Orange County Register

When the It Guy returned from a one-month overseas business adventure, I had to come up with a meal that properly welcomed him home. He had been in China and Mexico, so two big options were off the list immediately.

I suggested heading down to San Juan Capistrano for a smokehouse I had been meaning to try since I first heard of it earlier this year.

At Bad to the Bone BBQ, we had meaty, shellacked spare ribs, chewy, sweet baby back ribs (1/2 slab combination rib plate, $13.95), a tri-tip sandwich ($6.49 with two sides: excellent beans, bland coleslaw) on a crusty baguette with meat that was silky and pink from the smoking. He had red wine, which I silently disapproved of, and I had a frosty beer. We finished dinner with a blackberry cobbler that was just barely sweet, practically to a single sugar grain, and baked with a small swatch of pie crust.

The meal was perfect on many different levels: the food satisfied us to our souls, the brown-and-white checked tablecloths, row of wagon wheels and wood panelling were comfortable, the lighting cozy. The evening made me wonder if I have a superpower that allows me to pick the perfect restaurant for every situation. Has someone already claimed that?

Bad to the Bone BBQ, 31738 Rancho Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. (949) 218-0227.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.