Snacking In The Parks: Food Hack - Surf and Turf Nachos from Cove Bar in DCA

One of the most popular items at the Cove Bar in Disney California Adventure is the lobster nachos, a massive order of nachos topped with delicious lobster.

But here is a couple of hacks for you looking for something different. For those of you with seafood allergies you can get these nachos with tender tri-tip. But for those of you that love surf and turf you can get the tri-tip nachos with lobster on the side. This perfect marriage of salty and savory is fantastic and you will only order this from now on.

What are you waiting for? Head to Disney California Adventure now and head directly to the Cove Bar!

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

Lillie's Q in Brea Has One Of The Best Sunday Brunch's You Aren't Going To...Yet!

With the risk of having one of my favorite places for Sunday Brunch becoming a packed house where a reservation will be strongly encouraged, I bring you the awesome Sunday Brunch at Lillie's Q in Brea! They are right up the street from the widely busy Tap's Sunday Brunch so it was nice walking into a place that is quiet and you can really enjoy your time with your friends!

Sunday Brunch is only $24.99 per person and it is an all you can eat Southern feast with bottomless mimosas! And the wait staff is very good about making sure your glass is always full! Then when you are ready, just pick up a tray and help yourself to pancakes, bacon, sausage, sausage biscuits and gravy, green beans, collard greens, tilapia, mac n cheese, sweet corn on the cob, smoked turkey, smoked ham, amazing brisket, pork rinds and a personal favorite the kool-aid pickles!

But wait, there's more with this made-to-order list that is also included with Sunday Brunch!

This massive Pig Lover omelette is filled with the most amazing parts of the pig including bacon, ham, hot sausage, pulled pork and topped with white cheddar cheese!

Another monstrosity is the Memphis Breakfast Burrito filled with eggs, fried potatoes and pulled pork with salsa verde on the side!

Southern Eggs Benedict is another fantastic offering with a biscuit topped with ham, a poached egg, fried green tomato and hot mess hollandaise!

This is the steak & eggs featuring tender smoked tri-tip, fried potatoes and a poached egg.

But my absolute favorite thing on this made-to-order menu is their take on chicken n waffles with tender smoked chicken breast, house made waffle and warm Vermont maple syrup.

And there is also a dessert bar featuring a chocolate fountain for strawberries and rice krispie treats, peach cobbler, banana pudding, chocolate stout brownies and make your own strawberry shortcakes!

Everything up and down the lineup is fantastic and you are not going to leave hungry! So bring your stretch pants, your friends and most important of all, your appetite!

Lillie's Q
240 S. Brea Blvd.
Brea, CA 92821

Sunday Brunch is from 10am to 2pm
$24.99 for adults and $9.99 for kids ages 3 to 10

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.