The Smoking Ribs — Restaurant in Garden Grove

I've been on a really good BBQ hunt in the OC for the last 3 years. So far nothing beats Austin, but keeping in the OC this is one of the better places I've visited.

On a Friday at 7:30pm, the restaurant was full so we sat at the bar. which has a great view of the kitchen and most importantly, the giant smoker in the middle of the kitchen floor. We ordered the short ribs and pork ribs. The seasoning is kept to a minimum on both items and the meat and a little slather of BBQ sauce really speak for themselves. It's not overly smokey, which I'm OK with but also like a little smokier.

Short ribs were very tender as they are smoked for about 8-10 hours. You get one rib, probably weights at 1.5 lbs with the bone, so it's a lot of meat for one person. The marbling really accentuates the flavors and you get a rich bite each time. Again, not overly seasoned but you get hints of salt, pepper and some bbq sauce they lather.

The pork ribs were very good but 1. not as tender as I would've liked and 2. not as smokey either. I don't want a fall off the bone tender since there should be a bit of give when you bite into the ribs, but it should come off the bone entirely if you pull the meat out. Bits and pieces still stick to the bone, which means it probably could've used an extra 1-2 hours on the smoker, that also would've helped with the additional smoked flavor. To each his own though.

They have 2 BBQ sauces, sweet and spicy. If you like spicy, you'll be happy to know this is proper spicy as it's made with habaneros and ghost chili peppers. If you tolerate spicy very well, this will be a nice spicy level that doesn't make you suffer a lot. If you tolerate spicy somewhat well, this is gonna burn you. If you don't tolerate spicy at all, this will destroy you.

The sides aren't anything to write home about, they're decent but nothing amazeballs. The blueberry cornbread is nice though.

We talked with the owner/pitmaster Kenny for a while, he's a really nice guy and always happy to chat. Next time we go, we're gonna try the brisket, that...

Tender and delicious BBQ!

My GF and I came here because she was craving pulled pork. She was going to order the sandwich but the pulled pork fries caught her stomach. We also decided to try the brisket sandwich.

Well, the fries were delicious and came in a large portion. There were beans, pulled pork, lots of cheese and scrumchious seasoned fries (it comes with coleslaw but we put it on the side).

The fries came with a side of sweet corn on the cob. The corn a good taste despite being served plain, which I prefer. I like to butter and salt my own corn. I prefer crisp corn and this was very soft, so I was a bit disappointed.

The brisket sandwich came on Texas toast with some damn fine tasting and tender brisket, cooked to perfection. I added a bit of the sweet tasting BBQ sauce, which is some of the best I've ever had (I grew up in the South and have had BBQ from St Louis to Tn to SC to Texas). But I do have a sweet tooth.

I'm a lover of all things blueberry, so I had to try the blueberry cornbread. It tasted more like a blueberry bran muffins but it was made with real corn and blueberries and not overly sweet.

My GF and I shared everything and we couldn't eat it all.

The place is pretty small but has a trendy decor to it. It has a small bar, maybe 6 seats. The bar is right in front of the cooker. Definitely sit there if you want to see mouth watering piece after piece of meat being removed.

We sat at the bar and met the owner Kenny. He's a very nice humble guy, who makes BBQ that rivals the east coast. He may be forever known as the man who created Hollywood BBQ!

I only gave it four stars because it's my first time and a BBQ spot has to have sweet tea. But I get it, it's California, the land of unsweetened tea.

BBQ this good should not be in a strip mall. It deserves it's own spot. Hopefully, Kenny will get the opportunity to make it happen.

I can't wait to try the ribs, they looked so damn good....

I know California isn't exactly known for BBQ..but, how this place has 4.5 stars is puzzling at best.

First, we got there and they brought out 2/3 full sodas, paper cups with no lid. Soda 8, presentation 0. ($4 ea, but unlimited refills.) We almost left, but my son said the place had really good reviews, so we ordered:

Pulled pork nachos Brisket sandwich w/fries And 1/2 rack baby back ribs

Pulled pork nachos were the best by far..however the round, basic, store brand chips tasted like cardboard, and were so few that they became soggy in the soupy Costco tasting nacho sauce. $12

Brisket sandwich was horrible. Half of the serving was fat, which may not have been bad except for the fact that you get one slice of a half inch thick, bun sized brisket slice, with bare minimum coleslaw on the top as the only condiment, and they charge you $19 just for the sandwich. Yes folks, you read that right.. $19 for a sandwich that's half fat. One slice of meat and a bun. $19

Baby back ribs..1/2 rack. How do you serve your namesake with the membrane still on it? Who barbecues any kind of ribs and doesn't remove the membrane first? No seasoning. Tender, but not fall off the bone. Tasted like they were made the day before.. and further more confirmed by the customer who came in asking for them and was told they didn't have any..so, definitely not fresh. $24/6 a la carte.

None of the meats were served sauced..it was DIY with two condiment bottles on the table.

Service was good, but there were only 4 ppl in the restaurant, including us..Well, service was good until we were asked for ID in order to use our card. They charge 4% of your total to use a debit or credit card..(you mean you can't afford to cover your merchant charge after charging us $38 for two buns and two slices of meat?)

In total we paid $106..this place is not worth it. Unless you're desperate for mediocre food.. go somewhere else. Very...