OMGWTFBBQ

^ haha to whoever coined that term ^

hay party people, meese, piggies, and horsies!

About a month back, I checked out a popular BBQ joint chain called Lucille's BBQ. I had been here once before a few years ago, but didn't remember much besides big portions and drinks being served in mason jars. I'm no expert on BBQ like The New Diner, but here's my humble take on this Zagat promoted southern Cali institution.

I have been on this sweet tea binge lately (McDonald's large sweet tea for a buck, holla) and quickly got my fix before I started throwing a hissy fit from withdrawal.

Damn I love sweet tea way too much. I know I'm stopping by Mickey D's today before my class to get my daily dose. Type 2 diabetes here I come!

Although your meats can come out sopped wet or dry, Lucille's offers some additional sauces to try. I love BBQ sauce, but nothing really stood out here. The spicy was weak, and the Memphis, to my disappointment, was mainly just a mix of ketchup and mustard. I think my favorite sauce has to be from Phil's in SD.

Soon enough, some freshly made biscuits arrived. These were pretty filling, and the apple butter that came along with it was delicious.

They did offer lunch specials for the evening, but I was greedy and wanted two sides, so stuck with the dinner option and ordered the tri tip with some greens and beans.

The Angus beef tri tip was quite tender, and the sides were good although I didn't appreciate the burnt and dry pieces of scrap meat in my collard greens. My friend ordered the ribs and let me try one. Both of us weren't too impressed as they tasted like they had been overcooked. Overall, I thought the meal was ok, but this wasn't knock my socks off bbq like the reviews would have had me believe. If anything, I left with the revelation that I don't like tri tip cooked that way. The total including tax and tip was a little under $30, which to me is a bit pricey although I did leave stuffed. Service was great...no complaints there.

Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ: 1639 East Imperial Highway, Brea, CA 92821-5809

Lastly, I just wanted to share that I got into Kansas State! Yippee yai yay m****f*****! And I got an interview to Davis! And I put my pants on all by myself this morning! I feel like I should be going ape shit right now, but the news hasn't fully sunk in yet because all I can think about is the interview. It's Davis ffs! Last week I felt like I was soaring. Now I'm just stuck deciding whether I should be waiting for the other shoe to drop or ride my luck by playing some 21 at the casinos. My Barona!

Taps Meal Deal

A friend did me a huge favor, so I offered to take him out to dinner, and he chose Taps. So off we went. The pictures didn't turn out too well because the place was dimly lit. You can either sit in the main dining area, the oyster bar, or the bar area. We chose the bar.


Warm, crusty sourdough bread with some olive oil/balsamic vinegar came out quickly


as did my order of liquid bread, the Porter.


I had seen them advertising their 3 course meal for 25 buckeroos and decided to go for that.


For my appetizer, I chose seafood ceviche that came with some thin tortilla chips. It had pieces of fish, shrimp, scallops. I didn't like it too much because it was too sweet. I prefer plain lime...no ketchup please.


My friend ordered the Seafood on Ice, which came with two crab legs, two shrimp, and two oysters? But they actually hooked him up with another crab leg.


Although it's a seafood place, I had come from the gym and wanted a , so I ordered their petite New York steak Oscar style, which I found out was asparagus, crab cakes and bearnaise sauce topped on the steak. I didn't like it too much because it ended up being way too heavy and overpowered the steak. I ordered it medium rare, and it came out a little bit more cooked than I would have liked it to be. . It was served with a generous portion of mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables (squash, zucchini, carrots, green beans).


The biggest surprise of the meal was that the deal came w/ a 10 oz of their signature cream ale. Winna! If I had only read the fine print...I wouldn't have ordered that porter! Nah, I still would have =)


Creme brulee topped with some strawberries and garnished with mint. Damn, did I choose the wrong dessert to go with such a heavy meal. By the time I was done with this, I was bursting at the seams. I let out a groan of content to the dismay of our neighbors, loosened my belt, and somehow carried myself out of there.

Even though we were at the bar area, our service was attentive, and everything came out in a nice and orderly fashion. The food may not have wowed me(at least what I ordered), but I still thought it was a pretty good deal for everything we got.

Taps Fish House & Brewery
101 E Imperial Hwy
Brea, CA 92821

*A note about parking. While they do offer valet parking, I like to park behind the Yardhouse or the parking structure next to the movie theatres a couple blocks down.

Liked what you saw and read and want more? Read here for apast visit in which I puke my guts out after a night of oysters and good old fashioned debauchery.

Can't believe it's going to be Thanksgiving soon. Going to bake a pie today as a test run =) Have a nice and peaceful Sunday!

and another one!

Met with some of the old UCSD alum at the BJ's in Brea a few weeks back. BJ's is a chain/brewery that serves deep dish Chicago style pizza as well as other entrees. I don't know if this is "true Chicago style" since I've never been to Chicago or am a pizza expert, so please don't stone me.

We arrived early to take advantage of the happy hour, $2 off appetizers and 1/2 off personal pizzas, which end up being about 5 or 6 bucks. Descriptions taken off their website because my memory is foggy and it sounds a lot better using theirs =) Some photos seen here were taken by the young up and coming Jomo.


We started off with some drinks. I'm not a real big fan of BJ's brews with the exception of their porter. So whenever I go, I ask what seasonal beers they have. That day they offered the Trois Pistoles, a Belgian Dark Ale (right). This had a dark fruity taste and was delicious. Upon looking it up, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the brewing company was Unibroue, which makes La Fin Du Monde.


Avocado eggrolls: a blend avocados, cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, red onions, cilantro, pine nuts, chipotle peppers and spices. Served with a sweet tamarind sauce.

These were pretty good and held their own w/o the overly sweet sauce, which I thought took away from the slight spiciness of the eggrolls.


Overview of our meal.


I decided to try something new for once and ordered the Chicken lettuce wraps, one of the "lighter" picks on the menu: Marinated chicken breast diced and sautéed with mushrooms, water chestnuts, celery, green onions, garlic and topped with crispy wontons. Served with chilled iceberg lettuce cups, sesame soy sauce and hot Chinese mustard.

I soon learned that the hot mustard was burn through your nostrils hot, as I unknowingly applied a liberal amount to my wrap. It came with about 6 lettuce wraps, and there was still of the chicken left. I'm not sure if I would get these again because I am a big fan of their nachos, but it was better than I thought it was going to be.


Great White: Rich and creamy Alfredo sauce with mushrooms, garlic, fresh Roma tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and grilled chicken breast.

I didn't get to try this one sadly.


BJ's Favorite aka the works: Oven-baked meatballs, pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, black olives, white onions and seasoned tomatoes.

When it comes to pizzas, I like having a little bit of everything, so this was a good choice. The crust was thick but wasn't too oily. I thought everything went well together, and no ingredient overpowering the rest. And at 5 bucks, who's complaining?


One thing they're also known for here is their pazookies, which is a freshly baked in a deep dish pan chocolate chip cookie (although on their website, it shows they offer different kinds of cookies now) topped with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. We killed it. And you know this Mannn! Looking at this picture makes me want one right now.

Service was good even though it was busy.

The place was pretty packed, and if you want to get those happy hour deals (4-7 PM and 10-12 on weekdays), it only applies to the bar area, so you're going to have to jump on those empty tables as soon as they become vacant because it's a free for all in there.

BJ's
600 Brea Mall Drive
Brea, CA 92821

BJ's in Brea

Just took my final today and am done w/ my Saturday classes. Yoyoyoyoyoyoyos! On with the show.

A once cherished watering hole of mine, but no more that I only went for happy hour, but since it had been a while, I decided to make another visit w/ some friends.

Happy Hour (which you can kind of see in the background of the picture below) consists of $1 off all drinks/draft beers, $2 bucks off all appetizers, and half off all personal sized pizzas. If none of the beers that BJ's brews interests you, don't be afraid to ask what else they have for the season. They also have a small selection of bottled Belgian Beers, including Chimay and Gulden Draak. They've also added some new beers to their rotation, since I last visited, including one or two Rogue Ales, if my memory serves me right, along with their regular starters of Guinness and Lindeman's Framboise. They also brew their own Berry Cider (which I thought tasted horrible...like a diet berry Sprite) and Root Beer.


Pasta Fagioli soup. This was mediocre at best, as it tasted like it was straight from the can. Not that I have anything against canned soup, but if I'm going to be paying 5 bucks for a small cup of soup, it should be at least a little better than what I can get myself at the market. Pasta was cooked too long, but I suppose that's what I get for ordering this around 10 pm. I didn't expect too much, but I hadn't had dinner yet and wanted some soup. This area needs a damn pho place that stays open until 11 or 12...


Brewhouse Nachos. I used to LOVE getting this. I guess I just got sick of it from getting it too many times and always felt disgusted with myself the next morning with it still on my breath. But for old time's sake, I ordered them once more. It has lots of cheese, along with diced tomatoes, green onions and olives over tortilla chips that float on a small bed of their signature Piranha Pale Ale Chili. You can also ask for some jalapenos and fire roasted salsa, which I got on the side. A pretty good amount for 4 people to share. Overall nice to munch on while drinking, but I'm just jaded about these now.

To get the specials, you have to be sitting in the bar area, which can sometimes get packed, especially Thursday nights. I've never really had any complaints about the service, and once upon striking up a conversation with the bartender, we were given some free chips and salsa. Woohoo! Happy Hour runs from 4-7 Mon-Fri and 10-closing Mon-Thurs (maybe Sunday too, but don't quote me on this one).

600 Brea Mall Drive
Brea, CA 92821

"I am the Walrus"

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes—and ships—and sealing wax—
Of cabbages—and kings—
And why the sea is boiling hot—
And whether pigs have wings.”

“But wait a bit,” the Oysters cried,
“Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!”
“No hurry!” said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.

“A loaf of bread,” the Walrus said,
“Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed—
Now if you’re ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed.”

I went to Taps with some friends this weekend and got to eat something I had been craving for a quite some time now. Besides sushi places, I'm don't know of a lot of places in the area that has oysters. I've been to Taps a couple of times, and it's a bit on the pricey side. I do like that they are also a brewery, and have some interesting beers. You can sit at in the dining area, oyster bar, or bar section, which includes outside seating. While waiting, I got the pumpkin ale, $6.

It wasn't as sweet as the Bj's version and was a little stronger in alcohol content, which had my head spinning(I'm a bit of a lightweight). Still, you could taste the pumpkin and spices in it, and it was pretty enjoyable.


I started with a cup of Gumbo $5. The consistency was more thin than thick, and there were pieces of sausage and celery. The gumbo had a lot going on in it, and had a nice spicy kick to it that wasn't overwhelming. I thought it was pretty good. However, I haven't had gumbo at any other place, and I left wondering if this was the real deal.


Half dozen raw oysters $13. Condiments: Tabasco, lemon, cocktail sauce with horseradish, and a red wine vinegar. I like my oysters with lemon and vinegar. Tabasco is always good too.

Our waitress was not very good at selling the menu. She never told us what oysters they had or what they were called. The other times I've gone to Taps, they had a small selection of different oysters available. Nevertheless, the oysters were fresh and briny, which I prefer over the milder tasting ones. I ended up getting a dozen of them.

Service, while attentive, wasn't very prompt. They gave us a lot of bread, but our food did not come out at the same time, and I also had to wait a while for my second half dozen. The other times I went (I've been to the Corona location as well) the staff was a lot more helpful and informative, so I'm not saying that the service was always bad.

All in all, it's a nice place to have oysters. My friends seemed to enjoy their food as well. They also have a Sunday Jazz brunch that I'd like to go to sometime. It's $32.99, but for a seafood buffet with plenty of oysters, I'm not complaining.

Taps Fish House & Brewery
101 E Imperial Hwy
Brea, CA 92821