Hoping Mr. BBQ Will Be Mr. Right

 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

 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/