Hoping Baekjeong Can Break Our Korean BBQ Curse

 Baekjeong Korean Barbecue

14160 Culver Dr. 

Irvine, CA 92604

I long for simpler times when my nieces were younger. I used to take them to Toys R Us for their birthdays and let them spend $50 as they wished. They were pumped and felt they could have almost anything they wanted in the store. It also gave us time to bond. As they grew older, they put together a wishlist on Amazon, and Katie buys them what they want and sends it to them. This year, we let them pick any restaurant they would like, and we treated them. Gracie chose Baekjeong Korean Barbecue in Irvine when it was her birthday. 

I have only had Korean barbecue a handful of times and have never been excited about it. I'm not that fond of restaurants where you have to cook your own food or they cook in front of you. The portion sizes at these kinds of restaurants, whether it's a fondue, teppanyaki, hot pot, or Korean BBQ, are very skimpy, and you are mainly paying for the experience, and the food often takes a back seat. 

The last time we had KBBQ was for Gracie's previous birthday. We tried Gen in Chino Hills, which is the most popular of all the Korean barbecue spots, mainly because they have the most locations, and almost everyone has been there. My experience at Gen was anything but glowing. I found the meat to be subpar, the service was severely lacking, and even though the price for the AYCE was very reasonable at just less than $30 per person, I left feeling let down by yet another KBBQ restaurant. 

So when Gracie suggested Baekjeong as her birthday dinner selection, I was less than thrilled. Still, my love for my niece prevailed, and we showed up at the restaurant on Sunday afternoon just before 4 p.m., hoping to avoid the dinner rush. Our plan worked, as we only had about a twenty-minute wait, which is far shorter than the wait times I've heard of during weekends when waiting times of an hour and more are not uncommon. 

Baekjeong is part of a chain of KBBQ restaurants. It opened in Los Angeles in 2012, and 12 years later, it has eight locations on the West Coast and more in other parts of the US. OC is also home to one other location in Buena Park. This Irvine location has been operating since 2017 and has amassed an impressive four-and-a-half star rating on Yelp, with well over 4,000 reviews. According to Yelp, this is one of OC's highest-rated restaurants.  

When we walked into Baekjeong, I noticed some significant differences from other Korean barbecue restaurants. They don't have an AYCE option, as everything here is a la carte. This restaurant is also much more open, with natural light pouring through the windows and plenty of lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling. This contrasts with the other Korean spots I have been to that are trying to achieve a more nightclub kind of feel. The most significant difference here is that you have someone who cooks what you order for you at the table. This helps eliminate the guesswork of wondering if something is done or needs to stay on the grill longer. Let's see if Baekjeong will help lead me to liking Korean barbecue. 

One similar thing at Baekjeong is that they presented you with banchan before you even ordered your meal. Most people probably think of these little bowls of food as appetizers, but they are more like snacks eaten before and during your meal, mainly to break up the meat-heavy meal you will enjoy. I could be better versed in what a lot of these were here. I know the basics, like Kimchee, but I need help with the rest. I won't try to fake you out, thinking I know what I'm talking about.  Most were pickled or had a little spice to them. Be bold about asking for more of one you particularly like because they offer free refills.  

Now, the main reason most people visit Baekjeong is the meat. We let the birthday girl, Gracie, order what she wanted. We had two rounds of the Marinated Short Rib ($49), Thinly Sliced Brisket ($37), and Boneless Short Rib ($56). Our final bill would have been cheaper if we had gotten a combo meal instead of getting all of these separately. Live and learn, but at least Gracie was happy. 

Instantly, I could tell this was way higher-quality beef than we had at the other Korean barbecue restaurants we had visited. Maybe it was because our server cooked it for us, and she asked how we liked our beef and cued us to take it from the grill when it was to our desired doneness. The meat was flavorful, especially the marinated short rib, which we could not get enough of. Make sure to take a break from all that meat to sample the cheese-corn and egg that cooks alongside the outer ring of the grill. I ended up making a delicious omelet with it. 

Katie needed a break from all the meat because she ordered these Fried Dumplings ($14). I had one of these, but with all the meat I had, I only remember a little about what was inside. It was fried well and lacked any greasiness. It was an excellent plan to deviate from all the meat, but this may have been better at the start of our meal. 

This is not the most in-depth review I've ever done, but I was not even sure I would review Baekjeong because Korean BBQ places let me down so many times. This place restored my faith in Korean barbecue. The meat was higher quality than the AYCE places, and having someone cook for you was a game changer. Of course, the tradeoff is that eating here is more expensive, but our niece Gracie is worth it. I'm just hoping next year, she wants pizza or maybe my famous meatloaf. Fingers crossed.  

Out of five bone saws (because the name of this restaurant translates to butcher in English, and butchers use bone saws to prepare meat), five being best to zero being worst, Baekjeong Korean Barbecue gets 3.5 bone saws. 

For more information about Baekjeong Korean Barbecue, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.baekjeongkbbq.com/

Flying into Another Hockey Season at Green Cheek Beer Co.

 Green Cheek Beer Co.

2957 Randolph Ave. Unit B

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

It's that time again, the time of year when we pick our Ducks tickets. We split the 41 home games with my parents and our good friend Steve. Usually, the upcoming hockey season is a time for optimism, but our beloved Ducks have been in rebuilding mode for the last five years and have failed to make the playoffs all of those years. They have good young players, but it's still anyone's guess whether they will meld well together and transform into a Stanley Cup-caliber team. Time will tell, but I was less hopeful than I have been. 

When we pick our tickets, I like to choose a place in the middle of where we all live. That puts us in the Huntington Beach or Costa Mesa area. I also want to pick a place where I have never been, and they must serve beer because Steve and I like to imbibe with a few drinks as we choose the games we want to see and catch up with each other's lives over the preceding year. This year, I picked Green Cheek Beer Co. as the meeting place for our ticket swap. 

I had not heard of Green Cheek until my Yelp search led me to its existence. My craft beer game is less strong than my restaurant game, as I usually like to eat my calories rather than drink them. Green Cheek must be doing something right, as they now have four locations (Orange, Sunset Beach, Oceanside, and this one in Costa Mesa) in just seven years of existence. They produce beers, lagers, stouts, and seltzers and have won numerous awards here and abroad. All of their locations have a rating of four stars and above on Yelp, so I was excited to experience what they were all about. 

We arrived at Green Cheek on a Sunday just before 3pm. The place was packed, but there was ample seating in the room adjacent to where you order both food and drinks from the people behind the bar. The weather was perfect for outside dining, so we grabbed a picnic table on their partially covered patio in the back of their space. The crowd was friendly and relaxed, enjoying the last few minutes of their Sunday Funday activities before the realities of the looming workweek invaded their minds. 

The menu at Green Cheek is small, but the staple items are here; a trio of starters, burgers, and chicken sandwiches. They also have about a third of their menu dedicated to plant-based items. Nothing on their food menu is priced above $18, which is a nice change of pace when considering that a typical combo meal at your favorite fast food spot is going for just a dollar or two less. Before picking the Ducks games we would suffer through this year, we ordered food and waited for our buzzer to spring to life. Here's how it all came out for us. 

I've been on a real tater-tot kick lately. Wherever I've eaten lately, I've ordered these tiny little barrels of fried potato. At Green Cheek, we started with their Cheeky Style Tots ($10). This is also available with fries, but I like the crunch of the tot a lot better. Tots are also a lot easier to eat with a group of people. This is their version of animal-style fries, but it's way better than what you can get at In-N-Out. For one thing, bacon is added here, and the grilled onions are in bigger chunks, so they are more pronounced. I'm not usually a fan of cheese sauces, but this one was unobtrusive and went well with the other items on the tray. The tater tots held their crunch way longer than any french fry would have. 

Katie is usually a casual bystander while picking our hockey tickets, only occasionally reminding me that I shouldn't choose a particular game because we have a previous commitment that would conflict with going to a hockey game. My little social coordinator selected the Grilled Chicken Club ($16) for her meal. From where I was sitting, this was a good-looking chicken sandwich. It came with herby lemon mayo, thick-cut bacon, lettuce, tomato, and Swiss cheese on a brioche bun. She also added avocado for an additional charge, but I did not note how much extra it was. Katie liked the freshness of everything involved here but thought the sandwich was missing something. The chicken itself was moist and seasoned well. The avocado and bacon were on point, but the lemon mayo did not shine here. It was too mellow and did not stand out. The fries were nicely done, with a light and crunchy breading. They went well with the provided ranch dressing. 

Smash burgers are all the rage right now, even appearing at fast food joints, but Green Cheek was doing them when they opened 7 years ago. Trendsetters apparently. I've mentioned many times on this blog how my parents are not big eaters, and that was evident again at Green Cheek when they split the Burger For the Kiddos ($9). This single three-ounce beef patty came with just American cheese on a potato bun and a small serving of fries. My parents were quiet this early evening, so I only really got their reaction to this burger and fries when I asked them a week later. My dad claimed he liked the burger but had to get some ketchup packets at the condiment stand set up outside to put on the burger. I bit my tongue so I wouldn't say that's probably why you shouldn't order a kid's burger, but I held it in. 

I, of course, went for an adult burger. The Classic Double Smash Burger ($14) comes with six ounces of beef, sliced American cheese, grilled onions, and burger sauce. I liked this burger, but it did have a few flaws. The bun was squished and did not hold its form very well while I ate my burger. The inside of the bigger was enjoyable but would have been better with more of their burger sauce, which they applied sparingly. The beef, cheese, and bacon ratio were excellent. Asking for an extra side of the burger sauce will be my priority the next time I'm here. 

Ultimately, Green Cheek Beer Co. was a great place for us to meet. The atmosphere was nice and relaxed, the food was good, and getting together with my parents and Steve was also excellent. They were very affordable, which you can only say about a few spots these days. On my next visit, I'd like to return and try their wings or the buffalo chicken sandwich. I hope the Duck's season goes better than I imagined, but since I'm writing this well into hockey season, I know it will be challenging for our local hockey team. 

Out of five soccer balls (because green cheek parakeets are found in the wild in Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil, all of these countries are rabid about soccer), five being best to zero being worst, Green Cheek Beer Co. gets 3 soccer balls. 

For more information about Green Cheek Beer Co., head to their website by clicking here: https://greencheekbeer.com/#home

JD’s, King of the Wing?

 JD's Wingz

117 East Chapman Avenue

Placentia, CA 92870

Except for pizza and burgers, I get asked most about where to find the best wings. I'm not the world's biggest chicken fan, but I like chicken wings, especially when watching sports. My competitive eating days are mostly behind me, but my last contest was with some punk from work about who could eat the most wings in one sitting. I quickly mopped the floor with the kid, and my finishing total was 71 wings in less than an hour.  

Okay, back to my point. When people ask me where to get wings, I recommend Santora's across from Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, SoCal Wings in Westminster, and Krave in Irvine. This Korean fusion restaurant makes some excellent wings that will not disappoint. As for the chains, I enjoy Epic Wings and Fire Wings but try to avoid Buffalo Wild Wings at all costs. Even though they have over twenty choices of sauces and dry rubs, their chicken is average at best, and the rest of their menu is way worse than that. 

I learned about JD's Wingz through Instagram when they contacted me for a visit. We had trouble connecting, but I added them to my list of restaurants to try. A few months later, I finally made it here when I was up this way for a dentist appointment. They are located in the shopping center at the corner of Bradford and Chapman Avenues, in Placentia, right by the water tower. 

JD's opened for business in August of 2021 and is run by MMA fighter Christian Aguilera. Christian is a native of Whittier and has exchanged the octagon for this small storefront where he sells baked wings, chicken sandwiches, and sides. Yes, you read that right, baked wings. I'm always skeptical about baked wings because I like the skin to be extra crispy. I know frying is not the healthiest way to go, but wings are not something I have every day, although I would not be opposed to it. Let's see if these baked wings can satisfy like fried wings do. 

Yes, to answer your question I was eating alone, and yes, I did eat all of this while I was at JD's. Going to the dentist makes me hungry; what can I say? I got the 5 Wing Combo ($16.96), which comes with one flavor of wings, a side item, and a drink. I also got 5 Wings Ala Carte ($10.25) just for a little more variety. One ranch was free with my combo meal, while the other cost me $.80. 

I selected the OG Hot flavor with Tater Tots as my side for my combo meal. The first thing I noticed when these were placed in front of me was that they seemed bigger than other wings. There was lots of meat included here, and the manageable spicy sauce covered every inch of the wings. Maybe they were bigger because they were not fried and did not shrink up like their fried cousins seem to. The meat underneath was moist and tender, and I enjoyed how the sauce dried into the skin after cooling off so they were less messy to eat. The tater tots were baked nicely and had a slight crunch, but other than that, they did not really stand out from others I've had. Next time, I'd try their loaded tots or the coleslaw, which people love. 

My garlic parmesan wings were good, but the garlic and parm dry rub did not stick to the wing when I picked it up or dipped it in their magnificent ranch. Luckily, they put lots of the dry rub on here, which still provided plenty of flavor to the outside of the wing. I'm always partial to garlic parmesan on wings, but I'd like to try their mango habanero, creole BBQ, or lemon pepper on my future visits to JD's. 

JD's Wingz has made me a convert to baked chicken wings. There are pros and cons to both fried and baked wings, but there's room for both in the world of chicken wings. You don't get quite as crunchy skin with the baked, but the chicken underneath is more moist and tender. The sauces and rubs were a great complement to the chicken, and with 14 available, there's definitely one you're going to enjoy. Not a fan of wings. They also have a chicken sandwich and their version of boneless wings, a chicken meatball ground in-house, and topped with any rubs or sauces. Sounds interesting. I'll definitely add JD's Wingz to my response when people ask me where to find good wings in OC.   

Out of five title belts (because the owner of JD's was an MMA fighter and the goal of any fighter is a title belt), five being best to zero being worst, JD'sWingz gets 3 title belts. 

For more information about JD's Wingz, head to their website by clicking here:https://www.jdswingz.com/

Getting Sushi Wasted at Sushi Damu

 Sushi Damu

13962 Newport Ave/ Suite D

Tustin, CA 92780

For most of you three people who read my restaurant blog, this may become your favorite review in a long time. It has nothing to do with the restaurant or the food but with how little I'm actually going to write, thus sparing you from reading my horrible writing. Instead of going in-depth over every piece of sushi that we had here at Sushi Damu, I'll let the pictures do the talking. 

Sushi Damu is an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant. I like sushi well enough, but I do not consider myself a sushi expert by any means. I prefer quantity over quality when it comes to eating sushi. I've had some high-quality sushi, and I can see the appeal, but for something that I'm not that passionate about, I can't see paying the high price for premium sushi. 

So, an AYCE sushi option is always preferable to me. I'm not a sushi purist, either. I'll eat a full range of sushi, from nigiri to deep-fried rolls that most people scoff at. That being said, I also don't want fish that's on the verge of not being fresh. No one wants the after-effects of eating sushi that's just about to turn. 

I've been to Sushi Damu three times now, and it's one of the best AYCE experiences I've had in OC. It's situated on the corner of El Camino Real and Newport Avenue in Tustin, in the same shopping plaza as Habit Burger and other small businesses. Parking has never really been an issue for us, but we usually avoid the prime dining times of 6pm or later on weekends, when wait times for tables can easily eclipse the two-hour mark. 

There are three dining options at Sushi Damu. Their choice offerings, which cost $39.99, include everything but sashimi and premium cuts—this is what I always get. The other two levels, which cost $45 and $60 per person, include omakase-grade cuts, sashimi, and bluefin tuna. As with all AYCE sushi places, you must agree to some rules. There's a 90-minute time limit per table and a five-item limit per person for each round. Leftovers are charged at the price on the sheet, and uneaten sushi rice is also charged. Pretty standard stuff for AYCE sushi places.  

We arrived here at half past four and were seated right away. The contrast from the bright outside to the fluorescent blue light inside takes a little getting used to. The music pumping through the speakers adds to the club-like vibe, but it's not loud enough to drown out your dining companions. We made our picks for our first round and waited less than ten minutes for our first of three rounds to arrive.  

As promised, I'm not going to go into detail about all the things we ate here. You're welcome. I will tell you that everything was fresh, and we left very satisfied with everything we had. The variety here was impressive. I counted 30 items on their izakaya menu alone. There are dozens upon dozens of signature rolls, cut rolls, hand rolls, and nigiri to pick from. We definitely ate our $40 worth. 

The only drawback about this place is that it seems to be run by teenagers. For the most part, their service was on point, but empty dishes sat in front of us way too long. They were slow about picking up our paper for our next rounds, and we waited a long time for our check. Maybe we just caught them on an off day, but we will be back when we crave all-you-can-eat sushi. 

Out of five pieces of ginger (because I'm sure with how busy this restaurant is, they go through quite a bit of ginger), five being best to zero being worst, Sushi Damu gets 3 pieces of ginger. 

For more information about Sushi Damu, head to their website by clicking here: https://sushidamu.com/

The Best Breakfast Burrito in OC That No One’s Talking About

 3rd Place Coffee

26741 Portola Parkway

Foothill Ranch, CA 92610

In case I have not mentioned it before, we moved near the end of last year, our first move in over ten years. It's not a big relocation, although any move can feel like it's across the country, especially when your wife is a pack rat. We migrated from Mission Viejo to Rancho Santa Margarita for a six-month stint. We will then return to what feels like civilization when we move to Laguna Hills. 

I decided to make the most of this change of residence by trying some of the local restaurants and eateries I would not typically have known about. Most people, including myself, are not too keen on the restaurants in this part of OC, but I wanted to dispel that notion by highlighting a few that I found to be worth visiting, starting with 3rd Place Coffee. 

Those of you who know me probably know that I'm one of six people in the country who is not a fan of coffee. I always joke that Katie drinks enough for both of us, and she visits Starbucks twice daily. 3rd Place is not usually a spot I would veer towards, but they also get glowing reviews for their breakfast burritos, so after a hike to nearby Red Rock Canyon, I gave them a try. 

3rd Place opened a year and a half ago in the Foothill Ranch Marketplace, which also features Ralph's Supermarket, Arby's, Avila's El Ranchito, and a Waba Grill at the corner of Portola and Bake Parkways. This is strictly a morning and mid-afternoon business, as they open their doors at 6:30 and close at 3pm, with the lone exception being Wednesdays, when they open back up from 6 to 9pm for an open mike night. 

Their short, concise breakfast menu features seven bagel sandwich options on the six varieties of bagels they offer daily. There's a yogurt parfait and a Hawaiian fruit bowl, but I had my eye on one of their three breakfast burrito options, which range in price between $8.99 to $10.99. I was a little early for lunch but noted their wraps and sandwiches, most notably the Classic TBA, a turkey, avocado, and bacon sandwich on sourdough bread. That would have to wait for next time, as I had a breakfast burrito in my sights. 

As I'm almost always conditioned to do when eating breakfast out, I like to pair my savory item with something sweet. I had heard good things about their cinnamon coffee cake, but they were out. This Blueberry Crumble ($3.50) stood in nicely. They offered to heat it, which allowed the provided butter to melt nicely over the moist cake. The crumble added a little sweetness, and the blueberries were fresh. I saw pictures online where this had an icing drizzle over the top of it, but it was still good even though mine did not have it. I'll have to get up earlier to try the coffee cake. 

At 3rd Place Coffee, they have five kinds of breakfast burritos offered; Bacon, Sausage, Vegetarian, Vegan, and the Brochacho Burrito ($10.99), which provides both sausage and bacon encased in the wrapped flour tortilla. I know, it's a big surprise that I would opt for the one with bacon and sausage. This one also features other things that the other burritos do not, avocado and a delicious ancho chipotle sauce, which gives this burrito a jolt from the usual red or green salsa other breakfast burritos have to make do with.  Add crispy hashbrowns for texture and light and fluffy eggs, and you get one of the better breakfast burritos in OC. My one complaint about this would be that they were a bit light in the amount of breakfast meats they utilized in this burrito. The bacon and sausage were absent in some bites, which was not as noticeable because the eggs, avocado, and hashbrowns helped to pick up the slack. I suggest asking for extra meat next time. 

It's not the most massive breakfast burrito, and it's not going to keep you from eating dinner eight hours later, but it's one you should definitely consider trying if you're on a quest to find all the great breakfast burritos that the OC has to offer. On my first visit here on a Thursday past 10am, it took 25 minutes for my burrito to appear at our table, while my friends' burritos had come out ten minutes prior. Maybe a miscommunication between the kitchen and the front counter staff. They made it up to me without prompting by giving me a gift card for a later visit, which I gladly used the next month with no further issues. 3rd Place Coffee is definitely one of the places I'll miss when our six-month exile in RSM is over, but I'll still find a reason to make it out this way for their breakfast burrito. 

Out of five bronze medals (because that's the medal that someone who finishes behind the leader and second place traditionally receives), 3rd Place Coffee gets 3.5 bronze medals.  

For more information about 3rd Place Coffee, head to their website by clicking here: https://3rdplacecoffee.com/