Dinner With the Old Boss at Craft by Smoke and Fire

 Craft by Smoke and Fire

195 West Center Street Promenade

Anaheim, CA 92805

Some Instagram feeds just draw me in. One such account is Smoke and Fire Social Eatery in La Habra. They opened a month into the pandemic, which probably made me love their pictures even more. Their food can best be described as a collection of comfort food from all across the country. There's Nashville hot chicken, Texas barbecue, smash burgers from the west coast, and giant steaks that look like they would rival what's served in uppity east coast steakhouses. 

Opened by three guys who had roots in Southern California, but spread their culinary wings in corporate restaurants like Red Robin, Bubba Gump Shrimp, Pizza Rev, and Wood Ranch. Smoke and Fire is the culmination of what they liked to eat from across the nation, served in a variety of ways throughout their menu. It's definitely struck a chord with customers, as they have now opened three other locations, Paramount, Pomona, and the one we were visiting this particular evening with our good friends Kyle and Melissa, in Anaheim. 

To be clear, this location in downtown Anaheim is Craft by Smoke and Fire, which is a slightly different concept from their locations slightly north of here. I haven't been to those spots, but from what I hear they are smaller, and do not have such a polished atmosphere and elevated cocktail program as this Anaheim spot. 

We had made reservations on a recent Friday evening at 7:30 and were met with a very full restaurant. We ended up having to only wait a couple of minutes before we were seated. The restaurant is pretty loud when it is full. The feel of the place is comforting, with large TVs on many of the walls, black ceiling tiles, grey accent walls, hanging chandeliers, and wooden floors. There's also outdoor seating on their good-sized patio in the front of the restaurant. I already kind of briefed you on the menu, so let's take a look at what we had this evening. 

Before we even ordered, we were brought this Ay Dios Mio Guacamole ($9) as a comped item, which was a pleasant surprise. From the reviews I've read online, they comp items with regularity to show appreciation for your business. A very nice touch. This guacamole was a mixture of jalapeno, green salsa, tomatoes, cotija cheese, and a smattering of pomegranate seeds on top. This was a very freshly made guacamole, which had plenty to offer the four of us flavorwise. I could not really detect too much jalapeno, so if you are averse to heat, you should have no problem eating this. It was nicely seasoned and the green tortilla chips were a fine vehicle for dipping. 

Birria is the big food trend going on right now. Even places like El Pollo Loco and Norm's are serving it, so I was not surprised to see birria on the menu here. One of the birria offerings at Craft is this Short Rib Birria Quesadilla ($12). This football-shaped quesadilla was filled with cheese, tender prime short rib, and the outside was drizzled with their comeback sauce, which I'd describe as chipotle ranch, with a hint of spice to it. I really enjoyed the crisped cheese on the outside of this quesadilla, and they filled this with a good amount of smoked rib meat. Definitely a very good start to our time here. 

As you can see from the guacamole picture and now this shot, Melissa is very subtle about getting her on-point Yorba Linda manicure included in each picture. Yes, we are all impressed by your nails, Mel. She was just as impressed with her sandwich this evening, The Madison ($15), which is piled high with smoked pastrami, coleslaw, cheese, pickles, and comeback sauce. From across the table, it looked really tasty, and she felt this was one of the better pastrami sandwiches that she has eaten. 

Probably their most popular sandwich, and the one that gets featured the most on their Instagram, is the Mac Rib Sandwich ($31). This monster of a sandwich comes with three kinds of meat; brisket, short rib, and just for good measure, a cheese-covered Smashburger. It's dressed with more of their comeback sauce and three pieces of Texas toast. The sandwich comes with the bone, and our server took it out clean with a flourish at our table. It was challenging getting the first bite into my mouth, but it was worth the trouble. One of the best sandwiches I have had. The short rib and brisket were tender and flavorful, while the Smashburger kind of got lost in the shuffle, but it made no difference. This was a very heavy sandwich as you could predict, but it was amazingly balanced. I ended up saving half of this for lunch the next day, and it was still just as good. Yes, it's a thirty-dollar sandwich, but so worth it. 

Another favorite was Katie's selection, the Brisket Grilled Cheese ($17). This is comfort food to the max. Lots of gooey cheese with a big helping of brisket. Katie was shocked by the richness of this, but she powered through to finish it. It was dressed with a very good barbecue sauce and some pickles to help cut the richness of the meat. Another winner. 

Since I follow Craft by Smoke and Fire on Instagram, I get to see some of the off-the-menu specials that they sometimes offer. When we visited they had this Smoked Barbecubano Sandwich ($27). It's their take on one of my favorite sandwiches. Here they use smoked turkey and brisket as the meats, then finish it with swiss cheese, mustard, and pickles. I was a bit let down by this sandwich. The turkey to brisket ratio was off, as there was way more turkey than the delicious brisket. I also felt that there was not enough mustard included in this, which would have helped tie everything together a bit more. I still enjoyed the half of this that I ate the next day, but I did end up adding mustard from my fridge, which helped out. 

Kyle had the same sandwich as Katie, but he still wanted to be included in this review, so he got the Brisket and Short Rib Sausage ($6) to try. This came pre-cut to our table, which made it very easy to share. The casing on this was very sturdy and the meat inside had a very pleasant texture to it. Flavorwise, it did not blow me away, but it's worth trying at only six bucks. 

One side is included with each sandwich, and since we had five between the four of us, we got to try five of their eight options. The best one was probably the Loaded Mac and Cheese. If you like a gooey cheese that clings to each noodle, this is for you. There were little bits of meat in there as well, and the bread crumb topping rounded this out. My second favorite was the Creamy Blue Cheese Slaw. The one we got was not as creamy as others I have seen in other pictures, but I still found myself hogging this. The Brisket and Grits were just straight-up the definition of comfort food. I usually like a creamy potato salad, but this Loaded Brisket Potato Salad was very good, big chunks and all. The worst of the bunch was the purple-hued Garlic and Herb Mash Potatoes. I detected some herbs here, but this fell flat because there was no garlic in any of the bites that I had. The only bland item of the evening.   

Craft by Smoke and Fire is worthy of all the love they get online. They prove that they are not just pretty food, like others I can think of but won't name, they actually back it up with some really delicious stuff. If this was merely just a barbecue spot, it would be really good, but you add their special spin to it, and it makes them great. The service was really good, especially when you consider how busy they were when we visited. Yes, the prices are a tad high, but the serving sizes are very good sized, and some of you can make two meals out of one of their sandwiches. I can definitely see us visiting here again in the near future, especially for that incredible Mac Rib Sandwich.  

Out of five fire trucks, (because when you see smoke or fire, it's probably a pretty good tip that you should call to get some fire trucks real quick), five being best to zero being worst, Craft by Smoke and Fire gets 4 fire trucks. 

For more information about Craft by Smoke and Frie, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.craftbysmokeandfire.com/

Lunch With the New Boss at Beale’s Bbq

 Beale's Texas BBQ

16400 Pacific Coast Highway #117

Huntington Beach, CA 92649

For most of my 34-year career, I've been fortunate enough to have some pretty good bosses. Unfortunately, there have been a couple of clunkers, and one that I still feel could be the spawn of satan, but I consider a great many of the rest to still be friends to this day. Of course, I'm not sure they feel the same, but I like to think that we are still friends. 

Late last year I got a new manager, and right from the start we had a great rapport. We are around the same age, have the same attitude toward our industry, and share a few of the same interests, minus his affinity for cultivating orchids, his weird obsession with Mocha Mix, and making sausage for friends. Yes, some real diverse hobbies there. I did not let those deter me from driving up to Huntington Beach to meet him for lunch at Beale's Texas BBQ. 

Beale's is situated at Peter's Landing shopping center, which is also home to  Mother's Market, Golden Road Brewing, and other retail shops. Brett Beale is a Santa Ana native, who was a backyard barbecuing enthusiast, smoking meat and making sides for his friends, before opening his first restaurant in Fontana back in 2015. That location has since shuttered, but he came back to OC to open this Huntington Beach spot in May of 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic. 

For a time Beale's was just open on weekends, but they have since expanded their hours to half-past 11 until 8pm seven days a week. The menu is pretty much what you'd expect from a barbecue restaurant in these parts. Tri-tip, St. Louis ribs, brisket, pulled pork, hot links, rib tips, and chicken are offered here, along with smoked salmon for those that want to try something a little different. These proteins are offered as plates, sandwiches, and in family meals, which serve anywhere between 4 to 12. Beale's also has seven sides to choose from, along with two dessert options, one of which, the banana pudding, was called out by OC Register restaurant critic, Brad Johnson as the best thing he ate that week. High praise and I was pretty pumped to try Beale's BBQ, even though I'd be with my boss Chris. 

We might as well start things off with what people care about most at a barbecue spot, the meats. Whenever it's available, I like to get a three-meat plate so I can sample as much of the menu as I can at a bbq place. At Beale's, that meant I'd be having the Triple Choice ($29) which allowed me to have my pick of three proteins and two sides. I selected the Brisket, St. Louis Ribs, and the Tri-Tip. Just for good measure, I also got a Hot Link ($4) ala carte. 

The best of the meats was the brisket. This brisket was not overly smoked like others tend to be, but was tender, and had a little ribbon of fat running along the edge of it, which provided a really nice flavor to the meat. The hotlink was another bright spot, as it snuck up on you, with its subtle heat. The texture was nice and meaty, which was very pleasing. The ribs were fine, but not too much meat on them, but they had a really good bark on each one. The tri-tip was the weak link out of the meats that I tried. It was not as tender as the others, kind of dry in places, and even though it possessed a pink smoke ring, had little flavor until I used the provided barbecue sauce. I should have tried the pulled pork or rib tips instead. 

For my two sides, I went with the Mac and Cheese and Potato Salad. When the mac and cheese came out to me, I thought there was no way that I'd like it. It appeared to be devoid of cheese, but looks can be deceiving. The tender noodles were hiding little pockets of cheese that were pretty much in each forkful. Not very overpowering, but with a very pleasing taste, this was one of the better mac and cheese versions that I've had in a long while. Even though I'm not really a big fan of potato salad with big chunks of potato in it, this one was definitely on point flavorwise. I would be tempted to get extra of both of these sides the next time I ate at Beale's. 

I have had the Banana Pudding ($6) once before when someone had brought it to me. It was good then, and just as good on this visit. Big pieces of Nilla Wafers were mixed with a nicely made banana pudding base. I'd like this to be a little cooler than room temperature, but definitely worth getting. The peach cobbler at Beale's gets a lot of love, so if you're a fan of peaches, you might want to give this one a try. 

In August of last year, I posted my top ten barbecue restaurants in OC, after this trip to Beale's BBQ I will have to rewrite that list. Beale's is now probably number six or seven on that list, which means it's worth a visit, especially since OC is suddenly home to some very good barbecue restaurants. With the exception of the tri-tip, which is not really one of my favorite types of meats to get at a barbecue spot, everything else was really good and came out super quick. This was also a good first meal with my new boss, who even overcame the faux pas of not introducing me to his good friend Tom, who happened to be eating here when we visited. I've only brought it up 256 times since, so at least I can hold that over his head until the next time I screw up at work. 

Out of five wagons, (because another famous Beale, Edward Beale surveyed and built a wagon road in 1857 that eventually became Route 66), five being best to zero being worst, Beale's Texas BBQ gets 3.5 wagons. 

For more information about Beale's Texas BBQ, head to their website by clicking here: https://bealestexasbbq.com/

Tis the Season for Thai Food

Season Thai

30486 Avenida de las Banderas

Rancho Santa Margartia, Ca 92688

Thai food is always something that I enjoy, but don't have nearly enough.  A quick check of the type of cuisines I have reviewed on this blog reveals that I have only reviewed seven Thai restaurants out of the 938 different restaurants that I have reviewed. That's pretty unacceptable, and I will try to rectify that right now, and in the future with a review of Season Thai in Rancho Santa Margarita. 

I was taking my good friend and self-proclaimed Thai food expert, David out for his birthday. He mentioned that he'd like me to try this spot. It's located a little off the beaten track, on the corner of Alma Aldea and Banderas, in a little strip of shops that include a Subway, dentist's office, cleaners, and a now-departed IHOP, where I had a forgettable breakfast once or twice when Katie lived nearby. 

Season Thai has been in operation for over four years now and replaced another Thai restaurant at this same location. They have a very respectable four and a half star rating on Yelp, but with only 200 plus reviews. Most people rave about their crying tiger, pad Thai, and curries. No entree is going to cost you more than $20, and most hover around the $15 mark, which is kind of rare these days. David is definitely worth $20, but $22 might be pushing it, so this was the perfect spot to treat him to a belated birthday dinner. Let's see if this spot will get us excited for more Thai food in the future. 

We started off the birthday dinner with some Chicken Satay ($11.95). This was seriously the biggest version of this starter that I have ever had. Plenty of chicken on each skewer, but unfortunately it was just okay. The chicken needed a bit more seasoning and was a tad over-grilled. I was hoping that the provided peanut sauce that accompanied this was going to help things out, but it was off a bit as well. Not awful, but we have both had better. 

We had asked for chicken eggrolls, but were given, and charged for, Vegetable Egg Rolls ($8.95) instead. Probably just a misunderstanding, so not really that big of a deal. These five eggrolls came out scalding hot, fresh from the fryer. After letting them cool a bit, we could tell that they were kind of bland, as most vegetable eggrolls tend to be. They were filled with glass noodles, cabbage, and a few carrots. The sweet and sour sauce helped these out, but after my first one, I realized I'd let David have the rest to take home to his mom. 

This is where Season Thai shined brightly. I've had Crying Tiger ($19.95) at other Thai restaurants, but have never really been too impressed with this very popular dish, but this one was the best I have had so far. The prime-cut beef was very tender, and the marinade they use here kept my attention throughout the meal. I would have liked a little tinge of sweetness to the marinade, but it was still really good. This came with a rather large salad which I ate sparingly because I was not really a fan of the way too sour dressing that this was served with. 

The birthday boy picked Thai BBQ Chicken ($14.95) as his meal this evening. I'm not the biggest fan of chicken, but this was nicely marinated, tender, and came with a Thai chili sauce which was pretty good for dipping. This came out to our table scalding hot as well, and we needed to wait a few minutes before digging in. This was something that I'd normally not order but was a very pleasant surprise. 

Things started out slow for us at Season Thai, but the entrees that we encountered here more than made up for the lackluster starters that we got. If I were to come back, I'd have a hard time straying from the crying tiger, but I'd be tempted to try their soups and maybe their pad Thai. The service was very warm and welcoming. I thought the price point was a good deal based on the serving size of our two entrees. This visit has got me excited to try more Thai spots around OC, so if you have any that you love, please don't hesitate to reach out. 

Out of five cinnamon rolls, (because the most used spice in Thai cooking is cinnamon, and the largest cinnamon roll ever made was over 1,100 pounds, which probably used quite a lot of cinnamon), five being best to zero being worst, Season Thai gets 3 cinnamon rolls.  

For more information about Season Thai, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.seasonthairsm.com/

Tres Muchachos, a True Hidden Gem?

 Tres Muchachos 

333 East 17th Street

Costa Mesa, CA 

The term hidden gem gets thrown around a little too much these days. It's definitely a term that has gotten watered down a bit. For me, I feel a restaurant can be defined as a hidden gem if it is in an obscure location, not widely visited by a lot of locals, has been largely ignored by the local food press, and of course, if they serve great food. Tres Muchachos definitely fills the first three requirements as a hidden gem, and I was hoping that they would fill the fourth by serving some really good food. 

You can find Tres Muchachos on 17th Street, in the back corner of a small strip mall which also houses the very visible Pancakes R Us, Tabu Shabu, and Oak and Coal, which is a Japanese restaurant that I placed on my restaurant wishlist while waiting for my always tardy cousin Jenny, who was joining us this evening at Tres Muchachos. Hidden location, check. 

With only 140 reviews on Yelp, Tres Muchachos also crosses requirement number two off of my hidden gem list. They opened just a month before the world shut down due to covid, which might be the reason they have such a low presence on that customer review site. People also might be a little confused by their name, which implies it's strictly a Mexican restaurant, but they also serve Mediterranean food, and just for an added curveball, they serve brunch all day, every day. So if you are feeling like a breakfast burrito or chilaquiles on a Tuesday evening, this might become your spot. 

The Tres Muchachos menu is divided into starters, salads, tacos, sandwiches, mains, sides, and desserts. Starters are all under $20, while entrees hover around the $25 mark. Tacos come two to an order and will set you back $16, but they also come with a mixed green salad. After a little chit-chat with our cousin, we made up our minds on what to have. Let's see if Tres Muchachos can solidify their standing as a true hidden gem by serving up some good grub. 

We started things off at Tres Muchahchos with two appetizers. My favorite of the two was the Zucchini Fritos ($12). This version of fried zucchini had a very pleasing and crunchy breading which did not overpower the zucchini underneath. This was enhanced by a very good ranch dressing, which they make in-house. Even though I liked the zucchini better than the Spinach, Garlic, and Artichoke Hummus ($16), this is still a starter worth ordering. The flavor bounced off my taste buds, and I appreciated the large pieces of artichoke included in this. A few more chips served with this would have been appreciated, as we had way more hummus leftover when we ran over the tortilla chips.   

Jenny will start off the entree portion of our evening with her Crispy Pollock Fish and Chips ($18). I can not recall a restaurant offering pollock as their fish and chips, but it was a nice choice. The panko breading provided a nice crunchy outer coating without that greasiness that you usually get at other places.  The fish underneath was tender and flaky, just what you wat when consuming fried fish. Again, the sauce here shined, as this was a delicious tartar sauce with plenty of herbs included, which I could not get enough of. Nicely done. The fries were nice and crisp, and they went well with the tartar sauce. 

I selected the Roasted Porchetta Sandwich ($25) as my meal at Tres Muchachos. This sandwich combines pork tenderloin and pork belly, so you get varied textures in each bite. It's dressed with pesto and lemon vinaigrette tossed arugula on toasted ciabatta. I enjoyed the pork in this sandwich, but I wished for a bit more pesto on here and maybe a little less in the way of the arugula. Still, a good sandwich that had levels of flavor coming from each direction. This was served with fingerling potatoes, which were fried nice and crisp, but should have included one of their fine sauces to boost them up a notch. 

Last but not least, Katie opted for the Fish Sandwich ($16). Again, they use crispy pollock as the vehicle here and then add Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, grilled onion, and their house-made aioli to the brioche bun. Katie loved the crunch of this, but it needed a lot more aioli, or maybe since this was a fish sandwich, some of that really great herby tartar sauce that they serve with their fish and chips plate. The hand-cut fries were better than my fingerling potatoes. Seasoned nicely, with a nice crunch. 

If you check out the Tres Muchachos Yelp page, you will see multiple pictures of layered cakes that they used to serve for dessert. Our server explained that when they first opened they had a partnership with a baker, who would bring them in for them. Sadly, they don't have them anymore, so we picked this Belgian Chocolate Mousse ($12) out of the five dessert choices offered. This was a little lackluster. It was very tiny, so the three of us only got one and a half bites between us, and the raspberry flavor really overpowered the chocolate. We would definitely try the churros on future visits.  

Even with a few missteps, Tres Muchachos was definitely worth the visit, and they also checked off all the boxes that I have for being labeled as a true hidden gem. I'd come back for sure to try more of their menu, like the numerous tacos that they serve, or their delicious-sounding pork mole dish. The service was nice and cordial. I thought the price point was a few dollars too much per item, but that seems to be the way of the world these days. Tres Muchachos ended up being a restaurant worth seeking out.  

Out of five chocolate bars, (because the name of this restaurant conjures up the classic Three Musketeers candy bar). five being best to zero being worst, Tres Muchachos gets 3.5 candy bars. 

For more information about Tres Muchachos, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.tresmuchachos.menu/

Pasta Night at Centro Storico in Tustin

Centro Storico Spaghetteria 

405 El Camino Real

Tustin, CA 92780

I love when the calendar page flips and it starts off a new year. It's not only the promise of what a new year brings, but the end of the year also means that there are plenty of best-of lists that get published for the previous year. I love reading lists, especially when they pertain to restaurants. These lists are not only easy to read, but they are where I get a majority of my inspiration to try a restaurant. 

One of my favorite OC-based food writers is Anne Marie Panoringan, who writes for the Voice of OC. At the end of the year, she wrote an article about the restaurants that were new to her, ones that she felt were worth a visit. I took note of the first one on her list, enlisted my parents to join us, and headed to Centro Storico in Old Town Tustin.  

I had been to this location back when this was Quinn's Old Town Grill eight years ago. It's definitely unrecognizable from back then. It's got an Italian farmhouse vibe coming in hot, with exposed wooden beams on the ceiling, reclaimed wood dividers hanging around the space sectioning off the dining area, and as if that was not enough farmhouse flair for you, a 1936 John Deere tractor is perched at table height in the back corner of the restaurant. 

This restaurant is run by the Pozzuoli family, wo first opened the attached tiny Storico Cafe serving gelato, pastries, a small offering of brunch and lunch offerings, and espresso and other beverages. The cafe is open all day, while the spaghetteria is open for lunch from 11:30 til 2 and then reopens from 5pm to 9 for dinner service. Make note that they are closed on Mondays. 

The menu here is of course pasta focused, but there is plenty to choose from in other sections of the menu. Starters, salads, main dishes, and sides are well represented at Centro Storico and showcase the Tuscan feel that they are going for. The house-made fresh pasta is made on the premises and is what you will see on almost every table when you visit. Pasta options come in full or half sizes for lighter eaters. There are 14 kinds to choose from, which was way more challenging for me to pick from than trying to solve my daily Wordle. 

Salads at Centro Storico, like their pasta dishes, also come in full and half sizes, so both Katie and I took advantage of this to try them. She selected the very popular Chopped Salad ($11 plus an extra $2.50 for adding salami). Romaine, radicchio, red onion, Ceci beans, tomato, and plenty of shaved parmesan made up this salad that gets plenty of raves from online reviewers, and after a few bites even more raves from Katie. 

I went with my old faithful when it comes to salads, the Caesar ($10). This version at Centro was pretty traditional in its presentation. Romaine lettuce, housemade croutons, shaved parmesan, a creamy Caesar dressing, and white anchovy were included in the bowl. They included the perfect amount of dressing, which burst with flavor. The lettuce was fresh, while the croutons added just enough crunch as to not be too intrusive. It's one of the better Caesar salads I have had in a while. 

We kind of went big with a trio of starters. First up was the Polenta and Ragu ($15). I'm by no means a polenta expert, but this cornmeal loaf was a nice vehicle for their really good and meaty ragu sauce. To be fair though, I think I could have eaten that ragu off of an old shoe and I would have liked it. I have a thing about trying meatballs in Italian restaurants, so we had to give their Polpette di Carne ($11) a try. These 4 ping pong ball-sized meatballs came with plenty of sauce and parmesan cheese topping them. I liked these a lot but found that the sauce and cheese kind of overpowered these tender orbs. My mom lamented the fact that bread service was not included with our meal, so we made her happy by getting this House Bread Board ($2). This was a bargain at two bucks, with plenty of freshly baked bread for the four of us. The oil and vinegar were also a nice touch. Well worth getting this. 

My mom has been on a real Arrabiata ($10 for the half portion) kick lately. This held true at Centro Storico on this evening as well. The penne pasta was bathed in a nicely done arrabbiata sauce, which had a kick to it, but did not kill my mom with too much heat. She loved that this half portion was just the right amount for her and her smaller appetite. 

Out of all the entrees on this evening, I think I enjoyed my dad's Gamberi e Prosciutto ($17 for the half portion) the best. This shrimp and prosciutto dish utilized pappardelle pasta with a delicious white wine, lite cream, and shallot concoction. Both my dad and I called this dish fantastic, and this will be my go-to order once I work my way through other menu items on future visits here. I will splurge for the full-sized portion for the extra $4 though. 

Even though I was partial to my dad's plate, I really did enjoy my Rape e Salsiccia ($19 for the full size). This one included one of my favorite kinds of pasta, orecchiette. These little cupped-sized shells are ideal because they kind of trap the sauce, which with this plate was a mixture of olive oil and anchovy. Add some very good sausage, broccoli, garlic, and heirloom tomatoes and you have another winning plate from Centro Storico. I liked the simplicity of this dish, as it was not relying on a lot of ingredients to make it taste so good. Very comforting and a close second to my dad's choice of meal.  

Last but not least was Katie's pick, the Ragu di Carne ($19 for the full size). This classic dish combined San Marzano tomatoes with pork, beef, veal, carrots, garlic, celery, and red onion to make the savory sauce that went over the fettuccine. After a few bites of this, it made me wish that I'd grown up with an Italian grandmother who would make a Sunday sauce just like this. Katie enjoyed this but prefers a sauce that's a bit more hearty. This one in her opinion had a tad too much tomato, which placed this more on the sweeter side, rather than the savory sauces she's had at other places.

My mom had her heart set on having the chocolate truffle she saw on their online dessert menu, but unfortunately, they were out of it when we visited. We decided to have the Bomba ($7.50) in lieu of the truffle. This bomba was filled with vanilla and chocolate gelato and then covered in a chocolate shell. Kind of like the Magic Shell that we all loved as kids, but with better chocolate. This was a nice end to our meal, but we will definitely try the truffle the next time we visit.  

My OC food-loving friend, Anne Marie nailed it with her recommendation of Centro Storico. This was some of the best pasta we have had in OC for quite some time. Nothing beats fresh pasta, and then you add great sauces and it just makes even the worst day way better. On return visits I look forward to trying one of their more substantial meals, like their pork chop, grilled sausages, or steak, and pairing it with a half sized pasta, or with my willpower not being the best, probably a full sized bowl of pasta. Brad Johnson, Restaurant Coloumnist for the OC Register called this the best Italian in Tustin, which is high praise since there are so many options in this central OC city, and I'd have to agree based on this first visit. Service was very good, and even though my dad felt the price point was a bit high, I'd gladly pay a little extra for fresh, quality pasta such as this. We will be back. 

Out of five carriages, (because the city of Tustiin is named after Colombus Tustin, who was a carriage maker by trade), five being best to zero being worst, Centro Storico Spaghetteria gets 3.5 carriages. 

For more information about Centro Storico Spaghetteria, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.storicotustin.com/