Hurry! King Crab Combos Are Ending Soon

Black Angus

1350 North Tustin Ave. 

Santa Ana, CA 92705

Your choices for a reasonable steak dinner are shrinking. With the closure of Lone Star Steakhouse earlier this year, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a good steak dinner, without breaking the bank. Yes, there's still Outback and Sizzler, but I haven't been to either of these two chains for a long time now.

I hadn't been to Black Angus either, until late last year. Before that visit, it had probably been about ten years since I had been inside a Black Angus. Part of the reason for this was because the location nearest my house had closed years ago. I ended up being pretty impressed with that visit late last year and had eagerly awaited a chance to return.

That return trip came last week when my sister and I had made plans to meet up for a long overdue happy hour session. This was a sort of homecoming for her, as she used to tend bar at this very Black Angus location in the mid 90's. We both had some pretty good memories in this building, which is situated right across the street from Western Medical Center.

Our happy hour date turned into more of a dinner date when we ran into District Manger for Black Angus, the very personable Jeff Gadberry. He insisted that we try their wildly popular special going on right now, the King Crab Combos. With these combos, you not only get a good amount of crab but also get your choice between a Top Sirloin, Filet Mignon, or their very good Prime Rib. Who are we to resist crab and steak on the same plate?

 We took a seat in their very comfortable lounge, which is accented with some nostalgic pictures of sports stars from yesteryear. The open seating bar area filled up rather nicely during our stay, as people took advantage of the great happy hour deals. Happy hour goes from 3 to 7 Monday through Friday and all day on Tuesday and Sundays. They offer beer, wine, cocktail, and appetizer choices anywhere from $4 to $7 during these times. A great deal where you have a few drinks and two appetizers and still won't spend $20.

We started things off with the Crispy Fried Garlic-Pepper Zucchini ($4). I've always had a soft spot for the zucchini here, which comes with a wonderful housemade cucumber dip. The combination of the very good panko crusted breading and the consistency of the dip goes great together and makes this a winning choice for starting out any visit to Black Angus. Very well done.

Since we were going to be gossiping about some family matters, a couple of cocktails were definitely in order. We tried the Irish Winter ($8.50) and the Tangerine Drop ($8.50). These are both on their featured cocktail menu and are available for a limited time. The Tangerine Drop was a favorite of my sister, as she had two of these during our stay at Black Angus. This more refined take on a lemon drop starts out with Absolut Citron Vodka, then a fresh tangerine and a lemon elixir is added. It's then finished off with a splash of champagne. My sister enjoyed the citrus explosion this provided, and would not hesitate to get this on her next visit. I was a little hesitant when the Irish Water was put in front of me, as I'm not really a big fan of Jameson Irish Whiskey, but it was downplayed in this beverage. This is their Texas tea with a shot of Jameson and a splash of cranberry. Very refreshing and delicious, but be advised, this could sneak up on you if you have too many.

Now the focal point of our experience at Black Angus on this particular evening, the King Crab Combo with a Filet Mignon ($34.99). This was a good amount of food, which I happily tackled earnestly. The three crab legs provided plenty of sweet and fresh meat. I was informed that these crab legs came from the Pacific Ocean, near South America. So maybe these were centolla crab, but I'm not sure. Whatever they were, it ended up being fantastic. My sister, who is not really a fan of crab really enjoyed the tiny bite I gave her. I did not really want to share.  The six-ounce filet was done to a perfect medium rare, and was very tender, while the caramelized shallot and bleu cheese butter added an unneeded, but welcome flavor boost to my steak. With this meal, you also get your choice of two classic sidekicks, and I went with the Mac and Cheese and the Roasted Brussels Sprouts. The mac and cheese was a tad on the runny side, but I liked the breadcrumbs topping this and the creamy cheese covering the elbow-shaped pasta. The brussels sprouts were very good, with some good caramelization included here, which added some sweetness. A very good end to this wonderful meal.

My sister is pretty basic when it comes to her meals, and that held true at Black Angus on this evening. She opted for the Top Sirloin Center Cut ($19.99) with the same shallot and bleu cheese butter I had on my filet.  As is the case with lots of top sirloin steaks, there were a few bites that were a little on the fatty side here, but the majority of this steak was done nicely, and extremely tender for a top sirloin. For her sides, she went with the Grilled Asparagus and the Au Gratin Potatoes. The asparagus was done nicely over the grill, which helped this vegetable pick up some extra flavor. The potatoes tasted almost the same as my mac and cheese, but with a better consistency. Definitely the better choice between the two.

My sister had just ordered her second Tangerine Drop so I could not let her out drink me, so I ordered one of my all-time favorite cocktails, a Montana Mai Thai ($8.50). Drinking this automatically brings to mind a tropical island out in the Pacific. Malibu Coconut Rum, Captain Morgan's, orange and pineapple juices, and a splash of Meyer's Dark Rum as a floater combined to bring a little touch of the South Pacific to Santa Ana. Dessert had to be ordered as well, especially when I heard they had Peanut Butter Cup Pie ($6.50) as their seasonal dessert. Any Resse's fan will get behind this pie. It starts with a peanut butter and graham cracker crust, and is then layered with chocolate ganache, peanut butter mousse, whipped cream, both chocolate and peanut butter drizzles, and finished with a miniature Reese's peanut butter cup. That's a lot of peanut butter, and perfect for a self-professed peanut butter fiend like myself. Make sure to get into Black Angus soon, as this is a limited timed item.

Speaking of limited time things, like I stated earlier, the King Crab Combos are only available for a very limited time now, so if you want to experience them, it would probably be best to get into your nearest Black Angus this week. Fret not if you don't make that deal because a little bird told us that they are going to be having a lamb special coming up next, and a lobster and steak promotion which is one of their most popular of the year. Once again, Black Angus proves that you can still get good steak dinner at a value price, and that's probably why they are sticking around while their competitors are falling by the wayside.

We would like to thank everyone that we encountered during our visit to Black Angus. Our waitress Lindsay could not have been nicer, even if she did stump me on one of the world capitals that I profess to know all of. She made some great recommendations and kept excellent care of us. General Manager Jennifer Sarte was a whole nother story. She and my sister ganged up on me more than I care to remember. Even she could not dampen this visit. Kidding, of course, Jennifer, or am I? Lastly, we would like to thank the graciousness of District Manager Jeff Gadberry, who not only shared his passion for what they do and serve at Black Angus, but he's an equally great man who we enjoyed reconnecting with. We hope our paths cross again soon Jeff.

To find your closest Black Angus, head to their website here: https://www.blackangus.com/

Making Hogs of Ourselves at Brew Hawg

Brew Hawg BBQ

665 N. Tustin St.

Orange, CA 92867

Finally getting around to seeing some of our friends we haven't seen in awhile. We met up with my good friend Kevin and his much better half, Denise recently. Seeing our friends is always a good excuse to try out a restaurant that has been on my restaurant wish list for a good amount of time. On this evening, we were able to cross Brew Hawg off that ever-growing list.

I'm always down to try barbecue and had heard some really good things about this place. Based on the name of this restaurant I had thought this was going to be a barbecue restaurant with an emphasis on beer, but the brew that is in their name is in reference to root beer, which is partially brewed on the premises of this small three table restaurant. There is some talk of Brew Hawg moving in the near future, to a bigger place and maybe even getting a liquor license, or at least a license to serve beer and wine.  For now, look for them near the intersection of Mayfair and Tustin, in a non-descript shopping center which features a Japanese restaurant, a Tae Kwon-Do studio, and a dentist.

We got here at 7 pm on a recent Saturday and were kind of taken aback by this small restaurant which had a steady stream of customers, most of which were getting orders to go, instead of waiting for a table to open up. I'm not going to lie, this is a pretty uncomfortable spot, which is small and tight with people hoping to snag a seat and waiting for their to-go orders. We got lucky and got a table when the person sitting at it had their number called that their food was ready.

Ordering is done at the counter, and then the food is brought out to you in to go containers, even if you are eating it here. The menu features plenty of favorite barbecue items, and a couple of odd items for a standard barbecue restaurant, (pastrami, BBQ Waffle Cone, and a vegan option that I did not inquire about). Brew Hawg offers their meats in a number of ways, including a combo plate, by the pound, as a sandwich, or featured as a bowl with mac and cheese or another side item. We quickly made our choices and waited at our coveted table. Here's how it all came out for us on this particular evening.

Since Kevin and Denise were running a little late due to to a family birthday party, and we didn't want to sit at one of the tables without eating, we started off with this Mac Daddy ($7.75). We chose the pulled pork to go along with the mac and cheese, but you do get your choice of meat with this. The mac and cheese had a good consistency to it, but the cheese could have provided a little more flavor on this. The pulled pork made up for the average mac and cheese. It was tender, had a good flavor to it, and was one of the better versions of pulled pork we have had in some time. It really got me excited for the meats at Brew Hawg.

As is my custom during my first visit to a barbecue restaurant, I always search for the biggest combo plate available and at Brew Hawg that would be the Purgatory ($24.75), which Katie and I split between us. This comes with four choices of meat and four sides. For our meats, we went wth the aforementioned Pulled Pork, Hot Link, Baby Back Ribs, and Brisket. The best of the bunch was the pork, which was moist enough, but still had the firmness that you want from a good pulled pork. I liked the crispy bits that were included with this excellent swine. The silver medal of this plate would definitely go to the brisket, which came out chopped. Some really solid bites were included here, but there were some pieces that were a little drier than others, but that was easily rectified by adding a little extra sauce. The baby back ribs were okay, but again, some tough meat here and not a lot of it on each rib. I've decided that I'm kind of over baby back ribs, and will focus more on St. Louis ribs in the future. I think the extra fat gives off way more flavor, but that's just my preference. Back to this plate, the hot link was probably the weakest link of this meal. The sausage provided no heat and was pretty pedestrian. I'd skip it next time. When this was placed in front of us, I thought it was too small for the price, but it ended up being just the right size for both Katie and me to share, and we still had the sides to go.

The Brew Hawg menu lists eight side items, and with our meal, we got to try half of them. The lone standout here was the Coconut Creamed Corn. It had a good sweetness to it, without beeing too in your face. The slight coconut flavor definitely kept us interested. I liked the Peanut Slaw with its creamy dressing, but a few more peanuts in here would have given this a better texture profile. The Baked Beans were good but could have been pushed up a notch or two with some little shards of meat included in them. The Garlic Mash was decent but very light on the garlic and could have been a bit more creamy. With the exception of the corn, none of these really wowed us, but none were awful either.

Here's a quick shot of Kevin and Denise's dinner, the BBQ Damnation ($19.75). With this one, you get your choice of three types of meat and two sides. They went the Pulled Chicken, Brisket, and Tri-Tip route with their dinner choices. I did not try the chicken, but I did try the tri-tip and it was very good. For sides they had the Baked Beans and the Mac and Cheese, which they both seemed to really like.

As if Kevin did not have enough food, he also got these Porky Fries ($7.75), which he shared with us. They take their fries and top them with coleslaw, pulled pork, and a squirt of barbecue sauce. Whenever I have something like this, I'm always a little leery that the fries are going to become soggy which they didn't here. The fries were seasoned nicely and went well with the coleslaw and pulled pork. Kind of a down home poutine. Even though this could have been layered a lot better to allow more bites with everything included here, I kind of liked this better than the mac daddy we had earlier.

Near the end of our meal, and the end of the dinner rush, we had a chance to chat with Brew Hawg Owner Leo Martinez, who trotted out these Hawg Eggs ($6.75). These usually come five to an order, but we had just finished a big meal, and three worked out perfectly for us. I'm not really a big hard boiled egg fan but ate these with pleasure since they had that very good pork and barbecue sauce drizzled over them.

There's definitely a new trend going on in the restaurant world, and it's coming up with food that will look good, different, or generate buzz on social media sites such as Instagram and SnapChat. At Brew Hawg they have their own version of this, the Filled BBQ Waffle Cone ($4.75). The cone is layered with mac and cheese, then your choice of meat, and is finished off with garlic mash and a drizzle of barbecue sauce. This was fine, but a little difficult to eat. I actually liked the textural crunch that the waffle cone added to this. Leo said that since this has gone a little crazy on Instagram, they have gotten more business. Not hard to believe.

I had mixed feelings about Brew Hawg. I really liked their meats, especially their pulled pork and their brisket. I'll definitely try the pastrami and pork belly on my next visit. As for the sides, none really wowed me, with the exception of the coconut creamed corn. I do admire what they are doing here in this very tight space. Since the restaurant is so cramped, I can only imagine that the kitchen is the same. It'll be interesting to see how they develop after they move to bigger digs, which I'm sure they will do very soon. Just chatting with Leo for a few minutes, I could see the passion that he has for barbecue and that he wants to be mentioned in the upper echelon of barbecue in OC. He's just about there.

Out of five motorcycles, (because a hawg is a slang term for a Harley Davidson bike), five being best to zero being worst, Brew Hawg BBQ gets 3 motorcycles.

For more information about Brew Hawg, head over to their very limited website here: http://www.brewhawg.com/

A Big Milestone for Love at First Bite Catering

Love At First Bite Catering

18281 Gothard St. #108

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

This post is a little bit of a departure from our usual restaurant reviews. I usually try to stay away from featuring catering and event planning companies, but I had to make an exception for my good friends at Love At First Bite.

This Huntington Beach-based catering company just celebrated their 35th anniversary with a big event and ribbon cutting at the Rainwater Gallery in Downtown Huntington Beach. It was attended by a number of government dignitaries, local Huntington Beach business leaders, past and current clients, numerous employees, and friends and family of the owners, John and Stacy LaBrake.

I've known John and Stacy even before they took over this already widely respected Love At First Bite Catering over 15 years ago. I've seen them continue to grow their business, which started as a two person operation, into a little mega empire with over 50 employees, and doing 1,000 events a year. I've been to a number of events where they have done the catering and planning, and I even worked ineptly one morning in their kitchen a long time ago. I was never asked to come back.

This 35th-anniversary party was more than a celebration of the past, as it was a celebration of the future. I heard numerous toasts and speeches where they mentioned, "here's to another 35 years." Of course, John will be 105 by then, or at least look like it. Kidding, of course, John. This party was kind of a chance to stop and breathe while looking towards the future. A future where they see themselves continuing to do business in their beloved Huntington Beach and giving back to the community by supporting local schools and kids athletic teams.

This was not only a milestone celebration but also a chance for Love At First Bite to showcase what they do on a daily basis. Guests were treated to a multitude of well-presented appetizers and salads. Highlights for me were the California Salad with a wonderful orange vinaigrette. The Edamame Salad was not only colorful, but tasted great.  Another standout was their scratch made hummus varieties. They had an eggplant, cilantro, and bell pepper hummus, which not only were unique but were very fresh and went well with the provided pita chips.

Lucky attendees of this anniversary party were treated to some barbecue, along with a bottle of ACE LaBrake's BBQ sauce. Barbecue has become one of the trademarks of Love At First Bite's events, and this barbecue sauce created by owner John LaBrake has won rave reviews. I'm looking forward to using my bottle very soon.

The highlight of the evening for me, besides seeing old friends was this Grilled Cheese Bar, which was helmed by Donnie Bruyn. Donnie has over 45 years in the restaurant business and is a vital part of the LAFB family. He's been featured in numerous magazines, and also held a position working on President Reagan's Inauguration Ball. Here at Love At First Bite he serves as a chef, trainer, and staff motivator. Donnie was doing a great job feeding all of us at this party, as he expertly manned the grilled cheese bar. Three kinds of cheese, avocado, plenty of bacon, and some caramelized onions made this sandwich a winner and sent me home happy.

It's great to see a local business thrive for 35 years and keep their upward trajectory going. It's even better when they are your friends, and you can say that you knew them before they became a success in the catering business. While driving home, I realized that whether you were a supportive friend, satisfied client, or one of the government officials invited to this event, you definitely could feel that you were part of the Love At First Bite family on this evening. Congrats on your 35 years in business, and here's to many more years of catering success.

For more information about Love At First Bite Catering, head to their website here: http://www.lafbcatering.com/home

Swinging by Old Vine Cafe for Brunch - CLOSED

Old Vine Cafe

2937 Bristol Street A102

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Brunch is a magical time. Some might even argue that it's the best time of the week. A time to gather your thoughts about what you have going on in the upcoming seven days. A chance to reflect on the past week and rethink your decision to have that extra gin and tonic the night before. For me, brunch is a good time for all these, but mostly, it's a great time to combine breakfast and lunch, and being a fan of sweet and savory in the morning hours, this is definitely a meal I'm always excited for.

Old Vine Cafe is a place I have followed forever on Instagram and a restaurant that most of my food friends have been to many times over. I have salivated from afar over their hunger-inducing photos online. They have gotten some great press, have favorable Yelp ratings, and their dinners look amazing. We got up bright and early for brunch, as I heard this small restaurant gets very busy, and wait times can be pretty long.

Getting to The Camp at 9:30 AM, where OVC is located, marks the first time I have not had any problem finding a parking spot at this popular shopping center. Of course, when we left an hour later, we saw numerous cars circling the lot, searching for that elusive open space. Once parked at The Camp, head to the back of this retail center, past Taco Asylum and East Borough, and you will eventually run into this wooded area, which almost immediately transports you to a place more reminiscent of the Northwest instead of Costa Mesa.

Old Vine is brought to the good people of OC by Chef Mark McDonald, who not only helms the kitchen here but is also the owner and wine director. A graduate of Laguna Culinary Arts, he also holds the lofty title of California Director for Aregala & Cooks Without Borders, and he also partners with the Italian Culinary Institue to lead their Splendors of South Italy and Splendors of North Italy culinary trips every year. A busy man who also takes great care of Old Vine, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, a significant accomplishment in the restaurant industry. After being seated right away, Old Vine filled up quickly with hungry customers, so Katie and I made our selections rapidly, and this is how it all came out for us.

First was Katie's entree, the Southern Brunch ($16), which comprised two eggs, a freshly made biscuit drenched with pancetta gravy, scrapple, and a panko-crusted fried green tomato. When this was placed in front of her, she was slightly intimidated by its sheer size. It was massive. The focal point of this plate was the great-tasting gravy and biscuit, which melted away wonderfully when consumed. This was one of the better gravies we have had. Rich and creamy, but not overpowering the rest of the plate. We were unsure what scrapple was but learned that it's a pork product combined with cornmeal and flour and then fried to create a kind of pork loaf. I'd like to try it as a sandwich, which would be delicious. In honesty, the eggs did get a little lost here, but with all of this deliciousness, it was not a big deal. Katie boxed up half of this and had it for dinner the same evening. It held up then, too.

Man, I had a rough time deciding here, but I finally decided on this Open Faced ($15.85). After my first bite, I knew I made the right choice. Amazing is how I would describe this plate. This was basically an omelet with a biscuit inside and plenty of chicken sausage, and then it was topped with chipotle gravy and queso fresco. The gravy on this one was just as good as the version used on the southern brunch, but even better because it had a spicy kick. A biscuit inside an omelet was a genius idea, and it was done perfectly. I subbed out the potatoes for the Cheesy Grits for an extra $2.50. Best two and a half dollars I have spent in a while. These cheesy grits have dethroned my favorites at the temporarily closed Lillie's Q in Brea, the best I have had in OC. A great meal to start off my day.

We were expecting this Cinnamon Roll ($5.25) to come out before our meal, but it came with our entrees. As time wore on, this cinnamon roll grew on me. At first, I was put off because the icing was not as prominent as I would have liked, and it was not as sweet as I thought it should be. Because I was not distracted by the sweetness of this cinnamon roll, it allowed the buttery roll to shine. It's still not my favorite cinnamon roll, but it's very formidable.

Katie and I disagreed with this Baked Caramel Apple French Toast ($15). She loved it, and I was a little more tempered in my assessment of this almost dessert dish at Old Vine Cafe. To make up this dish, two pieces of apple french toast are drizzled with caramel and chocolate. I thought this bread portion resembled a less moist bread pudding, which bored me. I would have liked some extra moisture and sweetness here to add excitement. On the other hand, Katie loved this, and she happily finished it for us.

Even with the miss on the French toast, Old Vine was really impressed. Chef Mark has done something that is hard to do for many brunch spots: make brunch their own. The creativity and big-time flavors made our morning; we have thought back over this brunch many times since coming here. This is definitely a brunch spot that we want to explore more. The rabbit mole, Reuben omelet, peanut butter, and banana crepe are on my list of things to try out on our next visit to OVC. Service here was warm and friendly, even at this early morning hour. They did try to turn over tables quickly to help alleviate the wait times, but we did not feel rushed. You can move Old Vine Cafe to one of the top spots to experience brunch in OC. Whatever your reason for loving brunch, you will like it even more after eating at Old Vine Cafe.

Out of five dragons (because this is the official animal for the country of Armenia, which also happens to be home to the first winery, dating from around 4,000 BC), five being best to zero being worst, Old Vine Cafe gets 4 dragons.

For more information about Old Vine Cafe, check out their website here: http://www.oldvinecafe.com/