supermarket bakery case. This is the real deal. Super flaky, and it unravels in ribbons when bitten into. Not an overabundance of dark chocolate, but just enough that it balanced with the croissant nicely. I just wish our hotel room had a microwave so I could warm it a bit to melt the chocolate.

Katie had requested a Blueberry Scone ($4.50) the night before. I'm not really a scone fan, as I find them too heavy, but this one was not like that. The outer crust had a good crunch to it, but the inside was softer than most, almost like a biscuit-like texture. Nino's also packed a ton of blueberries in here, which was awesome. Katie declared this to be one of the best scones she's had.

Yes, I can never get enough chocolate in the morning. This Chocolate Hazelnut Croissant ($5.25) was fantastic. For this one, they formed the croissant into a roll form and topped it with hazelnut spread. Not only was this very photogenic, but it tasted great. The hazelnut spread was balanced nicely with the croissant underneath. Again, I wish I had something to warm this up with, as I think that would have made this even better to eat. It almost pained me to share a bite of this with Katie. Yes, I am that selfish.

If we had another day in DC, I would have returned to Nino's to try their pistachio or black sesame croissants, cream puffs, or any of their other daily rotating specials. Even though we only had three items here, that was enough to know that they are serving some of the best croissants we've had. It's no wonder that they have been mentioned as one of the best bakeries in the city, and after just this visit, we'd have to concur.

One of the highlights of our fifth and last day in Washington was visiting The white House. It's well worth setting this up before you leave for your trip. It's pretty awe-inspiring, and something to cross off your bucket list.

Out of five plungers (because not only does the White House feature 132 rooms, it also has 35 bathrooms, which I would imagine would require quite a few plungers), five being best to zero being worst, Nino's Bakery gets 4 plungers.

For more information about Nino's Bakery, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.ninosbakerydc.com/

I’m Hoping Old Ebbitt Grill Is Not Showing Its Age

2025-08-07T11:00:00.001-07:00

Old Ebbitt Grill

675 15th Street NW

Washington, DC 20005

Old Ebbitt Grill was another restaurant that I had on my restaurant wish list for many reasons. Yes, they are the second most reviewed restaurant in the DC Metro area, with over 11,000 reviews and a very impressive 4.2-star rating on Yelp. Not surprising since they are right in the middle of DC attractions, and across the street from the US Treasury building, and a short three-minute walk from the White House. They are also located less than a block away from our hotel, so if I could sense that Katie was running low on energy, we wouldn't have to go far for dinner.

Like many areas of this city, there's also a lot of history at Old Ebbitt Grill. It started in 1856 when William E. Ebbitt bought a boarding house near where Chinatown stands now. Guests and boarders there included many presidents, famous statesmen, and military heroes, who all patronized its premises. Over the next 127 years, the boarding house transitioned into a saloon and moved numerous times until it found its current home on 15th Street in 1983. It also became one of the crown jewels of the Clyde Restaurant Group, which also runs the Hamilton around the corner on F Street.

The present-day Old Ebbitt Grill reminded me of a set from House of Cards, where you can easily imagine President Underwood making some shady backroom deals to enhance his agenda. I'm not sure if the movers and shakers of government eat and drink here or not. Still, with all the dark wood here, the fine artwork on the walls, and the Victorian-era decor, it will have you craning your neck to see if the guy in the suit entering the restaurant is your congressman or maybe some talking head you've seen on your cable news show of choice.

We tried to eat here earlier during our trip, but were met with a wait of an hour or more. We decided we'd give it another shot to dine here, as we arrived just before 8pm on a Monday evening. It was much easier getting a table this time, as we only had a wait time of five minutes. We were seated at a table near the back of the still bustling dining room. The tables are pretty close together, so if you are averse to eating close to others or just want some privacy, you might want to request a booth.

The same menu is used for both lunch and dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill. The primary focus of the menu is seafood, with oysters being a big draw, apparently. They offer an oyster happy hour two times a day, 3pm - 5pm, and then again from 11pm - 1am. There's also raw bar platters, caviar, and other tinned fish to choose from. Not a seafood fan, don't worry, there's plenty of starters, entrees, salads, sandwiches, and burgers. Entrees are priced between $23-$55, while burgers and sandwiches go for anywhere between $17-$28. Katie had a grasp on what she was going to have, while I was on the fence. Let's see if Old Ebbitt has seen its best days already, or if it's still as good as their Yelp rating says.

We started with a Bread Basket, which, unlike their sister restaurant, The Hamilton, around the corner, was complimentary. The bread came out lukewarm, but the whipped butter was easily spreadable. Our server, Robert, was not shy about refilling it a few times for us. He must have sensed that we were carb people.

This time it was Katie's turn to try the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake Entree ($47.99). Not unexpected, but it was very similar to the one from The Hamilton. It was about tennis ball-sized with minimal filler and big pieces of crab in each forkful. Since this was our last crab cake of the trip, I believe this one was the gold standard for the four that we tried in DC. It beats out the one from The Hamilton because it was left in the broiler a bit longer, which gave this a hint of a crispy texture, which I enjoyed. The fries were nice and crispy, and the cole slaw was not overly dressed, which some people, like Katie, really enjoy. I like a little more dressing on my cole slaw. The tartar sauce was nicely done, but we used it sparingly because the crab was so good.

Man, I had my sights set on many things here: meatloaf, the Reuben, bacon cheeseburger, and swordfish. With the help of Robert, I went with this Duroc Pork Chop ($34.99). This bone in pork chop was massive, unlike the tiny ones my mom used to get from the supermarket that she'd fry in Crisco, which made them even smaller. The pork chop was a little charred, as you can see from the picture above, and the outside edges were slightly overcooked. The inside portions were the money bites. Very tender and moist. It's gotta be tough to cook a pork chop this big evenly. The plate was smeared with a sweet potato puree and brussels sprouts with thick-cut bacon pieces. The sprouts and bacon helped cut the richness of the pork, and I thought the sweet potato was just okay. I would have liked mashed potatoes instead.

Not that we needed it, but we selected the Warm Apple Crisp ($11.99) for dessert. The menu proudly proclaims that they use Virginia apples in this, with an oat-almond streusel, and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was a very comforting dish, and not overly heavy, which was nice since we were eating late for us, 9pm. With a scoop of ice cream this big, we did not have to duel with our forks over it. The apples were good, and the streusel was not overly sweet.

I was pretty pleased with our visit to Old Ebbitt Grill. I can conclude from this meal that it's definitely not a tourist trap, even though they are so close to a lot of the major attractions in DC. Although I haven't eaten at all their restaurants, I get a sense that the Clyde Restaurant Group knows what they are doing when it comes to the restaurant business. The menu was varied, the food was delicious, and the service we experienced from Robert was well above average. If we had a few extra days, we would have returned to try their brunch.

I'm definitely not really into art, but a highlight on day four of our DC adventures for Katie was a visit to the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art. She was an art history major in college, so she was definitely in her element here. I was just happy when I could find an empty bench or chair in the gallery we were in. In case you were wondering, the above piece is Madonna with Child by El Greco, created between 1597 and 1599.

Out of five egg beaters (because in 1856, the same year this restaurant was founded, was also the year that the first egg beater with rotating parts was invented), five being best to zero being worst, Old Ebbitt Grill gets 3.5 egg beaters.

For more information about Old Ebbitt Grill, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.ebbitt.com/

Is Ben’s Chili Bowl the Top Dog in Washington DC?

2025-08-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

Ben's Chili Bowl

1213 U Street NW

Washington, DC 20009

After making Katie walk a lot the day before, I decided to make our fourth day in DC as laid-back as possible, which started with letting Katie sleep in until almost 10 am, something she does nearly every weekend morning anyway. So, I scrapped our plans for breakfast, but to make up for it, I decided we'd have an early lunch at one of the most iconic and well-known places to grab something to eat in Washington. DC, Ben's Chili Bowl.

Every time I watch a restaurant travel show, when they visit our nation's capital, they always stop by Ben's Chili Bowl. It's almost a rite of passage, and if you visited Washington and didn't try Ben's, did you really even experience DC? The list of people who have walked through the door at this original U Street location is impressive enough; Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, Serena Williams, Jesse Jackson, Bono, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, and Oprah have all made the pilgrimage to experience Ben's Chili Bowl. Now Katie and I were joining this list of luminaries.

Ben's Chili Bowl began in 1958, when Ben and Virginia Ali converted a pool hall into what would become one of the most recognized restaurants in all of DC. The booths, counters, and stools are all original, and they use the same recipes that have been used for decades. Conveniently located right next to the U Street Metro Station on the Green Line, we arrived here at 11am, hopefully avoiding the lunch rush. We even had the pleasure of meeting Sonya Ali, the personable daughter-in-law of the founders, retired Air Force Reservist, and current co-owner of Ben's Chili Bowl. We discussed food and the history of Ben's Chili Bowl, and she provided us with a comprehensive rundown of everything on the menu.

Speaking of the menu, the most popular item here is the half smoke, a sausage made from both pork and beef with a smoky tinge added during the smoking process. Ben's also offers turkey, veggie, and beef hot dogs, along with a spicy version of their half-smokes. Burgers, chili bowls, a few sandwiches, and sides round out the Ben's Chili Bowl menu. Hot dogs will set you back $8.49, and burgers hover around the $10 price point. We ordered at the counter and then found our way to one of the booths near the front of the store to wait for our food. Here's how our maiden visit to Ben's went for us.

My very first Original Half Smoke ($8.49). Their menu kindly suggests that you get your half-smoked with mustard, onions, and their famous spicy chili sauce, which is how I ordered mine. The chili had a good depth of flavor to it, but it kind of overpowered the half-smoke. The half-smoke did have a good snap to it, but I'd probably get the spicy version next time, to punch up the flavor quotient. The bun was soft and pliable, and I enjoyed the tang from the mustard. An excellent representation of a chili dog, and I'd like to try it with cheese next time.

For the second part of my meal at Ben's, I tried the Double Ben's Favorite Burger ($13.99). Again, the menu offered the gentle suggestion of getting this burger with mayo, chili, and lettuce, which I dutifully abided by. The glossy bun was eye-catching, and the burger's contents were excellent. I liked the chili-to-meat ratio, and I at first thought the mayo and chili combination would be odd, but it worked surprisingly well. They say their chili is spicy, but I found it to be pretty mild, yet still flavorful. I believe the beef patties were a quarter pound each, so this was a very manageable burger for me to consume.

For the last couple of years, I have been a banana pudding fanatic, trying it whenever I've seen it on a menu. Named after the matriarch of the family, Virginia's Banana Pudding ($10.99) was made with sliced bananas, Nilla Wafers, and Biscoff cookies mixed into the pudding. The pudding was smooth and creamy, but I would have liked a little more of the sliced banana and cookies left in bigger chunks to help break up the creamy texture that dominated here.

So, coming from Southern California, I could not help but compare Ben's Chili Bowl to LA's own chili institution, Original Tommy's. While I do occasionally enjoy a visit to my local Tommy's, Ben's wins this battle of the chili restaurants hands down. The chili was better, with a good flavor profile and not as greasy as its West Coast counterpart. The half-smoke might be superior, but I do enjoy the snappy hot dog that Tommy's uses. The burgers at Ben's are far better than Tommy's, though. Again, not as heavy, and the beef patties they use here taste better. We had excellent service on this visit, which is not surprising since Sonya, one of the owners, was here. A good history and good solid food make Ben's Chili Bowl a must when visiting Washington, DC.

Okay, not the best picture, but they would not let me use my flash to snap a photo of the United States Constitution at the National Archives. I remember being a kid here and waiting in line for what seemed like hours. Since we were here in early January, we could walk right up to the documents and take our time looking at them. Definitely one of the highlights of day 4 of our Washington trip.

Out of five buckets of popcorn (because when this building was first built in 1910, it was a silent movie theater, and I'm not sure, but maybe they had popcorn way back then), five being best to zero being worst, Ben's Chili Bowl gets 3.5 buckets of popcorn.

For more information about Ben's Chili Bowl, head to their website by clicking here: https://benschilibowl.com/

There’s No Suffering at Succotash Prime in DC

2025-08-07T10:59:00.002-07:00

Succotash Prime

915 F Street NW

Washington, DC 20004

Day 3 in Washington was our most jam-packed day yet. We ended up skipping breakfast and heading out to Arlington National Cemetery, walking back into DC from there, and visiting some of the monuments at the National Mall. Lastly, we headed to Ford's Theater. By the time we finished our tour, it was definitely time for dinner. I could sense that Katie was nearing her tipping point, so I quickly veered from my restaurant wishlist and looked for something good near Ford's Theater. One spot stood out to me, and that's how we ended up at Succotash Prime.

Succotash Prime is part of the Knead Restaurant Group, which also includes Gatsby, The Grill, Mi Vida, Sagrada, and other establishments in its portfolio. Succotash Prime's chef and owner is celebrity chef Edward Lee. He has been featured on numerous competitive cooking shows, served as a judge on Top Chef, and won a James Beard Award for his cookbook, Buttermilk Graffiti. Along with his other restaurants in Louisville, he operates Succotash Prime, located a few blocks from Ford's Theater, and another in National Harbor, Maryland.

We had no reservation for dinner, but we arrived at Succotash Prime before 5 pm, beating the dinner rush that would eventually fill the empty tables around us during our 1.5-hour stay. We were seated on the bottom floor of the two-story dining room, which resembled the courtyard of a fine New Orleans home. A well-stocked bar was situated on the left-hand side of the restaurant, and the opposite wall was lined with comfortable leather booths. We were seated in the middle portion of the restaurant, which featured a large skylight that, at this hour, began with sunshine and transitioned into early evening as the restaurant's muted lighting took effect.

The menu at Succotash is distinctly Southern, but with a slight nod to Chef Lee's Korean heritage. The addition of kimchi to the collards and the crab dip is a good example. They offer a 'greatest hits' option of their most popular menu items, served family-style, for $60 per person. Other entrées available are Southern staples, along with steaks from their smoker. Mains hover around the $30 mark, while steaks go for anywhere between $47 and $145 for their bone-in tomahawk, a 42-ounce steak that can easily feed two. Katie assured me that she would not be able to eat her share of this huge steak, so we perused the menu for what would eventually be placed in front of us. Here's how everything came out for us.

Katie's always one to order cornbread when she spots it on a restaurant menu. At Succotash Prime, that meant we would start with Jamie's Cornbread ($8). These little loaves came topped with some hot honey and browned butter. This cornbread was moist and not crumbly, unlike others that tend to be. I would have liked a touch more hot honey topping these. The browned butter was a good partner to this cornbread.

My crabcake quest continued here with the Maryland Crab Cake ($27). This was another example of a very well-made crabcake. Not full of filler, and the lumps of crab were prevalent in each forkful. I was also a big fan of them having this sit on the grill for a short time, as it added a little bit of texture. The curried remoulade was an interesting choice, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of this crab cake. I used it sparingly. The salad was a complete miss for me, as it came barely dressed, and tasted just like plain lettuce, even though the menu claimed it would come with a carrot vinaigrette.

One of the most photogenic burgers we've seen in a while, the Pimento Cheeseburger ($19.50) was Katie's selection this early evening. The sesame-seed bun stood tall on top of the thick and juicy beef patty, house pickles, bacon jam, and the pimento cheese, which was nice and melty. Katie gave me the last few bites of this delicious burger. It was indeed juicy, and I'm usually not a fan of bacon jam, but it worked well in this case. I would have enjoyed the burger even more if there had been some burger sauce or even mayo involved, but it was still a very satisfying burger nonetheless. The fries were cooked well, accompanied by a Gochujang ketchup, another nod to Chef Lee's Korean heritage.

The Chicken and Waffles ($29) is not usually something I gravitate towards, but I didn't want to splurge on a steak, and the other mains were seafood. With my crab cake earlier in the meal, I wanted something land-based. This was a great choice. The chicken came with two legs and two thighs, already topped with bourbon maple syrup, pickled okra, and Manchego cheese sprinkled on top. The breading on the chicken was nice and crunchy, with the dark meat chicken incredibly tender. I enjoyed the sweet and savory vibe this dish brought. One of the better chicken and waffles plates I have had. I also selected their Old Bay Mac and Cheese ($10.50) to round out my meal. This mac and cheese was just how I like it. The cheese was plentiful and adhered well to the noodles. The Old Bay seasoning hung out in the background of each bite, so it wasn't overwhelming.

Hummingbird Cake (13.50) has become almost irresistible to me. For those who are unaware, hummingbird cake is a spiced cake with cream cheese frosting, similar to a carrot cake. Instead of carrots, the hummingbird cake contains pineapple and sometimes smashed bananas. This three-layered slice from Succotash Prime was pretty large, and I enjoyed it, but I like a sweeter cake portion. I'm reasonably sure that they don't use bananas in their version. It was a little too dense, but it made for a good ending to our meal.

Succotash Prime was a great end to our most jam-packed day in DC. We needed a spot to reenergize, and the excellent food here definitely did just that. Not only was everything placed in front of us fantastic, but the service we experienced this evening was exceptional. Yes, the prices were a little on the high side, but for food of this quality, we don't mind paying for it. The portion sizes were more than generous, which is something that's not often said these days in many restaurants. A true gem for people in DC seeking some Southern cuisine with a touch of Korean influence.

Our third day in DC had many highlights, but a trip to the Lincoln Memorial is always a must when visiting Washington, DC. Pretty awe-inspiring, and good exercise if you are walking up the 87 steps from the chamber to the reflecting pool. It's great for walking off all the food this city has shown us so far.

Out of five blue whales (because the 19-foot-tall marble statue of Lincoln weighs approximately 175 pounds, the same as the blue whale), five being best to zero being worst, Succotash Prime gets 4 blue whales.

For more information about Succotash Prime, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.succotashrestaurant.com/

All Right Hamilton! More Good Eats in DC

2025-08-07T10:59:00.001-07:00

The Hamilton

600 14th Street NW

Washington, DC 20005

What I'm going to type out next might shock some of you. I have never seen the play Hamilton. I know, I'm sure it's good, but I'm not really a musical fan. I'm more prone to see musicals when they are made into movies, but plays have never really been my thing. And yes, I know there's a filmed version of Hamilton that came out in 2020, but I've been busy watching other things on my list and trying to catch up with my reviews for this blog. Which brings me to another review of a restaurant we visited on our trip to DC, The Hamilton.

It was our second day in Washington, and we had visited two of the Smithsonian museums, the National Museum of American History and the National Air and Space Museum. Lots of great exhibits and, of course, lots of walking. It was because of the walking that Katie wanted to stay close to our hotel, which was just a block away from the White House. I had Old Ebbitt Grill on my restaurant list, but they were slammed when we arrived, and they told us it would be a 1.5-hour wait. We couldn't wait that long, so we walked around the block to try a restaurant that we had passed on our way to the metro every day, the Hamilton.

I didn't know it at the time, but Old Ebbitt and the Hamilton are sister restaurants, as they are both part of the Clyde Restaurant Group, which operates 13 restaurants in the Washington Metro area. The Hamilton opened late in 2011, and since it's located just a block away from the White House, it receives a significant amount of foot traffic. They are closing in on 4,000 reviews on Yelp, boasting a nearly four-star rating. The restaurant is cavernous, featuring a huge bar and dining room on the first floor, as well as a music venue space in the basement. They also get a lot of love for their late-night sushi special, which people rave about.

No late-night sushi for us, as we arrived here at half past five on a Saturday evening. The restaurant was full, but we were quoted a wait time of only half an hour for the two of us. After only fifteen minutes, we were seated in the wood-paneled dining room, a space where I can imagine politicians, White House interns, or congressional aides meeting up after a hard day's work. I may have just watched too much of The West Wing and House of Cards, though.

The menu at The Hamilton is impressive for the variety of food it serves. The menu features fifteen starters, including cheese boards and charcuterie, as well as salads, fish, steak, chops, and other entrees, along with house-made pastas, burgers, sandwiches, and sides. They also have an extensive sushi menu, but I'm unsure if it's only available at the aforementioned sushi bar or throughout the entire restaurant. We made our selections with our very personable server, Amanda, and this is what we received.

We spied this Bread and Butter ($4.99) starter on the table next to us, so we had to order one for ourselves. All of these breads were made on the premises and came with whipped butter that comes with olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. I really enjoyed the variety of the bread included, but my favorite was the ones that resembled Parker House rolls. They had a little salt baked into their glossy tops, and the bottom portion was pillowy soft, made even better with plenty of the provided butter.

I made a mental note before leaving on this vacation that I would try as many crab cakes as possible on this trip. I started off my crab cake journey with this Crab Cake Sandwich ($27.99). The brioche bun came open-faced with tomato, lettuce, tartar sauce, and half a lemon so I could dress my sandwich how I wanted. I discarded the lettuce and tomato right away, then squeezed a small amount of lemon juice over the tennis ball-sized crab cake, and used a generous amount of the delicious tartar sauce. The crab cake itself was devoid of any binding that I could detect, although I know there had to be something holding it all together. Easily one of the best I have had, with lots of big pieces of lump crab in each bite. I ate half of it as a sandwich and then ditched the brioche bun, savoring each bite of the remaining crab cake one forkful at a time. The fries were crispy, and the mayo-based coleslaw was a nice accompaniment. This will be a tough crab cake to beat going forward.

Katie was still full from our late breakfast, so she opted for the Short Rib Rigatoni ($10.99), which is one of their nine sides. As a side item, this was a relatively generous serving size. The rigatoni and shredded short rib were topped with crushed tomatoes, a cheese sauce, and a generous amount of pecorino Romano on top. Katie loved this dish, and if she were hungrier, she would have loved to have gotten a full-sized pasta dish. The pasta was freshly made and cooked well, and the red wine short rib provided great bursts of flavor.

I wasn't planning on having dessert, but they had a Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake ($11.99) that I couldn't resist. The cake portion was banana with a peanut butter mousse on the inside, then it was topped with whipped cream and caramelized bananas, and a streak of strawberry jelly across the plate. I liked this but thought it was going to be better. The peanut butter and jelly sandwich felt disconnected, and the predominant flavor was banana, but it was too muted for my taste. Not awful, but not what I was hoping for.

It's good to be flexible when you're on vacation. Most of the time, it works out, like when we really wanted to try Old Ebbitt, but we ended up at the Hamilton instead. We were excited about this visit, and their menu is so diverse that we saw many other things we would have liked to have tried, but vacations are all about trying as many different restaurants as possible. I loved the atmosphere here; it made me feel like we were dining with the heavyweights of the federal government. The service we experienced from our server, Amanda, and the rest of the staff was fantastic, and the food was delicious, especially that crab cake. It was so good that I'm also thinking of checking out Hamilton, the musical. I'll let you know how I like it.

Here's a quick shot of the National Air and Space Museum that we visited before having dinner at The Hamilton. I thought we were only going to spend a little time here, but we ended up staying for two hours. Time really flies. Sorry for that. I'll go hang my head in shame.

Out of five classified ads (because Alexander Hamilton was not only the first Secretary of the Treasury, but he also founded the New York Post in 1801, and since it's still being published today, I'm sure they have had tons of classifed ads over those 225 year), five being best to zero being worst, The Hamilton gets 3.5 classified ads.

For more information about The Hamilton, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.thehamiltondc.com/

Unconventionally Great Diner Food in DC

2025-08-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

Unconventional Diner

1207 9th Street NW

Washington, DC 20001

Given the amount of walking we'd be doing in Washington and Katie's love for sleep, I knew it would be ambitious to have five breakfast spots on my restaurant wishlist for this trip. Not to ruin it for you, but we only had breakfast out one other time on our five-day visit to our nation's Capital. Luckily, we hit the one restaurant I most wanted to try for breakfast, Unconventional Diner.

Unconventional Diner, or UD as I will refer to it for the remainder of this review, opened its doors in the winter of 2017 in the Shaw/Downtown neighborhood of DC, directly adjacent to the Convention Center. This all-day diner came highly recommended for their brunch, and in true diner fashion, they also receive rave reviews for their lunch and dinner. They boast a mighty impressive 4.4-star rating on Yelp, with over 3,100 reviews and counting.

UD is helmed by Chef Partner David Deshaies and was inspired by a restaurant close to where I live, one that I have unfortunately not had the pleasure of eating at yet: Republique in Los Angeles. Republique is an all-day diner concept developed by Michel Richard, Deshaies' former boss. Before he died in 2016, Richard gave his blessing for Deshaies to emulate what he had done at his iconic Hancock Park restaurant.

We arrived here at 11am on a Saturday morning. Predictably, the 8,000-square-foot restaurant was packed with people. I couldn't make reservations because of the uncertainty of how long Katie would be sleeping in, given our cross-country flight from the previous day. We were quoted a two-hour wait time for a table, but we were told we were welcome to wait for a seat at their bar, which accommodates 25 guests. Our luck proved pretty good, as we walked by just as they were clearing the plates of two seats that would soon become free. I'm not usually too excited to sit at a counter, but I pushed through my trepidation and grabbed the two coveted seats.

The everyday brunch menu at UD is served until 3:45pm. The menu features approximately 20 brunch items, accompanied by a selection of sides, beverages, and a rotating assortment of desserts. There's also another whole page of cocktails, beer, wine, and other boozy drinks for those who imbibe. Entree prices for brunch range between $15 and $26, and desserts hover around $14. We made our selections with the very peppy staff, and here's how everything came out for us.

Katie loves a good breakfast sandwich, and that's why she zeroed in on the S"eggs"Y Sandwich ($16) almost immediately after getting the menu in her hand. This sandwich featured scrambled eggs, thick-cut bacon, scallions, cheese, and Sexy sauce, all on a black sesame-seed bun, and was served with a generous amount of fries. Katie felt that this was one of the better breakfast sandwiches she had ever eaten. She loved the lightness of the scrambled egg and the crispy bacon. The sexy sauce was on point. She wished she had substituted the fries for something else, not because they were bad, but because she was having breakfast and would have preferred breakfast potatoes or hash browns.

Katie also selected the Buttermilk Biscuit and Jam ($6), which is listed under the "sides" section of the menu. The biscuit was rectangular instead of round, but it tasted just as good as others, and the buttermilk flavor was very present. I liked the way the butter came out spread across half the plate. There was plenty of it, and it was very spreadable. Way better than those foil-wrapped packets that are almost always served ice cold and don't spread nicely on any bread. I might be wrong, but I believe the strawberry jam was house-made. Even if it wasn't, it was delicious.

I had a lot tougher time narrowing down my order than Katie did. The Shrimp and Grits, Chicken and Waffles, and the Loaded Breakfast Biscuits all appealed to me, but I finally settled on the French Dip Poutine ($23). This hearty bowl featured Angus beef, cheese curds, caramelized onions, a sunny-side-up egg, and fries. To be honest, this is the closest I have ever come to having an authentic poutine. All that was missing was the gravy, which I suppose the runny yolk of the egg served as a substitute for. My first bites of this were magical. Very comforting, and the cheese curds did squeak a little when bitten into. I also enjoyed the sunny-side-up egg, but another one would have balanced this out more. With later bites, the saltiness was a little overwhelming. Still good, and a good base for the walking that we had planned around DC.

No section of the UD menu gets rotated as much as the desserts do. I could have picked three or four that sounded great when we visited in January, but this Banana Cream Cake ($14) caught my attention because I have been on a banana kick since last year. This roll cake begins with a vanilla cake base and banana icing, creating the spiral, and is finished with a nicely done butterscotch and toasted marshmallow topping. I enjoyed the texture of the cake and all the other elements, but I wished it were a little heavier on the banana flavor. Near the end, when I was done with the butterscotch, it became plain tasting.

Even with a few minor complaints from me, I found the Unconventional Diner to be a great breakfast spot. It's difficult to judge a restaurant by only visiting once, but even though I had some issues with what I ordered, I get the sense that if I visited another time, I'd find something here that I'd genuinely love. It's challenging for restaurants to make breakfast/brunch an event, but UD has succeeded in doing so. What they have also done is put together a team of servers, bussers, and hosts whose number one priority is to make sure every guest has the best possible visit here. We were blown away by the service we received, and it was evident with everyone who sat with us at the counter. I'm thrilled that everything fell into place for us during our visit to UD, but I'm disappointed we didn't get the chance to try them for dinner.

Here's a quick shot of the Washington Monument on day two of our visit to Washington, DC. At 555 feet tall, it's the tallest stone structure in the world. That might be why Katie was hesitant to go to the top, so we just saw it from ground level, which is almost as impressive.

Out of five elevators (because when the Washington Monument opened to the public in 1886, the elevator ride to the top took 8-10 minutes. Luckily, the trip has been shortened to 70 seconds nowadays), with five being best to zero being worst, Conventional Diner gets 4 elevators.

For more information on Unconventional Diner, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.unconventionaldiner.com/

The Burger Stops Here, Unfortunately - CLOSED

2025-08-07T10:58:00.001-07:00

Eat Brgz

250 7th Street SE

Washington DC 20036

Okay, this is not the way I wanted to start sharing the great restaurants we ate at during our visit to Washington, DC, in early January. Yes, I'm six months behind, but I'm determined to cut that in half by the end of the year. Back to our first day in DC, though. We were fresh off the plane from OC, and after a day touring the Capitol, checking into our hotel, and navigating the metro, we were a bit tired from walking and were ready to tackle my DC restaurant wishlist. First up for us was Eat Brgz.

Eat Brgz was located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and followed by locations in Chinatown, the West End, and the Eastern Market area of DC. Unfortunately, as of February, all of their locations have closed. Founder Brandon Alexander was made an offer from Wonder, a food hall concept that was too good to pass up. He also wanted to focus on family and is getting another business degree from Columbia University.

Brandon opened up Eat Brgz in 2019, weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, and ended up on my DC restaurant wishlist because they were mentioned on nearly every best burger list that I scoured before leaving for this trip. They also had a viral hit with their fried chicken and waffle tower that they served for brunch.

We arrived here just after 4pm, after walking a block in the wrong direction after exiting the Eastern Market Metro station. We have five days here to figure things out. The restaurant had a clean and sleek vibe, mainly due to the white walls and floors, and the lack of decor. Ordering was done at the counter, and behind that counter, customers had a great view of the staff preparing and cooking each guest's meals.

One section of the menu was dedicated to a build-your-own burger, where you pick the cheese, mix-ins, seasoning, and sauce. You also had the option of having all of these inside your burger, resembling a juicy Lucy. Since this was our first time here, we stuck to the signature burgers that come already built. The sides included fries and Brussels sprouts. Burgers hovered right around the $15 price point. Let's see if this food was a sign of good things to come for us on our DC trip.

Katie must have been really hungry, or she did not see that this Wagyu Smash Burger ($17.50) contained two patties. It also came with four slices of American cheese, grilled onions, and their house Brgz sauce, all on a potato bun. She, like me, thought this was going to be an actual smash burger, which is flattened very thin on the grill with crispy edges on the outside. This was more substantial than a smash burger, and I'm sure that's why she gave me the last few bites of this. I enjoyed it, as it was a simple burger with some excellent meat, which was juicy and seasoned just enough. I would have liked some extra onions and definitely more sauce, which was applied way too lightly. The Fresh Cut French Fries ($4) were nicely fried and tasted like they were indeed freshly cut there. Excellent, fast-food-style French fries.

I selected the Basic Bacon Burger ($15.50) for my meal at Brgz. Seriously, one of the better burgers I've had in years. The beef patty was infused with diced bacon, relish, basic seasoning, red onion, and cheddar cheese. The toppings not mixed with the beef were pickled red onion, sliced cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, Brgz sauce, and thick-cut maple candied bacon. This was a well-crafted burger, and not gimmicky like I thought it was going to be. I was afraid that the bacon would overwhelm, but it just added some smokiness to the patty. The cheese inside the patty was not really noticeable, but the sliced cheese outside picked up the slack. I do regret not cutting it in half to share a picture of the cross section. The bun is also worth noting, as it did not slide around a lot and held its integrity throughout the short life that this burger had in front of me. I'm always partial to Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($6) and gave them a try here. They had three options for seasoning on these: salt and pepper, Cajun, or the one I got, garlic parmesan. They were fine, with a light dusting of the parmesan, I got bored with these halfway through. I ended up using some garlic aioli that I had ordered to dip them into, and it helped me finish these sprouts.

I did not learn about Eat Brgz closing down until I started writing this review, and it hit me hard. It's really a shame for the people of DC that this excellent burger spot is no longer available to them. I admit I was very hungry when we were here, but that's not the reason for my rave review of this burger restaurant. It was just plain delicious and made with some high-quality ingredients. It's easy to see why they were mentioned on many of the best burger lists in DC. Hopefully, they will return someday, and if that's the case, I'll have to make a return visit to DC.

I thought it would be fun to share a picture of what we saw in Washington on each of the following eight restaurant reviews. This was my first time here since 1984, and it was Katie's first visit to our nation's Capital, and our first time being in snow for any extended length of time. For the 5 days we were here, the temperature was in the 30s, but we did have one day that it got up to 51, which felt like a heat wave. Here's a shot of the Capitol on our first day in DC.

Out of five bathtubs (because the US Capitol has two ivory bathtubs in it that were initially used by the senators because they used to live in boarding houses that did not have running water), five being best to zero being worst, Eat Brgz gets 4 bathtubs.

Since Eat Brgz has closed and their website has been taken down, you can see everything you missed by clicking here to visit their Yelp page: https://www.yelp.com/biz/eat-brgz-washington

Get These Animals Some Glasses

2025-07-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

Blind Coyote Cantina

4975 Lakeview Avenue

Yorba Linda, CA 92886

To succeed in the restaurant business, you must be willing to adapt and pivot. That's what Tony Monaco has seemed to do with his restaurant, the Blind Coyote Cantina in Yorba Linda. Until August of last year, this spot was the Blind Pig, a sister restaurant to the one in Rancho Santa Margarita. That speakeasy concept is still going strong in RSM, but Tony had a Californian-Mexican concept brewing in the back of his mind. Instead of starting from scratch, he decided to convert this restaurant into the Blind Coyote Cantina.

The metamorphosis from pig to coyote took about three weeks, and for the most part, they retained their existing staff while making some changes to the interior of the restaurant. It's not surprising that the change went as smoothly as it did because everything that Tony has done recently has turned to gold. Along with the Blind Pig, he's also the owner of The Trough, and his latest restaurant, Monaco Italian Kitchen in Irvine, has garnered rave reviews, earning a 4-star rating on Yelp.

Back to the Blind Coyote, located in the Yorba Linda Town Center on Yorba Linda Boulevard, between Imperial Highway and Lakeview Avenue. This shopping plaza is home to numerous restaurants, including The Habit, Seasurf Fish Company, Apollo Greek Grill, Cafe Rio, and more. With so many food options here, I thought parking would be an obstacle, but Katie and I both drove separately and found spots fairly close to the restaurant on this busy Friday evening.

Luckily, we had made reservations, as the restaurant and bar were packed with people kicking off their weekend with a night out. The menu at the Blind Coyote is divided into starters, salads, four mariscos, specialties, taco plates, a 1, 2, or 3 combination option, and dessert. Entrees range from $22 for their burrito to $65 for a 20-ounce bone-in ribeye. Most starters typically fall within the $16 price range. Let's take a look at the food.

First up, the Chips and Salsa that were placed before us when we were seated. The tortilla chips were fresh and appeared to have been recently fried, as they had a slight sheen. I liked both the red and green salsas. The green salsa is the spicier of the two, but it won't burn your tongue off; it's a nice, slow burn. The red salsa was mellow, and I found myself switching between the two frequently. According to their early Yelp reviews, they used to have a bean dip, but they stopped serving it. That's a bummer, as I always enjoy a good bean dip.

While waiting for our entrees, we tried the Classic Guacamole ($12). The guac at the Blind Coyote is made with diced red onion, cilantro, lime, cotija cheese, and jalapenos. The consistency of this was spot on, as it was neither too chunky nor too smooth, like a puree. It's a delicate balance to achieve. The flavor could best be described as mild and would have been enhanced with some pepper flakes or another ingredient to give it a kick. Everyone else enjoyed it, and I did too, as it was a generous serving that we used with our entrees, which came out next.

It seems like I've said it a million times on this blog, but my mom is a light eater. That's why she only ordered these Chicken Taquitos ($16), and she still took one of the three home for lunch the next day. I'm glad I didn't inherit the light-eating gene from her. The three taquitos came topped with red salsa, crema, pico de gallo, lettuce, guacamole, radish, and micro cilantro. So, basically, she could have taken all of that off the top of the taquitos and had a small salad, and then she probably would have eaten only one taquito. She did say that she enjoyed the taquito, as it was fried well, had a good crunch to it, and was filled with plenty of chicken. My parents have returned since this visit, and she has gotten this every time.

I was torn between getting the burrito, combo plate, or what I eventually picked, the Carnitas Enchiladas ($24). I usually get a carnitas plate at Mexican restaurants, but this option was not available here at the Blind Coyote, which is a little odd considering they offer carnitas in tacos, nachos, quesadillas, their ranchero salad, fajitas, burritos, and these enchiladas. I liked these enchiladas, but as is usually the case with enchiladas, the meat inside got overwhelmed by the sauce and the cheese. I tasted it a little bit, but not enough to determine if the carnitas were good on their own. I did enjoy the Jack cheese and the enchilada sauce. The rice and beans rounded out this meal nicely.

The Chili Verde ($24) is not a favorite of mine, as salsa verde can be too acidic for my taste. However, this was not the case at Blind Coyote. The chili verde had a good flavor, and the acidic tinge was well-balanced. My dad gave me a small piece of the pork shoulder, which was nice and tender. I wonder if the bigger chunks of pork were less tender, but he had no complaints about his meal.

I knew one of my tablemates would opt for the combination plate route, and it was Katie who selected the 2-Item Combination ($22). The combo choices include tacos, with a $3 upcharge for a steak or fish taco, a cheese or carnitas enchilada, two chicken taquitos, or chicken tortilla soup. Katie had the chicken taquitos and a cheese enchilada, along with the beans and rice that come with the combo plates. She was pleased with this plate and said the standouts were the cheese enchilada and the rice.

I enjoyed my visit to the Blind Coyote, but I wasn't overly impressed by it. Nothing stood out to me this evening, but neither was anything terrible. Yorba Linda is not really a hotbed of good sit-down Mexican restaurants. Most people would consider Blue Agave and Ranch Enchilada among the best the city has to offer, but neither of these would be regarded as providing upscale Mexican cuisine. The Blind Coyote is the only option in Yorba Linda if you're looking for elevated Mexican cuisine, and I feel that a good meal can be had here. We experienced fine service, and we will probably be back because my parents live so close; they really enjoyed it and have been back a few times since this visit. With the busy restaurant and bar we experienced on this Friday night, Tony may have made the right decision to pivot from a speakeasy to an elevated Mexican concept.

Out of five Olympic medals (because writing this review, I learned that coyotes can reach top speeds of 40 miles per hour, way faster than that pesky road runner, and fast enough to win a lot of medals at any Olympics), five being best to zero being worst, Blind Coyote Cantina gets 3 Olympic medals.

For more information about the Blind Coyote Cantina, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.blindcoyotecantina.com/

You Can Call Me a Mama’s Boy After My Visit to Calaca Mamas

2025-07-07T16:51:00.000-07:00

Calaca Mamas

1550 South Harbor Blvd.

Anaheim, CA 92802

It's remarkable to think of the number of people who visit OC each year to visit Disneyland. According to one figure, 28 million people visit Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure each year. Sure, some of these people are locals, but I imagine that with Disney's worldwide appeal, a good majority of parkgoers are from outside Orange County. Yes, these people have to eat, and even though the park has one of the best corn dogs on earth and the churros receive rave reviews, some tourists might want to venture out and try a restaurant outside the park. Might I suggest Calaca Mamas?

Situated on the east side of the Disneyland Resort, Calaca Mamas is located on an area of Harbor Boulevard, which is dominated by budget-friendly hotels and plenty of ho-hum chain restaurants to pick from; Denny's, Panera Bread, Mimi's Cafe, and Tony Roma's, (yeah, I didn't know that Tony Roma's was still in business either). Not a very impressive or good representation of the thriving restaurant scene that OC has to offer. Calaca Mamas shines like a beacon for tourists and locals seeking a more accurate portrayal of our treasured local restaurants.

Calaca Mamas was brought to life by two sisters, Angela and Mariam El Haj, who, when they opened this restaurant in 2022, became second-generation restaurateurs. They got their feet wet in the restaurant business by working in their parents' restaurant from a very young age. Their restaurant is themed for Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, with vibrant artwork and a wall dedicated to honoring those who have passed. A breath of fresh air compared to their chain restaurant neighbors.

Not only is the atmosphere at Calaca Mamas warm and welcoming, but their menu is something to behold. They are an authentic chef-driven restaurant that uses organic ingridients and responsibly raised meat and seafood in their kitchen. The menu featured a lot more authentic items than I had expected. Yes, they do have tacos and burritos, but they also feature queso fundido and a tlayuda, which is best described as a Mexican pizza. Prices for entrees range from $20 to $35, while starters cost between $15 and $20. They offer happy hour pricing on select items in the bar and patio, available from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Happy hour would definitely be on my agenda if I were spending the day at Disneyland.

We arrived at Calca Mamas at 6pm on a recent Thursday evening. Parking is available at the Best Western Hotel, located adjacent to the restaurant. They will validate for two hours. We were warmly greeted by the hostess, who escorted us to our comfortable booth. Our server, Kyra, came right over and introduced herself, providing us with a rundown of the menu and sharing some of her favorites. We also met Osmani, who was doing double duty this particular evening, bartending and managing the restaurant. He did both jobs wonderfully, checking on each table, and as you'll see in a moment, his mixology skills were on point. Let's review everything we experienced on our maiden voyage to Calaca Mamas.

As is our tradition when eating in a Mexican restaurant, I like to share a picture of the Chips and Salsa that started off our meal. The chips were fresh and ideal for dipping into the surprising salsa. I'm picky when it comes to salsa, especially regarding its consistency. This one had my desired amount of chunkiness to it. There could have been a bit more heat behind it, but I'd bet I'm more of a heatseeker than most of the people that visit Calaca Mamas.

Almost every review on their Yelp page mentions either the cocktails or the awesome bartenders at Calaca Mamas, so we had to give their drinks a try. We had Osmani pick his favorite beverages for us, and he did not disappoint. For me, he selected the Miracle Agua ($17.50). It combined some gin, ginger beer, strawberries, rhubarb bitters, lime juice, and a sprig of mint, garnishing the glass. I found this drink light and refreshing, and not overly sweet, which is a plus in my book. The ginger beer was evident in each sip and nicely balanced with the crushed strawberries.

Even though she's married to me, Katie is not much of a drinker, so she tried the Forgotten Grapefruit Mocktail ($10). This alcohol-free beverage was made with organic grapefruit and lime juices, an organic agave simple syrup, soda water, and a pinch of salt. Katie felt this exuded a fresh feeling when she sipped it. She loved that this beverage did not hit you upside the head with sweetness. It was very subtle, and the addition of a pinch of salt added a little complexity to the drink.

For our starter, we tried the Taco in a Bag ($15). This interesting item was listed on the small bite portion of the menu, but I feel it should have been listed with the salads instead. Chicken tinga was mixed with lettuce, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, crema, and a good amount of Fritos. Growing up, my mom used to make a taco salad that also used Fritos, so that may be why I feel this was more of a salad than a taco. I enjoyed the playfulness of this and that there were extra Fritos in the bag, as they are one of my favorite chips. I'd opt for the carne asada option instead of the chicken tinga next time, as it might have stood out more than the chicken. The serving size of this was quite substantial, and we barely polished it off before our entrees arrived.

Katie is a birria fiend, so I was not shocked when she ordered the Quesabirria Tacos ($24). If you're not keeping up with the hot food trends of the last year or so, birria is a slow-cooked beef dish cooked in a flavorful consommé, resulting in incredibly tender and delicious meat. This was also the case at Calaca Mamas. The tacos come three to an order and are filled with not only the soft shredded beef, but also an Oaxacan cheese crust, which brings the taco to the next level. Diced onions and an avocado mousse are dotted across the plate to enhance your taco experience. This plate is finished off with rice and your choice of pinto beans or black refried beans. Katie got the black refried beans, and this is the way to go here. They were fantastic, with a good texture and very flavorful, possibly with a hint of garlic. The rice was top-notch, also.

Carnitas ($30) are my standard order when dining at a Mexican restaurant for the first time. I use this dish as a barometer as to whether the rest of the menu would be worth coming back for. If this crispy pork shoulder dish is any indication, we will be back to try more from the Calaca Mamas menu. Easily the best carnitas I've had all year. They were indeed crispy, and I liked the variety of the bites that I got here, some lean pieces and some a little more fatty. Everything I look for when having carnitas. Since Katie got the black refried beans, I decided to try the pinto beans. They were tasty, but not as good as the black refried beans.

Dessert should not be skipped, and these Churros ($19) are a testament to that. They were served on a tabletop churro cart with both chocolate sauce and dulce de leche, and a little fanfare thanks to a large firework placed at the edge of the cart. The churros were dusted with sugar and cinnamon and came out piping hot. Katie and I differed on our opinions of the sauces. She loved them because they were not overly sweet, and I wished that they were a bit sweeter. We fought all the way home about this and haven't talked since. Kidding.

If you've read this far, you must know that I was pretty stoked about our visit to Calaca Mamas. This is not just a restaurant for people visiting Disneyland; locals should also find their way here. If you're worried about traffic, this side of Disneyland is mostly pedestrian traffic. The freeway on- and off-ramps are less than a half mile away, and with validated parking at the Best Western next door, it's a snap to get here. As for my next visit, I have my sights set on their carne asada plate, a burrito with their delicious carnitas in it, and the queso fundido. Everyone we encountered on this evening was thrilled to have us here, and a quick check of their 800 Yelp reviews reveals that good customer service is a theme at Calaca Mamas. Also, a little insider tip: Be sure to snag a seat on their patio for Disneyland fireworks at 9:30 nightly and grab a cocktail or two. Thanks for having us, Calaca Mamas, and we'll see you again real soon.

For more information about Calaca Mamas, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.calacamamas.com/

**We were provided this meal for free in exchange for an honest review of their service/food. No other compensation was received. **

Mission Accomplished at Tavern at the Mission

2025-06-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

Tavern at the Mission

26860 Old Mission Road

San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

Whenever I write about a restaurant in San Juan Capistrano, I feel compelled to start my review with the incredible dining scene that has emerged in this city over the last couple of years. It's truly unbelievable the transformation that this South Orange County city has undergone with its restaurants. I could be here all day listing the great places that have opened up since I started my blog nearly 16 years ago. But that wouldn't leave me much room to write about Tavern at the Mission.

The Tavern at the Mission replaced the local favorite, Cedar Creek, two years ago. It was bought by legendary OC restaurateurs, David Wilhelm and his business partner, Gregg Solomon. Wilhelm is the man behind many notable OC restaurants, French 75, Savannah Chop House, and Jimmy's Famous American Tavern, among others. David and Gregg also run the sister restaurant, Tavern House, in Newport Beach. Their menus are similar, but their are some slight differences between the menus.

When ownership changed from Cedar Creek to Tavern at the Mission, they immediately began updating the space with a muted Western theme, upgrading the bar area, and altering the flooring and walls of the dining room. They did all of this in stages, allowing them to remain open during the refresh. Their guests have responded to all the changes around here with a very positive 4.3-star rating on Yelp and a bustling dining area on most evenings.

The menu here features many of David Wilhelm's greatest hits from his past restaurants, including his French 75 onion soup, buttermilk fried chicken, and the prime rib French dip, which I first had at Jimmy's. Entrees range from $30 to $50 for dinner, and most sandwiches and burgers cost $25. There's also an intriguing special that runs Sunday through Thursday, which offers your choice of fried chicken or a petite filet mignon, along with soup and salad, for only $28. A good deal, but we were here with our friends Sunday and Anthony on a Friday evening, so that option was not on the table. Let's see if we ended up enjoying Tavern at the Mission as much as David Wilhelm's other restaurants.

We started off with the Garlic Cheese Bread ($7). The ciabatta was topped with parmesan and garlic butter, and served three to an order, which was awkward since we were a party of four. The bread was toasted nicely, but could have been brought to greater heights if the parmesan and garlic butter had been applied with a heavier hand.

I rarely get to have calamari because Katie isn't a fan of it, so I get excited when we eat with other people and they order it. Thanks to Anthony and Sunday, I was able to try the Calimari and Shishito Peppers ($21). Maybe it's because I haven't had fried squid for a long while, but I really enjoyed this starter. The pieces were bigger than most calamari, and the breading was nice and crunchy. The peppers were a nice complement to the calamari, and made even better when dipped into the spicy chili aioli. It wasn't particularly spicy, but I did enjoy the consistency, as it coated the calamari and peppers well. I found myself trying not to eat more than my fair share, which means I really enjoyed it.

Entrees were on their way out, so we'll start with Sunday's selection first: the Pan-Seared Mahi Special ($36). Every evening, they have their nightly fish, which is presented in the same way, regardless of the type of fish. This particular evening, mahi mahi was served over mashed potatoes and sautéed baby spinach, accompanied by a lemon butter and caper sauce, and garnished with a few olives. Sunday was not too thrilled with this, as she felt it needed more seasoning, and the mahi could have been a little more tender.

Anthony was intrigued by one of the specials, the Bavarian-Style Duck ($36), which was offered on the evening we were there. It was around the holidays, and this plate exuded the end-of-the-year feels. Two pieces of roasted duck were served in a Michigan cherry sauce, accompanied by Brussels sprouts, cornbread stuffing, and butternut squash puree. An old-school Christmas on a plate, if there ever was one. This was my first time sharing a meal with Anthony, so I'm not sure if he gets as excited about food as I do, or if he's just as hard to impress as I am. I don't remember him saying too much about this.

Katie is a big stroganoff fan, as her mom attempted to make an edible one multiple times while she was growing up. I'm not sure if her mom ever mastered it, but Katie gave this Short Rib Stroganoff ($38) a go this evening. The pappardelle was joined in the bowl with pearl onions, forest mushrooms, chunks of short rib, and a Dijon mustard sauce. She thought this was a pretty average version of this classic dish. She liked the tenderness of the beef and the earthiness of the mushrooms and onions, but wished the dish packed more of a punch in terms of flavor. I would have thought that the mustard would have been enough to get over the hump, but not according to Katie. She'd select something else on her next visit here.

I believe this is the first time I've had D's Honey-Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($34) at one of Chef Wilhelm's restaurants. I now know why he has it in every one of his restaurants that he opens and operates. The boneless fried chicken is breaded with a nice and crunchy outer crust, which, once bitten into, reveals the moist chicken inside. It gets even better with the thyme cream gravy poured on top. The mashed potatoes had an excellent consistency, neither too lumpy nor overly smooth. I even ate most of my green beans, which had a decent snap to them. A very satisfying meal.

Dessert was needed, and Anthony and Sunday ordered the Warm Carrot Cake ($16), and Katie and I had the Coconut Cake Supreme ($15). The carrot cake resembled the Pizzokie from BJ's, served in a cast-iron skillet and topped with ice cream and cream cheese frosting. It looked good-sized from across the table. We had the coconut cake, which is a cake that I've heard was a staple from this location's former tenant, Cedar Creek. It was good, and even if you are not a fan of coconut, you might like this one. The coconut is not too overpowering, but I wish the icing were sweeter. The scoop of vanilla ice cream was a nice touch.

Tavern at the Mission was a mixed bag for us on this visit. My chicken, the calamari, and the coconut cake were all highlights, while the garlic toast, stroganoff, and Sunday's mahi left something to be desired. I also felt that the prices were a tad too high for the amount of food that we received. It's not really an eat here every week kind of restaurant; it's more of a special occasion or date night spot. As has been the case in every David Wilhelm restaurant we have dined at, service was not an issue here. Our server was cordial and kept everything moving forward with minimal interruptions. I think I can say that the Tavern at the Mission is another fine option for a city that already boasts numerous outstanding restaurants.

Out of five mission bells (because while doing some research for this review, I learned that the bell tower of the nearby mission holds two of the mission's original bells, which date back to 1796, something I should have learned in fourth grade, but I was not a great student), five being best to zero being worst, Tavern at the Mission gets 3 mission bells.

For more information about Tavern at the Mission, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.tavernatthemission.com/

It’s No Trick, Parlor Is Open in San Clemente

2025-06-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

Parlor Woodfire Kitchen and Cocktails

216 North El Camino Real

San Clemente, CA 92672

San Clemente has suddenly become not only a seaside paradise, but also a pizza paradise. In a city that already is home to Gibroni's Pizza, Pizza Port, Sonny's Pizza and Pasta, Station Craft Pizza and Taproom, and the recently departed TJ's Woodfire Pizza, it has been an embarrassment of riches for the pizza-loving people of San Clemente. Eleven months ago, another pizza spot burst onto the scene in SC, and we had high hopes for our visit to Parlor Woodfire Kitchen and Cocktails.

The optimism that we had for our trip to Parlor was based on two things. It's the latest restaurant opening from one of our favorite restaurant groups, RJB Restaurants. They run Vine Restaurant, which is located across the street from Parlor, Ironwood, Olea, Sapphire Kitchen, and Bloom Restaurant in nearby San Juan Capistrano, which I heralded as the best restaurant I ate at last year. Russ Bendel and the people he surrounds himself with are hospitality veterans, and they know how to run a successful restaurant for long periods.

The second reason we were excited to try Parlor was that they have received some significant accolades in the local press for their pizzas, pastas, and meatballs. They also possess a 4.5-star rating on Yelp. Pretty good for a restaurant group that has not previously operated an Italian-American restaurant. I'm thrilled to see that they are willing to take risks and open new concepts.

The building where Parlor is housed used to be Brick Restaurant, until David Pratt decided to sell the space because he was opening Finca, a spot a little to the north at the River Street Marketplace in San Juan Capistrano. That restaurant is definitely on my growing list of restaurants to try soon.

Back to Parlor. Their one-page menu predictably features wood-fired pizzas, but they also offer pasta dishes, larger entrée options, starters, salads, and four dessert options, including the Grand Ice Cream Sundae, which we will have to come back for when we're not headed out to a party right after this. The price point for pizzas is around $25, the same as the pasta dishes, and entrées cost close to $30. They also offer a Sunday prime rib dinner special for $35, perfect for any of you carnivores out there. We were here on a Friday, so no prime rib was going to be consumed, but let's see what we did have on our first visit to Parlor.

I had really wanted to try the meatballs when we came to Parlor, but Katie has an arancini obsession, so she vetoed me and selected the Seasonal Arancini ($15) to start off with. When we were here, these fried rice balls were served with a whipped goat cheese and pumpkin, crispy sage leaves, and pepitas. I thought the arancini were good on their own, but the sweetness of the pumpkin did not jive with me. This combo worked out a lot better for Katie, as she was a big fan. Maybe I was still bitter about not getting the meatballs.

Pizza time, and whenever I see a meat lover's listed on the menu, there's a 99 percent chance I'm going to order it. This held true at Parlor when the Meat Lover's Pizza ($26) was placed before me. It might not look like it from the picture, but there was a whole cavalcade of meats on this one: pepperoni, fennel sausage, sopressata salami, and pistachio mortadella. This pizza was also topped with tomato sauce and sharp provolone. It was lighter than most meat lovers' pizzas I've had, likely due to the high quality of the meats and the restraint in adding cheese. It was not as greasy as others, and I enjoyed the uniqueness of the sharp provolone, which had a great flavor. The crust was crisp in the middle and had minimal flop. A tad more sauce would have been appreciated, but overall, this was a delicious pizza. I finished all but one slice, but if you're not as ravenous an eater as I am, you can maybe get by with splitting this with someone.

When I glanced at the menu before leaving for Parlor, I already knew that Katie would be having the Herb Tagliatelle Bolognese ($25) for her dinner. The slightly spicy tomato ragu was accompanied by shards of short rib and pork, and a sprinkling of pecorino Romano. The tagliatelle was cooked perfectly al dente, and the mingling of the ingredients in the bowl was very comforting. Katie felt that this version could be held up against some of her favorite Italian restaurants in Orange County. She practically licked her plate clean.

Another hit for the RJB Restaurant Group. I'm thrilled that they've branched out and added an Italian-American restaurant to their portfolio. Their pizza is good enough to rival the others available in the pizza-rich city of San Clemente. I'm also looking forward to trying their non-pizza offerings, such as their carbonara, chicken parmesan, and crispy porchetta, on future visits. As is the case in all their restaurants, RJB Restaurant Group has assembled a first-rate team to staff Parlor. Everyone we encountered here was cheerful and genuinely proud of their work. It was especially great to meet Joe Guillena, the operating partner of Parlor. His passion for the restaurant industry was infectious, and we could have chatted for hours, but he was busy making sure things were running smoothly and checking on every occupied table in the restaurant. We can't wait to see what this restaurant group comes up with next.

Out of five glasses of milk (because not only is a parlor a fancy room in a house, but the area where the cows are milked on a dairy farm is called the milking parlor), five being best to zero being worst, Parlor gets 3.5 glasses of milk.

For more information about Parlor Kitchen and cocktails, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.parlorsanclemente.com/

Egg-Tastic Breakfast Sandwiches at Egg Bred in Placentia/Brea

2025-06-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Egg Bred

1085 East Imperial Highway

Placentia, CA 92870

Man, do I love breakfast. Some of my most vivid early memories are tied to the first meal of the day. Trips to the donut shop with my dad, barely sitting through church as a seven-year-old because of the promise we'd stop on the way home for pancakes, and when my parents finally found out about brunch buffets with endless food, and champagne for them, these impressions are all still etched in my mind and why breakfast has always held such a deep rooted love in me.

I often imagine that kid of yesteryear feeling betrayed by who I am now. I've turned my back on who I once was. I don't even know when I stopped having breakfast every day. It must have been a little after high school when sleep became a higher priority, due to the late nights I was having while hanging out with friends. Even now, as my nighttime antics have wound down, I still find myself skipping breakfast, but that may come to an end after my recent visit to Egg Bred.

For those who are unaware, Egg Bred has been opening locations at a steady pace lately. They currently have six locations open for breakfast lovers, with six more listed on their website as coming soon. All of them are in LA and OC, except for one that will be in Fruit Cove, Florida, just south of Jacksonville. Duuuuvvvaaalll! We were fortunate enough to be invited by Michael Yi, the Brea-Placentia Egg Bred franchisee, to learn more about their operations.

Egg Bred started out in La Habra in 2020. The Brea-Placentia spot is open from 7 am to 2 pm daily, located in the same shopping center as Stater Bros., Campitelli's Cookies, and sandwiched between Wienerschnitzel and Jack In The Box, alongside Imperial Highway. The reason for the Brea-Placentia moniker is that they essentially straddle these two North Orange County cities. Even with my weak throwing arm, I could throw a tennis ball and have it hit Brea from the front door of Egg Bred. Okay, maybe on a bounce, but it would make it there eventually.

So what's on the menu at Egg Bred? They feature breakfast sandwiches made on soft and airy milk buns and handcrafted English muffins. There are also seven breakfast burritos to pick from, a couple of benny options, avocado toast, a chorizo chili cheese hash, and a breakfast poutine, which you will see as you read along. Not feeling like breakfast? They offer four lunch sandwiches, along with sides, beverages, and a kids' menu. The price point for the breakfast sandwiches hovers around $10, while lunch sandwiches are closer to $14.

With branding like this, you'd never know this was a former Subway sandwich shop. My friend Jesse and I arrived here at half past ten on a recent Thursday morning to meet up with Michael. He was very personable and really took a hands-on approach with all of his customers during our visit. You can see just how much he believes in this concept and how proud he is of his business. We ordered at the counter and found a seat while we waited for our food. A steady stream of guests arrived throughout our stay. Enough talk, let's check out the food.

Yes, I tried two sandwiches at Egg Bred. Hey, it was a long drive with Jesse from South OC. The first one was the Eggbred Cheeseburger ($11.49). I'm always a big fan of egg on a burger, no matter what time of day it is. The Angus beef patty was placed between a toasted milk bun, accompanied by a slice of sharp cheddar cheese, an over-medium egg, caramelized onions, dill pickles, and house spread. As I took my first bite, I was impressed with the way the bun was soft and pliable, yet it kept everything stable inside the burger. There's nothing worse than a bun that slips and slides as you are trying to eat it. The egg yolk did a great job of tying everything together, and the dill pickles did not overwhelm. I would have liked a heavier hand used when they applied the house spread, and I'd probably add some bacon the next time I order this. A very satisfying burger.

For my second item, I went with a more traditional breakfast sandwich, the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese ($9.29). For the sauce on this one, they use a smoked jalapeno ketchup, which again needed to be used more liberally. I might even sub out their ketchup for their delicious-sounding white truffle spread. The rest of this sandwich had a good balance to it. The sharp cheese they use melts nicely, there was plenty of crisp bacon on this, and the egg yolk really popped after my first bite. It's a good idea to keep the sandwich wrapped to avoid losing any of that delicious yolk.

Most people would describe Jesse as basic, and I guess that's how he likes his breakfast sandwiches, too. Sorry, big guy, I couldn't resist. The Scramble Me Softly ($8.99) features soft scrambled eggs, chives, sharp cheddar, caramelized onions, and a smoked paprika spread, all served on a toasted milk bun. It didn't have any meat on it, but Jesse enjoyed the understated flavor of the ingredients intermingling between the two halves of the milk bun. He made quick work of this sandwich, which was deceptively filling. Great hand modeling, Jesse.

Not an authentic poutine, but a not-to-be-missed item at Egg Bred is The Breakfast Poutine ($14.99). If you've been a reader of this blog for a lengthy amount of time, you know one of my favorite items to get when eating out for breakfast is a skillet, and this is as close as you're going to get at Egg Bred. It actually surprised me how much I enjoyed it. No cheese curds on this, but it does come with beer-battered potatoes, popcorn chicken, a poached egg, cheddar jack cheese, roasted pepper chimichurri, and it was all tied together with country sausage gravy. The gravy here is nice and peppery, and the chicken was very crispy. I liked that each bite was different, but I'll ask for an extra egg next time, as I'd like a little more spread across the plate. Nicely done. If you're not in the mood for a breakfast sandwich, this would be a great alternative.

I'm a big proponent of mixing sweet and savory when having breakfast, and since Egg Bred only has one sugary item on their menu, we had to give their Mixed Berry Cheesecake Waffle ($13.69) a try. This was not overly sweet. The waffles were topped with a cheesecake drizzle, berry compote, and powdered sugar. Not very heavy, splitting this with someone and having one of their sandwiches is doable for almost everyone. I liked the cheesecake drizzle way more than I thought I would. A nice ending to our visit to Egg Bred.

When Jesse and I got in the car to go home, we both wished that there was an Egg Bred near where we live. There's really nothing like it in South OC, and we hope that gets rectified sooner rather than later. It would be nice to have an alternative to the fast-food egg sandwiches that we often resort to when we don't want to dine in a full-service restaurant. Crossing my fingers.

For more information about Egg Bred, head to their website by clicking here: https://eggbred.com/

**We were provided this meal for free in exchange for an honest review of their service and food. ** No other compensation was received.

Eight Plates Is Not Going to Be Enough at Hachi

2025-06-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

Hachi Japanese Izakaya

3033 Bristol Street D

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

I'm certainly no expert on Japanese food. When I was growing up, we mostly stuck to American dishes, white-washed Mexican food, and spaghetti mixed with hamburger and a jar of Ragu. Not exactly elevated cuisine, and it's part of the reason I love restaurants to this day. My only exposure to Japanese fare was an occasional visit to Benihana for a birthday dinner. I know that doesn't really count.

Enter my aunt Hiroko. She met my uncle in 1988, and they have been together ever since. She came from Japan and introduced us to the food she loved from her homeland. Nothing too outlandish (I think she might have sensed we weren't adventurous eaters), she'd make us homemade California rolls and Asian-inspired sauces for our annual fondue feast on Christmas Eve.

Nowadays, we have dinner almost monthly with my aunt and uncle. Hiroko coordinates where we will be eating, which is rare, because with everyone else, I'm the go-to guy for picking a restaurant. It's a relief not to have the pressure of choosing a place that everyone else will like. To be honest, I always enjoy seeing what she'll come up with. This time it was for her birthday, and we all headed to Hachi Izakaya.

Hachi is located at the corner of Bristol and Paularino Avenue in Costa Mesa, and is housed in the same shopping plaza as The Halal Guys, Capital Noodle Bar, Wanderlust Creamery, and other highly rated Asian restaurants. With so many highly rated restaurants in this plaza, parking is notoriously difficult to find. However, since we were meeting at 6 pm on a Sunday, I easily found one of the twenty or so free parking stalls and was ready for my first visit to an izakaya.

For those of you who are unaware, like myself, an izakaya is described as a Japanese bar or tavern that serves small plates meant for sharing in a relaxed and casual atmosphere. Like a gastropub or tapas bar. I counted 71 items on their menu, all of which are small plates meant for sharing. Choices include sushi, izakaya dishes, sashimi, yakitori, tempura, and hot pot. Prices range from $5 to $94 for the pork shabu shabu hot pot, which serves 3 to 4 people.

There were six of us this evening, and since my aunt has been here before, we let her take the lead on what we should order. She ordered the first round of items and then asked for input on what else we'd like to try. The food came out relatively quickly in what felt like waves. Here's what came out for us.

Let's start out slowly with the Mentaiko Potato Salad ($10). This was unlike any potato salad my mom had ever made. The mashed potato is mixed with spicy cod roe, cucumber, onions, pickles, and smoked beef. It was good, but a little more understated than I had expected, particularly with the spicy cod roe and other listed ingredients. A fair side item, though.

For a restaurant not typically known for its sushi, Hachi served some solid sushi. We tried the Negi-Toro Roll ($11 for 4 pieces) and the Crab Rolls ($12 for 4 pieces). I found the sushi here to be fresh and well-crafted. My aunt is a harsh critic when it comes to sushi, and she had no complaints with either of these well-made sushi rolls.

I never really associate fried cooking with Japanese food, but Jidori Chicken Karaage ($12.00) was available, so we had to give it a try. This fried chicken was not as greasy as I expected, and perhaps that's why it lacked the big punch of flavor I was expecting. Not horrible, and it was lighter than other versions, but still had a good crunch to it.

The winner of the silver medal for me this evening was the Crispy Mayo Shrimp ($14.50). This was the second-best thing I had, as it was tempura on the outside, and the shrimp inside was fresh and went well with the sweet chili mayo that was drizzled on top. I would have liked the mayo on the side, because the drizzle did not cover the whole shrimp. It's still a must-try when you're eating at Hachi.

The Beef Tongue ($26.50) gets the most love from online reviews, and for good reason; it was the best bite of the night. This tasted more like a delicious steak, rather than tongue, maybe because it was thick-cut. Great tenderness and umami flavor were present throughout. It's definitely worth getting, and a definite frontrunner for the best bite of beef I've had this year.

I haven't eaten at many izakayas, but if there's one rule I've learned online about them, it's that you should try as much of the food served on skewers as possible. We tried our best by getting the Jidori Chicken Meatball Skewer ($11 for 2 pieces), Jidori Thigh Skewer ($11 for 2 pieces), and the Chicken Tender Skewer ($11 for 2 pieces).

All were good, but the standouts were the chicken thigh and the chicken meatball. The chicken thigh was tender and flavorful, with a good amount of smokiness. It was also incredibly juicy. A must try when eating at Hachi. The chicken meatball was glazed with a sweet sauce of some sort, which complemented the savoriness of the ground chicken underneath. The other chicken skewer was fine, but the dab of whatever the green sauce was on it did not elevate this to anything other than passable.

New to me, I found my hand reaching for the Gobo Chips ($12) more than I imagined they would. I learned that gobo is made from burdock root, which is sliced thin and lightly fried. I was surprised by the large serving size and the earthy, yet sweet tinge of this. It was finished off with ao-nori, which are sea cabbage flakes. Something different, but I'm glad I tried them.

The one item that didn't jive with me this evening was the Jidori Egg Omelet ($13.50). It wasn't bad, but it wasn't something I'd order again. It was bland and just sat at our table until almost the very end of our meal.

More sushi rolls were ordered, the Negi Toro that we had earlier, and the Toro-Taku Roll ($11 for four pieces). The bluefin tuna was good in this, but the fish-to-rice ratio was a little off kilter in favor of the rice. There was too much of it, and it overshadowed the tuna and other parts of the sushi roll. Consider sticking to nigiri sushi if you want the fish to stand out a bit more.

The Creamy Crab Croquette ($17 for 2 pieces) piqued my interest. They were bigger than I imagined, the size of two ping pong balls. They were filled with crab and a bechamel sauce, which are two of my favorite things separately, and breaded with panko and fried. The bechamel overpowered here, and left me searching for any hint of crab in each bite. They also fell apart structurally after the first bite, and were best eaten with a fork after they collapsed.

I'm not sure who ordered the Corn Kakiage ($10), but when it came to the table, it reminded me lookwise of the Corn Pop Cereal we had as kids. A sweet and salty snack made with tempura and corn, it's more like a fluffier rice cake with added flavor. Not bad, and it didn't taste like Styrofoam, unlike rice cakes.

Hachi was a pleasant surprise, and has whetted my appetite to try more izakayas soon. I also feel like I just scratched the surface at Hachi, as we only had 15 of their 71 items, so we have just eighty percent of their menu left to sample on future visits. I look forward to trying their ribeye, baked crab salad, pork belly skewers, and others on future visits. Hachi is only open for dinner daily, and they do have one other location in Torrance. Make reservations if you plan on eating here on Friday or Saturday, as I've heard the wait can exceed an hour or more on these nights. I'm thrilled that my aunt Hiroko brought us here, and I'm even more excited that she has taken us out of our comfort zone to experience a broader range of Asian cuisine.

Out of five saunas (because hachi translates to eight in Japanese, and my favorite hockey player, Teemu Selanne, wore that number, and he's from Finland, where they have the most saunas in the world), five being best to zero being worst, Hachi Izakaya gets 3.5 saunas.

For more information about Hachi Izakaya, head to their website by clicking here: https://hachi.takefiveusa.com/

X Marks the Spot in Mission Viejo (Plus My Top 10 South OC Mexican Restaurants)

2025-05-26T08:07:00.001-07:00

Xclusive Mexican Kitchen

25571 Jeronimo Road #1

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

I often hear it from people, "there's no good Mexican food in South OC." I agree that most of the great Mexican food in OC is located north of Irvine, but there are some excellent Mexican restaurants in South OC; you just have to do a little more hunting to find them. I'll post my top ten Mexican restaurant spots in South OC at the end of this review, but for now, let's see if Xclusive Mexican Kitchen can crack my top ten list.

If Xclusive sounds familiar, it might be because you have been to or heard about Xclusive Taqueria Moderna in Ladera Ranch. I reviewed that restaurant in 2020, right before the pandemic threw everything into chaos. At that time, they were a fast-casual restaurant, where you'd order at the counter, and then the food was brought to you. They pivoted sometime after I published my review to a full-service restaurant, and even though they don't have the most high-visibility location, they are still thriving and have a very high 4.6-star rating on Yelp. Very impressive.

The men behind Xclusive are Manny Velasco and Eddie Rivera. Manny was the executive chef and co-owner of Sol Agave, but I'm unsure if he's still with them, as there is no mention of him on their website or in recent news stories about the restaurant. I was also surprised to learn that Sol Avage has expanded to six locations, with two of them in Utah. It's very interesting, and I'm sure there's a story behind it, but back to the restaurant I'm reviewing.

Xclusive started out as Xclusive Mexican Seafood and changed its name to Xclusive Mexican Kitchen sometime after its 2022 debut. Their menu is still primarily seafood-focused, but it also offers a variety of beef, pork, and chicken options. The menu is very approachable, and almost everyone who walks through their door can find something they'd like to eat here. Entrees range between $20 and $43. Taco Tuesday is celebrated here all day with food and drink specials.

We arrived at Xclusive at 7 p.m. on a Wednesday and were greeted by a fairly full restaurant. Upon entering, a large bar area is located off to your left, featuring an L-shaped bar and four TVs mounted above it. The dining area is spaced out nicely, as you are not right on top of other tables. A couple more TVs are scattered throughout the space, and a wall display proudly showcases their tequila collection. We made our selections with our server and waited under 15 minutes for our food to hit the table.

The Bean Dip served with Chips and Salsa is a signature dish from any Manny Velasco restaurant. It was hard for Katie and me to keep from gobbling this down as we waited for our entrees. The bean dip here is addictive. The chips were fresh, and the salsa had a great consistency—just right for dipping. The waitstaff was very attentive to refilling our drinks, salsa, bean dip, and chips during our visit, which was greatly appreciated.

Katie's order this evening was fairly straightforward: she selected the Two-Item Combo ($18), which includes a Crispy Chicken Taco and a Cheese Enchilada. The taco came with pico, crema, queso fresco, purple cabbage, and chicken. The chicken was nicely done with a mix of crispy and tender pieces. The tortilla was fried lightly and held everything together well. The cheese enchilada was topped with lime crema and queso fresco. It was bigger than most enchiladas we have had. Katie was pleased with this combo plate and would not hesitate to get this again. She loved the crispiness of the taco shell, the chicken's flavor, and the enchilada's understated cheesiness. The plate was rounded out with rice and beans.

I would not normally spend over thirty dollars on two enchiladas, but the Lobster and Shrimp Enchiladas ($31) came highly recommended on Yelp, so I had to try them. Like the cheese enchilada on Katie's plate, these enchiladas were on the larger side. They did not skimp on the amount of lobster and shrimp in these either. Every forkful had at least some shrimp or lobster. The red sauce complemented the insides of the enchilada wonderfully. The little salad was okay. I would have rather had some beans, but the rice was a nice vehicle for the excess sauce.

We both enjoyed our meal at Xclusive this evening. The portion sizes are generous, but the prices might deter some people, which is a shame because what comes out of the kitchen is some really high-quality Mexican food. I look forward to trying one of their molcajetes, steak tampiquena, and carnitas on future visits. The service we experienced was excellent, but did they make my top ten of South OC Mexican restaurants? Read on to find out.

Out of five vigilantes (because back in 1997, Mission Viejo was home to a minor league baseball team of this name, which played in the now-defunct Western Baseball League), with five being best and zero being worst, Xclusive Mexican Kitchen earns 3.5 vigilantes.

For more information about Xclusive Mexican Kitchen, head to their website by clicking here: https://xclusivemexicankitchenca.com/

Top Ten South OC Mexican Restaurants (I've been to so far)

#10 Perla's Taqueria - Mission Viejo (no review yet)

#9 Baja Fish Tacos - Mission Viejo/Lake Forest

#8 Xclusive Mexican Kitchen - Mission Viejo

#7 El Campion - San Juan Capistrano (no review yet)

#6 Sol Agave - San Juan Capistrano

#5 The Taco Stand - Mission Viejo

#4 La Cocina de Ricardo - Lake Forest

#3 Calo Kitchen and Tequila - Laguna Niguel

#2 El Maguey - San Juan Capistrano

#1 Tacos de Birria Estilo de Guadalajara - Laguna Woods/Aliso Viejo

A Rolling Stone Gathers Teriyaki Bowls at Mos 2

2025-05-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

Mos 2

221 South Grand

Santa Ana, CA 92701

It's been far too long since I've eaten at Mos 2. Okay, that might be an understatement. The last time I was here was in 1995, when I worked nearby and went here with a coworker for lunch. What I remember most about that trip was that it was tough to find parking, they had what seemed like hundreds of little cups of teriyaki sauce on the counter, and many people were standing around waiting for their food. I was also nervous about making it back to work on time.

Flashback to the present day, and after being at my job for 37 years, I'm no longer nervous about taking a more extended lunch break. I can't remember not taking an extra ten minutes for lunch recently. Ironically, on this visit to Mos 2, I came with my current coworkers, who were not even born when I was here the first time all those years ago. They are fans of this spot and wanted to make sure I would review it. So here goes.

I conducted some research and discovered the reason why this is called Mos 2. There was a Mos Burger's off of Edinger in Santa Ana way back in the day. I'm unsure if these two had the same ownership, but to avoid confusion, they named themselves Mos 2. They have four locations up and running, two in Anaheim and two, including this one, in Santa Ana. The Santa Ana establishments are housed in old Taco Bells, so if you feel nostalgic, this might be another reason to visit.

We arrived here at 1030, and with only ten parking spaces in the cramped lot, I can imagine it gets a little hectic at lunchtime. You could chance parking at the DMV next door, but plenty of signs warn that car towing is possible. We arrived early enough, so this was not a concern for us, but it is something to be aware of.

The menu at Mos 2 is slightly more diverse than that at your local In-N-Out. They have bowls, combo plates, and sides. The big draw here is the teriyaki beef, chicken, and pork. Like at Flame Broiler or Waba Grill, they serve their teriyaki proteins with green onions, rice, and two thimble-sized cups of teriyaki sauce. Combo plates come with a gyoza, egg roll, and green salad, and you also have the option to upgrade(?) your meal with fried shrimp, scallops, or fish. This is one of the few remaining restaurants that still accepts cash only, so be sure to have some cash handy, as if it's 1995 all over again.

We found seats on the front patio and waited for our number to be called. My Teriyaki Beef and Chicken Combo ($14.50) arrived first. Both meats were piled on top of plain white rice, and I drizzled my two allocated cups of teriyaki over the chicken and beef. I considered buying two more sauces, but I decided to try this with what was provided.

The chicken was more tender than I expected, while the beef was slightly overcooked, but the teriyaki sauce masked that, making it still enjoyable. This would have been even better if I had gotten two more teriyaki sauces or at least some hot sauce to balance out the sweetness of the teriyaki. The gyoza and egg roll were both unremarkable, and the salad was dressed very lightly with a creamy, tangy dressing that only coated a quarter of the lettuce. The bowl might be the way to go at Mos 2.

Both Jeff and Becks got plates. I don't know if they planned it this way, but they got one of each: the Teriyaki Chicken Plate ($13.50) and the Teriyaki Beef Plate ($14.25). They really pile on the meat at Mos 2. They seemed to like their meals, but Jeff said he prefers Waba Grill.

Trying to impress his girlfriend, Astrid, Jesse opted for the Teriyaki Chicken and Fried Shrimp Plate ($14.75). This is probably so he won't have to take her to a nice seafood restaurant for at least a few months. Of course, always the cheapskate, Jesse made them split this meal. You deserve so much better, Astrid.

Jesse was generous enough to share one of their shrimp with me. It reminded me of the frozen ones my mom used to fry up in a pan while growing up. There was nothing wrong with it, and it brought back some nostalgia. Thanks for the shrimp and the journey down memory lane, guys.

I left Mos 2 feeling good about my meal. It's easy to see how they have stayed in business for many decades. I'm not a teriyaki bowl expert, as this is the first one I've reviewed on this blog; however, it's the leader in the clubhouse for now. Mos 2 is better than Waba Grill and light years better than what Flame Broiler has become in the last few years. This is not a convenient restaurant to patronize, given its cash-only policy, limited seating, and tiny parking lot. However, if you want a good teriyaki bowl at a reasonable price, Mos 2 might just be what you are looking for. They'll probably be around well after I retire.

Out of five blind intersections (because of the proximity to the DMV, it reminded me that the reason I failed my first driver's test was that I went too fast through blind intersections, and I had to wait an extra month to finally get my license, very traumatic at age 16), five being best to zero being worst, Mos 2 gets 3 blind intersections.

For more information about Mos 2, head to their website by clicking here: https://mos2teriyaki.com/

Is This SOL Mexican Cocina’s Moment in the Sun?

2025-05-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

Sol Mexican Cocina

1910 Main Street

Irvine, CA 92614

Sol Mexican Cocina will always hold a special place in my heart. In the early days of this blog, I wrote about this restaurant quite often. It turns out it was only four times, but that still seems like a lot to me now, as I always wanted this restaurant review blog to be as diverse as possible. There were two reasons for the overabundance of Sol Cocina posts. We were invited to their media events, of which they had one every few months or so. The second reason was that we genuinely enjoyed the food here. This is where we'd come for special occasions, and we even spent a memorable Valentine's Day lunch here about ten years ago.

This was also the first place where I really enjoyed what people called elevated Mexican food. When Sol Cocina opened in Newport Beach in 2011, the only restaurants that fit this description were Las Brisas and Javier's, which I have never really enjoyed. Sol Cocina was brought to fruition when Deborah Schneider, an award-winning writer of Mexican cookbooks and executive chef, and her business partners decided to bring her Baja-inspired recipes to the public.

Sol Cocina's expansion was measured, but it progressed over the years. They operate five locations: their initial Newport Beach spot, Playa Vista, Scottsdale, Irvine, and Denver. An outpost at the Forum Shops in Las Vegas shuttered last year. Sol Cocina spawned a more casual Mexican restaurant, Solita Tacos and Margaritas, which has two locations, Huntington Beach and Valencia.

In 2019, Xperience Restaurant Group acquired both of these restaurant concepts. The group also operates El Torito, Chevy's, Las Brisas, Acapulco, and others. This was our first visit to Sol Cocina since it was sold to the new restaurant group, and it's always a crap shoot whether it's going to be as good or slide downward in food and service quality. I was intrigued to find out which way it was going to go.

My aunt and uncle have been including Katie and me in their family celebrations, and for my aunt's birthday, they decided to have it at Sol Cocina in Irvine. This location is situated alongside Main Street in the Irvine Concourse, also home to Goldfinch, The Trough, their soon-to-open sister restaurant, Monaco Italian Kitchen, and Izakaya Osen. Quite the ensemble of restaurants for an area of town mainly dotted with hotels and multi-story office buildings.

We arrived at Sol Cocina at half past 6 on a Sunday evening. The restaurant was sparsely populated, and our server met us immediately as we were seated. The dining room was sleek and modern. We weren't sitting near it, but the dining room's centerpiece is a glass-enclosed kitchen, which would be interesting to sit near if you are into watching the inner workings of a restaurant kitchen.

It's been a long while since we've eaten at Sol, but since the ownership change, the menu has not changed much, which is nice to see. Four of the ten starters are different versions of guacamole, and the rest of the menu is broken up into sections of salads, specialty plates, tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. Entrees go for anywhere between $20 and $42 for a wagyu steak. We made our selections, and this is what came out for us.

No sizzling skillet for the Sol Fajitas ($30) here. This serving of flap meat featured some really nice grill marks on the steak, and came with some fajita vegetables, an excellent cilantro chimichurri, pico de gallo, and sliced avocado. I was sitting at the far end of the table from Casey, who ordered this, but I did not hear any complaints from him from where I was sitting. I liked the change of pace of forgoing the pomp and circumstance of having the fajitas steaming hot and sizzling for all the restaurant to hear. Very understated.

The taco plates come with three tacos and two sides of your choice. They offer carnitas, grilled chicken, or this Carne Asada Taco Plate ($21). The corn tortillas contain pico, onions, avocado sauce, and cilantro. These looked fine from where I sat, but I would have asked for extra salsa. The black beans and red rice were an easy choice over the other two sides, spicy slaw and quinoa salad.

This would have been my pick if someone had not snatched it up before me. This Short Ribs 'Barbacoa' ($32) resembled a chile colorado. The short ribs were tender, and the red sauce had a nice, almost smoky flavor but did not detract from the meat. This came with the rice and beans as the tacos, but also had three pieces of sweet potato on the plate, which I thought was a little odd. For $32, I thought they could have included a little more short rib.

I always favor pork in Mexican restaurants, and that was true again on this visit to Sol when I selected the Pork Carnitas ($23). This was a very solid version of this dish. The pork had a nice mix of fatty and lean pieces; there were some crispy ends, and adding the chicharon, which was not listed on the menu description, was a pleasant surprise. The rice and black beans were good, but I prefer the bean dip you get at the start of your meal with the chips and salsa. The bean dip brought this pork to a whole other level. I'll ask for extra the next time I'm here.

Katie selected the Chicken 'Desmadres' ($23) for her meal this evening. I promise there is chicken under all that arugula, red onion, tomatoes, peppers, and avocado salad. It was an interesting presentation because a citrus drizzle acted like a light dressing, topping this. I would have liked this salad served on the side, so getting to the chicken would have been easier. Katie liked this well enough but thought it was also an odd dish. The chicken was tender, but it needed a flavor boost.

I've never really understood why quesadillas need to be as expensive as they are. This is not a knock on Sol Cocina, because every restaurant, whether it's elevated Mexican, a modest taqueria, or even Del Taco, which offers its chicken quesadilla at $6, has a massive upcharge for this delicious snack. Half a dollar for the tortilla, a dollar for the cheese, and two dollars, conservatively, for the chicken, for a grand total of $3.50 for something that gets upcharged 400 percent at most sit-down restaurants. This Grilled Chicken Quesadilla ($19), I'm sure, was better than most, and it did come with a drizzle of salsas, tomatoes, and onions on top, and two sides. So, it's a relative bargain compared to most restaurants' quesadillas. Sorry, I rambled here, but I needed to get it off my chest.

I'm glad Sol Mexican Cocina has not fallen off the rails since they changed ownership. Some of the novelty of their food has dimmed a bit because upscale Mexican food has become more common, but I'd place Sol right in the middle of all the elevated Mexican restaurants I've visited. They are better than Las Brisas and Javier's, but not as good as Calo, Red O, or Sol Agave. The service was nice and cordial, and their prices, except for the quesadilla, were not outrageous. A worthy restaurant for a family gathering or a date night.

Out of five soccer balls (because the Los Angeles Sol was a professional women's soccer team that won the regular season championship in their only season, with five being best and zero being worst, Sol Mexican Cocina gets 3 soccer balls.

For more information about Sol Mexican Cocina, head to their website by clicking here: https://solcocina.com/

Yes, Another Hot Chicken Review, Bred Hot Chicken

2025-05-09T16:31:00.000-07:00

Bred Hot Chicken

2930 Bristol Street Suite A104

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Okay, I know I've written this before, but this feels like hot chicken review number 3,692 that I have posted. It's like weeds sprouting up in your front yard; once you turn your back, many seem to come up through the grass. Hot chicken sandwich spots are just like that; they are multiplying like frozen yogurt places did in 2010. Unfortunately, most small froyo places have closed, with only Golden Spoon, Yogurtland, Menchie's, and a few others surviving. I'm hoping for a better fate for all the hot chicken spots in Southern California.

I'm unsure how Bred Hot Chicken ended up on my restaurant wishlist, but it seemed like the perfect spot to meet my niece Kaylie and her husband Brady, whom I have nicknamed Brawny, due to his resemblance to the guy on the Brawny Paper Towels. They had recently married, so Katie and I wanted to treat them to dinner to celebrate. I gave them five spots to choose from, and this was the one they wanted to try.

Bred Hot Chicken opened at the LAB Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa three years ago this month. In that time, they have brought some stability to this space, which has seen its fair share of turnover in recent years. I ate here when it was LA Brisket and Baba's Hot Chicken, which departed after what feels like a very short stint. I'm sure I'm missing some places this suite used to be, but let's focus on the present.

This is a family-run business, with Scott Kearse and his wife, Laura, running things. Like many other restaurant beginnings, they started with a food truck before opening this location. Since then, they have also opened at the newly opened River Street Marketplace in San Juan Capistrano. Their website also mentions a possible expansion to Las Vegas, but a quick Google search yielded that they have not done that yet, although they have sold their chicken at some concerts there. Stay tuned.

At Bred Hot Chicken, you can get your chicken many ways: as nuggets, tenders, in a slider or sandwich, on top of fries, served with waffles, and even in a Caesar salad. They also have many platter options, perfect for bigger groups. I counted six side items and two desserts to choose from. With all hot chicken restaurants, the dipping sauces are front and center, and Bred's has ten to choose from, with their signature Comeback sauce being the most popular. Enough chatter, let's see the food.

I'll just group the chicken items together to reduce my writing time. We got the Slider Chicks ($12..95), Big O' Sandwich ($12.95), and Juicy Tenders ($10.95). These come à la carte, with the sides costing between $1.49 for the slaw and $7.95 for the mac and cheese. The chicken has six heat levels, with everyone else choosing either no heat or a kiss of heat, the two lowest amounts of heat you can get. I kicked it up two notches by getting the spicy, which is described as a satisfying burn.

Everyone really enjoyed their chicken. My tablemates described it as juicy and moist, with a good, crunchy breading coating the outside. I also enjoyed my rather large chicken tenders. They nailed the description of the heat level, as it was very satisfying without being overwhelming. I got the comeback sauce, which resembles Cane's sauce but is a little less peppery and thicker, so it clings to the chicken better. I discarded the white bread that came with my tenders, but their homemade brined pickles were legit.

Here's where things went a little off the rails, Bred's sides. The Potato Salad ($3.95) was fine, with hunks of tender potato and covered in a dressing that resembled the one my mom made when we were growing up. I felt my mom's was okay back then, but it was not good enough to be served in a restaurant. Bred's was just kind of boring, and maybe they should look at the picture on their website and add some cayenne seasoning to the top of their potato salad to wake it up a bit.

The Millionaire Mac and Cheese ($7.95) was the night's biggest disappointment at Bred Hot Chicken. When something is called, "millionaire", you'd expect it to be something special. This was not. It was rather boring flavor-wise, even though the menu claims this is made with four kinds of cheeses. The cheese barely covered the noodles, and this again was not even close to what the picture on their website looks like. I looked at the pictures on Yelp, and the mac and cheese is at best inconsistent, either really soupy or lacking the cheesiness you want when ordering mac and cheese. At least add some bacon or something else if you call this millionaire mac and cheese. Sorry, end rant.

If I were judging this solely on Bred's chicken, it would rank right up there with some of the best in OC. The chicken was that good, and the sauces were also delicious. Unfortunately, the sides were subpar and lackluster. The fries were fine, but needed some seasoning to elevate them. We ordered through the screen, so we did not have a lot of interaction with the employees here, but they got our food out to us rather quickly. It'll be interesting to see how this hot chicken craze shakes out, but it shows no sign of stopping for now.

Out of five coffee cups (because not only was the hot chicken sandwich invented in Nashville, but this Tennessee city was also where Maxwell House Coffee was invented in 1892), five being best to zero being worst, Bred Hot Chicken gets 3 coffee cups.

For more information about Bred Hot Chicken, head to their website by clicking here: https://bredhotchicken.com/

Hopefully the Spitting Will Be Held to a Minimum at Spitz

2025-05-09T16:23:00.000-07:00

Spitz

1474 Kramer Blvd.

Placentia, CA 92870

As is my custom when attending my dentist's appointment, I always look for somewhere to eat afterwards. It's like a way to reward myself for caring for my teeth. I'm usually up in North OC twice a year for these appointments on a weekday afternoon, so I try to hit up a place I would not usually get to. Even though my parents live in the area, they are not big fans of Mediterranean food, so since I was alone, I tried a spot that had caught my eye on Instagram, Spitz.

While writing this review, I was surprised to learn that this is one of 24 locations in nine states, with more to come. This is the only one in OC, and it's in the busy, revamped Placentia Village Plaza, situated at the corner of Kramer and Yorba Linda Boulevard. Clyde's Hot Chicken, Craft Burger Co., Original Pancake House, and Saigon Noodle House are other restaurant tenants here.

Spitz was conceived by two Occidental College classmates in 2009. Their vision was to bring the Mediterranean street food found everywhere in Europe to the US. The restaurant's name is an homage to the vertical cooking method used to make doner kebab, which is featured on almost every dish on their menu. They also want to de-ethnicize traditional doner kebab by making it healthier and more approachable to US consumers.

It must have worked because they have become very successful, and all five of their Southern California locations have four-star ratings on Yelp. They have also been named one of the top upcoming franchises for restaurant industry insiders to watch in the future.

The Spitz menu is divided into sections for doner wraps, house favorites, bowls, salads, sides, gyros, desserts, and a vegan menu. Nothing on their menu exceeds the $15 threshold, except for the combos, including a wrap, a side, and a drink. Favorites included loaded fries and an interesting take on a taquito, which I'll have to try on my next visit. For now, I kept it basic food-wise. Let's see how Spitz turned out for me.

Please forgive my awkward hand modeling. I promise my hand was not hurt holding this large Gyro ($12.25), although it was stuffed with plenty of fries, onions, tzatziki sauce, Berliner sauce, zesty feta, gyro meat, and chicken. The pita was puffier than the normal pita, which made it softer when bitten and able to hold everything together. I was also a fan of the sauces here, which they were not shy about applying generously. The Berliner sauce, which was a creamy, slightly spicy sauce, was a standout and went well with the insides of the gyro. The gyro meat was nicely done, with a good flavor, but the chicken got lost in the shuffle here and was not a standout. Even after my thirty-minute drive home, the fries were relatively still crisp, which was no small feat considering the amount of sauce on this. Spitz makes a very pleasing gyro.

This Street Cart Wrap ($14.25) was no slouch either. The grilled wrap was filled with green peppers, garlic aioli, lavash chips, cucumber, romaine lettuce, cabbage, and tzatziki. Again, I went with the mixed meat option, which included gyro meat and chicken. The chicken was more noticeable in this wrap. Both this and the gyro come with tomatoes, but I'm not a fan, so I omitted them. I was afraid they would overstuff this with the cabbage and romaine, but that was not the case. The proteins were front and center, and I enjoyed the many textures inside this wrap. The chips, cabbage, and the grilling of the wrap provided a nice crunch in most bites. The garlic aioli added a big burst of flavor, and I'd ask for extra next time.

Spitz was a great choice after my dentist appointment. I can see myself exploring more of their menu and customizing the items above, even more to my liking, on future visits. I'll rate the wrap I had recently at the Chicken Shop better than this wrap from Spitz, but it's very close. It's easy to see why they have opened so many locations in such diverse areas of the US in such a short time. I did not get much chance to interact with their staff, as I got my food to go, but it was ready for me at the stated time, and I was on my way with clean teeth and a delicious lunch at home.

Out of five fillings (not because I had any fillings at my dentist appointment, but because Mark Spitz, the Olympic swimmer from the 1970s, originally went to college to be a dentist, and that ties in nicely with my review and the name of this restaurant), five being best and zero being worst, Spitz gets three fillings.

For more information about Spitz, head to their website by clicking here: https://spitz-restaurant.com/

Feeling a Little Closer to Lahaina in Carson

2025-04-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

Back Home In Lahaina

519 Carson Street

Carson, CA 90745

I may have passed my obsession on to my sister. Like me, she has gotten into audiobooks and even outread (or listened?) me last year. She had been wanting to get another library card to increase her book selection. I suggested going to a Los Angeles City Library branch to get her one of their library cards. They have the fifth-largest collection of books in public libraries in the US, so we headed to the closest branch, which happened to be in Wilmington. This also allowed me to try a restaurant I had heard good things about, Back Home in Lahaina.

It was serendipity that I brought my sister here. Like so many people, Lahaina holds a special place in her heart. In the early 90s, she worked a summer at the iconic Pioneer Inn, which was destroyed by the wildfires of August 2023, like the rest of the town. That disaster brought out such a need for not just the large Hawaiian community that inhabits the South Bay, but anyone who has a connection to the town to help out, remember, and just want to be near something that reminds them of how Lahaina used to be, and hopefully will be again.

For many, that place was Back Home In Lahaina. This restaurant, opened in Carson in 1998, has become a meeting place for all who want to feel close to what was lost 2,500 miles across the ocean. The large murals that dominate the dining room make it easy to feel a proximity, highlighting what Lahaina once was and will hopefully be again. There are even replica street signs and built-out storefronts of the historical seaside town. It almost feels like you are transported back there as soon as you enter the space, which makes this place feel special, even before I had my first bite of food here.

Almost every best Hawaiian food list that appears online or in print media lists this as one of the go-to spots for Hawaiian cuisine. It's a restaurant, a bakery, and a small market selling Hawaiian goods. The Back Home In Lahaina menu is four pages full of Hawaiian staples: lau lau, kalua pork, spam musubi, poke, and others. Most entrees are priced right around the $20 price point, and as you'll see soon, they do not skimp on the portion sizes here. We were seated, our order taken, and we waited patiently for our food to arrive.

Up first for my sister and me was the Kalua Pork Lumpia ($6.99). They stuffed kalua pork inside wonton skins with this fusion dish and deep-fried them. I was let down by this starter. The outer skin was not as crispy as I would have liked, while the pork inside had a good flavor, but I found it on the dry side. The provided sweet and sour sauce helped moisten things up, but it detracted from the taste of the kalua pork. I'll stick to the traditional Filipino lumpias next time.

On the way up here, I talked up the fried chicken I have had at other Hawaiian restaurants (Da Hawaiian in Huntington Beach being the best I've had so far), and I guess after 50-plus years, I have proof that my sister actually listens to me sometimes. She selected the Lahaina Fried Chicken Plate ($12.49 plus $2.99 for the upgrade to Bacon Fried Rice) as her meal on this early evening. Here at BHIL, they use boneless chicken nuggets, which were very solid. I'm always partial to chicken off the bone, but these were almost as good. The breading was crispy and perfectly seasoned, and the chicken underneath was tender and juicy. The chicken didn't need a sauce, but I used the provided teriyaki, a good complement to the savory chicken. The fried rice was worth the upcharge, as it was good and not as oily as other places tend to serve it. My sister skipped the ramen cabbage salad and got two wontons filled with sausage instead. They were excellent. She took half of this home for lunch the next day, as the portions were very generous.

I also took half of my meal to go. As is my custom when eating out, I always veer towards a combo meal or, in this case, a platter to ensure I try as many things as possible on my initial visit. This #1 Platter ($19.49 plus a $2.99 upcharge for sausage fried rice) featured the same delicious fried chicken that my sister enjoyed, kalua pork, beef teriyaki, cabbage ramen salad, and a scoop of macaroni salad. This kalua pork was much better than what we had in the lumpia at the start of our meal, but some bites were still dry. The beef teriyaki was OK, but nothing really stood out to me about it. The ramen cabbage salad was bland, and the mac salad was good, but its serving size was dwarfed by the mound of fried rice and cabbage on the plate. It could be evened out. The chicken and fried rice saved this plate.

We did not need dessert, but we had come all this way, so why not? I had not done my research, as I learned later that the item to get is the haupia cheesecake, which gets rave reviews. We tried the Pineapple Upside-down Cake ($3.49) instead. It was good and moist, but I was hoping for more sweetness. Next time we're coming for you, haupia.

Back Home in Lahaina was a good but not great Hawaiian restaurant. If you are in the area and craving food from the islands, this place will satisfy your cravings, and you will likely have food leftover for the next day. I had high expectations, and although they were not met, I would definitely visit here again if I found myself nearby. I would not skip the fried chicken and try their loco moco, kalbi short ribs, or BBQ pork. We experienced excellent service on this visit, and the food came out quickly. This restaurant embodies the feel of Maui, and that's well worth a visit if you are missing all that was lost in the fires almost a year ago.

Out of five banyan trees (because the banyan tree is viewed as a symbol of hope by the people of Maui, and luckily, the banyan tree that was planted in 1873 in the center of Lahaina is showing signs of recovery after the fires), five being best to zero being worst, Back Home In Lahaina gets 3 banyan trees.

For more information about Back Home In Lahaina, click here to visit their website: https://www.backhomeinlahaina.com/

I Could Become a Shopaholic at This Chicken Shop

2025-04-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

The Chicken Shop

1120 Irvine Avenue

Newport Beach, CA 92660

OC seems to be having their chicken wrap moment right now. My chicken wrap era started two years ago when I visited The Kebab Shop. Before this visit, I mistakenly believed a chicken wrap was just a cold chicken burrito. Even though Katie only allowed me a couple of bites of her carved chicken wrap, it was enough to nudge me towards the chicken wrap side. From then on, I was on a mission to find my favorite in OC.

My favorite so far has been from Dizzy Bird, which has two OC locations, one at the Spectrum Center in Irvine and another at the food court inside the Mission Viejo Mall. I was scrolling through Instagram when I found out about The Chicken Shop. The content creator in this post was excited about this spot, and it looked good from the video. Still, I've been duped before by creators on Instagram who are paid by the restaurant to showcase what I eventually find out after I try it is subpar food. I hoped that would not happen when we visited The Chicken Shop in Newport.

The Chicken Shop opened in 2022 and received great press and general public accolades. It has a 4.8-star rating and over 400 reviews and counting. A former OC Register restaurant critic also wrote an article claiming that this "is very, very, good chicken," and he was a tough restaurant reviewer. Not bad for a restaurant set far back from the always-evolving and vibrant restaurant scene on 17th Street.

The Chicken Shop is technically not on 17th Street, as it's in the Westcliff Plaza (anchored by Ralph's and CVS), where 17th Street turns into Westcliff Drive after it crosses Irvine Avenue. It's brought to us by Fred Taouk, an Australian design professional by trade, who, along with his business partner, Zak Kaldawi, developed this Australian/Mediterranean concept.

The chicken is slow-roasted on the rotisserie, just over the cashier's shoulder, using a South American hardwood, which they credit for their chicken's flavor. The chicken is available three ways here: on its own, in a bowl, or in a wrap. There are three bowls and wraps, with prices ranging from $14 to $16. There are also sides, and for people who don't want chicken, they offer a mushroom option, which is prepared the same way as the chicken, on the rotisserie. We made our selections and found a table out front while waiting for our food to be ready.

We're starting with the Chimichuri Wrap ($14.95). This one has plenty of pulled chicken, pickled red onions, sweet potato fries, and chimichurri filling the grilled wrap. This was tasty. I feared the sweet potato fries would overpower the chimichurri and the onions, but they played well with them. It had an excellent flavor profile, which was kicked up a notch with the inclusion of the garlic sauce, which was pretty strong in flavor. I would have wanted some extra chimichurri if I had to nit-pick, but this wrap was very satisfying. On the side, Katie selected some Pita Chips ($6.95), which were fine, but not anything I'd order again. They were boring, and I only used them to finish the excess garlic sauce.

Our second wrap of the evening was the OG Wrap ($14.95), which included pickles, fries, and garlic sauce. The chicken was tender, and the garlic sauce and fries were comforting. The pickles added a touch of tang that helped balance things out. I also enjoyed that the wrap portion was crisp due to being grilled, which provided a pleasing crunch. With each wrap, you get a choice of a sauce for dipping, and I selected the Creamy yogurt Harissa, which was like a spicier ranch, but with different seasonings added. I will try their Chili and Garlic or the Hot and Spicy sauces on return visits. I got the Jalapeno Slaw ($6.95) as my side. This is a vinegar-based slaw that has a slight kick to it. I love purple cabbage, as it has a great look and is much better than the green version. I wish this had more heat, but it was a fine side dish.

Okay, this was one time an Instagram influencer wasn't just over-inflating how good a place was because the restaurant paid them. The chicken wraps at The Chicken Shop are the best I've had in OC to date. They were well crafted, the chicken was delicious, and the garlic sauce was excellent. I have not had the chance to return since this initial visit, but I plan on returning soon to have their wrap again and try their half chicken plate, which I hear is good as well. Here's to hoping that the chicken wrap era continues to grow in OC.

Out of five sandy beaches (because the country that eats the most poultry per capita in the world is the Bahamas, which has no shortage of beautiful beaches within its borders and would be the perfect place to open a restaurant called The Chicken Shop), five being best to zero being worst, The Chicken Shop gets 3.5 sandy beaches.

For more information about The Chicken Shop, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.thechickenshopoc.com/

Family and Eating Is Everything at Tutto Famiglia

2025-04-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

Tutto Famiglia

23766 Mercury Road

Lake Forest, CA 92630

It was time to cross off one of the restaurants on my wishlist for far too long. Since I live within five miles of Tutto Famiglia, it's surprising I haven't been here until now. I guess I've been busy eating at every other Italian spot around me, but I'm here to remedy that with my good friend Daren, who loves to eat just as much as I do.

Tutto Famiglia was on my list because my good friend and fellow blogger Anita Lau reviewed it in the OC Register 15 years ago. Yes, it was a long time ago, but she's a tough cookie when judging restaurants, and she liked it well enough for it to land on my restaurant list. Tutto Famiglia has been around longer than that review, as they've been in business since 2006. Judging from the photos on their Yelp page, not a lot has changed in the nearly twenty years since they opened.

Family-owned, this restaurant is a little off the beaten track, as the shopping center is surrounded on two sides by residential housing, butts up against the 5 Freeway on one of the other sides, and has a hidden entrance off of Lake Forest Drive, where the shopping center is obscured by some hotels. If you remember where the old Black Angus used to be, which is now Sammy's Original, they are located to the left of that building.

Now that you've found the place, it's time to check out Tutto Famiglia's menu. We ordered off the lunch menu, which they offer from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. They are closed on Mondays and are only open for dinner on weekends. The menu includes appetizers, pastas, baked dishes, pizzas, entrees, and two sandwiches. Only a handful of the entrees eclipse the $20 price point. It's a good-sized menu, but Daren and I were laser-focused and made our minds up rather quickly on what to order.

Right after being seated, we were presented with this Garlic Bread. It was toasted and came with a decent amount of garlic. It reminded me of the Lawry's garlic spread my mom used when I was a kid. We gobbled this up very quickly.

You might never think pizza is a warm-up act, but Daren and I are big eaters, and we wanted something substantial before our entrees. This Pepperoni Pizza ($17) would fill that bill for us. I was expecting a more traditional Italian pizza, but this was topped with plenty of cheese, sauce, and enough pepperoni so you got some in almost every bite. The crust was slightly thicker than a New York-style pizza and had a pleasing chew. The cheese-to-sauce ratio was where I like it, as the cheese was the star and the sauce provided some solid background support. This came to our table volcano hot, but we pushed through, burning our mouths because we were both hungry. Delicious pizza for a restaurant that does not solely sell pizza.

Daren has a real affinity for Manicotti ($14) and rooting for awful football teams. Since this is a restaurant blog, I won't get into his football teams, but he scarfed down this manicotti in record time. The rolled pasta was filled with ricotta and parmesan cheeses and herbs, and then was topped with a tomato-cream sauce. This heavy meal pleased Daren way more than watching his Cowboys play on Sundays.

I was torn between the lasagna and the Pasta Salsiccia ($15). This penne pasta dish had plenty of sliced sausage and a garlic-tomato sauce. The menu claimed the sauce would be spicy, but it was mild. I added some red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese to wake it up a bit. The pasta was cooked al dente, and the sausage tasted great. This was not earth-shattering, but a good, comforting, solid pasta dish.

Tutto Famiglia is an excellent neighborhood Italian restaurant. They have been churning out these dishes for nearly twenty years, and that's the reason why they continue to be a favorite with locals; they are consistent, and they offer their food at a very fair price. They also have an extensive menu, so people can switch things up by getting something different every time they visit, thus not tiring them of ordering the same thing each time they eat here. It's comforting Italian food, not flashy or straight from Italy, which resonates with many people.

Out of five airplanes (because the company that employs the most people in Lake Forest is Panasonic Avionics, which sells and installs in-flight entertainment and communications to airlines worldwide), five being best to zero being worst, Tutto Famiglia gets 3 airplanes.

For more information about Tutto Famiglia, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.tuttofamiglia.com/

Ready, Steady, Go! (To Fountain Valley)

2025-04-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

Steady Kitchen and Taps

18055 Magnolia Street

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

It was that time of year again—the time we picked which Ducks games we would attend this year. This year was a little different for us. My parents decided they did not want to battle the big-time construction and the problematic parking situation at the Honda Center, so they chose not to get tickets this year. That left me and my friend Steve to pick the 15 games we wanted to see this season.

As is our tradition, we pick a different place to select our tickets each year. This year, we were all set to meet at a nearby pizza place I've wanted to try for a long time, but they were packed, and we were quoted a wait time of over an hour and a half. Riip Pizza would have to stay on my restaurant wishlist a little longer, so I called an audible and selected Steady Kitchen and Taps to meet at instead.

If Steady sounds familiar, you must be a big beer fan. Steady Brewing Company has been churning out beer in Long Beach for the last seven years. This satellite restaurant opened two years ago and is a collaborative effort between Monika and Aaron Henderson, as well as brewmaster Dennis Russo, who came up with all the recipes for this spot. The executive chef is Noah Schneider, a Chicago transplant who has added some tweaks to the menu based on his Windy City upbringing.

The Steady menu is straightforward and deceptively diverse, even though printed on one page. It features 17 sides/starters, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and desserts. Nothing here goes above the $16 price point, and they also offer $2 tacos on Tuesdays and a wing Wednesday promotion. Happy hour is from 3-7 on weekdays, when their pints cost $6. Lending to the neighborhood/family feel of the place, they also have a kids' menu.

Situated on the corner of Talbert and Magnolia, Steady is in the same shopping plaza as Crunch Fitness, and more importantly to Katie, located across the street from one of the few Dutch Bros Coffee outlets in OC, and is known for its long lines of people queuing up to try their coffee. Dutch Bros would have to wait, as we had to get down to the serious business of picking what hockey games we would be seeing this year and sampling what Steady Kitchen and Taps had to offer.

We needed two starters to get us through picking our games. We selected the Tempura Brussels Sprouts ($12) and the Soft-Baked Pretzel ($12). The sprouts were excellent. They were not overly greasy, the batter was crispy, and the ranch at Steady is first-rate. The sprouts themselves kind of got pushed to the side, as is the case whenever something is deep-fried. No one ever gets fried zucchini for the zucchini underneath. I'd get these again.

Katie and I agree on most things, but pretzels are not one of them. She's a big fan, while I'd rather have something else. Both she and Steve seemed to like this large pretzel. It came with both a Dijon and a beer cheese sauce. I had a few bites, which I found to be good but overly salty. In my subsequent pieces, I flicked the salt off the pretzel. I liked the beer cheese better than the Dijon, but I did find myself switching between the two sauces.

I've noticed a trend about Steve when we go out to eat. He almost always gets a chicken sandwich wherever we go. This again happened when he got this Buffalo Chicken Sandwich ($16) from Steady. This rather large sandwich was built of chicken tenders, lettuce, tomato, red onion, buffalo sauce, bacon, and Swiss cheese, all on a long French roll. He enjoyed this sandwich, but would have liked some extra buffalo sauce to spice it up. The chicken was tender, and the bread was soft and pliable. He also got a ton of fries with this, which he did not come close to finishing.

I debated between five of their eight burgers but ultimately chose the Bacon Blue Burger ($15). I made a solid choice. This toasted brioche bun came with plenty of arugula, bacon, blue cheese crumbles, onions, and a Dijon aioli to finish it off. First, I took almost half of the arugula off, which I could have used as a side salad. They were very generous with the crispy bacon, but could have had a heavier hand with the Dijon aioli, which was a little light on the Dijon, but that's what I was hoping for. I asked for more of it, which made this burger even better. The burger patty was nice and thick, which was refreshing, as I've had far too many smash burgers recently. It was nice to get back to a classic burger again, and this was one of the best I've had in a while.

Katie was not overly hungry after our two appetizers, so she opted for an order of the Garlic Parmesan Wings ($13). These come five to an order and are on the bigger side with a lot of meat. The garlic parmesan sauce was wet, and most pooled at the bottom of the basket instead of sticking to the wings. These came out steaming hot and had a crispy skin with tender chicken underneath. They were nicely done and went well with the ranch dressing, which Katie requested more of.

Steady Kitchen and Taps is an excellent neighborhood bar, making me wish I had something like it near my home. A walkable restaurant/bar with various food options at more than fair prices, good-sized portions, and a pleasant, laid-back atmosphere. We experienced good service at the counter where you place your order, and by the food runners and bussers. They made sure we had everything we needed during our two and a half hour stay picking our Ducks tickets. Even though we had not planned on eating here when we left our place, Steady was a pleasant surprise.

Out of five warehouse workers (because David Denman, who played Roy on The Office, worked in the warehouse on the TV show and graduated from nearby Fountain Valley High School), five being best to zero being worst, Steady Kitchen and Taps get 3.5 warehouse workers.

For more information about Steady Kitchen and Bar, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.steadybrewing.com/

Hoping Mr. BBQ Will Be Mr. Right

2025-04-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Mr. BBQ

305 North State College Blvd.

Fullerton, CA 92831

It has become a tradition. When we take my nieces out for birthdays, they always want to try a Korean barbecue spot. I'm not really a fan of Korean barbecue, or any other place where you have to cook your own food (fondue, hot pot, or shabu shabu restaurants). When I go out to eat, I want the cooking done by a professional. I'm not an accomplished barbecue master, but I'm slowly learning.

I haven't been to many AYCE Korean barbecue joints, but the ones I've been to have had some subpar meats. I've had more luck at the places that are not AYCE, with my favorite being Baekjeong in Irvine. Their meats were top quality, and they cooked the proteins for us, but they were extremely pricey, setting us back $80 a person (yes, we ate a lot, but that was a little too much for my wallet). I decided I can eat Korean barbecue at least once a year for my nieces, as this year, they wanted to try one of their favorite KBBQ spots, Mr. BBQ in Fullerton.

Opened in 2014, Mr. BBQ has amassed a ton of praise. They have a 4.5-star rating on Yelp with over 5,500 reviews, which is very impressive. A quick internet search shows they consistently rank among OC's best Korean BBQ restaurants. This family-run business has been so successful that it expanded by adding an off-strip Las Vegas location two years ago. They also have a 4.5 rating on Yelp.

Back to the Fullerton location, which is notorious for long wait times, especially on weekends. We visited Mr. BBQ just after 6 p.m. on a Friday and were met with an hour-and-a-half wait for a table. This allowed me to get even hungrier and plan what we would order. The menu here is two-tiered: the regular dinner/weekend menu is $39.99, while the premium meats menu will set you back $51.99. They also feature a pared-down lunch menu for $29.99. The rule of the house, though, is that everyone at the table must eat from the same-priced menu.

We finally got seated around 7:45. There is a two-hour limit when people are waiting for a table, which helps turn over tables. The restaurant is very lively, brightly colored, and loud, and TVs were everywhere showing sports while we were there. The tables are spaced nicely, so you're not right on top of other people, and there is little to no smokiness in the air. Our cheerful server greeted us, took our drink and meat order, and was on her way.

Like chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant or a bread basket before an Italian meal, you can expect plenty of banchan, the small side dishes accompanying the meal. Mr. BBQ really put out a spread. My favorites were the kimchi, potato salad, macaroni salad, and coleslaw. My nieces were fond of the edamame, which our server refilled more times than I could count. She was on top of all the banchan, refilling them as necessary.

Now for the main event, the meat. During dinner, Mr. BBQ offers 29 items on their dinner menu, including beef, pork, seafood, and chicken options. It's a little overwhelming to pick what you'd like. I was not eating with adventurous eaters, so we stuck to the basics like the marinated ribeye (bulgogi), marinated pork chop, beef brisket, and teryaki chicken. The most outlandish my dining partners were willing to go for was the pork belly and the spicy garlic pork butt.

Everything we had this evening was fresh, and thanks to our designated barbecue queen, my niece Gracie, it was also delicious. She's definitely the most experienced of all of us when it comes to Korean barbecue, and she expertly cooked everything nicely. The marinades they use here set them apart from other KBBQ places I've visited. The meat was tender, and the marinades brought it to another level with a delicious flavor. I'll try more exotic offerings the next time I visit, as the spicy squid, Hawaiian sausage, and the wagyu beef belly piqued my interest.

To wrap up, Mr. BBQ is the best AYCE Korean barbecue restaurant I've been to so far. I loved the atmosphere. The dining room was brightly lit, and the servers we encountered wanted to ensure we were having a good time. The service was top-notch, as our every need was met, and they were not shy about refilling the banchan and taking our orders for more meat. The meat we had was high quality, and it was a good deal for $39.99, and I ate enough to get my money's worth. I'm still not fond of cooking my own food when going out to eat, but I can do it once a year for my nieces on their birthdays.

Out of five ski lifts (because South Korea is seventy percent mountainous and has ski resorts there), five being best to zero being worst, Mr. BBQ gets 3.5 ski lifts.

For more information about Mr. BBQ, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.mrbbqfullerton.com/

Georgia’s Restaurant on My Mind

2025-04-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

Georgia's Restaurant

732 Spectrum Center Drive

Irvine, CA 92618

My good friend Ed was in OC for a couple of hours and made time for us to have dinner. He had taken the Merolink down here and wanted to eat near the Irvine station to take the last train of the night back home to Pasadena. The best dining options around the train station are at the Irvine Spectrum. So, I decided we'd meet at Georgia's Restaurant, where I've wanted to try forever.

Georgia's opened at the Spectrum in late August of last year. This is their fourth location, with the other three being at the Packing House in Anaheim, another in Eastvale, and the last at the Long Beach Exchange. They describe their food as SoCal soul food; I'd describe it as classic Southern comfort food or stick-to-your-ribs food. Either way, I was excited to finally try Georgia's,

Georgia's was co-founded by Gretchen Shoemaker as a catering business. She opened her first restaurant in 2014, utilizing her family's recipes to feed the hungry people who entered its doors. Menu favorites include fried chicken, blackened catfish, shrimp and grits, gumbo, and St. Louis BBQ ribs—not food you usually find on menus in Irvine.

I met Ed at 6 p.m. in front of Georgia's, which is located across the way from Dave and Buster's. Ordering is done at the counter, and the food is brought to you. The menu features plates and specialties ranging in price from $16 to $36. Sandwiches and po' boys hover around the $14 price point, and they have plenty of sides, small plates, bowls, salads, and desserts to choose from. We made our selections, were given a number to place on our table, and caught up while waiting for our food to come out.

As we waited for our food, they brought out this Cornbread with honey butter for us to munch on before our food arrived. I'm very picky about my cornbread, but I liked this version at Georgia's. It was not crumbly like the others and was just the right amount of moist. The honey butter was spreadable and went great with this. It was a nice start.

Growing up, I had a significant aversion to pork chops. My mom would buy the tiny ones from the supermarket and fry them so much that they resembled leather. I was young, so I just figured that's how all pork chops were made. It wasn't until I tried them out in restaurants that I learned they could be good. These Smothered Pork Chops ($20.95) put my mom's version to shame.

The two good-sized pork chops were covered with a fantastic bacon gravy that complemented the tender chops perfectly. I really liked the chopped red onions and the notes of garlic that were present in some bites. These were some of the best pork chops I've had in a long time. With this plate, you get to choose two sides, and with 23 different options, it was difficult to narrow it down to two. I picked the Mashed Potatoes and Mac and Cheese. The potatoes were good, but I should have subbed out their brown gravy for their addictive bacon gravy. It would have been well worth the extra $1.25 upcharge. I enjoyed the mac and cheese, as the cheese clung to the macaroni exceptionally well, and the richness was present, but did not overwhelm. They didn't try to do too much, like add truffle oil or something else that would have corrupted the true essence of the mac and cheese.

When we've gone out to eat, Ed has always opted for the healthier side of the menu, and here at Georgia's, that was the case again when he ordered the Grilled Tilapia ($17.95). This 8-ounce tilapia was seasoned well, and some citrus-mango salsa was placed on top. He enjoyed the contrast of the seasoning used on the fish and the citrus on top of it. The fish was flaky, but could have been a tad more tender. He went with seasonal veggies and the red beans & rice for his two sides. The veggies were straightforward: steamed broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and green beans. The red beans and rice brought a bit more flavor, adding Andouille sausage and a bunch of other seasonings, which went nicely with the beans and rice. If this were my side, I would have wanted more rice to even out things, but Ed seemed satisfied with his meal.

I had heard some good things about their chicken at Georgia's, so I had to get at least one piece. This Fried Chicken Leg ($2.95) was different from any other chicken leg I have had during the run of this blog. It's coated in cornmeal after being drenched in buttermilk. The cornmeal breading was crunchy, not greasy, and sealed in the juicy, tender chicken. I liked the seasoning of the cornmeal. It's different than what you can get at other chicken places, and if you're not expecting it, I can see where it could take some people by surprise. I enjoyed it.

Georgia's Restaurant hit all the right notes on this visit. I urged people to try it in the following weeks, indicating how much I like the restaurant. The fried chicken, mac and cheese, and smothered pork chops were all hits with me. On my subsequent few visits, I set my sights on their fried catfish, shrimp and grits, or ribs. With a menu that is this varied, most people would be able to find something that they would enjoy. I also appreciate that the food served at Georgia's is not readily available in South OC, so I hope they can stay around for a while. They are just another excellent dining option that has popped up at the Irvine Spectrum.

Out of five song books (because the state bird of Georgia is the brown thresher, which has a repertoire of 1,100 different songs that they use to communicate, and those would fill a lot of song books), five being best to zero being worst, Georgia's Restaurant gets 3.5 song books.

For more information about Georgia's Restaurant, head to their website by clicking here: https://georgias-restaurant.com/