X Marks the Spot?

Xclusive Taqueria Moderna

1701 Corporate Drive Suite C-8

Ladera Ranch, CA 92694

We all have that one friend that is always updating their social media accounts. They post tons of pictures and share with the online world how their day is going and their thoughts on everything. It's always in the back of my mind how they ever get the time to get any work done, watch a movie, or even go to the bathroom. I could never be like that because I'd be afraid that people would become bored with my pretty routine life, and unfollow me rather quickly. 

I know this is a weird way to start a restaurant review, but it's what I thought of when I heard who is one of the owners/partners of Xclusive Taqueria in Ladera Ranch. Chef Chris Tzorin is one of the most real and dare I say entertaining people that I follow on Instagram. I've met him a couple of times and because his life is an open book online, I feel like we are a lot closer than we actually really are. 

I know all about his passion for the culinary industry, the love he has for his family, and his gregarious personality that landed him on the Food Network a handful of times. He has worked in more kitchens than anyone I can think of at the moment; The Beach House, Tortilla Republic, Kutsi, Tempo Urban Kitchen, Savannah Chophouse, Oak, Cafe Tu Tu Tango, Sol Agave, and I'm sure I'm missing a few but my fingers are starting to get tired from typing out the list. At Xclusive, he's now reunited with Manny Velasco and Eddie Perez, and they not only have this Ladera Ranch restaurant, but a food truck, and have been doing a steady dose of private chef events. From what I have seen on Instagram, he's happier and busier than ever. 

Now to this trio's latest venture in Ladera Ranch. They took over the old Jerry's Dog spot, which is a little hidden, but people seem to have found this place. They have a four-and-a-half-star Yelp rating with close to 200 reviews in their short four months in business. Xclusive is a bit of departure for these guys as they shed their fine dining backgrounds and run this as a quick-service restaurant with what they call elevated Mexican food.  Ordering is done at the register and then the food is brought out to the hungry patrons. 

The menu definitely hints at elevated Mexican food with calamari, cazuela de queso, seabass, and pork belly dotting the menu. Stuff you don't normally see at quick-service Mexican restaurants, especially in this area. Prices are a little elevated as well, with tacos going from $4 to $7 and enchiladas, burritos, and quesadillas hovering around the $11 mark. Chef specials like fajitas, braised pork, or short ribs go for $18. Let's take a look at what we went with on this rainy Friday evening. 

When Chef Manny was at Sol Agave, he not only had some pretty solid chips and salsas, but he featured an excellent bean dip. I was very happy to see it here at Xclusive. It was just as good as I remembered, but it's very hard to not fill up on it while waiting for your food. The red salsa was also pretty good with a decent amount of spice to it. 

Our food started to come out in waves, so let's see what Katie was up to this evening. She started with two tacos, the Barramundi Seabass Taco ($6) and the Chicken Mole Taco ($5). Out of the two, Katie liked the chicken taco the best. It was dressed with Oaxacan cheese, refried black beans, and pickled habanero onions which gave this a slight kick. The mole had a great flavor to it, a little smokey, then sweet and savory at the end of each bite. The chicken did get a little lost here with everything else that was going on with this taco. The first few bites of the seabass taco were fine, but with the chipotle aioli, avocado mousse, cabbage, mango pico, and the seabass, the tortilla fell apart halfway through eating it. A shame really because these were some really good handmade tacos, but they could not withstand all the weight that was heaped upon them. Katie claims that she's going to get the simpler street tacos next time, as she thinks they will highlight the proteins a lot more. She was impressed with the Side of Rice ($3) she got to round out her meal. She enjoyed the roasted corn in it, which lifted this side dish up. 

I tried one of their tacos as well. I'm a big fan of anything from a pig, so the Pork Belly Taco ($6) would be my selection this evening. The pork belly here was very moist, almost too much. With the mango relish, pickled onion, and lime crema this was one of the wettest tacos I have ever had. I wish the pork belly was in cubed pieces so it would have been a bit more prominent. The tortilla was good but did get soggy near the end. I really enjoyed my Carne Asada Burrito ($12) much better. It came with plenty of carne asada, refried beans, rice, pico de gallo, and guacamole. I'm always a big fan of when they grill the outside of the burrito a bit to provide a nice crispy outer covering. The insides of the burrito were pretty good as well. All the ingredients meshed well together, although they could have used a bit more guacamole in this. I'm looking forward to having another burrito but with the pastor next time. 

Every time we ate at Sol Agave when Chef Manny was there, we'd get a very good version of one of our favorite appetizers, the Cazuela de Queso ($10). We were hoping that it would be the same as the one we had there. Sadly, it wasn't. I think the difference is the cheese blend that they use here. Sharp cheddar, jalapeno jack, and manchego are mixed with chorizo at Xclusive. A quick glance at the Sol Agave menu shows that they use manchego as well, but also Oaxaca and a fresco cheese fondue mixed with sour cream. The consistency was off, as this cazuela de queso was too liquified and the taste was not as good as others we have had. Even the good tortilla could not help save this for us. I also wanted to share the Side of Guacamole ($3) we got as well. Very fresh and it went perfectly with everything we had this evening.

Even with the misstep of the queso dish, I think Xclusive is a welcome addition to the dining scene in the desolate Mexican restaurant landscape that is Ladera Ranch. An area where Jalapenos and Taco Mesa are the only game in town unless you consider the very mediocre Casa Ranchero. The food at Xclusive will cost a few dollars more than those other places mentioned, but they are trying to bring a more gourmet product to the marketplace. Since we live so close I look forward to coming back and finding my perfect meal here. Chef Chris was very welcoming in the front of the house, making sure that everyone was enjoying their food and had everything that they needed. No surprise that he even gave us a shout-out online before we even had finished our meal.

Out of five social media networks, (because as mentioned before, Chef Chris is a master at all forms of social media), five being best to zero being worst, Xclusive Taqueria Moderna gets 3 social media networks.

For more information about Xclusive Taqueria Moderna, head to their website here: https://www.xclusiverestaurants.com/

Pino's Cucina the Only Italian in Town - CLOSED

Pino's Cucina

27522 Antonio Parkway

Ladera Ranch, CA 92694

The end of April and the first part of June is the start of the busy time for both Katie and me. It starts with our anniversary in mid-April, and then the family birthdays, anniversaries, and the usual Mother's and Father's Days keep us very busy through the middle of June. One of the few benefits of this time is that it allows us to try new restaurants, often with someone else picking up the tab.

That brings us to this visit to Pino's Cucina in Ladera Ranch. Katie's mom wanted me to find somewhere local for Katie's birthday, and I was more than happy to oblige. I quickly searched nearby restaurants on Yelp and found this place with a respectable 4-and-a-half-star rating, over 200 reviews, and a chef with quite the pedigree.

Chef Pino grew up in Sicily, learning his way around the kitchen from his mom, Giovanna. He left Italy to travel the world as a chef for Princess Cruises for nearly a decade. After the cruise ship stint, he settled in Orange County in 1995 and has been here ever since. He's worked at Stella's Serious Italian in Dana Point, Antonello Ristorante, and Nello Cucina in Costa Mesa. He has moved inland a bit to be the head chef at his namesake restaurant. The owners, Frank Domicolo (Pino's nephew) and Giovanni Magro (Pino's longtime friend), round out the team at Pino's with their own experiences working in casual and fine dining establishments in Europe and the States.

Pino's Cucina opened two years ago and is next to the 24-hour local favorite, Corky's. Before Pino's took over, this used to be a vegetarian restaurant. Predictably, I never came here when it was the veggie place. The restaurant is more significant than it appears from the outside. It has twenty tables, pictures of Italy on the walls, a high ceiling, and a Renaldo Juventus jersey prominently displayed on the back wall. 

The menu at Pino's is what you've come to expect at an Italian restaurant. There are plenty in the way of pasta options, with nearly twenty being offered and more substantial entrees featuring chicken, veal, beef, and seafood available for guests who want a little more heft to their meals. Entrees range between $18 to $35, and pasta dishes go for $14 to $25 for a lobster ravioli. There are also soups, salads, and starters for customers to consider. Enough with the buildup. Let's check out what we ate on this one of many birthday dinners for my beloved Katie.

Most Italian restaurants will start you with a bread basket, and Pino's Cucina was no different. They use soft ciabatta bread cut into manageable cubes, just the perfect size for dipping into the provided olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The waitstaff efficiently refilled the bread and dipping sauces regularly throughout our stay.

Man, we have been having some good luck with salads recently, and that trend continued at Pino's. Salads are not included with entrees or pasta dishes, but you should still get a salad here. This Caesar ($7) was traditional with its chopped romaine, croutons, delicious Caesar dressing, and thick parmesan squares. It had the perfect amount of dressing coating each leaf of romaine, and the cuts of parmesan were plentiful and added a nice touch. Katie and her mom were pleased with their House Salads ($7) of mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons, parmesan, and a fresh basil tomato vinaigrette. Katie praised the freshness of the produce in this salad, while her mom remarked that it was a pretty good size for a dinner salad.

For some reason, I had yet to hear the appetizers speak to me this evening, so I acquiesced and let Katie select one that she wanted to try. She chose the Arancini ($12), which she claims that we have had at another restaurant before, but I had no recollection of it until I searched our blog and saw that we had Arancini at Bruno's in Brea last summer. Sorry for doubting you, Katie. These at Pino's were shaped differently than the ones we had a year earlier. These were cone-shaped compared to the ping-pong ball-sized ones we had at Bruno's. These were filled with rice, meat sauce, mozzarella, and peas and deep-fried. I thought these were just okay. They needed more of a pop of flavor for me to take notice. Not awful, but nothing that memorable.

I'm always intrigued by what Katie's mom, Lynn, orders when we eat. It's almost always something I would not expect, like this Chicken Piccata ($18). She was all set to get the Chicken Marsala, but her neighbor convinced her that the piccata was the way to go at Pino's. She was happy she went with her neighbor's advice. This lightly breaded chicken was nice and tender in a traditional yet delicious piccata sauce of garlic, white wine, lemon, shallots, and capers. This also came with a dollop of mashed potatoes and some squash.

I went back and forth about what I wanted on this evening and eventually settled on this Mushroom and Sausage Risotto ($19). This was a very earthy dish with mushrooms and little bursts of flavor from the sausage coming through each bite. The risotto was cooked nicely also. I thought I got shortchanged when I saw the serving size, but it was more than enough, as it was very filling.

The birthday girl opted to get one of the first things I made for her when we first started dating: Spaghetti Carbonara ($18). She claims my carbonara is still the best she's had, which is untrue. This one was way better than mine. The cream sauce, finished with egg yolk, was rich and decadent. The chopped pancetta added a little heft to the dish, and the parmesan tied it together. It is a very comforting and filling version of a classic dish that means a lot to Katie and makes her very happy this birthday dinner.

There were three options for dessert, and not being a big fan of cannolis or tiramisu, that left us with the Profiteroles ($7) this evening. These were delicate cream puffs but did not really blow me away. The outer portion of these seemed too rigid, and there was not nearly enough chocolate drizzle on the plate to make it worthwhile for dipping. The inside cream was soft and sweet and was definitely the best part of this dessert.

Even though our ending dessert failed to impress, we loved our visit to Pino's Cucina, each of us vowing to return very soon. I quickly searched full-service Italian restaurants in Ladera Ranch, and it only yielded one result, Pino's. But this restaurant is good enough to be included on any list of great Italian restaurants in South OC. The Italian cuisine served here is definitely authentic and done, just like you'd expect from someone who learned to cook from their mother in Southern Italy. Service was pleasant and efficient, and we were even treated to a visit to our table by Pino himself, which was an excellent treat. Pino's was a great choice for one of Kaie's birthday dinners and getting us ready for lots of family time in the upcoming two months.

Out of five zebras (because it is easy to see from the decorations hanging on the walls that they love the Series A team Juventus here, and their mascot is a zebra), five being best to zero being worst, Pino's Cucina gets a very strong 3.5 zebras.

 For more information about Pino's Cucina, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.pinoscucinainladeraranch.com/

Starting a New Burger Quest at BLK Burgrz - CLOSED

BLK Burgrz

27742 Antonio Parkway

Ladera Ranch, CA 92694

The OC Register's restaurant reviewer, Brad A. Johnson, recently wrote about his top ten destination burgers. Burgers he feels are worth the drive. These are not fast food burgers, but burgers that are more expensive than what you are used to paying, but he reasons that you get what you pay for with these burgers, and I agree with him on that point. I won't shy away from spending $20 on a burger as long as it is worth it. One place that was high on Brad's list is right around where we live and has been on our list of places to try, so we met some friends on a recent Friday night at BLK Burgrz.

I usually give a restaurant six months to iron out their issues before coming in to review them. I had a hard time waiting six months with this place. I had kept hearing such good things about their burgers, but I stayed away until now. Now open for over six months, we showed up without a reservation on a recent evening. We were told the wait would be close to an hour and a half, but we were determined, so we put our names in. Luckily, it was only an hour's wait, and we had plenty to discuss with our good friends Tom and Daniele.

BLK is housed in the former Newport Rib Company spot we reviewed about four years ago. Man, time flies. I barely remember what it was like back then, but now, the restaurant's focal point is the front patio. There's a fantastic vibe out there, with music around eight. We were going to be talking, so we sat inside. It's a small restaurant inside, with maybe 12 or so tables. We sat at this irregularly shaped high top, which I doubted would fit the four of us, but we made it work.

The menu at BLK is geared towards burgers, but they also have some salads, chicken, and steak dishes for the three people who do not enjoy burgers. This is a proper build-a-burger restaurant. Much like Slater's, they have a checklist for creating your burger masterpiece. You choose the size, style, and condiments you want to partake in. I'm always a little nervous that I'm going to screw up my burger when I order like this, especially since you can have as many toppings as you want here because they're all included in the price of the burger. It's a lot of pressure. Let's see how I handled the pressure when our food started to come out.

One tip I gleaned from reading others' reviews about BLK is that you should forgo the appetizers here because the House Made Chips are so good and free. Think of this as their version of a bread basket. These chips are fried crisp, made fresh, and sprinkled with ranch dressing powder. It took a long time for our food to come out, so we went through four baskets of these, or as Tom put it, a basket per person. That did not make me feel too good, but the chips were addictive, and I was hungry. These were made even better when Tom asked for a side of spicy ketchup, which added a flavor boost to these chips.

We usually do not drink too much when we go out, but it was Friday, we were with Tom and Daniele, so it felt right to have a few cocktails. The big lush Katie had a Virgin Moscow Mule ($8). Since it's a virgin beverage, this one has ginger beer and lime juice. She seemed to like this, though. My first drink was the BLK Mai Thai ($9). This was a delightful version of a Mai Thai. Tom started with a fruity martini called the Frenchie ($9), but he soon finished that and switched to a more manly beer. He seemed pleased with the beer list here. Daniele started with the Cucumber Mojito ($8), then switched to the Orangesicle ($8), and I followed suit and had one of those too. My first sip of this brought me back to when I was eight and having a 50/50 bar on a trip, we took to Mission Beach way back in the day. This was definitely my favorite drink of the night.

The burgers finally hit the table, and we'll start with a shot of Tom's creation. I'm not sure of all that he added to this 3/4 LB Burger ($20), but I spotted bacon, cheddar cheese, jalapenos, fried egg, and mixed greens, all on a cheddar bun, which Tom questioned whether this was a cheddar bun at all. He seemed pleased with this burger but took half of it home. Burgers here include one side, so Tom counteracted all the chips he ate with a side salad. Good plan, big guy.

Katie went with one of BLK's stuffed burger options, the Garlic Roasted Red Pepper Burger ($18). Here, the garlic and red pepper are blended into the beef. This made the patty very juicy and flavorful. She kept it simple with the toppings, lettuce, and Swiss cheese and asked for the garlic aioli and lemon caper spread on the side to control how much went on this burger. The aioli was her favorite out of the two. She liked the bun and felt it did a great job keeping everything together. For her side item, she opted for onion rings, which were crispy while allowing the onion flavor to come through. She left here pretty satisfied with this burger experience.

Man, I had difficulty picking what I wanted for my burger here. I went pretty basic. I had the Three Quarters Pound Burger ($20) like Tom. My basic burger included guacamole, cheddar cheese, bacon, red onion, and Thousand Island dressing. I liked that they did not drown this burger with toppings. They were present but kept the great Wagyu beef used here. The meat was juicy and cooked to my desired medium temperature, and the toppings went well with the meat. When I saw the bun, I was afraid it would be too dull, but it impressed me with its sponginess and structure. After Brad Johnson raved about the fries, I knew I had to try them. He was right. These fries are hand-cut and fried very well. They were not too greasy, had a nice crunch, and were fantastic with more garlic aioli. Really a solid burger and fries.

After eating a big burger and all those chips, I was not totally ready for dessert, but when I saw that they had a BLK Hot Fudge Donut Sundae ($8) on the menu, I got a second wind. This was not a donut but more of a cronut, the trendy hybrid of a croissant and a doughnut that swelled with popularity last year. Flaky layers were dusted with cinnamon and sugar and then topped with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate fudge. I liked my first introduction to a cronut. The layers were easy to get through, and the ice cream was plentiful, but I would have liked a little more chocolate. Good finish to our meal, though.

BLK Burgrz impressed us. It's the kind of restaurant I will need to visit a few times to find my perfect burger, but I will enjoy the delicious journey. I look forward to trying their stuffed burgers on future visits, and I'll be brave enough to attempt their deep-fried burgers, which sounds awesome. For those of you who bristle at paying $20 for a burger, these are worth it. You get to add whatever toppings you want, and you also get to choose a side to go along with the burger. It is only a couple dollars more than what you would pay at Island's or Ruby's. As with new restaurants, and this one is still relatively new, some kinks still need to be worked out. The service on this night was okay, but our food did take a long time to come out, and our server was gone for long periods. It also might be nitpicky, but the water glasses were so tiny that they sat empty for extended periods (why no ice for the water? I thought it was odd). In the end, though, we can not wait to return to BLK, just like we can't wait to tackle more of Brad Johnson's list of destination burgers. Hope they are all as good as this one.

Out of five airplanes (because BLK is also the airport code for Blackpool International Airport, located on England's West Coast), five being best to zero being worst, BLK Burgrz gets 3.5 airplanes.

For more information about BLK Burgrz, go to their website here: http://www.blkburgrz.com/

Zipping Over to ZPizza

ZPizza 

25672 Crown Valley Parkway

Ladera Ranch, CA 92694

There really seems to be a rebirth of pizza this year in OC. Pizza places pop up quicker than Santa's ringing bells in front of the stores during this holiday season. Almost every time I open my email, there is another pizza place coming to town. Pie-ology, Blaze Pizza, Pitfire Pizza, and others are either here or on their way. One fall afternoon, I opened up my email, and there was something from ZPizza. I had not been to ZPizza in years, but they wanted us to come to try their food, so we waited until a crisp winter night and headed out to give them a try.

Compared to others in the chain pizza game, ZPizza has been around forever. They are a true Orange County original, started in Laguna Beach in 1986. That was so long ago. I was still in high school back then. Anyways, ZPizza has now expanded to 18 states, as well as international locations in Mexico, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Proving that pizza is a global phenomenon.

ZPizza strives to serve pure food. Their menu promotes natural ingredients, including MSG-free sausage and pepperoni, antibiotic and hormone-free chicken, and many vegan and gluten-free options. For those of you that know me, all of this stuff doesn't really make a difference to me. The end result is that the food must taste good. So let's see how it turned out for us.

We got to ZPizza at about six on a Friday night. This ZPizza is more geared towards takeout than dining in. They have three four-person tables, and we were the only ones eating here during our visit. All of their other business was for pickup. A steady stream of customers kept the young staff busy making plenty of pizzas. We ordered at the counter and waited about fifteen minutes for our food. This is what came to our table.

Starting us off was the Chicken Caesar Salad ($7.95). They say that the salads at ZPizza can feed one to two people, and they are right. Katie and I ate plenty of this salad, which was a small size. This salad contained hand-leafed romaine, grilled chicken, shaved Parmesan, and large croutons, all with a zesty Caesar dressing. The produce was fresh, adding plenty of tender chicken and Parmesan cheese. The one drawback of this salad was the homemade croutons. We like croutons with some crunch, and these failed to deliver.

Pizza Party Time and Katie selected one of ZPizza's rustic pizzas. This Mediterranean Pizza ($8.95) came with mozzarella and feta cheeses, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, Greek olives, oregano, and pili oil. Katie loved this fresh-tasting pizza. She liked the creaminess of the cheeses, along with the fresh toppings. She would ask for easy olives on this next time, though. The size of this pizza is what impressed me the most. More than enough, she had some of this for lunch the next day.

I am sure that most of our blog's regular readers are pretty shocked by my pizza choice, the Thai Pizza ($9.95). I was trying to branch out a little bit, and I have been craving Thai food as well. This pizza used peanut sauce as a base, then piled on the mozzarella, spicy chicken, red onions, cilantro, carrots, bean sprouts, and Serrano chilies. I thought with all of these big-time flavors on this pizza, it would be blazing hot, but the heat here was very subtle. I would get this pizza with a little extra peanut sauce on further visits. That stuff was excellent. The dough at ZPizza is made fresh daily, and it really showed here. It had a great chew while holding all of the toppings admirably. A different pizza than I am used to, but a pizza that I really enjoyed.

It is easy to see why ZPizza has been around for as long as it has. They make some delicious pizzas that you can also feel good about eating. After eating here, we did not feel as sluggish as after eating other pizzas. That is probably due to ZPizza using the freshest, most natural ingredients. There are plenty of other pizzas for us to try on future visits here and some sandwiches that sound pretty good. Portion sizes were excellent at ZPizza, and the prices were exceptional value. This restaurant really hit the mark on this cold winter night.

We would like to thank everyone at ZPizza for the opportunity to try their pizza. We would also like to thank Janine Nickel for getting in touch with us and providing us with this incredible chance to try ZPizza.

For more information on ZPizza, click here to visit their website: http://www.zpizza.com/

Is Jerry's One of OC's Top Dogs? - CLOSED

Jerry's Wood-Fired Dogs

1701 Corporate Drive Suite #C8

Ladera Ranch, CA 92694

Hot dogs have recently had a rebirth. There used to be just Weinerschnitel and the ones you got at baseball games. Sometimes Carl's Jr. would feature hot dogs on their menu, reliving their past when Carl Karcher started his food empire as a hot dog cart. Other than these places it was hard to find a restaurant devoted entirely to the wiener, frankfurter, red hot, or whatever you want to call it. That is until recently. Now hot dog places are popping up all over the place. Game Day Fire Grilled Hot Dogs, Berkeley Dog, Chicago Harv's, and Portillo's are a few that come to mind off the top of my head.

One of the first hot dog-centric restaurants that I remember opening is Jerry's Wood-Fired Dogs. They opened in Santa Ana back in 2003. There actually is a Jerry. Born in Cleveland, he found himself in OC and lamented the fact that a good hot dog was hard to find. After studying hot dogs from across the country, perfecting his wood grilling technique, and working with a sausage master, he opened his place. He must be on to something because there are now three more locations, (La Habra, Irvine, and the location we visited, Ladera Ranch).

We got to Jerry's on a Sunday at 2. This restaurant is a little hidden. Kind of had to hunt for it. There was a steady stream of customers throughout our visit here. Ordering is done at the counter, and then as soon as your dogs are ready you tell them what you want on your hot dog. With over 30 toppings to choose from, the combinations are endless. Let's see what we came up with.

Starting things off is my Mom's choice, the very simple Jerry's Signature Dog with mustard and relish. She really liked this all-beef hot dog. The nice meaty flavor and the bun were good too. It did not get in the way of the hot dog.

My Dad got the hot dog above.  At the counter, they have specialty hot dogs that come with pre-determined toppings. This one is the Mushroom Swiss Dog. It had a chipotle mayo, grilled onions, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese. This had his name written all over it. He enjoyed this hot dog very much.

I had two hot dogs here, the first being this Jalapeno Hot Link with grilled onions, peppers, and chipotle mayo. The bun held together nicely, and this had a good pop of flavor. The hotlink casing snapped when bitten into. The veggies were done right, still a little crunch to them after being grilled. Good hotlink, with a good amount of heat.

My other hot dog selection was a little more radical. I went with the Southwest Hot Dog, another one of their signature dogs. This one featured a cavalcade of items, bacon, chili, onion, Frito's, cheese, and I added jalapenos and bacon bits for added flavor. Even with all of these items included, they all worked together to create a good-tasting hot dog. Usually, with so many big flavors they cancel each other out, not the case here. I would get this again in a second.

Katie did not get too crazy with her pick, an Uncle Frank's Italian Sausage with onions, peppers, and spicy brown mustard. This Italian pork sausage is made with fennel, garlic, Romano cheese, and a little red wine. The sausage was mild in flavor

This good looking hot dog belonged to Jarrod. He had the Pastrami Dog, with grilled onions, pepperoncini's, and spicy brown mustard. The pastrami was pretty good, as it seemed to be grilled a little bit. There was also plenty of it. Very good hot dog.

Jerry's not only featured hot dogs, but they also have burgers as well. Katie's family is not much about hot dogs, so they all opted for other options, including the burgers above. Sara had the Quarter Pound Burger, simply dressed with thousand island dressing. Dennis went a little bigger with the Bacon Cheeseburger. Both of them seemed satisfied with their selections. I did not get to try either of these.

Lynn was feeling like chicken, so the natural choice for her to get was the BBQ Chicken Breast Sandwich. This sandwich is served on a whole wheat bun, and she chose to have bacon added, making this more of a chicken club sandwich. The sandwich looked good from where I was sitting.

The Skin-On French Fries are pretty good here. Good size for dipping, and made very fresh. These came out smoking hot. The Sweet Potato Fries are not really my kind of thing, but Katie liked them a lot. The Hot Potato Chips are probably the best of the sides. These chips were a little on the salty side, but there is something magical about having warm potato chips in your hand. It could be the novelty of it, but this is the side item to get here.

Jerry's was recently named one of the top ten hot dog destinations in Orange County by OC Weekly. I can totally see why they made this list. The hot dogs are really good, and the variety of toppings is very impressive. With seven varieties of hot dogs, six kinds of sausage, and thirty toppings, you could eat here for decades and never have the same meal twice. The guys behind the counter were very laid back and answered all of our questions. Prices, as you would expect are relatively low. No menu item is over $7. We are really happy that hot dog joints are popping up all over the place.

Out of five airplanes, (because O'Hare Airport in Chicago sells more hot dogs than any other single location in the USA, 2 million a year!), five being best to zero being worst, Jerry's Wood-Fired Dogs gets 3 airplanes.

For more information on Jerry's Wood-Fired Dogs, click here: http://www.jerrysdogs.com/index.php