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.

Eating Challenge: Triple Threat Challenge at Ola Hawaiian BBQ!

Thursday was my first time entering the world of competitive eating. Yes, this was my crazy idea and yet I had three great friends who stepped up to take the challenge with me!

As Jedi Master Obi-Wan said , "Who's the more foolish, the fool, or the fool who follows him?"

We were all about to find out!

We went to Ola Hawaiian BBQ in Fullerton. (Address at the end) They are the home to two eating challenges, the first is the Triple Threat Challenge and the second is the Stan Musubi Challenge.

The Triple Threat Challenge is to eat nine musubi (three spam, three chicken and three beef) and three scoops of mac salad in 15 minutes. The Stan Musubi is to eat a 7 pound musubi with spam, chicken and beef inside in 35 minutes. We decided the lesser of the two evils was the Triple Threat Challenge!

Oh, and for those of you who don't know what musubi is, then allow me to explain. A musubi is simply rice wrapped around in nori (seaweed). Anything can be placed on top or in the middle of the musubi but it's more popularly served with spam or chicken or beef teriyaki on top or in the middle!

I'm getting ready to sign the waiver! The two toughest things on the waiver is that you can't stand up during any point once the challenge begins and that you cannot drink anything during the challenge!

Here is my plate or tray! Wow, that is a ton of food!

I'm all smiles now! Will I still be all smiles at the end of the challenge?

Here we are before the challenge begins! Bryan is on my left, DJ to my right and Mark to the far right!

It appears that both DJ and Mark are impressed by my eating ability. In the beginning Mark was in the early lead. DJ had pretty much hit the wall early and Bryan was right behind me.

It felt like an eternity by the time we reached the halfway mark. I was starting to hit the wall. What made it tough was the constant chewing and not being able to drink anything. Your mouth starts to get tired and then you start to run out of saliva in your mouth to help you swallow the food down. Then your mind starts to tell you that you are full.

In the end I ate the most and only had two of my musubi left. I destroyed the mac salad that was one of the best I have even had next to my mom's!

Yes, we all failed miserably but had a great time!

One last photo!

After we were done, it felt so good to get something to drink!

The challenge is $25 a person and if you beat the challenge then it's free and you get a shirt and your photo on the Wall of Fame. We lost and ended up on the Wall of Shame!

Now, who is ready for the next eating challenge?

Ola Hawaiian BBQ

733 N Placentia Ave
Fullerton, CA 92831

(714) 996-3288

Web site

wix.com/olabbq/home

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/olabbq 

Restaurant Review: Asiana Grill Yoshinoya (by Brian Hayes)

Review of Asiana Grill in Fullerton

On Thursday December 13^th my friend Kevin Wolfe and I were invited to try Asiana Grill, a new asian style grill. This new restaurant is near Cal State Fullerton. According to the people who put on the event they were trying to bring fresh high end restaurant recipes at a fast food price. And after going there I have to say they are on their way.

The first thing that I noticed was how bright and clean everything was. The ambiance had bright colors and the staff was very welcoming. When you walk in the door there is a sign on the wall explaining what to do. First you pick what type of style you want. There are four styles: Big Platter, Lots of Soup (basically a soup bowl), salad bowl, and the Yellow Bun (sandwich platter). I chose the Big Platter. Then you pick your protein from among seven different items. I chose the shrimp. Then you choose the sauce you want so I chose teriyaki. Kevin chose the Yellow Bun with grilled chicken and sweet potato fries but I will let him talk about that in his review. My big platter came with white rice ( though you can substitute for brown rice or udon noodles at no charge), fresh vegetables, and a salad with a sesame miso dressing

I have to say the food was really good. The shrimp was cooked just right, not over cooked but not under cooked. With the teriyaki sauce it gave it a sweet taste that really hit the spot. The fresh vegetables were really good and had not been sitting around all day which is one thing I look for. The salad with the miso dressing was excellent with me kind of Italian taste which is what I like about any miso dressing. And the rice was perfectly cooked and great top off to the meal. The whole plate presentation was well done.

If there is one criticism that both Kevin and I found was that the sweet potato fries did not come with some kind of sweet dipping sauce. The only thing you can get with them was ketchup. When we mentioned this to the executive chef he actually agreed with us and said that he had been pushing for this and was glad to hear our suggestion.

Overall I have to say that I had a very great experience at Asiana Grill. The food, ambiance, and staff made for a great time. Asiana Grill has two restaurants, the Fullerton store on State College BLVD. near Cal State Fullerton, and one in Los Angeles near USC. I would like to thank the staff at Asiana Grill Fullerton for their hospitality and I plan to go there again.

Check out their site:
http://asianagrillyoshinoya.com/

NOW OPEN
Address:
450 N State College Blvd.
Fullerton, CA 92831
Phone:
(714) 871-8442
Hours:
10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Mon – Sun)

Review of Honda-Ya in Fullerton: Yakitori!

Honda-Ya opened a new restaurant in Fullerton! They are already very well known the Southern California area for great Japanese food! But they are even better known for their yakitori! Yakitori is basically just food that is skewered and cooked on a grill!

They have regular table dining as well as bar dining. But my friend and I chose the traditional tatami mat floor seating!

She and I started with a few skewers! Going left to right, we have chicken meatballs, spicy shrimp and chicken hearts! The chicken meatballs were soft and moist and full of flavor! I would order this again! The spicy shrimp was only ok in my opinion. It didn't have that much flavor other than the flavor of the shrimp! The one you probably really want to know about is the chicken hearts! It was my first time eating chicken hearts and they were delicious! They were slightly rubbery but tasted like a cross between pork and beef! A real winner!

Next up was an order of Japanese beef! Real moist and tender! The fresh onions and tomatoes on top send this over the edge! Just perfect!

The one on the left is the lamp chop! Perfectly seasoned with some garlic salt and a bit of pepper! Just like how I would have seasoned it at home! The one on the right is already one of my favorites at Disneyland from the Bengal BBQ in Adventureland! Bacon wrapped aspragus! A fresh squeeze of lemon and the price was so much better than an old Disneyland favorite!

Fries? Yeah my friend had a craving for fries! I told that she can no logner go with me on my food adventures! Haha! Sasaki Time is looking for a new partner in crime to go on food adventures with!

Up next was the salmon cheek! I think we should have ordered one for each of us! This was so good! The salmon was light and flaky! It was lightly salted and went perfect with a hot bowl of rice!

We also ordered some crab shumai. These were only ok as well. They were good but nothing special.

The next round of skewers have arrived! Starting once again from the left, duck, chicken skin and bacon wrapped baby scallops! The duck was cooked perfectly and the combination with the grilled green onions was just perfect! The chicken skin was crispy and full of flavor! I already love bacon and scallops so the two combined was pure heaven!

The last skewer of the night was the fatty chicken hearts! This one was slightly more rubbery than just the regular chicken hearts but still full of the same great flavor that I had experienced earlier! Another winner!

I forgot to take a picture of my Kirin but I took one of my white peach shuju! They sell them in singles and doubles! This is a single! So delicious! Maybe if I'm not so full I'll get another one next time!

Taking a look at the grill where all of our amazing yakitori came from tonight!

My new favorite Japanese restaurant! It was such a great experience and the serving staff is awesome as well!
I had such a great time that I went back the next night to try their regular menu! I'll be posting that review soon!

They are only open for dinner but they are also open very late! So this works out great when there is that late night Japanese food craving!

Honda-ya

2980 Yorba Linda Blvd
Fullerton, CA 92831

(714) 577-0401
 

http://izakayahondaya.com/

Hours:

Mon-Sun 5:30 pm - 1 am

2011 Year In Review: My Top Italian Restaurants!

Here are my picks for my favorite Italian Restaurant discoveries this year:

3. Pieology goes down as my favorite new pizza place of 2011! Quick and cheap and delicious! Plus I get to make it the way that I want! You can't beat that!
http://www.sasakitime.com/2011/04/review-of-pieology.html

2. Itriya Cafe goes down as my second favorite Italian place of 2011! With a huge variety of pasta dishes, you are going to find something yo love! Plus, throw in some Asian Fusion and you have a unique place to eat! Great service and a fun ambiance makes this place a winner!
http://www.sasakitime.com/2011/12/review-of-itriya-cafe.html

1. My number one Italian restaurant of 2011 goes to Il Garage! From its amazing service, to it's feel of escapism as Beach Blvd. is literally a hop skip and a jump away, to its fresh pasta to fresh from the garden produce, Il Garage is not only my top Italian Restaurant of 2011 but don't be surpised to see it high on my list of my top restaurants of 2011!
http://www.sasakitime.com/2011/07/review-of-il-garage.html

Oahu Shave Ice & Ice Cream *UPDATED 8/14/11*

With parents from Oahu, I am always questioning anyplace that says they offer something I know and love from the islands. So, when this place, Oahu Shave Ice & Ice Cream opened, I knew I just had to try it.

They actually have a pretty good selection of ice cream for those that do not want to try shave ice.

But the real treat here is the shave ice. I wish they had stuff like azuki beans to add but I'm happy with the quality of the shave ice itself and the vanilla ice cream to add. Too bad it's not guri-guri ice cream but then again I digress.

I love the surfboard inspired tables!

They offer a great variety of flavors and even tell you how to combine some great flavor options. I went with the caramel apple which is a scoop of vanilla ice cream under Green Apple shave ice and topped with caramel syrup.It was just delicious and a great way to cool off on a warm summer's night!

Oahu Shave Ice & Ice Cream  
1101 South Lemon Street
Fullerton, CA 92832

Hours:
Sunday - Thursday 11 am – 9 pm
Friday & Saturday 11 am - 10 pm

Click on the link below to check out all the flavors they offer!
http://www.oahuice.com

***UPDATE August 14th, 2011***

I was informed by the fine folks at Oahu Shave Ice & Ice Cream that they now have azuki beans! Yes! Not that I needed a reason to go back! I don't know if I am suppose to say anything but they are adding a lychee shave ice flavor and a macadamia nut ice cream in the near future!

Big B's BBQ

I had a real craving for BBQ tonight so off to a great little hole-in-the-wall place I heard about called Big B's Barbeque in Fullerton.

It's a small place with a couple of tables to sit. It seemed like a lot of their business was to go.

My friend ordered the half slab of pork ribs. Since it was dinner time, it came with two sides. He went with fries and coleslaw. They offer one side for lunch. The ribs were fall off the bone and extremely flavorful. They even give you a side of BBQ, it's on the sweet side with a touch of jalapeno. The sauce it just perfect!

I went with the combo of pork ribs and chicken. The chicken was flavorful ad the extra BBQ sauce was only added in small portions. The ribs were once again the highlight here! I ordered potato salad and coleslaw as my sides. The coleslaw was good but I loved the potato salad. It was simple with whole potatoes and mayo and celery.

Big B's BBQ

1948 N Placentia Ave
Fullerton, CA 92831

(714) 528-7427

Hours:
11am-10pm daily


Click on the link below to check out the menu!
http://bigbsbbq.com/

Review of Burger Parlor

The latest pop-up restaurant is a winner and dare I say the best burger in the O.C.?  Located in the Rialto Cafe in Fullerton, the Burger Parlor is only open Wed-Sat starting at 6pm. I went Wednesday night with a friend of mine.

Check out the menu:

They offer a great selection of burgers that are made from 100% certified black Angus beef, the buns are baked fresh daily, and everything is 100% hormone free products. They also have salads, shakes, a good selection of sodas and a great selection of craft beers. I went for a St. Bernardus (an Abbey beer).

It went great with the burger that I ordered, the Mahon, named for the Chef Joseph Mahon and it's a winner!
It is an Angus beef patty, pastrami, caramelized onions, mustard sauce, and swiss cheese. The Mahon was juicy, perfectly cooked, and soft fatty bites of pastrami complimented and did not overwhelm the burger.

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I also ordered the Belgian Fries to go along with it. The fries are thick and hearty and piping hot! A touch of sea salt makes it perfect! The ketchup tastes like it was blended with some rosemary so you know it's not your ordinary ketchup.

My friend ordered the Smoky which is one the most popular burgers on the menu. It is an Angus beef patty, bacon, fried onions, cheddar cheese, bibb lettuce, oven dried tomato and secret sauce. I was fortunate enough that my friend gave me a bite of her burger.  It was just as good as my Mahon. The bacon chunks were perfect with the burger. Another winner!

We also ordered the beer batter onion rings. Now, I am no fan of onion rings but I would order these again in a heartbeat! First, they are nice and hot like the fries. Second, they are not overwhelming in their onion flavor. The onions are nice and light and crisp. I just couldn't stop eating them.

To round off my dinner, I got a strawberry shake. Great way to end my meal with a nice and thick but not overly sugary shake.

My friend and I are totally sold on this place and will be back to try another round of burgers! My compliments to the chef!

If you are interested in saving some money on their menu, text burger Parlor to 902-10 and they will send you special offers!

Check out their web site with their menu at:
http://www.burgerparlor.com/