Burrell’s BBQ (Review #2) - Santa Ana
Burrell's BBQ Inside
Ah beautiful Santa Ana, California, the sun, the breeze, the Burrell’s BBQ?!?! Barbeque isn’t normally the first type of food that anyone thinks of in Santa Ana, it’s not normally the first food on the mind when you speak about California, but that doesn’t mean Californians can’t do BBQ. Tucked away deep inside Santa Ana is Burrell’s BBQ. Hidden inside a neighborhood, and disguised as a house, Burrell’s is quite unassuming, except for the 3 or 4 catering vans, the smokers in the driveway and the cuts of wood on the side. After playing nearly 2 hours of racquetball I wanted to reward myself for getting back into the swing of exercise with the reward of completely healthy all American BBQ. Ok maybe the healthy part is a stretch, but I think most Americans agree that BBQ is right up there with apple pie.
I arrived right at opening; in fact I even helped the lady running the counter put out one of the rugs. After she had everything situated I asked her what was good today, and she laughed and said everything. I went on to tell her I had the tri-tip my previous visit and that I liked baby back ribs, she said the baby backs are good and juicy, which sold me.
Burrell's BBQ Lunch Plate
Being that I’m a food connoisseur and that I have to appease my adoring fans (actually I think only the voices in my head really read my reviews) I decided to not only get a lunch plate of baby back ribs ($8.95), with macaroni and cheese and a slice of cornbread, but I also toughed it out and got a side of collard greens ($2.00). The lunch plate consisted of ½ rack of ribs that were deliciously smoked and then smothered with a sweet sugary BBQ sauce. This is where Mr. Burrell and I will agree to disagree. I’m much more of a fan of the slightly sweet with a good amount of spice BBQ sauce, while Mr. Burrell coming from the Carolina’s appears to prefer a couple more cups of sugar then what I’m used to. It’s not to say that the sauce is bad, it’s just in BBQ there are so many differences of philosophies as to what’s the best.
Burrells BBQ Juicy
I think next time I’ll get something without the sauce and just appreciate good smoked meat. But for someone who really likes SWEET BBQ sauce it’s not bad. Another thing there was a pool of watery liquid that formed under the ribs, I’m unsure if that was from the sauce or just condensation. On to the sides! The macaroni and cheese was just as good as it was my last visit months ago, elbow macaroni puffed up and surrounded by gobs of cheese, my favorite part was the slight dried crunch that the top of the dish gets because of it being baked. The cornbread was ok, I love cornbread, but it was a bit dry unfortunately. Lastly the collard greens… Being born and raised in Orange County my whole life the only collards I knew were the ones on my shirts, and the only greens we ate were of the canned or frozen green bean varieties. I really want to like collard greens, in fact I think for the most part I do, they really are a southern specialty and I want to keep trying different recipes till I find one I really like, Burrell’s were ok, but not the best I’ve had.
Burrells BBQ Pit
So there you have it, Burrell’s BBQ in Santa Ana, a Santa Ana mainstay for nearly thirty years. Order yourself some food, have a picnic, and enjoy some fresh air.
Rating: 
Burrell’s BBQ
305 N Hesperian Street
Santa Ana, CA 92703
(714) 547-7441
Bangkok Taste - Santa Ana
Ok, so in my lifetime I can count the number of Thai restaurants I’ve gone to on only 2 hands. Up until about 6 years ago I had never experienced Thai Food. So far in that time I’ve become a big fan of Cha Thai on Chapman in Orange, but after my first visit to Bangkok Thai, I think I have found another good Thai restaurant here behind the Orange Curtain.
Bangkok Thai is a very unassuming place. Located right off the 22 Freeway in a small strip mall that includes a Big Lots! Not every restaurant can be in a huge upscale shopping center, heck the best places usually are small tucked away places in nondescript locations.
Being that this was my first visit, I can’t fully give a review, but I will review them based on my first experience. There are two normal meals I get when I go Thai, Chicken Pad Thai or Red Curry Chicken. I decided to throw that completely out the window and try something different; I order Masum Curry with Chicken. It was a much milder version of curry compared to the normal Red Curry that I would usually order. As explained in their menu Masum Curry is a mild curry served with potatoes, onions, and peanuts. It didn’t disappoint. Although it was mild, it had a lingering spiciness in the background that made me crave more. I’m not sure how most people eat their curry, but I usually scoop it out over my rice and
eat it sort of like gravy over my rice. The problem I ran into is that they give you a full size bowl of curry, which is more than the rice could handle alone. My rice soon was gone and I was left with nearly a half a bowl of curry, so I just started to eat it like a soup; a nice spicy soup, in fact if reminded me a little of my Cajun soup from Madam Jo Jo’s in Long Beach. I can’t wait to try other dishes. Now that I finally made it over to Bangkok Taste after only living 1 minute away for the past two years, I might add it to my normal rotation of meals that I have on Saturdays while Mrs. DanGarion is off at work.
Service was great; I was the only customer so it wasn’t difficult for the waiter to take care of me. Restaurant is very clean and nicely lit. They have about 9 tables that seat 4 each. And from what I’ve read from other reviewers they do a lot of take out service as well.
Visit 06/14/2008 for Lunch
Rating: 
Bangkok Taste Restaurant
2737 N Grand Ave
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(714) 532-2216
OCFB Review - Philly’s Best - Santa Ana
Hi, I recently joined up as a contributor to the Orange County Food Blogs. I thought nothing would be better then to write a review of one of my favorite weekend lunch destinations, Philly’s Best in Santa Ana.
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- Philly's Best Cheesesteak
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- Inside Philly's Best
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- Outside Philly's Best
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- Philly's Best Cheesesteak and Onion Rings
Philly’s Best
1804 N Tustin Ave
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(714) 543-3311
Philly’s Best - Santa Ana
I gotta say, these guys make some of the best Cheesesteaks west of the Mississippi. For a franchise this is some good stuff.
I order just the regular cheesesteak. Sometimes I splurge for the one with onions or mushrooms, but there isn’t a need. This thing is a work of art, the perfect taste and the perfect size to keep you coming back.
They use thin slices of lean beef which isn’t traditional, but I don’t care, they are tasty!
Rating:
Philly’s Best
1804 N Tustin Ave
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(714) 543-3311
Jerry’s Wood-Fired Dogs - Santa Ana
Yes they are hotdogs. But they are real good hot dogs. More expensive then getting them from Wienersnitzhel but also better. It’s like going to Rubis or Baja Fresh instead of Taco Bell of Del Taco. You are paying for a better tasting dog that you get customized the way you exactly want it.
It’s a great change of pace and a lot better then any fastfood hotdog (except PCH which is the best!).
Rating:
Jerry’s Wood-Fired Dogs
2276 E 17th St
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(714) 245-0200
Burrell’s BBQ - Santa Ana
Really good food so far. I went here for the first time today and was impressed. Granted it’s not the best BBQ I’ve ever had but it’s good stuff. I love the atmosphere of the place because it’s so small and hole in the wall looking. You can have a nice picnic out on their lawn and enjoy the day as you get your BBQ on.
I ordered the beef tri-tip lunch with mac and cheese and it didn’t disappoint. The beef had a very good flavor and was soft and juicy. The mac and cheese was good especially since I got some of the crunch top and side parts that I love the most. The cornbread was good, not to dry and not to soft, with just enough sweetness.
This is one of Orange County’s gems, I’m glad I finally found it!
Rating:
Burrell’s BBQ
305 N Hesperian Street
Santa Ana, CA 92703
(714) 547-7441
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