A Heritage We Can All Be Proud Of

Heritage BBQ

31721 Camino Capistrano

San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

Did you feel the culinary shift that happened in OC earlier this month? After over ten years of writing restaurant reviews, there has never been something really, really worthwhile for people that live north of Irvine to drive south on the 5 Freeway for. Yes, there have been some standouts, but nothing that has garnered the buzz that Heritage Barbecue has generated in just a few short weeks. 

Not to jump ahead or anything, but this will be the first 4 and a half star review I've had in the last four years, and one of only four that I've experienced in OC. That's out of 879 restaurants I have been to. Yes, I am a tough reviewer, but after so many years of doing this, it's really hard for a restaurant to distinguish itself, but Heritage Barbecue has done just that.   

Even with all of these praiseworthy words, I'm sharing with you, my dear readers, I know a lot of you won't go through the trouble of eating here. Yes, it is not a place where you can get your food and be on your way within 15 minutes. There's no online ordering, no delivery service, and there's only one way to experience Heritage Barbecue, wait in line. This is barbecue that you have to plan your whole day around. Like the big barbecue spots in Central Texas. Where you line up hours before they open and hope and pray that they do not run out of the meat you were hoping to get before getting up to the order window. 

I've had Heritage Barbecue one time before, at one of their many pop-ups that they had at breweries throughout OC. You can read that review by clicking here. To summarize, we waited two and a half hours, but they had run out of their brisket, and I was so famished when we reached the front of the line that I forgot to order the sausage that was available. The items that we did have were all pretty spectacular though, and I knew I'd get another chance to try them out when they opened their long-awaited brick and mortar a few miles from where I live. Talk about feeling like I hit the lottery. 

Heritage Barbecue is run by a husband and wife team, Brenda and Daniel Castillo. In the early days, they started as a catering company but eventually transitioned into doing pop-ups at local breweries. Wherever they went they had huge lines, gained a considerable following on social media, and got raves from customers that waited a long time to try their food. On weeks when they did not have events lined up, they went to Texas to learn even more from some of the greats of barbecue. 

Last year it was announced that they were going to be opening in San Juan Capistrano, but as is the case with restaurant openings, delays turned into months, but they finally opened in early August. They have a pretty prime spot, right near the train station, across from the mission, and situated right near the intersection of Ortega Highway and Camino Capistrano. Parking is not really an issue, as I parked at the train station and walked a short distance up the hill near their patio. 

Make note that they are closed on Monday and Tuesday each week. On Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays they open for service at 3, and on Saturdays and Sundays, they start selling their barbecue at noon. As with most barbecue, they have a limited amount of food that they can sell in a day, so they are open until they sell out. I'd suggest wearing a hat, sunscreen, having water handy, and maybe even bringing chairs while you wait. Capistrano Brewing does offer beer and other beverages to the people waiting in line, which saved me from overheating. 

On a recent Wednesday, I arrived at 2:20 and still waited 90 minutes to get up to the window. Most meats are served in half-pound incremates, with the exception being the sausages, which are sold singularly. They offer turkey breast, pork ribs, pulled pork, sausage, and brisket every day, with the much-coveted beef ribs served only on weekends. There's also an assortment of sides and baked bread to help round out your meal. Keep an eye out for their specials board which features some hidden gems that you won't want to miss. Let's see if this initial trip to Heritage Barbecue's new spot was just as good as when we had it earlier this year. 

We might as well jump right in with what is the star of the show, the meats. For both Katie and myself I ordered One Pound of Brisket ($30), a Half Pound of Pork Spare Ribs ($13), a Pound of Pulled Pork ($26), and Two Sausages ($12). The only thing I missed out on was the turkey, which will have to wait until next time. The brisket was the best I have had, with a ribbon of fat running alongside the top of it, a beautiful smoke ring, and a melt in your mouth tenderness. However much you plan on ordering, add an extra half-pound to your order, you won't be sorry. I actually liked the ribs the next best. An excellent rub on the outside and with just the slightest of pulls, the pork came off the bone easily. These are not the tiny ribs you get at most places. They were full of meat. The pulled pork was another winner, with an excellent mixture of textures from the bark, tender pork, and little bits of fat chopped into a perfect pile. The meats are not overly smoked, where that's all that you can taste, but it hangs out in the background allowing the meat to stand out. They change out their sausages daily, and on this particular day, they offered a Serrano and Cheddar Beef Pork Link and a Pork Linguisa. The cheddar cheese and serrano one was the better of the two. The marriage of the beef and pork in the sausage, along with the cheese made this delicious. It could have used a bit more of the serrano though. The linguisa was the weak link in this tray of meat, (sorry for the awful pun). I was not in love with the texture of it inside its casing. It was almost gristly, and the flavor did not pop like the other proteins. Onto the sides.  

In my experience, it seems like when a barbecue joint has excellent meat, they let their sides suffer, but that's not the case with Heritage Barbecue. Sides are served in half-pint containers, and I'd say they could feed one to two easily, but if you really like one of them, you're going to have no trouble inhaling one all by yourself. That's how I was with the Red White and Blue Potato Salad ($6), I did not want to share any with Katie. This gets its name from the cubed red potatoes, white pickled eggs, and the blue cheese crumbles spread throughout. It's also topped with bacon on top for added flavor. I loved the marriage of flavors in this. The burst of blue cheese in some bites, along with the creaminess of the potatoes and eggs, and the smokiness of the bacon made this the best potato salad I've had in a number of years. I'm getting two of these next time for sure. The Texas Trinity Chili ($6) was a special on this afternoon, and if it's available when you are here, you won't want to miss it. This meaty chili is made up of bits of brisket, sausage, and pork rib. A very hearty chili, and one you don't want to eat while wearing white, this had a depth of flavor that I was not expecting. The Classic Mac ($7) is made with cheddar and jack cheese and mixed with a mornay sauce and topped with a little chicharron. This is a pretty good mac and cheese, but as I ate it I kind of lost interest a bit. Maybe a little more of the topping would have kept me interested, but I will definitely try the one with chorizo and chiles on my next visit. 

To wrap things up, I got the Banana Bread Pudding ($7). This sweet little dish was a nice respite from all the savory items I had eaten earlier. It was not really a bread pudding, but more like pudding with sliced bananas and little bits of banana bread distributed evenly, and topped with candied pecans on top. Not an overly sweet dessert, but still it was a nice ending to any meal at Heritage Barbecue. 

Needless to say, I was beyond excited about this visit to Heritage Barbecue. Some might even say I'm a little obsessed. I have caught myself checking out their Instagram posts and stories very regularly, I find myself stalking their Twitter account to find out how long their line is, even though I have no plans to head over there, and whenever I'm asked about any new places I've tried, Heritage Barbecue is the first place that comes out of my mouth. Again, this is not the most convenient of restaurants to hit up, but trust me you will never think that Lucille's or Dickey's is great barbecue again. There's a reason there's always a line here, it's really just that good, and the people of South OC can count themselves lucky that Heritage Barbecue opened right in their own backyard. It's about time that people in North OC finally have a reason to venture south. 

Out of five trees, (because when you look back on your heritage, you are also looking at your family tree), five being best to zero being worst, Heritage Barbecue gets 4.5 trees. 

For more information about Heritage Barbecue, head to their website here: https://www.heritagecraftbbq.com/

Not Clucking Around, This Is Some Darn Delicious Chicken

 

Cluck Kitchen

17915 MacArthur Blvd. 

Irvine, CA 92614

During these trying times, I'm really seeking out comfort food big time. Yes, I liked barbecue, Mexican food, fried chicken, and other stick to your rib favorites before all of this craziness started, but food that makes me feel good inside is more important to me now more than ever. That's probably why I spend a great deal of my day on Instagram looking at pictures of food. 

One spot that piqued my interest was Cluck Kitchen in Irvine. It's got to be pretty intense to open a restaurant during a global pandemic. You have to have great faith in the food that you are selling, and make customers feel comfortable enough to come and try it. With the track record of founder Steve Kim and his former sous-chef at The Cut, they were probably pretty confident in what they were going to be serving, and their pictures got me out very soon after I spied their fried chicken snaps on social media. 

Originally set to open at the first of this year, but as is the case with most restaurants, even during non-pandemic times, the opening date got pushed back all the way to the first week of July. The simple, uncomplicated menu of chicken sandwiches, tenders, wings, and six sides must have not only enticed me but lots of others as well. In the month that they have been operating, they garnered a very impressive four and a half stars on Yelp, with well over a hundred reviews. On Instagram, they have close to 5,000 followers, who droll over their beautiful photos. 

Cluck Kitchen is situated at the corner of MacArthur and Main, in the same shopping plaza as Carl's Jr., Flame Broiler, Jersey Mike's, and also new to the center, and the best cookies in OC, Paderia Bakehouse. I've heard parking can be a hassle around mealtimes due to all the eating places in this center. I've also heard that when they started, Cluck Kitchen had long waits to get your food after ordering. I went at half-past 11 on a Thursday, and had no trouble with parking or getting my food within five minutes. Maybe they've worked out the kinks a bit, or maybe a little before or after the lunch rush would be the best time to visit. Just keep in mind that they are closed on Sundays. Now, let's see if their food tastes as good as it looks. 

At Cluck Kitchen, they offer three types of sandwiches. The Cluck Classic, the Nashville Hot Chicken, and the Havarti Hen. I went with the Nashville Hot Chicken ($12) which came with vinegar slaw, pickles, and comeback sauce, which I'd describe as a thousand island style sauce with a little kick to it. There are five spice levels to choose from here. With this sandwich, I went with their hot, which is situated right in the middle of their heat level index. It was not overwhelmingly hot, but a tinge of heat hung out in the background of each bite. The sandwich was excellent, good bun, the vinegar slaw added a nice textural and flavor to the sandwich, and the comeback sauce brought everything together. The chicken itself was moist and tender inside, and the breading had a nice crunch to it, even after my fifteen-minute car ride home. Sides are sold separately, and I picked the Fried Pickles ($5) to go along with my sandwich. These were a good version of this southern staple. The pickles had an excellent breading coating the pickle lurking underneath and was made even better with the made from scratch ranch dressing. I appreciated that they use pickle chips instead of spears, which I think is better for dipping.  

The sandwich above was delicious, but these Chicken Tenders ($10) are what really got me excited about Cluck Kitchen. Probably the best chicken tenders I have had, not that I'm really a big chicken tender guy. These come three to an order, and they were very good sized. With these, I went with the extra hot spice level, which was just the right amount of spiciness that did not overpower the tender chicken underneath the crispy breading encasing the poultry. A practically perfect tender in every way. To finish out my meal here I tried their Bacon Potato Salad ($5) which was another winner. This potato salad had a good chunk to it, the celery added a nice crunch, and there was plenty of bacon included in this. One of the better potato salads I have had in a while. 

After my meal at Cluck Kitchen, I was pretty jazzed up with my experience and the food. Fried chicken is really having its moment in OC right now. Gus's Fried Chicken, Crack Shack, Two Birds, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, and now Cluck Kitchen are just the standouts that I've visited so far, with Holdaak's, Hotties, and Summer's Fried Chicken still sitting on my list waiting for me to get to them. Cluck Kitchen had delicious chicken and even though they don't have an expansive menu, with the different spice levels, wonderful house-made sauces, and very well done sides I can not fathom that I'm going to be getting tired of this place anytime soon. A return trip is all I've been thinking about since my initial visit, and it will happen again very soon. Especially with my increasing comfort food cravings recently. 

Out of five Red Delicious apples, (because the state of Iowa not only gave us this variety of apple but also provides the most chicken out of any of our 50 states), five being best to zero being worst, Cluck Kitchen gets 4 Red Delicious apples. 

For more information about Cluck Kitchen, head to their website here: https://www.cluckkitchen.com/

A Long Overdue Revisit to Chelas Mexican Grill - CLOSED

Chelas Mexican Grill

29975 Alicia Parkway

Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

After I visit a restaurant, I very rarely go back unless it rocks my world or is close to where I reside. I have it in the back of my mind that I want to get to 1000 different restaurant reviews before I even think about taking a break from writing this restaurant blog. Just for the record, I'm sitting at 878 restaurants, and no, this one will not add to that total because I've already eaten at Chelas Mexcian Grill.  

It seemed like eons ago, back in 2011 when I first visited Chelas, located in the Albertson's shopping center near the corner of Alicia and Crown Valley Parkway when it opened that year. I admit that I was not too thrilled with that visit. They used lots of lettuce and cheese; the meats could have been more prominent. I shied away from a return until fate stepped in recently. 

I entered an Instagram contest for a Taco Kit on the Chelas and TacoTuesday.com pages, which fed 6 to 8 people. Against all odds, I won one of the two Taco Kits they gave away. I could have kept it all for myself and Katie, but I had a great idea to share it with some of my so-called hard-working co-workers. Since Chelas is located within ten minutes of where we work, it would work perfectly to grab it on a recent Wednesday. 

Chela's Mexican Grill is owned by Karla and Art Vasquez, with a notable assist from Art's mom, Roselia, who provided and taught her recipes to the couple during her legendary Saturday afternoon cookouts. Unfortunately, Roselia passed in 2005, but her memory lives on from the food made inside the kitchen at this tiny Mexican eatery. Chelas gets a respectable 4-star rating on Yelp, won a few awards over the last decade, and has been a fixture at many community events. I was excited to share my bounty with my friends at work and see what I've been missing in the nine years since I've last been to Chelas.  

No problems with pickup at Chelas, as everything was prepared, nicely wrapped, and ready at our agreed-upon 11am time. The Taco Kit  ($60) included two pounds of chicken, guacamole, rice, beans, a good-sized salad, tortillas, salsa, tortilla chips, chopped onion, and cilantro. Everything you would need to make your own tacos and feed 6 to 8 hungry people. My co-workers are a little hungrier than most, so I also got a pound of carnitas, just for good measure. Let's take a closer look at what we consumed before heading back to work.  

I was focused on the tacos while driving back to work. But don't sleep on this California salad. It included some fresh romaine, black beans, roasted corn, queso fresco, and sliced avocado. With the provided ranch dressing this salad was light, yet flavorful, I really enjoyed the way the beans, corn, and cheese provided little pockets of flavor throughout each forkful.  

Here's what made this a pretty good day at work: the Taco Kit and the extra pound of carnitas I purchased. Unlike my last visit nine years ago, the chicken and carnitas stood out. I usually avoid chicken in restaurants because they tend to overcook it, but this hit the sweet spot. The chicken was moist, tender, and spiced well. It made some delicious tacos. The carnitas was just the way I like it, some pieces were crispy, while others had a little bit of fattiness to them which helps with flavor. The guacamole and salsa were on point. The refried beans were a tad on the watery side but tasted delicious. There was not much wrong with this taco kit.   

I'm thrilled that I won this Taco Kit from Chelas. Not only did it help make me popular at work, at least for one day, but it also made me realize what I was missing by not eating at Chelas for the last nine years. Since we live so close, I will try more things off their menu soon. I may get another taco kit, which will be good when I win poker and have to feed the guys. 

Thanks so much to the great people at Chelas and Taco Tuesday for sponsoring this contest. I'm very grateful that I won and could share it with my friends at work. I'm glad I could introduce them to some good Mexican food around where we work for a change. Chelas gained some new fans on that recent Wednesday and won a spot in our rotation for lunch. 

For more information about Chelas Mexican Grill, head to their website here: https://chelasmexicangrill.com/

Burger Week 2020

Burger Week

July 12th -18th 2020

If there was ever a time for a burger week, this seems like the most appropriate time that we would need it. Not only are restaurants closing their doors at an alarming rate, but if I had to eat one more salad, fast food meal, or even worse, something that I concocted in my kitchen, I was going to lose it. Enter Burger Week to my, and everyone's rescue. 

Burger Week was held from July 12th to the 18th this year. There were 52 OC and Long Beach restaurants taking part and as an added bonus, 34 LA restaurants were participating as well. This seven-day event was organized by the wonderful people at the OC Restaurant Association, who put on numerous events throughout the year; OC Restaurant Week, the Golden Foodie Awards, Pacific Wine and Food Classic, Brunch Week, and more to come.  

Even though restaurants were closed for dine-in service, many were serving on their outdoor patios, and takeout and delivery were both options at many spots. There were no coupons to redeem, all you had to do was mention the Burger Week menu while ordering. Menus were priced at $10, $15, $20, and $25 depending on the restaurant, and included a variety of options and sides to choose from.

If you follow my Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/eatingmywaythroughoc/ you know that I had the goal of eating seven burgers in seven days. Not a Herculean feat by any stretch of the imagination, but with my TV obsession as of late, coming home from work pretty tired, and not really wanting to be out too much, I was not too sure I was going to make it through seven days. I did persevere though because restaurants need as much exposure as they can get in these trying times. So, without further ado, here are my seven takeout burger experiences during Burger Week, from worst to best.

#7 Bru Grill - Lake Forest

I admit I have never really been a big fan of the food at this popular eatery that's situated alongside busy El Toro Road. I actually picked Bru during Burger Week because I was too lazy to venture too far from home on my day off. Their $15 menu included this Killer BBQ Burger, Fries, and a Craft Beer. This half-pound burger came with Tillamook cheddar cheese, bbq sauce, crispy onion strings, and was topped with house-made bread and butter pickles. The bbq sauce really overpowered here. It was all I could taste in each bite. The beef and cheese were not very prominent. I do give them credit for their pickles though. I'm not even a fan of pickles on burgers, but they were so good I give them a pass for putting them on there. The fries were solid too. Not an awful burger, but I wish it had tasted as good as it looked in the pictures.

#6 Rock and Brews - Tustin

This rock and roll inspired restaurant is owned by KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. They recently opened a branch of their successful restaurant concept in the old Lonestar Steakhouse spot off of Irvine Boulevard. Their $20 offering included their Gastro Burger, Garlic Fries, and a Brownie. Another great deal, especially when you consider the burger will set you back $16 now that Burger Week is over. The Gastro Burger comes with an array of items; double Swiss cheese, bacon, caramelized onions, tomato, greens, garlic aioli, and a sunny side up egg. With so much on this burger, I thought it was going to be awesome, but it fell flat. Maybe there was too much going on here. I could not really taste too much, with the exception of the sunny side up egg. It also definitely needed some extra garlic aioli to liven things up. The garlic fries were the best part of this meal. The fries were done well, with plenty of garlic and parsley in each bite. The brownie was fine, but I forgot to take a picture, which sums up the brownie perfectly.

#5 Villa Roma - Laguna Hills

I was intrigued by what restaurants that aren't burger-centric were going to come up with during Burger Week. Villa Roma is an Argentine-Italian joint that collaborated with Neil Saavedra of KFI's Fork Report. They came up with the Argentine Burger which utilized a ground skirt steak patty mixed with green onions, pepperoncini's, mustard, sea salt, and pepper. The burger is then finished off with bacon, avocado, mayo, chimichurri, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and served with fries. I'm not sure if they ran out of their special burger blend during my visit, but the patty I got did not include everything their menu said it did. It was good quality, but not as flavorful as it would have been with all of those ingredients. They also forgot to add the chimichurri, which would have added a new dimension to this burger experience. I liked this burger, it just wasn't what was promised in the description. Still, even with these missteps, it was better than the two burgers above and the fries were good as well.

#4 Falasophy - Irvine

A restaurant I had never been to before, Falasophy is a Lebanese street food spot at the Irvine Spectrum Center. They joined up with the guys from FoodBeast to create a burger that I'm told is quite popular in Lebanon. Sandwiched between a sesame bun is a burger patty, french fries, sliced tomato, coleslaw, a fried mozzarella patty, and what they call cocktail sauce, but was really more of a secret sauce that you'd see on other burgers. Even though this burger patty was the thinnest of all the burgers I had this week, this worked out really well. I loved the textures and flavors coming in waves in each bite. The mozzarella patty had its own ecosystem here with its crispy outer edge and creamy inside, really good and it made me want to buy a plane ticket and head to Lebanon to give other burgers like this a try. Maybe after the pandemic is over.  

#3 Paul Martin's American Grill

The second of two Irvine Spectrum spots was this more traditional burger from Paul Martin's. I'd describe this as a classic burger made with quality items. Their $15 menu came with their burger, fries, and a bottled beer. The burger came with red onion, tomato, lettuce, pickles, Tillamook cheese, and black pepper aioli. I then added bacon and avocado for an extra dollar each, which was a steal of a deal. A little more of the aioli would have maybe pushed this burger into the top two of my burger week experiences. The bun was nice and toasted and each layer of the burger added a nice component to my overall burger-eating experience. The fries were fine and made a little better after a brief spin in the microwave.

#2 Andrei's Conscious Cuisine and Cocktails - Irvine

I have only been to Andrei's for a media event, so I was excited to see what they could do on a regular visit. Needless to say, I was impressed. They had one of the most generous $20 Burger Week menus. I received their Andrei's Cheeseburger, Kennebec French Fries, Carrot Cake, and an Iced Tea. The burger at Andrei's came with a Wagyu beef patty, Havarti cheese, red onion preserves, bacon aioli, tomato, lettuce, and dill pickles. Everything here combined to make the best traditional burger I had this week. The brioche bun was fantastic, the beef was seasoned and cooked wonderfully, the produce was fresh, the bacon aioli was front and center, and the choice of Havarti added good flavor and creaminess to the burger. The fries were also the second-best I had all week, only being beaten out by the garlic fries from Rock and Brews. The carrot cake did not last too long and I'm sorry I forgot to snap a picture of it. I'll blame the burger nirvana I experienced.

#1 Bello by Sandro Nardone - Newport Beach

The number one burger spot I went to for Burger Week was Bello, an Italian restaurant in Newport. This burger sang with flavor from the first bite until the last. I did not want it to end. This was another burger that was a collaboration, this time with Geoff Kutnick, who works for FoodBeast. This burger utilized two pork patties and was complemented by a tuna aioli, caramelized onions, sliced tomato, and salsa verde. When I had read the description I did not think it was going to work too well, but I was wrong. The tuna aioli was the biggest surprise for me, as it was not too fishy and played nicely with the wonderfully seasoned pork. The green salsa hung out in the background and added just the right amount of acidity to cut the richness of this a bit. The smashed potatoes were another standout, with plenty of garlic, gorgonzola, and herbs. I loved the burst of flavor from the gorgonzola and the different textures of the potatoes. This was my first burger during Burger Week and one that I knew would be hard to beat. 

Burger Week was an excellent distraction from the wackiness in the world right now. Yes, I gained almost five pounds during the week, but I'd do it all again right now if they greenlighted another week of burgers. It gave me a sense of normalcy as I plotted where I was going to eat each day. I loved seeing the creativity that restaurants put into their menus and it made me feel that I was doing something positive for the restaurant industry by going out and supporting them. Get that same feeling when you leave the cooking to your favorite local restaurant the next time you don't feel like making dinner.

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