Nibbles of Tidbits, a Food Blog

We welcome Santa Maria BBQ to the neighborhood.  Yay!  Real BBQ is nearby.  I see a lot of BBQ places opening up around here, but mostly Korean BBQ.  That’s perfectly fine, but I’m starting to see too many.  I like variety.  And thus I’m happy that I now have quick-access to Smoked Meat, and especially excited that Santa Maria BBQ smokes Chicken too, because it’s one of my favorite things to eat.  Santa Maria BBQ smokes their Meat over genuine California Red Oak Wood.

Santa Maria BBQ is located at 8002 Orangethorpe Boulevard, Suite A, in Buena Park.  It’s within the new-ish Clark Commons Apartment Complex on the corner of Orangethorpe and Stanton.

Santa Maria BBQ offers indoor (below) and outdoor (above) seating.  I always like that.

It’s large, clean and stylish inside Santa Maria BBQ / Majestic Coffee & Tea.  There’s BBQ to be had on one side and Coffee, Tea & Dessert on the other.  It’s a nice combination.

Most Meats are smoked, then quick grilled.  Order at the adjacent counter.

And order Coffee, Tea & Dessert at the counter pictured above.

We had flavored Izze’s to drink this visit, but hope to have Beer and Wine next time.  Santa Maria BBQ is awaiting its liquor license to offer both.  Enlarge MENU above for a better view.

Loading wood into the smoker and lowering/raising the grill when necessary.  It smells so good.

They unfortunately ran out of my preferred BBQ picks, Smoked Chicken and Baby Back Ribs this day, but we plan to go back soon to try them.  If good, we’ll surely be regulars.  Santa Maria BBQ opens at 11:30 a.m. and closes at 8:00 p.m. daily, but could close earlier, if they run out of Meat or business is slow.  They are understandably gauging their supply and crowds.

BBQ To Go — Matt is taking ours out below.  They do catering too.

Where do I park?  We all wonder.  In back — Within the building cul-de-sac (below).  The spaces are numbered, but they are reserved for Santa Fe BBQ and Majestic Coffee & Tea customers.

You may also parallel park along Yard Street, in un-numbered spots, if available.

There does not seem to be parking out front on Orangethorpe.  I believe it’s all red, but will check that again.  However, Santa Maria BBQ did obtain permission from Sherwin-Williams (across the street) to use its parking lot, after Sherwin-Williams hours.  Santa Maria BBQ customers may park there, after Sherwin-Williams closes.  That’s a nice evening option.

We toast to Santa Maria BBQ and wish them much success.

To be continued.

I’ve loved StoneFire Grill for a few years now and always get the same thing — The Lemon Garlic 1/2 Chicken and Gorgonzola Butter Tri Tip.  Both are consistently, absolutely amazing.

I didn’t need anything else, until I recently tried several of StoneFire Grill’s new menu items.  They’re grilling, chopping and serving up much more than I ever realized.  It’s a restaurant for everyone, especially me more often.  Everything they make has an abundance of flavor.

We tried new Sandwiches, Sides and other ‘From The Grill’ specialties I already want again.

StoneFire Grill’s MENU is here.

Photo of my first plate (above) and of one of my new favorite dishes (below) — The Shrimp with Lemon, Olive Oil, Garlic, Chili Flakes and chopped Parsley served with Quinoa.  So tasty!

And their ‘Incredible Carrot Cake’ is indeed incredible and very moist.

Other new favorites are the Whole Roasted Cauliflower (top photo) that’s served warm topped with Lemon Tahini and chopped Parsley — It’s a most impressive Side dish.

And my favorite Sandwich was the Roasted Cauliflower Pita — It’s spicy, different and delicious.  There are currently seven StoneFire Grill locations.  Most photos here were taken a menu tasting in Irvine and the better ones were provided.  While there I learned that it all started with a large, close family and it’s run by friendly, connected people.  They say… Let the fire spread from our kitchen to your heart.  It’s shown through the food and people.

Do you know The Triangle (f/k/a Triangle Square) in Costa Mesa?  Yes, it’s called The Triangle now and it’s hoping to attract more guests than there ever was — I hope it does too, since the space has historically underperformed.  I’m not sure why, since parking isn’t that bad.

New Restaurants and Bars are open and due to open this Saturday, April 20th — The Saddle Ranch Chop House and El Corazon de Costa Mesa to name just two.  And I’m most excited to see a coming soon sign for Tavern Bowl.  Things seem to be pointing upward for The Triangle.

I liked the colors of Triangle Square better, but perhaps it’s one of the ways The Triangle is hoping to capture more attention — And one should pay attention, and GO, since it is built and looks to be tasty and fun there.  Be there or you’re a square.  Success is wished to all by us!

This Chicken plans to cross many roads — Don’t ask why.  He’s already on the other side.

A gift from the Grandkids (Kids in the Kitchen) who know their BBQ’ing Grandpa (aka Mad Dog) well and it’s definitely Budweiser in between his grilling.  Always marinate and never use a recipe it also states — I concur with that.  October still feels like July in Southern California.  The ten minute rule seems doable in this record heat.  Pop open a Stella for me, sorry Dad.

An all you can eat Korean surprise is at Moodaepo’s Korean BBQ Restaurant in Fullerton.

A surprise, because its exterior does it no justice — It’s a significant, stylish restaurant.

Look beyond the strip mall situation.  It’s a whole new world inside.

Each prepares his/her food on a tabletop grill.

Pick your price, available meat(s) and grill and eat away, then order more if you want to.

Though there’s a lot of room, it gets crowded as many are already in the know.

A pitcher of Beer to accompany the experience.  Hite, Hite, Hite, Hite — Gun Bae.

This evening featured an expert meat cutting demo that fascinated Food Bloggers and all.

Fast and precise — It was Impressive.

A grill (below) ready for your meat and Korean condiments to compliment all.

Other cooked dishes can be ordered — The Bulgogi below was sweet, tender and tasty.

Load your grill with all you can eat.

And don’t burn it, unless you like it that way.

In addition to Moodaepo’s large interior, the patio is quite sizeable and ready for events.

Moodaepo’s owner received an award from the city (I think) — Ask them about the specifics.

Congratulations seem deserving!  Don’t let the outside detour you — It’s utterly in vogue.

It’s a neat place with nostalgic pieces of Korean culture on display to honor its origin.

I look forward to going back — Thank you.

First of many plates of food as we gathered to celebrate the 4th — God Bless America.

Watermelon in the pool with smiles and funny faces.

My favorite appetizer of the day — It’s made with Edamame, Sweets Peas, Basil, Garlic, Parmesan Cheese and Olive Oil.  The recipe (to be obtained) will be posted in an update.

Carne Asada on the grill.

Balloons ready for a Water Balloon Fight — Was too busy throwing ’em to get photos of it.

Glimpse of our backyard fireworks show…

Enjoy the Summer — Eat, laugh a lot and love each day.

Chicken samples from the backyard grill on Mother’s Day — Anticipated and appreciated.

Bouquets of flowers and fruit flourish.

Tortilla Roll Ups with Smoked Turkey, Ham, Peppers, Cream Cheese, Chives and more.

Specific recipe for above to be posted soon — A past similar recipe is linked here.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom!  Thanks for ALL you’ve done and who you are.

I’m blessed and lucky.

For whatever it’s worth, May is National Asparagus, Barbecue, Egg, Hamburger, Salad, Salsa, Strawberry, Chocolate Custard, Mediterranean Diet, Gazpacho Aficionado and Artisan Gelato Month — Linked sources say.  Why not observe by eating more (or less) of these things?! 😉

Chilled Tomato and Cucumber Gazpacho with Shrimp.

A Fancy Smancy Steakhouse Burger — Our contribution to National Hamburger Month.

Party Salad from an earlier post.

Deviled Eggs, Salsa Baked Eggs and/or Huevos Rancheros will happen this month regardless.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus on the grill — Enjoy May with or without these foods.

An event worthy of your money is the 5th Annual Orange County BBQ & Music Festival.

This year it’s June 9th and 10th, and 100% of the proceeds go to Kristie’s Foundation to help critically ill children.  How better could you spend your money?  Be sure to save the dates.

We went last year and enjoyed the Rib Eating Contest, Mr. BBQ Pageant, Beer & Wine tasting, live music and BBQ Competition amongst the 70 + Award Winning BBQ Teams.

We hope to be there again this year — You should too.

Taquiza — Do you know what it is?  We’re calling it an Instant Taco Party.

Where do you want it?  In your backyard, at a park, or how about your office parking lot?

Went to a party last weekend and saw a small truck with an attached trailer park nearby.  Didn’t think much about it until it seamlessly turned into a full Taqueria in my friend’s backyard.

It was there Gallegos Taquiza cooked (and served) Chicken, Carne Asada and Carnitas for all.

That little truck and trailer brought all the meat and fixins’ for an Instant Taco Party.  If local, you may want to contact Gallegos Taquiza for your next party — Not sure of the cost, but they did a great job.  Or search Taquiza catering near you for good, fun party food.

Be sure to mark your calendar to try the Hof’s Hut Restaurant & Bakery 60th Anniversary Burger scheduled to be available this September.  It’s called the Fancy Smancy Steakhouse Burger and it is damn tasty, if I do say so myself — It’s so tasty in fact, I won a fancy smancy (aka schmancy) Jenn-Air BBQ Grill (below) for creating it.  Thank you Hof’s Hut and Happy Anniversary to such a fine establishment.  See you soon…

This weekend we highly recommend VIP Rib Village at the Orange County BBQ Bonanza.

Tender Ribs can be found within Fountain Valley Sports Park August 18th – 21st.

The VIP Rib Village experience includes all you can eat Ribs, Sides, Drinks and Desserts.

Check out The Big 6 National BBQ Cookers to learn more about the Ribs.

Entrance to unlimited Ribs and more.

Of course we tried them all several times.

Just one tasty option from Cowboys

Going back for another plate of everything.

Endless sides above, if you bother — We were diggin’ the bottomless Ribs, Beer and Wine.

There are plenty of tables with umbrellas in VIP Rib Village.

Different bands will be playing throughout the weekend — We enjoyed Grand Junction.

Some were dancing.

Others were eating.

We narrowed down our favorite Ribs to three, then tried them again — TBA.

As noted, VIP Rib Village includes all you can eat Dessert too — The cost for all is $100.  Why not make a day of it?  Enjoy excellent Ribs, good music, dancing and Drinks on a Summer eve.

He’s just sayin’…

More Ribs and Dessert in the Village.

Go in — It’s a messy, fun, flavorsome time.

Tennessee Q ended up being our favorite this kick-off evening.

And Johnson’s was a close runner-up.

You don’t have to spend $100 to try the Ribs — Event INFO is posted here.

Orange County BBQ Bonanza — It’s called The West’s Best BBQ All-In-One Outdoor Family Festival and it’s taking place at Fountain Valley Sports Park on August 18 – 21, 2011.  If attending, be sure to check out VIP Rib Village, a designated seating area whereas you’re served all the Ribs (and more) you can eat.  If unable to choose amongst the top competitor’s BBQ, try them all.  We’ll be there on opening day to take in as much BBQ as possible.

It started with our favorite Beef Brisket Sandwich at the Chuck Wagon — We love it!

Admission and parking was FREE from Noon – 1PM.

It was the busiest opening day we’ve seen.

The results of the Culinary Arts Competition (1st Show) are in and my Blondies won a First Place Ribbon.  Cool!  It made up for non-placement of my Fancy White Chocolate Flags.

$2 Samplings are available every Friday between Noon – 4PM.

We had a sampling of the Australian Battered Potatoes — One was plenty good.

Waiting for Ribs.

Centennial Farm.

Tomato varieties for future reference.

The above table was entered in the Amateur Table Setting Competition.  We found it a crack up.  While most try to create something fancy or beautiful, this individual produced something (probably) more realistic and definitely comical with a Cat Food can vase and leftover Subway Sandwich napkins for to-go Pizza and basic Beer.  Brilliant but no ribbon.

Faces at the OC Fair — Cows, Goats, Pigs, Chickens and ours.  Chef Niece Bailee of Kids in the Kitchen also won a First Place Ribbon for her painting pointed out by my lovely Mom, Pamela.

We appreciate Summer days, grilled Chicken and having fun — All should happen often.

The pictured Chicken is reported to rival my family’s special recipe.

Providing IDEAS — Summer Salads with Strawberries and Cashews.

Strawberry Lemonade.

Homemade Hummus with Pita Bread.

Swimming.

A Water Balloon Fight — Enlarge the above photos for a better view.

The aforementioned Chicken this day was prepared with a Dry Rub by our friend David.

And then a Mop Sauce that’s applied to the Chicken while grilling.

He’s been making the recipe years and got it out of a BBQ cookbook to be linked here soon.

Food Tents help keep the bugs off.

The kids loved the Oreo Cheesecake Lollipops that were handed out this day.

Any Cookies will do.

My contribution was a Chocolate Cake with a Cream Cheese Frosting and Raspberries.

Some of the best memories are made during Summer Pool Parties or near the ocean.

Preparing for what’s to come and grateful for important liberties.

Food, friends, family, fireworks, fun and freedom on the 4th.

Day before samples.

Having Carne Asada, Hot Dogs, or both and more?

Lamb Chops?

Will there be Watermelon?  I want a Watermelon Mojito.

How about backyard fireworks, if legal, or on the DL? 😉

A happy and safe holiday weekend to all and God Bless America.

The Orange County BBQ Festival happened yesterday at the OC Fairgrounds.

It’s best to buy tickets online, so to avoid an extra line.  There’s a service charge, but it might be worth it — I personally have low tolerance for long lines.  Inside the event was better.

There were lines for some BBQ, but none were horrible and they moved fairly quickly.

I tried to keep track of what we were eating and drinking and its origin, but forget it.

There were too many BBQ’s and Breweries to remember and I needed an extra hand.

There was a lot of Brisket, Pulled Pork, Tri Tip, Chicken, Sausage, Ribs and Meatballs.

One serious BBQ team.

Though much looked good, it took a while to find the best BBQ, as some meats were tough, fatty and surprisingly bland.  And others were dry, but okay sauced.  Tender is imperative.

A neighbor, The Meat House was there serving the Beef (below) and Chicken.

I liked the name and look of Big Rick and the BBQ Chicks, but didn’t try their Brisket.

Never had trouble sharing a table with anyone and the sun came out.

Grilling.  Btw, I’ll never go on the background chair lift again — Did it last year and it’s scary.

We used tickets to receive generous servings of BBQ and Brew — It worked well.

And here’s Mr. BBQ, who won the Mr. BBQ Pageant.

He was sooooo funny and kept saying… It’s hard being this sexy.

An old-fashioned, new fangled Ice Cream Truck — There was a Car Show happening too.

Farmer John was there offering free Pork Sausage.

Bands were playing.

Pass the Sauce

Towards the end, Famous Dave’s was giving away free Pulled Pork, because they wanted everyone to know how good it is — We were full and out of tickets and thought their Pulled Pork was better than many others.  There’s a debate happening regarding their Pickles.

The Famous Dave’s Pickle debate will soon be reported and linked here.

It’s agreed, Famous Dave’s Pulled Pork is good and they served it to the end.  We appreciate that, since too many BBQ teams ran out of food way too early — Not cool!  We had plenty of food, though expected the option of more.  I planned to name the super early closers, but stopped caring when full, and didn’t separate the good business cards from the bad ones.

And then came The Rib Eating Contest…

The Ribs were weighed, documented and distributed to the contestants, who ate as much as they could within the allotted amount of time.  Each batch of Ribs was then re-weighed to determine who ate the most in pounds and ounces.  I had never seen it done in person.

We had a great spot — Thankfully it wasn’t too gross to watch.

The cost was $50 to enter the contest, but you take home the balance of the Ribs.

If you still want them?!

Time is up.

And the winner is… this guy, on the left, and last year’s winner is on the right.

IMPORTANT INFO:  The OC BBQ Festival is a fundraiser benefitting Kristie’s Foundation for critically ill children, and all proceeds go to them.  That’s a great thing.  Mark your calendar for next year’s event or make a donation at the link above.  The winner of The Rib Eating Contest donated his $250 prize to Kristie’s Foundation — Wow, that was a cool thing to do!

The previously reported about Oak Grilled Artichoke at Walt’s Wharf is pictured here.  It’s the real deal.  We love it and its Lea & Perrins Sauce sidekick, but do think my recent variation tasted better.  How did that happen?  Can’t touch their Artichoke though — It’s a tasty plate.

06/06/11 Update:  I now know why my Lea & Perrins Sauce tasted better than Walt’s recent Sauce — They changed the recipe.  The ingredients are the same, but the measurements are different for some reason.  I prefer the original recipe, linked above.

Have you ever tried an Oak Grilled Artichoke at Walt’s Wharf in Seal Beach?  They serve one of the best Artichokes around.  The flavor of the grill combined with Walt’s Wharf Lea & Perrins Sauce is superb.  Since I don’t live as close as I used to, I make it at home.

Ingredients for Walt’s Wharf Lea & Perrins Sauce — Mayonnaise, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, Lemon, Sesame Oil, Olive Oil, Seasoning Salt and Honey.  Recipe is below.

Walt’s Wharf Restaurant first steams their Artichokes and then grills them over Oak Wood for extra flavor.  For ease, most of the time I just steam them, but do grill ’em on occasion too. 

I’ve had the recipe for about 20 years, as you can tell by its stained condition.

The Walt’s Wharf Lea & Perrins Sauce recipe is kept in one of four recipe binders created before Nibbles of Tidbits and a variation is linked here.  And semi-related, just because it’s in the same binder, is a photo from a recipe contest I won several years ago.  Lucky me.

On the subject of Artichokes, Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que serves an amazing one too.

Note:  A link will be provided to Walt’s Wharf Restaurant when it’s operable again — They say it was recently hacked and are working on it now.  Check back.

06/03/11 Update:  The Walt’s Wharf website is still bogus, but a few of us are heading there (Walt’s and Seal Beach) this Saturday for the real deal and more.  We’ll see what’s goin’ down and update again.

Why not have a National Burger Weekend, especially if it saves people money?!  It’s 50% off through Groupon.  And Memorial Day Weekend is a good time for it.  Burgers are American and I’d love to buy one for a Veteran — Thank you and God bless you past and present soldiers.

Note:  The pictured Burgers are from Jimmy’s Burger Joint.

It was for an annual fundraiser that I stood out on the 8th hole all day measuring for the longest putt, plus I got paid.  And mustn’t mention the pre-tee BBQ to be polite.  The Cole Slaw was good.  A man said his worst day of golf is better than his best day at work.  I’d heard that before.  The course, Black Gold has spectacular views and it’s always great to be outside.  By the way, the longest putt was 34 feet exactly.  It was impressive.