FoodB

We've been getting pretty lazy the last few weeks and eating out a lot more than usual. Lucky for me though because I am the one that does the dishes.

One of our new favorite sushi eateries is a small little place called Maru Sushi. Jenn and I have driven by it on several occasions being as it is only a few lights away from our house and every time we tried to eat there, they were closed. We heard from other people in the area that the place was really good and finally decided to go there on a Friday before we went to a Throwrag concert that we went to.

Ever since we moved from Oregon we have been trying to find a good sushi place. Our favorite before we left was right down the street from Jennifer's parents house, Sagami Tai's. It is a Tepan and Sushi place that is kinda hard to find and is always packed with folks from the surrounding neighborhood. We went there a couple of times a month and really missed it once we left (until we found I love sushi in Beaverton). After we moved back we went back and I guess the original owner sold the place. They still had the tepan and sushi but it had become an all you can eat place and they had changed the menu and gotten rid of a lot of my favorite rolls. So for the last year we have been trying other places but haven't been overwhelmed with our options.

Maru is like a mix of I love Sushi in Oregon and the Sagami Tai that I remember. The rolls are enormous and the prices are reasonable. Most of the rolls come out to 10 or 12 pieces each, which if you know sushi you are lucky if you get 8 at most places. They have a deep fried California roll as well as a really good unagi (freshwater eel) roll which are my favorite rolls to get and most places don't serve. When we ordered sashimi we literally got a pile of about 16 pieces, again most places your lucky to get 6. Both times we have been there we have walked out stuffed and only paid around $40 which is a miracle if you not at an all you can eat place like Todai. We are very happy that we found this place and finally can tell people that we know of a good sushi place in Orange County again.

Also we decided to get out of the house another day because it was just to beautiful to waste. Since I hadn't eaten I got to choose where we got to eat and settled on Smokin' Mo's BBQ in Huntington Beach because I knew of it and had heard good things. Generally when I go to BBQ place I judge them on their brisket because I know what it takes to make a good brisket (also how to mess one up) and most every other meat on a BBQ joints menu are pretty easy to fake. Brisket when done right is a thing of beauty and you can really tell the skill of the cook behind it. That being said Smokin' Mo's is more of a St Louis style BBQ place so there is more emphasis on pork and all they had for beef was a shredded beef sandwich. I settled on the sampler plate which was a crapload of food but I figured that was the second best way to test how well the cook knew his BBQ. The sampler consisted of Shredded Pork, Chicken and Spare Ribs.

The ribs were pretty good but someone needs to tell them that if they are going to be a St Louis style BBQ place that they need to cut the ribs St Louis style. Spare ribs have a flap of meat that hangs over the bone that contains a lot of bone bits as well as chunks of gristle which is never good to bite down on. The St Louis style cuts that portion off and usually is thrown in with the beans to add flavor. They were cooked really we and slid right off the bone when I ate them. The chicken was okay but I have never really been much of a fan of smoked chicken. The meat on smoked chicken seems not to cook all the way through and feels mushy to me. I think they smoked it half way and grilled it the other half which eliminates a little of that but I still prefer straight grilled chicken. The shredded pork was good as well but I wasn't saying wow when I finished it. There seemed to be a lot of water in the meat so I think they were keeping the meat in a heating dish. Not bad BBQ, but for the prices they were charging I was expecting more. Also their side dishes were really lacking. With all of the meat I didn't have much room for side dishes but an eight of a cup of beans and coleslaw made me feel like I was getting ripped off.

So next time I am craving BBQ I'm just going to have to head out to Lake Forrest to Texas Pit Bar-B-Que because I can get good brisket there and I feel like I am getting my money's worth. Not that Smoki' Mo's was bad, just disappointing.