Toasting to a Great Meal at The Winery

The Winery Restaurant 

2647 Park Ave. 

Tustin, CA 92782

Oh OC Restaurant Week, you come and go so quickly, that we barely have enough time to enjoy you. When OC Restaurant Week rolls around the last week of February, it always seems like we always have the stuff to do, so we never get to enjoy the reduced prices on three course meals. This year though, we made a point of clearing our schedule and cross-referencing our, "restaurant wish list" for places we wanted to go. OC Restaurant Week is a great time to experience a restaurant that might be a little out of your price range, or maybe is more of a special occasion restaurant. Not that The Winery is crazy expensive, but I would classify it as a special occasion place. It has been on our list for a long time, so we made our first of two OCRW dinners, at The Winery in Tustin.

The Winery has won some major awards since it opened up in 2007. They have been named Restaurant of the Year numerous times, their chef, Yvon Goetz has won a Golden Foodie Award as Chef of the Year, and even their Sommelier, William Lewis has been named Sommelier of the Year. Not only have the awards been plentiful, but they also get high praise from OC food writers and the general public. After over 400 reviews, they still have a four-star rating on Yelp, and they have an 81 percent approval rating on Urbanspoon. Very good numbers, so I definitely had high hopes for a great dinner here.

We arrived at The Winery on a recent Wednesday night at 6 PM. I had made reservations, so we sat right away, adjacent to the very busy bar area. This dark, loud restaurant was a little smaller than I had expected. What I had expected was a large number of wine bottles on display in the space. The Winery naturally has a huge wine list, with over 650 selections, which change weekly, so there is always something new here. Katie and I are not too into wine, but we were both hungry, so let's see if our high expectations will be met at The Winery.

I'm always kind of excited to see what kind of bread we are presented with at fancier restaurants. The bread basket at The Winery was pretty standard for an upscale restaurant. The sourdough-like rolls were a little on the doughy side but served warm. The winner of this basket for me was the Parmesan crisp. I could have eaten more of these crisps, but we had three courses headed our way.

Katie and I always like to get different things off of the OCRW menu, so this way we get to see more of the offerings, and we are both pretty good about letting each other try everything. She selected the Seared Rare Ahi Tuna to start with. This plate had a lot of things going on with it. Joining the tuna on the plate was a cucumber tower, avocado, mango, and a cilantro-orange vinaigrette. Katie praised this starter for the high quality of ingredients, the well-executed tuna, and the very good citrus theme presented here. She likes avocado a lot, but she kind of felt that the avocado, which was placed inside a lightly fried won ton wrapper, was a little misplaced here. I would never turn down an avocado, even on pancakes. Okay, maybe then I would.

Since Katie went with the ahi, that left me with one of the other two choices. After reading the description of the Winery House Salad, it made my decision very easy. This is a salad that my mom would have loved, and I liked it as well. Organic baby greens, candied walnuts, crumbled Roquefort cheese, red grapes, apples, and tomatoes are all included here, with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette. With so much going on with this salad, each bite had a different vibe going on with it. The light dressing really allowed the contents of the salad to steal the show, but I would have liked a little more Roquefort to counteract all the sweetness here. Still a good salad though.

Entree time and Katie surprisingly veered away from the fish offering and made a beeline for a restaurant week staple offering, the Zinfandel Braised Short Rib. It always seems like no matter where we eat during any sort of restaurant week, most restaurants always offer a short rib option. The short rib at The Winery was joined alongside prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, carrot-infused pearl couscous, and a zinfandel reduction. Katie had nothing but praise for this dish. As it should be, this short rib was fork tender, with no need for the steak knife that came with this plate. All the items on the plate provided different layers of flavor, but the couscous stood out the most for Katie. This was not a heavy meal, but it really satisfied.

Please forgive the washed-out pictures here. The restaurant was dark, and I was trying to snap pictures quickly, so as not to disturb the other diners. Even with the sub-par pictures, I look back fondly on this Brandt Cajun Flatiron Steak. This nice-sized steak was served with a Bordelaise sauce and black truffle mashed potatoes. The steak was cooked to my desired medium rare specifications. I really liked the sauce but had wished that there was more of it here. The Cajun feel of the meat came through but did not overpower the natural flavor of the meat. A very difficult balance to achieve. The mashed potatoes were not overtaken by the presence of truffle and were very smooth.  

Desserts were up next, and Katie had let me pick what I wanted first, so that left her with this Winery Cheesecake. Just like her entree, she was pretty pleased with this dessert. She liked that the cheesecake itself was not overly sweet, and the graham cracker crust provided a lot of the flavor here. The inclusion of fresh berries was the cherry on top of this, so to speak.

You can never go wrong by ordering creme brulee, and the Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee proved this point as well. This was a pretty good-sized portion, with a smooth custard inside that was not overly sweet, and a nice candied crust on top. It was then topped with a couple of fresh berries and a chocolate fleur de sel cookie. I could have eaten tons of these chocolate cookies, they were so good.

The Winery Restaurant really lived up to the hype that we have heard about it, and is totally worthy of all the awards that they have received. We were happy that we got to experience this restaurant during OCRW, so it only cost us $40 a person for our three course dinners, a real bargain. We look forward to coming back again soon, to explore the rest of their menu. The restaurant kind of reminded us of Fleming's. but was more vibrant and lively. Our server, Melanie was on top of her game on this night. She was very personable and made us feel very welcome. The food came out at a leisurely pace, but that's to be expected at nicer restaurants, as it's not really about getting the food out as quick as possible, but it's more about experiencing the food. There's a new location of The Winery opening up in Newport very soon, in the old Villa Nova spot. We are definitely looking forward to checking it out. Glad we did not let OC Restaurant Week pass by without coming to The Winery.

Out of five chess boards, (because the oldest winery in the world has been making wine for 6,000 years and is located in Armenia, and that country's men's chess team is the current world champs), five being best to zero being worst, The Winery Restaurant gets 3.5 chess boards.

For more information about The Winery Restaurant, go to their website here: https://www.thewinerytustin.com/

Barbecue Bliss in Downtown Fullerton - CLOSED

JP23 BBQ Smokehouse

101 S. Harbor Blvd. 

Fullerton, CA 92832

Barbecue could be the "it" food of 2014. So many barbecue restaurants have been opening up that OC is starting to resemble Texas or the Carolinas. Okay, maybe that is stretching it a bit, but a rash of barbecue joints has recently opened up. Famous Dave's are popping up all over. There's Fred's BBQ in Orange, Leadbelly's is now open in the old Shortstop BBQ location in Fullerton, and also in Fullerton is a restaurant celebrating their first anniversary this month, JP23 BBQ Smokehouse.

JP23 is located in Downtown Fullerton, right in the middle of all the action, on the corner of Harbor and Commonwealth. If you remember where the dreary club Church was, this is in the same spot. I never understood how the Church stayed in business as long as it did. Every time we walked by, there was never anyone in the place. Now that JP23 has taken over, it's a much more vibrant spot. You would think that with 43 TVs, this would scream sports bar, but sports bars usually conjure up mediocre finger foods, lackluster burgers, and pretty dull drinks. JP23 wants you to consider them more of a "sports restaurant." Where food does not take a back seat to watching a game with your buddies.

We were recently invited to try JP23 by General Manager Adrienne Bennett, whom we met about two years ago at another restaurant event. She came to JP23 two months ago and has been busy. She is hiring staff like crazy, working on overhauling the wine list and hiring a new chef. As with many restaurant general managers, she's working long hours with minimal days off. We were excited to see what she and JP23 had in store for us that night.

Arriving at JP23 just after 6PM, the sweet aroma of barbecue hits you as you walk in the door here. We were seated immediately, and many people were already enjoying their dinners. We sat in a very comfy booth with many TVs showing the Duck's pregame show. I had a feeling we were in for a great night. The menu here is broken up; as you would imagine, many barbecue restaurants do things. Appetizers, salads, burgers, and sandwiches, then the main event, the barbecue meats, headline things. We were pretty hungry after making the trek up from Irvine to get here. Let's see how things turned out for us at JP23.

There were plenty of appetizers here, but most incorporated meat into them. I knew I would have my fair share of their barbecue, so we went with the Smoked Artichoke Dip ($7.95). This was a delicious version of the classic spinach and artichoke dip. It's not too rich, and the smokiness came through. I also liked the cheddar cheese on top of the dip, which was nice. This came with their homemade tortilla chips, which they make here every day. Thicker than your usual tortilla chip, these held up to the dip without breaking off. An excellent start to our meal.

Katie also started off with a JP23 House Salad ($5.95). Their house salad comprises a spring lettuce mix, arugula, Roma tomatoes, shallots, and Parmesan cheese tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette. This pretty good-sized dinner salad used fresh produce, but the dressing really set this apart for Katie. It had some garlic undertones and a good amount of tanginess. Just as she polished off this salad, the entrees made their way to our table.

You would probably not expect to see pasta dishes on the menu at a barbecue restaurant, but Katie was excited to have Linda's Pasta ($12.95). The menu proclaims that this is the owner's home favorite and one of Katie's now as well. This dish starts with penne pasta, smoked sausage, grilled chicken, peppers, sundried tomatoes, shallots, and a Cajun cream sauce. This came out of the kitchen smoking hot, and Katie had to let it sit for a minute or two. Once cooled, she really enjoyed this decadent dish. The chicken was tender, with plenty of sausage, and the Cajun seasoning popped with flavor. The heat started off slowly with this, but with each bite, it became much more prevalent. This was a good-sized serving, which Katie could not finish, so I had the rest for lunch the next day.

As with all barbecue restaurants I eat at, I almost always gravitate towards a combo plate on my first visit. It makes the most sense so you can get an idea of what's the best for subsequent visits. JP23 offered a BBQ Two Meat Combo Platter ($27.95), which I also added a Kentucky Hot Link to this meal. This was a big plate of food. What I liked about the barbecue here was that it came out with no sauce. I always feel that barbecue slathered in a sauce hides something. You don't really get an authentic taste of the meat. It also allows you to add the right amount of sauce for your preference. I'll talk about the sauces next, but my observations of the meats were that they were all solid. The brisket was my least favorite, as it was a little inconsistent, with some dry pieces in the middle, but the ends were tasty and showed great promise. The hotlink had a smoky flavor, was juicy, and could stand independently.  The best of the bunch was the half rack of baby back ribs. These were very tender, as the meat came off the bone in big hunks, perfect for dipping into the sauces. Real good ribs here.

JP23 has four barbecue sauces to offer, which are brought to your table to decide what you are in the mood for. The four sauces loosely represent four geographic areas of barbecue hot spots. The Chipotle Pepper Sauce is supposed to conjure up Texas, while the Citrus Bang BBQ sauce, for some reason, is supposed to represent Kansas City barbecue. JP23's signature sauce is a Berry Bourbon Spice and is said to express a California barbecue. The last one was the Same Ole BBQ Sauce, which is more of a standard sauce that you would see in southern barbecue. Going in, I thought the chipotle one would be my favorite, but the citrus sauce got my attention on this visit. I'm not much of a citrus fan, but the citrus popped in this sauce and went well with the meats. My second favorite was the Same Ole BBQ sauce, which had a nice mellow flavor without trying to do too much. It was simple, great tasting, and complimented the meats without overwhelming your taste buds. I also have to mention one other sauce that we had. Our visit to JP23 was during OC Cocktail Week, and Chef Eric made a special sauce for the event, which was excellent. The Siracha Cherry BBQ sauce was so good. This is the one that I had packaged up so I could enjoy it with my leftovers. It started sweet, then really packed a punch. Before I realized it, I had gone through two glasses of iced tea and could not wait for more of that sauce. I still have a little left in my fridge that I am saving for a special occasion.

Not taking a backseat to the meats here, the sides at JP23 can not be ignored. Adrienne told us they had the best Collard Greens in OC, so we had to try them. She was right. These were some great greens. It was not overly soupy but still firm, and with the little hunks of bacon and other meats in here, the greens really picked up the smokiness. This is a definite must-get when choosing a side item at JP23. The Mac and Cheese was also a winner. Their version included bacon throughout the bowl, and I liked the cheese layer placed under the broiler to provide a nice crunchy crust. On the way home, Katie could not stop raving about the Cornbread here. She was enamored with the simplicity of it. It was not overly sweetened but had hints of honey and corn, negating the need for butter. Since our visit, she has mentioned going to Fullerton for this cornbread, which I am sure we will do soon.

Chef Eric allowed me to cross something off of my bucket list on that night. I had mentioned that I wanted to get a picture of their smoker, and there was nice looking pork butt that was ready to be taken out. He grabbed some of this, which shredded at the merest of touch, and gave some to me. I have watched all the cooking shows where the host gets to pick at the meat straight out of the smoker and always makes that "oh yeah" face. It was my turn to make that face tonight. This was delicious. Very tender, and it made me glad I was not a chef because I would never be able to part with the meat after tasting it right out of the smoker. Thanks for this great opportunity, Chef Eric.

Katie and I were excited about our visit to JP23 BBQ Smokehouse. Everything we had on this night was a winner, and things will continue to move that way with Adrienne and Chef Eric at the helm. They are working on a dessert menu, and the regular menu will also be going through some changes. I'm hoping that one of those changes will be having Siracha-cherry barbecue sauce added to the menu, but no pressure, guys. We are happy that barbecue restaurants are sprouting up all over OC, and it's an added bonus when it's a good barbecue, like at JP23 BBQ Smokehouse.

Thanks go out to Adrienne and Chef Eric for the invite to JP23. We enjoyed talking with you guys and getting a sneak peek at what is coming for your restaurant. We are excited to come back again soon. We would also like to thank all the servers and waitstaff we encountered on this visit. You guys really made us feel comfortable and met all of our expectations. Thanks again.

For more information about JP23 BBQ Smokehouse, check out their website here: https://www.jp23.com/

Heroes, Coming to Save the Day in Riverside?

Heroes Restaurant and Brewery

3397 Mission Inn Avenue

Riverside, CA 92501

If you don't believe that the Orange County restaurant scene is a powerhouse, then you have not been paying attention. A lot of our beloved restaurateurs in OC have started opening restaurants in other counties and other states. This is definitely a sign that our culinary pedigree has evolved. We aren't just getting restaurants from other areas, OC restaurants are expanding to show the rest of the nation and the world that Orange County has some pretty good food to share with everyone.

There are numerous examples of OC restaurants opening in other locales. Bruxie started in a tiny space in Orange, but now has locations in Chino Hills, and is opening their first Colorado retail space later this month. One of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Sol Cocina, started on PCH, but now has a location in Scottsdale, Arizona. Slater's 50/50 began in a sleepy little shopping center tucked into Anaheim Hills, and has now opened spots in Rancho Cucamonga and San Diego. Probably the most ambitious expansion I have heard of is the one Slapfish is doing. Not only are they opening their second OC location in Laguna Beach, but they have already opened in Dubai. Yes, that Dubai in the Middle East.

I could go on and on, but the fact remains that OC restaurants are big-time now. I was excited to hear that another long-time favorite of mine was expanding to another area. Heroes Bar and Grill has been a mainstay in Downtown Fullerton, since I was in high school, (which was a long time ago). About six months ago they opened up a new spot in Riverside, right by the Mission Inn. This used to be the location of the Big Cheese Pizza Company, which closed about a year ago.  Like that business, this new Heroes is brewing their own beer at this location. Head Brewer John Novotny, who used to be at Bootlegger's Brewery, is overseeing five different styles of beer here. We did not try any of the beers, but we grabbed our friends Sabrina and Anthony and headed out to see if Heroes has found a following in the Inland Empire.

I would say that they have gained quite a following. We arrived at Heroes at about 7PM on a recent Saturday night. We were met with a 45-minute wait and a long line of people standing close to the entrance. If you have never been to Heroes before, getting your name on the list for a table can be a little confusing. There's no hostess stand, you just need to find the guy with the pad of paper, who's calling out names when their tables are ready. Any employee can point you in his direction if you have trouble spotting him.

This restaurant has an odd layout for it. When you walk in, there's a bar to your left, and a bar to your right, with a large covered patio overlooking the parking lot. Probably bigger than the Fullerton location, the larger of the two rooms even feature a deli counter, which reminded us of Roscoe's Famous Deli, which is also owned by this restaurant group. The menu is pretty much the same as the Fullerton shop, but they have substituted some local Riverside names into the menu items. After our close to a forty-minute wait, we were seated and hungry. Let's see if the food is as good here, as it is back in OC.

Heroes Chili Nachos ($12 for a half order) is pretty legendary, and we were all famished, so this part of our meal was a no-brainer.  Yes, this is the half order of nachos. The full-size order comes out on a pizza plate and is so huge it could feed six or more people. We've learned our lesson and only order the half order now. The tortilla chips are covered with chili, a good amount of jack and cheddar cheeses, tomatoes, black olives, green onions, sour cream, and guacamole. A good-sized mound of food. Even with all of this piled on top of the tortilla chips, they still somehow managed to stay crisp. It could be that we ate these so fast that they did not have time to get soggy, but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt here. The chili is not a spicy chili, but it does add some moisture to the plate. A very solid plate of nachos, where you get a good amount of toppings in each bite.

Sabrina has been on a real health kick lately, so I was not surprised when she ordered the Veggie Sandwich ($9). This sandwich had almost the whole produce section on it. Avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, red onions, sprouts, provolone cheese, sweet-hot mustard, all placed between two slices of toasted squaw bread. She was pretty pleased when this sandwich was placed in front of her, but the sweet-hot mustard totally overpowered this for her. She felt this was more hot than sweet. It did not prevent her from eating most of this sandwich though. She was pretty excited for the cheat part of her meal, the Curly Fries.

Anthony has also been working on getting healthy, by eating right and also riding his bike for like 100 miles at a time. I could barely drive 100 miles, let alone bike it, so I'm pretty proud of my good friend. He decided he would go big at Heroes and have an epic cheat meal, the Chorizo Burger ($11). This 50 percent chorizo, and 50 percent ground beef patty is topped with two fried eggs, imported Spanish ham, pepper jack cheese, and chipotle mayo, all on a potato bun. I'd say that's a cheat meal for sure. I mean, if you're going to eat bad, you might as well go all out. Anthony was pretty glad that he got this rich burger. It really hit the spot after his long bike ride earlier in the day.

Five years into our relationship, and I still usually have no idea what Katie will be ordering when we go out. On this night she went with the Tuna Melt ($10 and add a dollar for the side of Potato Salad). Albacore tuna salad, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tomato are all sandwiched between grilled Parmesan bread. She liked this sandwich as much as she liked the one at Heroes' sister restaurant, Roscoe's. The tuna was fresh, and the bread was grilled nicely. The only thing she was not so happy about here was the potato salad. She thought it was too tangy, possibly from too much mustard being used in it. She said this tuna melt will remain in her rotation when we visit Heroes in the future.

I have been craving a good Patty Melt ($11) for a while now, and this one at Heroes did not disappoint. A half-pound patty, with cheddar and Swiss cheeses, and the same grilled Parmesan bread that was used on Katie's tuna melt. The menu called for this to have grilled onions on it, but mine came without any. I liked the two different kinds of cheese used here, and the bread was grilled just enough to provide a nice crunch to it. A very filling patty melt, and I would totally get this sandwich again. I had wanted my side item to be the curly fries, but this came with steak fries instead, which were just okay. I'm never partial to steak fries. I feel that sometimes they are cooked too inconsistently because of their size.

So you would expect Heroes to get a pretty high score with us, but as with a lot of new restaurants, there are some growing pains that they are going to have to work through. This is kind of the reason that we like to wait six months to a year to visit a new restaurant. Give time for the front of the house and the kitchen to settle into a routine, and not have service become an issue. The service was an issue on this night. Heroes goes with the style of service that everyone is your waiter or waitress. This works fine if your wait staff works as a team, like the Fullerton location, but on this night in Riverside, they did not. We sat for nearly ten minutes with nobody coming to get our drinks orders, or welcoming us. Once we flagged down someone, the service became a little better, but the kitchen was slammed, and food made its way out in a very slow, drawn-out process. We started the order process at 8, and did not pay the check until after 10, so this was a long night. I'm sure things will get better, with veteran Heroes employee, and my good friend Geoff Neely being the General Manager here. He was working hard expediting food on this night, and we only got to say hi as we were on our way out. With Geoff as the leader here, the service will definitely get better, and I'm sure the kitchen will run more efficiently. It's no surprise that Heroes is one of the OC restaurants to expand to a new territory, now the only question that remains is who's going to be the next OC restaurant to expand out of OC?

Out of five golf tees, (because the first golf course in Southern California was built in the city of Riverside), five being best to zero being worst, Heroes Restaurant and Brewery gets 3 golf tees.

For more information about Heroes Restaurant and Brewery, go to their website here: https://www.heroesrestaurantandbrewery.com/

Some Good, Some Bad at Burrell's BBQ - CLOSED

Burrell's BBQ

305 N. Hesperian St. 

Santa Ana, CA 92703

Writing this blog has taken us to all kinds of restaurants. We have been to real fancy places, middle of the road restaurants, and some real dives. We are pretty open to eating in all sorts of establishments. We have had some great dinners in dives, while some of the most expensive places have left us needing to go to Del Taco after to either fill us up or get a bad taste out of our mouths. When reviewing restaurants, you kind of have to keep an open mind. Burrell's put this theory to the test.

I have heard about and read about Burrell's for a number of years now. It seems that the OC Weekly mentions this Santa Ana institution in almost every other issue. Burrell's has been around for over thirty years now. There used to be a location in Irvine, but that has since shuttered.

Pulling up to Burrell's you kind of do a double-take. Are we sure this is the place? Yes, there's the sign, and the catering vans out front with Burrell's slapped across the sides. Burrell's is located on a residential street, just west of Bristol. The feel and look of this place is what I imagine barbecue shacks back in the Carolina's to feel and look like. Once you step inside the tiny storefront, you are met by the wonderful aroma of barbecue. Behind the glass are meats and Fred Burrell himself. He seemed a little quieter than I imagined he would be. He guided us towards what was good this particular evening, and we ordered two Pot Luck #1's which came out to $77 dollars for all the food you are about to see. We had six adults in our group, and this was more than enough food for all of us, with a few leftovers for the next day. There's no dining room at Burrell's, eating here means you are eating in the side yard, where they have set up three picnic tables. After about five minutes, the food made its way out. Let's see what we thought of Burrell's BBQ.

Let's start with the meats since that's really what's important at a barbecue restaurant anyways. We got to try five different types of meat, so we feel we got a pretty good representation of what to get here. The above container contained the Hot Links and Tri-Tip. Whenever one of us tried the tri-tip for the first time, you could hear an auditory gasp of excitement. This could have been one of the best tri-tips I have had. Very tender, sliced thin, and with a great meaty flavor. Even though this was the first thing I ate, this would end up being the best item of the night. The hot links, on the other hand, are not for everyone. They grew on me as the night went on, but they had a very rough texture to them, the heat was more of a slow burn, which I liked, and they were totally overshadowed by the tri-tip.

I have a kind of love-hate relationship with BBQ Chicken, and that held true to form at Burrell's. The first piece of chicken I had was a leg, and it was delicious. Tender, moist, and I liked the sweet barbecue sauce that they used here. The next piece of chicken was not so good. I tried one of the breasts, and it was dry, and only made better when I spooned some extra sauce over it. Based on my experience, stick with the moist dark meat here, and you should be fine.

Sorry for the sub-par pictures, but we were all hungry, so I didn't want to make my friends wait to eat. I was also losing daylight quickly, so I had to be fast about things. The Pork Ribs and Pork Tips and Ends sparked the biggest debate at our table. I personally liked the pork ribs, which had plenty of meat on them, came nicely off the bone and were pretty tender. My buddy Richard thought they were just okay. I do not usually put much stock into his food preferences, but he's a butcher, and he does know meat, so I have to give his views some merit here. He felt the ribs should have fallen off the bone if they were smoked for an extended length of time. He said they were tender, and that the flavor was okay, but he needs them to fall off the bone, for them to be declared good. The rib tips and ends were not as tender as others I have had, which is really the only reason to get rib tips in the first place. They really failed to make an impression on me and our group.

The sides were polarizing at Burrell's as well. I really enjoyed most of the sides, with the exception of the Sissy's Baked Macaroni and Cheese. I was expecting way more here. The only part I liked was the crunchy top layer, but what was underneath was devoid of flavor, the cheese was not very prominent, and the consistency was all wrong because it was too watery. Being a Californian, I have not had much exposure to Collard Greens, but these ones were pretty solid. Little bits of meat were included among the slightly overcooked greens, giving this a very nice, subdued flavor. The baked beans were solid at Burrell's. Kind of sweet, with lots of flavor. Even the Coleslaw won rave reviews from most of us at the table, with its nice cabbage crunch and abundance of creamy dressing. The polarizing part about the sides was from my friend Richard, who was not impressed with any of the sides here, but I would have to disagree with him when it comes to the baked beans and collard greens.

Our potluck meal came with Cornbread as well. None of us were really that impressed by the cornbread at Burrell's. It was on the dry side and was very crumbly. This might have been better if butter was offered, but as it was, we were not too into this cornbread.

Our meal also came with dessert, and this might have been the first time that I have had Sweet Potato Pie. Kind of like a pumpkin pie, but not as sweet. I was surprised that I liked this as much as I did. I'm usually more of a sweet person, but this had a good flavor, even though the presentation of this pie was kind of odd. Not sure why the crust broke off like it did, but it was still a pretty solid pie.

Last but not least, when my friend Angel saw Gumbo ($3.25) on the menu, he could not wait to order it. His excitement waned very quickly when he was alerted to the fact that this was a seafood gumbo. I guess he was expecting more of a traditional gumbo with sausage or chicken. This gumbo had a strong seafood presence. I was excited to see crab legs in this, but the crab inside disintegrated and was absorbed into the soup. This gumbo was pretty watery, and I would have liked this better if it had more of a stew consistency to it.

As with all barbecue restaurants, it is easy to mess things up. There are so many elements that go into making a barbecue restaurant great, that it is almost as difficult as pitching a perfect game. Either the meats are great, but the side items are weak, or maybe some of the meats are good, while others suffer from not being top-notch. What I'm really trying to say here is that it's hard for a barbecue restaurant to execute all of their menu at the highest level. This was definitely the case at Burrell's. The tri-tip was some of the best we have had, while the chicken had some pretty dry pieces. Most of the sides were good, but the macaroni and cheese was below average. I guess I would call Burrell's inconsistent. If I had only had the tri-tip, this would have been a glowing review, but you have to take everything under consideration here.

Burrell's is not for everyone. The inside of the house is a narrow space, with just enough room so you can see the meats sitting behind the glass case. No soda fountain or ice dispenser here. You scoop your ice out of a cooler, and are given a can of soda, or directed towards a pitcher of ice tea. No dining inside, as you are relegated to the three picnic tables in the side yard. This is an older restaurant, and it may appear dingy, or not clean to some people. I'd call it rustic, but you might have your own interpretation. I'll leave it at this, if you are squeamish about restaurant appearances, you should probably avoid Burrell's and head to a chain barbecue restaurant like Lucille's or Wood Ranch, where you will probably be a little more comfortable.

Out of five footballs, (because when the Redskins used to play the Rams in Anaheim, they used to make a stop at Burrell's when they came to town), five being best to zero being worst, Burrell's BBQ gets 2.5 footballs.

For more information about Burrell's BBQ, go to their website here: http://www.burrellsbbq.com/