Lunch With the New Boss at Beale’s Bbq

 Beale's Texas BBQ

16400 Pacific Coast Highway #117

Huntington Beach, CA 92649

For most of my 34-year career, I've been fortunate enough to have some pretty good bosses. Unfortunately, there have been a couple of clunkers, and one that I still feel could be the spawn of satan, but I consider a great many of the rest to still be friends to this day. Of course, I'm not sure they feel the same, but I like to think that we are still friends. 

Late last year I got a new manager, and right from the start we had a great rapport. We are around the same age, have the same attitude toward our industry, and share a few of the same interests, minus his affinity for cultivating orchids, his weird obsession with Mocha Mix, and making sausage for friends. Yes, some real diverse hobbies there. I did not let those deter me from driving up to Huntington Beach to meet him for lunch at Beale's Texas BBQ. 

Beale's is situated at Peter's Landing shopping center, which is also home to  Mother's Market, Golden Road Brewing, and other retail shops. Brett Beale is a Santa Ana native, who was a backyard barbecuing enthusiast, smoking meat and making sides for his friends, before opening his first restaurant in Fontana back in 2015. That location has since shuttered, but he came back to OC to open this Huntington Beach spot in May of 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic. 

For a time Beale's was just open on weekends, but they have since expanded their hours to half-past 11 until 8pm seven days a week. The menu is pretty much what you'd expect from a barbecue restaurant in these parts. Tri-tip, St. Louis ribs, brisket, pulled pork, hot links, rib tips, and chicken are offered here, along with smoked salmon for those that want to try something a little different. These proteins are offered as plates, sandwiches, and in family meals, which serve anywhere between 4 to 12. Beale's also has seven sides to choose from, along with two dessert options, one of which, the banana pudding, was called out by OC Register restaurant critic, Brad Johnson as the best thing he ate that week. High praise and I was pretty pumped to try Beale's BBQ, even though I'd be with my boss Chris. 

We might as well start things off with what people care about most at a barbecue spot, the meats. Whenever it's available, I like to get a three-meat plate so I can sample as much of the menu as I can at a bbq place. At Beale's, that meant I'd be having the Triple Choice ($29) which allowed me to have my pick of three proteins and two sides. I selected the Brisket, St. Louis Ribs, and the Tri-Tip. Just for good measure, I also got a Hot Link ($4) ala carte. 

The best of the meats was the brisket. This brisket was not overly smoked like others tend to be, but was tender, and had a little ribbon of fat running along the edge of it, which provided a really nice flavor to the meat. The hotlink was another bright spot, as it snuck up on you, with its subtle heat. The texture was nice and meaty, which was very pleasing. The ribs were fine, but not too much meat on them, but they had a really good bark on each one. The tri-tip was the weak link out of the meats that I tried. It was not as tender as the others, kind of dry in places, and even though it possessed a pink smoke ring, had little flavor until I used the provided barbecue sauce. I should have tried the pulled pork or rib tips instead. 

For my two sides, I went with the Mac and Cheese and Potato Salad. When the mac and cheese came out to me, I thought there was no way that I'd like it. It appeared to be devoid of cheese, but looks can be deceiving. The tender noodles were hiding little pockets of cheese that were pretty much in each forkful. Not very overpowering, but with a very pleasing taste, this was one of the better mac and cheese versions that I've had in a long while. Even though I'm not really a big fan of potato salad with big chunks of potato in it, this one was definitely on point flavorwise. I would be tempted to get extra of both of these sides the next time I ate at Beale's. 

I have had the Banana Pudding ($6) once before when someone had brought it to me. It was good then, and just as good on this visit. Big pieces of Nilla Wafers were mixed with a nicely made banana pudding base. I'd like this to be a little cooler than room temperature, but definitely worth getting. The peach cobbler at Beale's gets a lot of love, so if you're a fan of peaches, you might want to give this one a try. 

In August of last year, I posted my top ten barbecue restaurants in OC, after this trip to Beale's BBQ I will have to rewrite that list. Beale's is now probably number six or seven on that list, which means it's worth a visit, especially since OC is suddenly home to some very good barbecue restaurants. With the exception of the tri-tip, which is not really one of my favorite types of meats to get at a barbecue spot, everything else was really good and came out super quick. This was also a good first meal with my new boss, who even overcame the faux pas of not introducing me to his good friend Tom, who happened to be eating here when we visited. I've only brought it up 256 times since, so at least I can hold that over his head until the next time I screw up at work. 

Out of five wagons, (because another famous Beale, Edward Beale surveyed and built a wagon road in 1857 that eventually became Route 66), five being best to zero being worst, Beale's Texas BBQ gets 3.5 wagons. 

For more information about Beale's Texas BBQ, head to their website by clicking here: https://bealestexasbbq.com/

Tis the Season for Thai Food

Season Thai

30486 Avenida de las Banderas

Rancho Santa Margartia, Ca 92688

Thai food is always something that I enjoy, but don't have nearly enough.  A quick check of the type of cuisines I have reviewed on this blog reveals that I have only reviewed seven Thai restaurants out of the 938 different restaurants that I have reviewed. That's pretty unacceptable, and I will try to rectify that right now, and in the future with a review of Season Thai in Rancho Santa Margarita. 

I was taking my good friend and self-proclaimed Thai food expert, David out for his birthday. He mentioned that he'd like me to try this spot. It's located a little off the beaten track, on the corner of Alma Aldea and Banderas, in a little strip of shops that include a Subway, dentist's office, cleaners, and a now-departed IHOP, where I had a forgettable breakfast once or twice when Katie lived nearby. 

Season Thai has been in operation for over four years now and replaced another Thai restaurant at this same location. They have a very respectable four and a half star rating on Yelp, but with only 200 plus reviews. Most people rave about their crying tiger, pad Thai, and curries. No entree is going to cost you more than $20, and most hover around the $15 mark, which is kind of rare these days. David is definitely worth $20, but $22 might be pushing it, so this was the perfect spot to treat him to a belated birthday dinner. Let's see if this spot will get us excited for more Thai food in the future. 

We started off the birthday dinner with some Chicken Satay ($11.95). This was seriously the biggest version of this starter that I have ever had. Plenty of chicken on each skewer, but unfortunately it was just okay. The chicken needed a bit more seasoning and was a tad over-grilled. I was hoping that the provided peanut sauce that accompanied this was going to help things out, but it was off a bit as well. Not awful, but we have both had better. 

We had asked for chicken eggrolls, but were given, and charged for, Vegetable Egg Rolls ($8.95) instead. Probably just a misunderstanding, so not really that big of a deal. These five eggrolls came out scalding hot, fresh from the fryer. After letting them cool a bit, we could tell that they were kind of bland, as most vegetable eggrolls tend to be. They were filled with glass noodles, cabbage, and a few carrots. The sweet and sour sauce helped these out, but after my first one, I realized I'd let David have the rest to take home to his mom. 

This is where Season Thai shined brightly. I've had Crying Tiger ($19.95) at other Thai restaurants, but have never really been too impressed with this very popular dish, but this one was the best I have had so far. The prime-cut beef was very tender, and the marinade they use here kept my attention throughout the meal. I would have liked a little tinge of sweetness to the marinade, but it was still really good. This came with a rather large salad which I ate sparingly because I was not really a fan of the way too sour dressing that this was served with. 

The birthday boy picked Thai BBQ Chicken ($14.95) as his meal this evening. I'm not the biggest fan of chicken, but this was nicely marinated, tender, and came with a Thai chili sauce which was pretty good for dipping. This came out to our table scalding hot as well, and we needed to wait a few minutes before digging in. This was something that I'd normally not order but was a very pleasant surprise. 

Things started out slow for us at Season Thai, but the entrees that we encountered here more than made up for the lackluster starters that we got. If I were to come back, I'd have a hard time straying from the crying tiger, but I'd be tempted to try their soups and maybe their pad Thai. The service was very warm and welcoming. I thought the price point was a good deal based on the serving size of our two entrees. This visit has got me excited to try more Thai spots around OC, so if you have any that you love, please don't hesitate to reach out. 

Out of five cinnamon rolls, (because the most used spice in Thai cooking is cinnamon, and the largest cinnamon roll ever made was over 1,100 pounds, which probably used quite a lot of cinnamon), five being best to zero being worst, Season Thai gets 3 cinnamon rolls.  

For more information about Season Thai, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.seasonthairsm.com/

Tres Muchachos, a True Hidden Gem?

 Tres Muchachos 

333 East 17th Street

Costa Mesa, CA 

The term hidden gem gets thrown around a little too much these days. It's definitely a term that has gotten watered down a bit. For me, I feel a restaurant can be defined as a hidden gem if it is in an obscure location, not widely visited by a lot of locals, has been largely ignored by the local food press, and of course, if they serve great food. Tres Muchachos definitely fills the first three requirements as a hidden gem, and I was hoping that they would fill the fourth by serving some really good food. 

You can find Tres Muchachos on 17th Street, in the back corner of a small strip mall which also houses the very visible Pancakes R Us, Tabu Shabu, and Oak and Coal, which is a Japanese restaurant that I placed on my restaurant wishlist while waiting for my always tardy cousin Jenny, who was joining us this evening at Tres Muchachos. Hidden location, check. 

With only 140 reviews on Yelp, Tres Muchachos also crosses requirement number two off of my hidden gem list. They opened just a month before the world shut down due to covid, which might be the reason they have such a low presence on that customer review site. People also might be a little confused by their name, which implies it's strictly a Mexican restaurant, but they also serve Mediterranean food, and just for an added curveball, they serve brunch all day, every day. So if you are feeling like a breakfast burrito or chilaquiles on a Tuesday evening, this might become your spot. 

The Tres Muchachos menu is divided into starters, salads, tacos, sandwiches, mains, sides, and desserts. Starters are all under $20, while entrees hover around the $25 mark. Tacos come two to an order and will set you back $16, but they also come with a mixed green salad. After a little chit-chat with our cousin, we made up our minds on what to have. Let's see if Tres Muchachos can solidify their standing as a true hidden gem by serving up some good grub. 

We started things off at Tres Muchahchos with two appetizers. My favorite of the two was the Zucchini Fritos ($12). This version of fried zucchini had a very pleasing and crunchy breading which did not overpower the zucchini underneath. This was enhanced by a very good ranch dressing, which they make in-house. Even though I liked the zucchini better than the Spinach, Garlic, and Artichoke Hummus ($16), this is still a starter worth ordering. The flavor bounced off my taste buds, and I appreciated the large pieces of artichoke included in this. A few more chips served with this would have been appreciated, as we had way more hummus leftover when we ran over the tortilla chips.   

Jenny will start off the entree portion of our evening with her Crispy Pollock Fish and Chips ($18). I can not recall a restaurant offering pollock as their fish and chips, but it was a nice choice. The panko breading provided a nice crunchy outer coating without that greasiness that you usually get at other places.  The fish underneath was tender and flaky, just what you wat when consuming fried fish. Again, the sauce here shined, as this was a delicious tartar sauce with plenty of herbs included, which I could not get enough of. Nicely done. The fries were nice and crisp, and they went well with the tartar sauce. 

I selected the Roasted Porchetta Sandwich ($25) as my meal at Tres Muchachos. This sandwich combines pork tenderloin and pork belly, so you get varied textures in each bite. It's dressed with pesto and lemon vinaigrette tossed arugula on toasted ciabatta. I enjoyed the pork in this sandwich, but I wished for a bit more pesto on here and maybe a little less in the way of the arugula. Still, a good sandwich that had levels of flavor coming from each direction. This was served with fingerling potatoes, which were fried nice and crisp, but should have included one of their fine sauces to boost them up a notch. 

Last but not least, Katie opted for the Fish Sandwich ($16). Again, they use crispy pollock as the vehicle here and then add Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, grilled onion, and their house-made aioli to the brioche bun. Katie loved the crunch of this, but it needed a lot more aioli, or maybe since this was a fish sandwich, some of that really great herby tartar sauce that they serve with their fish and chips plate. The hand-cut fries were better than my fingerling potatoes. Seasoned nicely, with a nice crunch. 

If you check out the Tres Muchachos Yelp page, you will see multiple pictures of layered cakes that they used to serve for dessert. Our server explained that when they first opened they had a partnership with a baker, who would bring them in for them. Sadly, they don't have them anymore, so we picked this Belgian Chocolate Mousse ($12) out of the five dessert choices offered. This was a little lackluster. It was very tiny, so the three of us only got one and a half bites between us, and the raspberry flavor really overpowered the chocolate. We would definitely try the churros on future visits.  

Even with a few missteps, Tres Muchachos was definitely worth the visit, and they also checked off all the boxes that I have for being labeled as a true hidden gem. I'd come back for sure to try more of their menu, like the numerous tacos that they serve, or their delicious-sounding pork mole dish. The service was nice and cordial. I thought the price point was a few dollars too much per item, but that seems to be the way of the world these days. Tres Muchachos ended up being a restaurant worth seeking out.  

Out of five chocolate bars, (because the name of this restaurant conjures up the classic Three Musketeers candy bar). five being best to zero being worst, Tres Muchachos gets 3.5 candy bars. 

For more information about Tres Muchachos, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.tresmuchachos.menu/

Pasta Night at Centro Storico in Tustin

Centro Storico Spaghetteria 

405 El Camino Real

Tustin, CA 92780

I love when the calendar page flips and it starts off a new year. It's not only the promise of what a new year brings, but the end of the year also means that there are plenty of best-of lists that get published for the previous year. I love reading lists, especially when they pertain to restaurants. These lists are not only easy to read, but they are where I get a majority of my inspiration to try a restaurant. 

One of my favorite OC-based food writers is Anne Marie Panoringan, who writes for the Voice of OC. At the end of the year, she wrote an article about the restaurants that were new to her, ones that she felt were worth a visit. I took note of the first one on her list, enlisted my parents to join us, and headed to Centro Storico in Old Town Tustin.  

I had been to this location back when this was Quinn's Old Town Grill eight years ago. It's definitely unrecognizable from back then. It's got an Italian farmhouse vibe coming in hot, with exposed wooden beams on the ceiling, reclaimed wood dividers hanging around the space sectioning off the dining area, and as if that was not enough farmhouse flair for you, a 1936 John Deere tractor is perched at table height in the back corner of the restaurant. 

This restaurant is run by the Pozzuoli family, wo first opened the attached tiny Storico Cafe serving gelato, pastries, a small offering of brunch and lunch offerings, and espresso and other beverages. The cafe is open all day, while the spaghetteria is open for lunch from 11:30 til 2 and then reopens from 5pm to 9 for dinner service. Make note that they are closed on Mondays. 

The menu here is of course pasta focused, but there is plenty to choose from in other sections of the menu. Starters, salads, main dishes, and sides are well represented at Centro Storico and showcase the Tuscan feel that they are going for. The house-made fresh pasta is made on the premises and is what you will see on almost every table when you visit. Pasta options come in full or half sizes for lighter eaters. There are 14 kinds to choose from, which was way more challenging for me to pick from than trying to solve my daily Wordle. 

Salads at Centro Storico, like their pasta dishes, also come in full and half sizes, so both Katie and I took advantage of this to try them. She selected the very popular Chopped Salad ($11 plus an extra $2.50 for adding salami). Romaine, radicchio, red onion, Ceci beans, tomato, and plenty of shaved parmesan made up this salad that gets plenty of raves from online reviewers, and after a few bites even more raves from Katie. 

I went with my old faithful when it comes to salads, the Caesar ($10). This version at Centro was pretty traditional in its presentation. Romaine lettuce, housemade croutons, shaved parmesan, a creamy Caesar dressing, and white anchovy were included in the bowl. They included the perfect amount of dressing, which burst with flavor. The lettuce was fresh, while the croutons added just enough crunch as to not be too intrusive. It's one of the better Caesar salads I have had in a while. 

We kind of went big with a trio of starters. First up was the Polenta and Ragu ($15). I'm by no means a polenta expert, but this cornmeal loaf was a nice vehicle for their really good and meaty ragu sauce. To be fair though, I think I could have eaten that ragu off of an old shoe and I would have liked it. I have a thing about trying meatballs in Italian restaurants, so we had to give their Polpette di Carne ($11) a try. These 4 ping pong ball-sized meatballs came with plenty of sauce and parmesan cheese topping them. I liked these a lot but found that the sauce and cheese kind of overpowered these tender orbs. My mom lamented the fact that bread service was not included with our meal, so we made her happy by getting this House Bread Board ($2). This was a bargain at two bucks, with plenty of freshly baked bread for the four of us. The oil and vinegar were also a nice touch. Well worth getting this. 

My mom has been on a real Arrabiata ($10 for the half portion) kick lately. This held true at Centro Storico on this evening as well. The penne pasta was bathed in a nicely done arrabbiata sauce, which had a kick to it, but did not kill my mom with too much heat. She loved that this half portion was just the right amount for her and her smaller appetite. 

Out of all the entrees on this evening, I think I enjoyed my dad's Gamberi e Prosciutto ($17 for the half portion) the best. This shrimp and prosciutto dish utilized pappardelle pasta with a delicious white wine, lite cream, and shallot concoction. Both my dad and I called this dish fantastic, and this will be my go-to order once I work my way through other menu items on future visits here. I will splurge for the full-sized portion for the extra $4 though. 

Even though I was partial to my dad's plate, I really did enjoy my Rape e Salsiccia ($19 for the full size). This one included one of my favorite kinds of pasta, orecchiette. These little cupped-sized shells are ideal because they kind of trap the sauce, which with this plate was a mixture of olive oil and anchovy. Add some very good sausage, broccoli, garlic, and heirloom tomatoes and you have another winning plate from Centro Storico. I liked the simplicity of this dish, as it was not relying on a lot of ingredients to make it taste so good. Very comforting and a close second to my dad's choice of meal.  

Last but not least was Katie's pick, the Ragu di Carne ($19 for the full size). This classic dish combined San Marzano tomatoes with pork, beef, veal, carrots, garlic, celery, and red onion to make the savory sauce that went over the fettuccine. After a few bites of this, it made me wish that I'd grown up with an Italian grandmother who would make a Sunday sauce just like this. Katie enjoyed this but prefers a sauce that's a bit more hearty. This one in her opinion had a tad too much tomato, which placed this more on the sweeter side, rather than the savory sauces she's had at other places.

My mom had her heart set on having the chocolate truffle she saw on their online dessert menu, but unfortunately, they were out of it when we visited. We decided to have the Bomba ($7.50) in lieu of the truffle. This bomba was filled with vanilla and chocolate gelato and then covered in a chocolate shell. Kind of like the Magic Shell that we all loved as kids, but with better chocolate. This was a nice end to our meal, but we will definitely try the truffle the next time we visit.  

My OC food-loving friend, Anne Marie nailed it with her recommendation of Centro Storico. This was some of the best pasta we have had in OC for quite some time. Nothing beats fresh pasta, and then you add great sauces and it just makes even the worst day way better. On return visits I look forward to trying one of their more substantial meals, like their pork chop, grilled sausages, or steak, and pairing it with a half sized pasta, or with my willpower not being the best, probably a full sized bowl of pasta. Brad Johnson, Restaurant Coloumnist for the OC Register called this the best Italian in Tustin, which is high praise since there are so many options in this central OC city, and I'd have to agree based on this first visit. Service was very good, and even though my dad felt the price point was a bit high, I'd gladly pay a little extra for fresh, quality pasta such as this. We will be back. 

Out of five carriages, (because the city of Tustiin is named after Colombus Tustin, who was a carriage maker by trade), five being best to zero being worst, Centro Storico Spaghetteria gets 3.5 carriages. 

For more information about Centro Storico Spaghetteria, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.storicotustin.com/

Today’s the Day for Taqueria Hoy!

 Taqueria Hoy!

291 North Tustin St. 

Orange, CA 92867

Life has slowly gotten back to normal for Katie and myself. We have been out to dinner with friends way more often than we did last year, we have planned a vacation for next month, and we have been able to attend Ducks games, which is something that we could not do last year because of the pandemic. Going back to the Honda Center means we have more opportunities to try new restaurants on our way to the games, instead of paying the ridiculous prices at the game. It was on our way to a recent game that we stopped in at Taqueria Hoy. 

Taqueria Hoy is situated at the corner of Tustin and Palm Avenue in Orange. Yes, this used to be the former home of Taqueria De Anda, but has now been rebranded as Taqueria Hoy. It's managed by Rafael De Anda and his two sons. The reason for the rebranding was vaguely explained as a way to correct inconsistencies that had been made here when it was Taqueria De Anda. They also wanted to put an emphasis on quality and the authentic favors of their native Jalisco, Mexico. It sounds like there's a bit more to this rebranding, but I haven't been able to find out much about the split of these two restaurants online. 

There are three locations of Taqueria Hoy open for business now, with a fourth coming soon in Tustin. The Orange and Santa Ana locations are open 24 hours a day, while the Anaheim spot is open until 10pm on weeknights and 1am on weekends. The menu is pretty simple to navigate with only tacos, quesadillas, and burritos offered, with your choice of any of their seven meat options. Ordering is done at the counter, and the food is prepared right in front of you as you pay at the register. A very streamlined process, which was good since we were pressed for time since we were on our way to the Ducks game.  

We started off with a cavalcade of Tacos ($1.85). Both Katie and I picked three to start with. She had the Chicken, Pastor, and Carnitas, while I had the Carnitas, Buche, and Pastor. With the exception of the pastor taco, which came with red salsa, these tacos came dressed with green salsa, onions, and a little sprinkling of cilantro on two street sized corn tortillas. My favorite was the pastor, which included some very flavorful marinated pork shards and little bits of pineapple to add a tinge of sweetness to some bites. The buche, which is pork belly was one of the better versions I have had. The carnitas were okay, as they kind of lacked the depth of flavor that the other two had. I also would have liked a little crispiness to the pieces of chopped pork. Katie was very fond of her selections, calling them delicious. She also got a Side of Rice ($2.75) which helped round out her meal at Taqueria Hoy. 

Three street tacos each were not going to get us through a hockey game, so we split this Al Pastor Quesadilla ($7.05) as well. The large flour tortilla was cut into quarters and was plenty for the both of us. It was a little light on the cheese, or at least it seemed that way because there was a good amount of pork here. Nicely crisped on the flattop, each bite had a little crunch to it. We should have gotten a side of crema to go along with this. 

Just for good measure I got an Al Pastor Burrito ($7.05), which I was going to eat half here and then half at home after the game. The burritos at Taqueria Hoy include your choice of meat, beans, rice, onions, and cilantro. I opted to forgo the rice, which I kind of regret. I'm usually not a fan of rice in burritos, but I think it would have made this one better by giving it a little more stability, as it needed a bit more structure to the insides of the burrito. The burrito was good sized and made for a nice late night snack when I got home from watching the Ducks get hammered by the Maple Leafs. 

Taqueria Hoy kind of reminds me of this years Ducks team. They are a young, fun team to watch, but you know that they are not going to make a playoff push this year. Taqueria Hoy is kind of the same. The food here is good, but there is way better out there that is playoff worthy. I do like the fact that Taqueria Hoy is open 24 hours, so if you have a taco craving at 2 in the morning you can cure those hunger pains. Orange County is seriously lacking when it comes to 24 hour dining options, so when a place offers it, we should make a point to patronize it, even if I've been having a hard time keeping my eyes open past 8:30. Service was prompt, and they got our food prepared and on our table rather quickly. Now that we are getting back to normal and going to hockey games again, I can totally see us coming back here before another game soon. 

Out of five five cups of coffee, (because this restaurant sits on Palm Avenue, and the largest palm tree ever measured was found in western Colombia, the major coffee growing region of this South American country), five being best to zero being worst, Taqueria Hoy gets 3 cups of coffee.  

For more information about Taqueria Hoy, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.taqueriahoy.com/ 

A Quick Jaunt to Original Burger Works in Phoenix

Original Hamburger Works

2801 North 15th Ave. 

Phoenix, AZ 85007

We were in Phoenix for a very dear friend's celebration of life, and we had time for just one meal during the fifteen hours we would be in the Grand Canyon State. I not only had to pick somewhere good, but I also had to make sure it would be a good spot for the rest of my family, who were joining us in our little food adventure. It was a lot of pressure to come up with somewhere that we'd all like. 

To make it even more stressful, the original restaurant selection that I had made was not well received by any of the locals that I had talked to at the reception that followed the service. I scrambled to pick another place that was near the church, as Katie and I did not have much time because our outgoing flight was fast approaching. I pretty much just picked the highest-rated burger spot in the area on Yelp. That's what brought us to the Original Burger Works. 

From what I've been able to gather this place has been open for a couple decades at least. We arrived just after half-past one, which was good because we missed the lunch rush. Ordering is done at the counter, and then they call your number to pick up your food at the window. The restaurant features a fixin's wagon where you add your own condiments, ala Fuddrucker's or the long-departed Flakey Jakes. There's also a window where you can watch them making their burgers over their mesquite broiler. 

The menu features burgers ranging in size from a third-pound all the way to a full-pound burger. There are also five burgers with options such as mushrooms, bacon, cheese, guacamole, and more. They also serve chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, fish sandwiches, wings, and fish and chips. An assortment of appetizers and sides are also available. Prices are pretty modest, as everything is under the $10 mark, with the exception of the pound burger and the retirement burger, which includes a company car and the restaurant. The cost of that was just over a million dollars. I'm not looking to get into the restaurant business, so let's just take a look at what we ate this afternoon. 

Up first were my niece's 10 Piece BBQ Boneless Wings ($8.99). I found it a little odd that they plated these with celery sticks, which are generally only used for buffalo wings, but maybe they thought she needed a little roughage in her diet. Anyways, these were fine, with a very heavy breading surrounding the chicken underneath. Regular frozen chicken nuggets, nothing too special. 

The only sides we had at the Original Hamburger Works were the Fries ($4.99) and Onion Rings ($4.09). The better of the two was the onion rings. They had a very pleasing breading encasing the onion underneath, which had a nice crunch to each bite. The onion also did not come apart from the breading, which is my pet peeve when it comes to onion rings. The fries were fine, especially when dipped in their very solid ranch dressing. 

My brother-in-law ordered the Hot Dog ($4.59). As you can see from the picture above, this is served on a hamburger bun, which kind of unnerved me for some reason. It's not going to change the taste and it probably helps the restaurant keep costs down, but it still seemed a bit odd to me.  No complaints from Jarrod though, as he ate this all-beef hot dog, which they cut into thirds to make it fit on the sesame seeded hamburger bun. Also troubling to me was that he had put a random celery stick on his plate for the picture, which I did not notice at the time, but just added to the uneasiness that I had about this sandwich. 

My sister went for the BBQ Chicken Sandwich ($8.39) for her midday meal. This is one of their four chicken sandwich options, as they also have a buffalo style, teriyaki, and plain versions for your consideration. My sister was sitting quite far from me at the end of the table, so I did not really get to hear how she liked this, I just really wanted to include it so you know that there are other options here besides hamburgers.    

My go-to at a new burger spot that I've never eaten at before is to try their Half Pound Bacon Cheese Burger ($9.19). I selected cheddar cheese for this and dressed it simply with a little pickle relish and mayo at their fixin's wagon. I also added some onions but steered clear of the rest of the veggies so I could taste the burger more distinctly. The burger was a tad overcooked, but I still did enjoy it. The burger still retained some juiciness, while the cheddar melted nicely over the patty. The bacon was crisped and formed into a kind of round form, so you get bacon in each bite, which is way better than the lazy crisscross pattern most other restaurants serve their bacon burgers. A fine burger, but not anything mindblowing 

I think that's how I'd sum up the Original Hamburger Works, it's fine for what it is, just don't expect to have your mind blown from anything that you are going to have here. It reminded me of backyard burgers, which are fine, but not very memorable, especially the ones that I've had in my time. I have always enjoyed a condiment bar for burgers as it truly allows you to have it your way. The restaurant itself reminded me of a TGI Fridays, with all the stuff hanging on the walls, and the Fuddrucker's vibe is unmistakable, but Fuddrucker's has better burgers. This restaurant met its need as a place that was nearby and that everyone in my family could find something to eat on their menu. 

Out of five umbrellas, (because the city of Phoenix only gets an average of eight inches of rain a year, so I imagine that it's hard to find umbrellas in this desert town), five being best to zero being worst, the Original Burger Works gets 2.5 umbrellas. 

For more information about the Original Burger Works click right here: http://greatburgeraz.com/index.html

Doing a Flyby at Jame Enoteca

 Jame Enoteca

241 Main Street 

El Segundo, CA 90245

We recently were headed to LAX to catch a flight when I got an alert on my phone that our flight had been delayed for an hour and a half. Most of the time, this would have infuriated me, but I was starving, and this saved me from having some garbage fast food at the airport. We were pretty close to the airport, so I did a quick Yelp search of nearby restaurants and picked Jame Enoteca based on their Yelp reviews. 

Jame Enoteca is the proud owner of a four-and-a-half star rating, with over 500 reviews. Established in 2018, Jame Enoteca is helmed by Jackson Kalb, who also runs Ospi in nearby Venice, and it was just announced that he and his wife are also opening an Italian seafood restaurant in Brentwood, which should open later this spring or summer. As if all that was not enough, he's also going to be a contestant on the latest season of Top Chef. In summary, he's a very busy fellow. 

Maybe because it was a Thursday night, we got seated right away when we arrived at this cozy restaurant situated in a nondescript strip mall, just off of Main Street in El Segundo. We were seated on the patio in front of the restaurant. so I never did actually get a good look inside the restaurant while we were here, but from the pictures I've seen online, it looks pretty tiny, with tables squeezed together very closely. To remedy the covid times that we are all experiencing right now, they have erected a makeshift patio in the parking lot. 

On their website, they call their cuisine Californian-Italian fare while using local, market-driven ingredients to create their dishes. The lunch menu at Jame Enoteca features starters, salads, sandwiches, and eight hand-rolled pasta offerings, while the dinner menu forgoes the sandwiches in favor of four larger plates and adds more in the way of starters and pasta options. Appetizers hover around the $16 price point, while pasta dishes will set you back right around $20, and mains go for $30 or more. Let's see if this was a much better alternative to the airport eating we would have done if our plane had not been delayed. 

We've gotten Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($16) at plenty of restaurants, but I'm not sure we've ever gotten as many as we got on this evening at Jame Enoteca. This platter contained more than our fair share of these little cabbages. They were indeed very crispy as the menu promised, but they lacked a substantial amount of the schiafonni dressing, which would have helped bring these sprouts to life a bit more. Not bad, but with so many and not enough dressing, I became bored after eating my fifteenth sprout.  

Entrees were up next, and Katie will start us off with her selection this evening, the Tagliatelle Al Ragu ($19). I also had my eye on this one, but I deferred to her. See, I can be a decent husband some of the time. The brief menu description calls this a Hollywood-style bolognese, and the reason for this might surprise you, as it did me. They add avocados to their bolognese, which gives it some added creaminess. You'd never know it by tasting it, but the result is one of the most comforting dishes we have had in a while. The ribbon pasta was fresh and was a great vehicle for this untraditional, but meaty ragu. After my bite of this, it's no wonder why this dish gets so much love online. 

Since Katie took my number one pick, I decided to go with the Paccheri Rigati ($19 plus $5 for two meatballs). This pick was another winner. The large tubed pasta was nicely paired with spicy pork sausage, a lick-your-plate clean tomato-based sauce, and finished off with some fine pecorino. It popped with a bit of a kick from the sausage, but even if you are a wimp when it comes to heat, I think you could handle this one. The meatballs were kind of a letdown. They were very dense and needed to be seasoned a bit more. They were not awful, but I'd probably try the sausage the next time I was here. 

Jame Enoteca has been called one of the best places to eat pasta in all of Los Angeles, and after this visit, I'd have to say it's right up there. If we lived closer, we would definitely have this spot in our heavy rotation of restaurants. I'd love to eat my way through the rest of their menu. The service was very cordial, and the food came out real quick. The price point was pretty modest, while the portion sizes are not going to overstuff you, but you definitely won't need to stop on the way home to get something else either. Jame Enoteca was an excellent alternative to the airport food we would have had to endure if our flight wasn't delayed. Probably one of the only times we will be thankful for a flight delay. 

Out of five Hot Wheels cars, (because Mattel is based in El Segundo, and the best selling toy of all-time is their Hot Wheels brand), five being best to zero being worst, Jame Enoteca gets 3.5 Hot Wheel cars. 

For more information about Jame Enoteca, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.eatjame.com/