Build Your Own Pasta Concept Comes to UCI - CLOSED

Spoleto

4175 Campus Dr.

Irvine, CA 92617

I have never really understood why there's never really been a good build your own pasta bowl place around. The only one I remember was Burrissimo in Costa Mesa and Brea, which we visited four years ago. They had the idea to offer Italian food in a bowl, salad, or burrito. Yes, you read that right, a burrito. They were in business for about a year and a half before they called it quits. Now there's another restaurant taking a chance on the build your own Italian concept, and I have to say, I have a really good feeling about Spoleto.

Spoleto quietly opened in early December at the University Center, right in the heart of UCI. Since late last year, they have fine-tuned their operation and really gotten a loyal following. Not really surprising since they have four locations operating in Florida, and are the largest Italian restaurant chain in Brazil, with over 300 locations throughout that South American country. During our recent visit, we noticed a lot of returning guests being greeted by the staff. It seems like Spoleto has quietly caught on with many locals.

We had the opportunity to meet up with one of the owners of Spoleto, the very passionate Eduardo Ouvirio. He and his business partner, Mario Chady, who are childhood friends, started in the restaurant business in 1992 and wanted to combine the speed of a fast-casual concept while using locally sourced and authentic Italian ingredients, while letting their guests experience culinary freedom by letting them customize their meal to their liking. Talking with the management team it appears their biggest struggle is keeping costs down while getting high-quality ingredients into their restaurants. This means they have to have a good relationship with their suppliers, and they seem to pick suppliers that believe in their concept.

Entering Spoleto, you work your way past the shelving with Italian cookies, sparkling water, and other items for sale and get to the starting point for the easy to navigate menu board.  Here you have your choice of entree ($10.50); pasta, flatbread, or salad. Sorry, no burritos. Then you select up to 6 ingredients and have the option to add three more for an extra dollar. Then you choose your sauce and have the option to add a protein for a slight upcharge. Your meal gets finished off with some parmesan and other seasonings of your choosing. Not feeling like making any choices? There are some specials listed, or you could go with one of the chef's inspired options that are listed above on the menu boards.

Before our tasting menu, the kind folks at Spoleto brought out some plates for us to take pictures of. Since it was approaching almost 7 pm by this point, and with these mouthwatering plates staring me in the face, it was almost agony waiting for everyone to take their pictures so we could start trying some of the great food here.

Our tasting menu started with a sampling of their Roasted Red Peppers, Roasted Red Onions, and Burrata. These are all items that you can use in your own creation to make your perfect meal. The roasted red onions were very special here, and I found myself eating a lot of these. Good, rich flavor to them, I was already thinking of my next visit, and how I was going to utilize them in my first creation at Spoleto. Also worth taking notice of is the very good burrata, which was creamy, but not soupy like a lot of them tend to be. These show the high quality of the stuff they are working with here.

The good folks at Spoleto brought us out a tasting plate of three of their most popular salads; the Spoleto Caesar ($9.50), Fig Proscuitto and Burrata Cheese ($12.50), and the Insalata De Mundo ($12.50). In a minor upset, I actually preferred the Fig, Proscuitto, and Burrata salad better than my usual go-to salad, the Caesar. This version of a caesar was a little too underdressed for my taste, but I usually like my salads dripping with dressing. Wit the fig, prosciutto, and burrata being joined by some strawberries, balsamic pearls, and arugula, this salad had a lot going on and kept me interested the whole time I was eating it. Of course, a heavier hand with their delicious balsamic vinaigrette would have made this even better. The Insalata Mundo came with arugula, some addicting truffle roasted mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, burrata, lemon juice, olive oil, and was finished off with some parmesan. This was Katie's favorite of the three, as she loved the lightness of this salad.

Flatbreads were out next and I was excited to get to try something with a little more substance behind it. These did not disappoint. No surprise that the Salsiccia Arugula ($12) version would be my gold medal winner this evening. Topped with some very flavorful sausage and marinara, and then kissed by a touch of burrata, arugula, and those roasted red onions I just couldn't get enough of from before. The silver medal would probably go to the Burrata and Proscuitto Caprese Flatbread ($12.50) in a close heat. This one had all the wonderful things you love in a Caprese salad, but with prosciutto added along with those wonderful red onions. Not too far behind was the simpler Margherita Burrata ($11). Burrata, cherry tomatoes, an Italian cheese blend, olive oil, and fresh herbs make up a flatbread which is perfect for people that don't want to overdo it and like to savor each flavor profile in each bite. This was, of course, Katie's favorite of the three. We have such different tastes.

Our tasting menu continued with three selections of pasta. All were pretty stellar, but the winner on this board was the Potato Gnocchi with Bolognese ($12). The gnocchi was cooked perfectly and went so well with the tangy and meaty bolognese. I'm usually not a big fan of ravioli, but both the Chicken and Cheese Ravioli ($12) and the Four Cheese Ravioli ($12) might have won me over. Both were generously filled and would have been pushed to greater heights with a sauce added. Maybe next time.

The hits just kept on coming when these chef-inspired pasta dishes made their way out to us. We got tiny tastes of the Fettucine A La Carbonara ($12), the Spicy Rose ($12), and the Penne Gambaretto ($12.50). I really enjoyed all of these, as they were all pretty unique, and a very good choice for people who are not feeling the build your own concept. Also, do yourself a favor and order a Giant Meatball ($3.75). Very meaty and dense, this ball of meat had a very pleasing taste to it and was made even better bathed in the provided marinara and topped with cheese. Definitely a great add-on for any meal at Spoleto.

Dessert is not to be overlooked at Spoleto. Nutella has been all the rage for a while now, and Spoleto joined this craze by offering this Nutella Flatbread ($6). Get this with a group, because it was pretty rich. I thought the flatbread base was not going to be sturdy enough to hold this all together, but it did an admirable job keeping things from falling apart. I'd love for them to offer this with sliced bananas instead of strawberries. That would be epic.

This team at Spoleto has every right to be proud of themselves after what we experienced on this evening. The passion and dedication to providing a great product at an excellent value will assure them of having many repeat guests. I'm looking forward to a return visit myself to see how my own build your own pasta bowl turns out. I have a good feeling that this is one build your own concept that will thrive.

For more information about Spoleto, head to their website here: http://spoletoitalian.com/

Barbecue Night in Irvine - CLOSED

Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que

13122 Jamboree Road

Irvine, CA 92602

We have been on a real barbecue kick lately. My friend at work was traveling to Texas and wanted me to research the best barbecue joints he should visit. After looking at many pictures and descriptions of these wonderful Texas barbecue restaurants, I was in the mood to have some barbecue here at home. I called my parents, and they met us for an impromptu dinner at Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que in Irvine.

I had never been to a Famous Dave's before. They have 173 units operating in 32 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. They have two spots in OC: this Irvine one and one a few blocks away from South Coast Plaza. The Irvine location took over the shuttered Opah spot and is nestled right next to the busy BJ's Restaurant at the corner of Irvine and Jamboree. They have been in business here for nearly two years.

As we were waiting for my parents to arrive, as they were uncharacteristically late on this Friday evening, Katie and I stayed near the front of the restaurant, watching the antics in this busy corner of the Irvine Marketplace Shopping Center. This lady was pulling in and out of a parking space about thirty times, a space that was obviously too small for her huge SUV. Another couple of guys were yelling at each other over another parking space. As all this was happening, I noticed the absence of barbecued meats wafting through the air in front of Famous Dave's, which made me a little apprehensive about this meal.

Entering the Famous Dave's, I was surprised to find out that this was a full-service restaurant, not an order at the counter spot. For some reason, this made me happy. The restaurant is deceptively more enormous than it appears from the outside. There's a nice bar in front of the house, with several high-top tables facing three large TVs tuned to three different games this evening. A large, partially enclosed patio is also off the restaurant's side. Plenty of hanging light fixtures and exposed high ceilings provide a well-lit openness to the space, which is appreciated. Still no smoke or barbecued meat smell inside the restaurant.

There are plenty of choices on the Famous Dave's menu. They offer a plethora of combos, a family feast, burgers, sandwiches, and appetizers, and if you are into that sort of thing, they even have salads. We all quickly made our selections and waited for our food to come while keeping one eye on the Ducks game on the corner TV. Here's how it all worked out for us this evening.

My mom was adamant about trying these Onion Strings ($7.99), and I was not about to disappoint her. These flash-fried onion strings came out with a delicious remoulade sauce, and it reminded me of the now-departed Awesome Blossom from Chilies or the Bloomin Onion at Outback. The top layer was the best, lacking the grease that fell to the bottom of the paper-lined basket. The size of this was perfect for the four of us.

My dad has a proclivity to ordering oddball things at barbecue restaurants. That held true this evening at Famous Dave's when he got these Texas Beef Brisket Tacos ($13.99). The brisket was joined in the grilled flour tortilla by red onion, jalapenos, cilantro, and pico de gallo. My dad liked this, but after my two bites, I thought these were a little boring and needed either a hot sauce or some barbecue sauce on the table to tie this all together. Even my dad's choices of sides were a little off this evening. He had the fresh fruit, which was two slices of watermelon, and the corn on the cob. Both were fresh but different from what I'd choose at a barbecue restaurant.

Like my dad being a wildcard when ordering in a barbecue restaurant, my mom is old and reliable. She always gets some version of a pulled pork sandwich and was true to form getting the BBQ Sliders ($7.99). Usually, these come with one pork, one hot link, and one pulled chicken version, but mom wanted them to be all pork, and Famous Dave's obliged. I was amazed at the amount of pork that these sliders included. They were overflowing with meat, and I knew right away my mom would only be able to eat half of them. The pork that I had was okay. It could have had more flavor to it and a little more tender. It was made better with a liberal dose of one of the six barbecue sauces available on each table. I liked the Devil's Spit and the Rich and Sassy as the best out of the bunch.

Katie also opted for sliders but got these BBQ Sliders ($11.99) off the sandwich portion of the menu. It gets you an extra sandwich and a side. She got these Memphis style, which means they top the sliders with coleslaw for an additional dollar.  She got this because she wanted to try various kinds of their meat like me. She got one slider each of pulled pork, beef brisket, pulled chicken, and a hot link. She liked this plate but was not enamored with the hot link, which was the only one she did not finish.  For her choice of one side item, she selected the Famous Fries, which she called very good, as they had an almost cottage fry kind of feel to them.

Yeah, I went big here. This massive pile of food is the Burnt Ends and Ribs with a Hot Link added ($24.98). With this combo, you get a fair amount of dice-sized burnt ends and a third of a slab of St. Louis spareribs. None of the meats here really wowed. The ribs were a little tough, and there was not too much meat on these bones. The burnt ends were equally disappointing, as they were tough and lacked any smoke flavoring. I'm not usually a big smoke guy, but I want at least a little included. The hot link was probably the best of the bunch, but even that fell flat in the heat department, and it had a grisly texture to the inside of it. The sides were solid. I really enjoyed Dave's Cheesy Mac and Cheese, which had a lot of heat. The Garlic Red Skin Mashed Potatoes were forgettable, with minimal garlic present but a good consistency to the potatoes. I was full when I got around to the Corn Bread Muffin, but it surprised me by how good it was. Moist, but not crumbly, just the way I like my cornbread.

Even though I had a big meal, I always try to save room for dessert. We ordered the Famous Hot Fudge Sundae ($5.49) and the Down Home Banana Pudding ($6.99). Willpower be damned. I really enjoyed the banana pudding the best. It was rich and creamy, with a good banana flavor, and the crunch from the vanilla wafers was a significant textural component of this dessert. The hot fudge sundae was better after we asked for extra hot fudge. The ice cream was okay, as the overabundance of whipped cream took over here.

The lack of a barbecue aroma here told me all I needed to know about this restaurant. If I had to describe Famous Dave's in one word, it would be mediocre. The sides simply outshined the meats here, and that's not a good sign for any barbecue restaurant. The meats we had were not even tender. The solid and varied sauces on the tables were very welcome, and if not for them, it would have been a much worse dining experience. The sides were good, with the mac and cheese, cornbread muffin, and fries all worth getting. Service this evening was excellent, and the management team was very hands-on and active while working in the dining room. Even this visit has not kept me from trying more barbecue restaurants. For now, I'll go back to salivating over pictures of Texas barbecue restaurants.

Out of five Velcro suits (because the most famous Dave I could think of was David Letterman, who wore a Velcro suit on his show in 1984), five being best and zero being worst, Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que gets two Velcro suits.

For more information about Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que, head to their website here: http://www.famousdaves.com/home