Snacking In The Parks: Loaded Bites from River Belle Terrace

Something new has shown up on the menu at the River Belle Terrace in Disneyland! Take a look at their Loaded Bites! This is a new seasonal item for Halloween Time so it may not exactly be on the menu yet but you can ask for them and they will make them for you!

You start with tater tots, pimento cheese, brisket, BBQ sauce and topped with green onions! An absolutely amazing appetizer or a good meal on its own! The brisket is melt in your mouth delicious, the pimento cheese adds a nice smoky, spicy flavor and the tater tots well they are delicious and crisp which I love! Hurry down to the River Belle Terrace and try these for yourself! Hopefully they will stay on the menu past Halloween Time!

Seasalt Woodfire Grill Brings Santa Maria-Style BBQ to Huntington Beach

Santa Maria-Style BBQ is one of my all-time favorites and it's great to see it here in the OC. Seasalt Woodfire Grill brings this style of cooking to Huntington Beach. What sets this style of cooking apart is cooking meat seasoned with sea salt blends over red oak coals.

The bar has farm crafted cocktails, wines and a good selection of locally crafted beers. The first cocktail we tried was the The Grilled Pina which has tequila, pineapple and jalapeno. A great blend of flavors and I loved the kick of the jalapenos.

The second cocktail we tried was the The Boozy Horchata which has vanilla vodka, spiced rum and horchata. I am a huge horchata fan and this cocktail won me over with it's flavor and smoothness.

The Smoked Pork Belly Mac N Cheese is simply quite amazing. The smokiness of the pork belly goes perfectly with the mac n cheese.

When in doubt, you try all the various cuts of steak they bring out. The tri-tip, ribeye and the New York strip are all amazing and melt in your mouth delicious!

Take a look at the 28 oz bone-in ribeye. Doesn't it just make your mouth water?

Some of the most flavorful ribs I have ever experienced.

The linguisa is unreal. So much flavor and spice that will keep you coming back for more and more.

Even the seafood offerings are rubbed in the unique sea salts. The shrimp is perfectly grilled and salted.

The jumbo tiger prawns and snow crab is unbelievable. You won't want to share what's on your plate.

The last cocktail we tried was the Salty Hog which has vodka, grapefruit and bacon. A great blend of sour and salt. Typically not a flavor combination I typically would enjoy but this has changed my mine.

We ended the meal with this delicious vanilla ice cream with Central Coast Olive Oil and topped with black lava seasalt. The flavors blend together seamlessly for a totally unique experience. The perfect ending to our meal.

So, if you love Santa Maria style BBQ or just interested in experiencing it (and you will love it), then head to Seasalt Woodfire Grill. It will be an unforgettable meal from start to finish.

To learn more about Seasalt Woodfire Grill, check out their site at the link below:
seasaltwoodfiregrill.com

Sasaki Time's Top 15 Disneyland and DCA Food Items You Need to Eat Right Now!

Here are my Top 15 Disneyland and Disney California Adventure food items that you need to try if you haven't already!

15. The world famous clam chowder bowls come in at number 15! There is nothing better than the fresh baked sourdough bowls from the Boudin Bakery in DCA! The clam chowder is fantastic and that bread is even better if you let some of that chowder get absorbed into the bread! Remember to get some butter so you can also butter your bread if you aren't full!

14. Number 14 is the fantastic chili cone queso from the Cozy Cone Motel in Cars Land! I love chili and since it is one of Walt's favorites, it's fitting that chili make it on the list! The beef chili, cheese and corn chips in the bread cone is a perfect meal on the go! We will be returning to this same cone a few times!

13. Coming in at lucky number 13 is the Oswald Sundae in a souvenir "Mickey Pants" from Clarabelle's on Buena Vista Street. You get three scoops of ice cream covered in whipped cream, chocolate chips and a cherry on top! Oswald's ears are made up of two chocolate covered bananas! Plus, you get to keep the "Mickey Pants" sink dish!

12. Coming in at number 12 is what I consider the best deal in the parks when it comes to eating and those of you with a hearty appetite like myself. The Big Thunder Ranch BBQ is all you can eat for a great price! Lunch is only $23.99 a person and you get beans, chicken, ribs, cornbread, corn on the cob wheels and coleslaw!

11. Mickey shaped beignets are next! A powdered sugar covered bit of heaven if you ask me! They are coming out warm and go great with a mint julep or a cup of coffee! You will find these in New Orleans Square at the Mint Julep Bar!

10. The Mickey waffle from the Carnation Cafe comes in at Number 10! A delicious way to start the day! Pair it with a side of bacon or sausage and you have a wonderful breakfast right in the middle of Main Street U.S.A.!

9. We have come back to the Cozy Cone in Cars Land with the chorizo and egg cone! Only served for breakfast this delicious mix of chorizo, scrambled eggs and pico de gallo is a handy and hearty way to get your morning going down Route 66!

8. Dole Whip from Adventureland comes in at Number 8! This cool tasty pineapple treat is perfect on a hot day or any day! Look at that perfect swirl! Almost too perfect to eat, like I said almost!

7. Coming in next on the countdown is the butcher's plate from The Carthay Circle Lounge on Buena Vista Street. The plate features various cheeses, salamis, capicola, seasonal fruits and nuts. You also get some toasted bread. A perfect snack with some drinks and a good friend or two while listening to the light jazz in the lounge area. This is my favorite place to take a break from the park while still being inside the park.

6. Coming in at Number 6 is the best chicken in town! The broasted chicken at The Plaza Inn is one of my favorite meals in the entire resort! The chicken is tasty and moist, the mashed potatoes are thick and made from scratch and the seasonal vegetables are perfect! You can't even see the biscuit that comes with the meal! So much good food that you won't go hungry after this!

5. Number 5 is the lobster nachos at the Cove Bar in Paradise Pier! This massive plate begs to be shared! Corn tortilla chips, smothered in cheese, beans, lobster, salsa, mild peppers, and cilantro make for a perfect snack with a bunch of friends or a great meal for one! Enjoy with a beer or a cocktail and feel as if you were at the beach!

4. Number 4 we head back for the last time to the Cozy Cone in Cars Land for the bacon and mac and cheese cone! Thick mac and cheese with diced bacon on top make for a hearty meal!

3. Number 3 is the fried pickle appetizer at the Carnation Cafe on Main Street U.S.A.! These panko fried pickles are one of my favorites and I always get these when I dine here! How they can deep fry something and keep that pickle nice and crisp I will never know!

2. We don't have to go very far for Number 2 because it is the meatloaf at the Carnation Cafe! I love meatloaf and this one does not disappoint! A huge thick slab of moist meatloaf covered in gravy served with mashed potatoes, vegetables and a roll with butter makes me feel at home! Comfort food and it's very best!

1. And here we are at my Number 1 favorite food items from the parks and it is the Matterhorn macaroon from the Jolly Holiday Bakery! I always take this silly photo of the macaroon with the actual Matterhorn attraction! See how much they look alike? The awesome shape of the macaroon does not compare with the amazing amount of coconut this treat contains!


Well there you have it! My Top 15 Food Items from both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure that You Need To Try Right Now! Hope it made you hungry! Let's go to the park and eat!

Restaurant Review: Lillie's Q in Brea - Award Winning BBQ and Kool-Aid Pickles?

Here is one more restaurant review for 2014! This is the new Lillie's Q in Brea that opened on December 6th, 2014! This is the fourth location of this barbecue concept and the first to be located in California. The original location is in Chicago. you will come here to experience award-winning barbecue, down at home Southern cuisine and moonshine cocktails!

Lillie's Q founder and owner Charlie McKenna partnered with TAP's owner Joe Manzella for this branch in Brea.

Check out this awesome variety of BBQ sauces! Trust me, the meats at Lillie's Q are so good that you don't need BBQ sauce! But if you want to try them and I think you should, let me break down what to expect from each one! Starting from left to right, the ivory is a southern Alabama vinegar, mayo and spices that is great for fries and chicken and fish. The Carolina Gold is from South Carolina has a mustard content that is perfect on the hot links. The ENC is the Easter Carolina that uses cider vinegar and spices with no tomato. The Carolina has Western Carolina influences. The Smoky and Hot Smoky are traditional Memphis sauces and the most popular.

The Catdaddy Cocktail using Catdaddy vanilla moonshine and your choice of either root beer or cream soda. I went with the cream soda. Smooth and refreshing! If you are looking for something on the sweeter side then this is the drink for you! I love that they are served in mason jars!

My friend with the apple hooch and ginger which combines apple pie moonshine, ginger ale and lime. An equally smooth and refreshing drink.

We ordered the pork rinds and Kool-Aid pickles! That's right Kool-Aid pickles! The pork rinds are awesome and I love the kettle it is served in but the must have item is the Kool-Aid pickles! Kosher dill pickles marinated in cherry Kool-Aid with secret spices is fantastic! The sweetness of the Kool-Aid balances with the saltiness of the pickles and the spices put this over the top! I am already craving my next order! Plus my friend who can't stand pickles loves these! If that's not saying something then nothing is!

My friend ordered the Taste of LQ, a choice of three meats! Pulled pork, a hot link and tri-tip were all selected and a side of Mac N Cheese was added. Bacon was added to the mac and cheese. The pulled pork was perfectly tasty and fatty. The fat just melted with the pork. This is what I would get the mac and cheese with the next time! The tri-tip is tender and flavorful. You can see that char line! Perfect! The hot link is actually a hot link! Most places offer a hot link but it's usually just a kielbasa and not even a spicy kielbasa at that.

I ordered the Taste of LQ as well. I got the hot link and the trip-tip but added the baby back ribs. The ribs have a fantastic dry rub and an apple glaze! The meat is fall off the bone and did not need one drop of BBQ sauce! I added the cornbread with honey butter! Perfect!

It should come as no surprise that Lillie's Q have TAPS brews. This Hog-Tied Ale is specifically brewed for Lillie's Q. It is perfect for BBQ offering subtle malt flavor and hop bitterness.

For dessert we got an adult root beer float that includes vanilla moonshine and a banana pudding! Both were exceptional! The adult root beer float didn't have any hint of the moonshine so this could be a very dangerous dessert! The banana pudding had great chunks of banana mixed in with nilla wafers, pudding and vanilla meringue!

Great service and even better food makes this my new favorite BBQ place!

I am waiting for them to begin offering their $325 whole hog dinner and currently looking for dining companions to join me in this feast!


Lillie's Q is located at 240 S Brea Blvd in Brea, (714) 482-2001 

www.lilliesq.com.

Restaurant Review: Leadbelly's Southern-Style BBQ in Fullerton!

The neon sign simply says BARBEQUE but this is Leadbelly's a great new BBQ place in Fullerton! The location is a tough find but once you do you will remember how to get back!

It's a very small space but big on service and great food!

This is one of the awesome appetizers they have here! This is the Pigs & Peppers! These deep fried balls of amazingness are filled with pulled pork, cheese, bacon, jalapeno and house slaw! Just a great combination of sweet and tangy!

This is the appetizer nachos which is a meal in itself. This is a massive order!Look at those fresh toppings and I love the avocado!

I ordered a three meat plate with tri-tip, house sausage, and burnt ends! The tri-tip is arguably the best I have ever had! The charred edges with a slight pink color around the meat, with some fat to it, made for a tender tasty piece of meat! The house sausage with peppers and onions were fantastic. But my favorite was the amazing burnt ends which are the charred edges of the brisket that are salty with a nice layer of fat on them! They give you such a healthy portion of the burnt ends that this will always be one of my go-to meat choices!

The jalapeno mac n cheese is my recommendation for a side dish! The crumbles breadcrumbs and bacon with a perfect mixture of cheese makes for a great dish!

A great portion size of the house sausage with peppers and onions!

Look at that beautiful tri-tip!

The delicious burnt ends! Don't they look amazing?

Great food and great service make up for a hard to find location. But once you find it, this will be your new go-to barbeque place! I didn't even mention that they also have a great selection of beers on draft or in the bottle! I was too excited about the main reason why you are there, the meat! 

Leadbelly's Southern-Style Barbeque

711 N. Placentia Ave.

Fullerton, CA 92831

Open Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

BBQ Brats 'n Beer Recipe!

 

Ingredients: 

 

6 bratwursts
1 (12 ounce) can lager beer
1 medium onion, chopped
10 whole black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
3 garlic cloves (optional)
6 Italian bread
sweet dark mustard (or your choice)
pickled hot peppers (or other relish or chutney)

Directions:

1 Put the brats, onions, peppercorns, cloves, garlic in a saucepan, pour in the beer.
 

2 Bring to a boil and simmer the brats 15 minutes.
 

3 Drain (you can do this early in the day and then just have the BBQ step to do before serving).
 

4 BBQ the brats about 10 minutes.
 

5 Spray with water while BBQing to form a crisp skin.
 

6 Serve on the roll with mustard and hot peppers or other relish or serve them as your meat for dinner.
 

Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/bbq-brats-n-beer-11527

Foolproof Baby Back Ribs Recipe!

 

Servings: 4 to 6

 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
salt & fresh ground pepper
3 lbs pork baby back ribs
1 cup barbecue sauce

Directions:

1 Preheat gas grill for high heat.
 

2 In a small bowl, combine cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder and salt and pepper Mix well.
 

3 Trim off the membrane sheath from the back of each rack.
 

4 You can do this by running a small, sharp knife between the membrane and snip or"shimmy" off the membrane as much as possible.
 

5 Don't skip this step because it prevents the ribs from being chewy.
 

6 Sprinkle or "throw" as much of the rub onto both sides of the ribs as desired.
 

7 Do not rub the spices in, because the ribs will turn too dark and spicy.
 

8 You may have some spices leftover, depending on your taste.
 

9 Place aluminum foil on lower rack to capture drippings and prevent flare-ups.
 

10 Brush grate with oil, and lay ribs on top rack of grill.
 

11 Reduce heat to low, shut grill, and leave undisturbed for 1 hour.
 

12 Do not lift lid at all during this time period!
 

13 After one hour check for doneness, depending on your grill you may need to continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes (our grill takes one hour exactly). Brush ribs with barbecue sauce and grill an additional few minutes until sauce is slightly absorbed and a little brown around the edges.
 

14 Serve ribs as whole rack or cut between bones and pile individual ribs on the platter.

Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/foolproof-baby-back-ribs-88204