The Kroft
2493 Park Avenue
Tustin, CA 92782
I feel like there's never enough time to catch up with the restaurant scene in Orange County. There are always new places to try and restaurants that have been around for a while that I haven't made it out to. The Kroft is one of those places.
It still amazes me that I have not been to The Kroft yet. They describe themselves as reinvented comfort food, and that, along with their Instagram photos, definitely has been my attention for a while now. So I decided it was time for action. I had a long overdue lunch date with my good friend Danny, and he'd be driving, so I decided we'd be heading to The Kroft at the Union Market in Tustin.
The Kroft opened in 2014 at the Anaheim Packing House. They instantly drew raves for their sandwiches and poutines, which actually feature real cheese curds, which most so-called poutines almost always lack around these parts. High on the heels of their success at their first location, they opened their second spot at the Union Market in Tustin, which for those of you who are unaware, is at the Tustin at District Legacy. There are also plans for a Los Angeles outpost very soon.
Back to this visit, though. My good friend Danny and I arrived at the Union Market just before lunchtime, and I was relieved to find that the lunchtime rush had not filtered in yet. In fact, it was never too crazy busy during our stay this Thursday afternoon. The Kroft is situated towards the back of the Union Market, right near the Portola Coffee Roasters. Their menu features sides, poutines, and sandwiches. Prices hover around the $10 mark, which is not as bad as I thought it would be. So let's see how our first trip to The Kroft turned out.
Okay, Danny and I went crazy with our fry situation at The Kroft. Danny wanted to try their regular French Fries ($4), while I went wilder and had the Country Fried Chicken Poutine ($9). The fries on their own were pretty good. They are twice-fried, which I almost always feel provides a better fry, which is crunchy on the outside but leaves the inside pillowy soft. That was the case here. The fries were made even better with my garlic mayo dipping sauce. A good amount of garlic made this a winning sauce. The fried chicken poutine was good, but I expected more. The fries were good, but this needed more country gravy to tie it all together. The chicken nuggets were kind of a disconnect for me as well. They were too big to be eaten in one bite and challenging to cut with the plastic forks and knives used here. However, since this was my first time having real cheese curds, I do have to admit that I liked them a lot. I can't wait to try their original poutine on my next visit.
Danny seemed to struggle to decide what sandwich to have this afternoon, but he finally settled on the Prime Rib Dip ($12). This sandwich came with plenty of sliced prime rib, horseradish mayo, and caramelized onions, all on a french roll. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to try this, but it looked pretty solid from where I was sitting. Danny was slightly underwhelmed by the sandwich but still said it was good. Very hard to please that guy.
I was a little more decisive when it was my turn to order my sandwich. The Porchetta ($10) would be my pick for this afternoon. A triple threat of pork is included; pork belly, loin, and cracklings. The pork is supported by seasoned arugula, salsa verde, and caramelized onions. Predictably the pork is the star of this sandwich. I enjoyed the cracklings' texture, and the pork was done well. I would ask for more salsa verde next time, and arugula, whether seasoned or not, will never be one of my favorite things on a sandwich. I ended up taking half of this home for lunch the next day, and I'm not sure if the flavors had a chance to meld together more, but I liked the sandwich better the day after. The ciabatta and other bread they use are stellar.
The cuisine at The Kroft is right up my alley. I liked everything well enough, but I was not blown away by anything we had on this one visit. I'll definitely be back, though, as their Instagram feed always features some great shots, and I want to try their other three sandwiches and more of their loaded fries and poutines. It's hard not comparing this restaurant to the guys over at Burnt Crumbs. However, based on this one visit, I have to give the edge to Burnt Crumbs, as I liked their fries and sandwiches better. The service at The Kroft was charming, as the girl at the register was amiable and gave us her suggestions of what we should have. I'm glad I finally got the chance to try this place, but as with restaurants in Orange County, there's no time to rest because there's always a new place to try.
Out of five hats (because I could not go through this whole post without mentioning one of my favorite shows from my childhood, Lidsville, which was a live-action show created by the Kroft Brothers in the early '70s), five being best to zero being worst, The Kroft gets 3 hats.
For info on The Kroft, head to their website here: http://www.thekroft.com/
How does Stacked, in Irvine, compare with The Kroft and Burnt Crumbs for sandwiches?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - I have never been to Stacked, but looking at their menu, and from what I hear, they are more well known for their burgers, than their sandwiches. Although the prime rib sandwich looks great. They are not in Irvine, but rather Huntington Beach.
DeleteI like Burnt Crumbs better than The Kroft, but I'd go back to either anytime. Thanks for taking the time to comment and reading the blog. It's much appreciated.
There's a Stacked at Jeffrey and Alton. I had a couple of sandwiches and thought they were dang tasty. But I've never had either of the others so might have to try them to compare.
DeleteGood call on the cookie, BTW. Totally agree!!! And they were handing them out endlessly at Fresh Toast on Saturday, too. So good!