Gabbi’s Mexican Kitchen

September 13th, 2006, 7:02 am · 9 Comments · posted by Cynthia Furey

In some storage closet somewhere sits a $5,000 sign that reads Gabbi’s Mexican Kitchen. There doesn’t seem to be any initiative on anybody’s part to get it up anytime soon. I guess that’s one of the perks of opening a restaurant to immediate popularity. Granted, Gabbi’s has only 16 tables, but I don’t know of another restaurant in the area - the historic district of Orange - that has up to an hour wait for lunch and dinner.

The sign is gathering dust because when you’re trying to open a restaurant and bringing in Mayan glass vases, hanging lights made in Rosarito and installing a bar made in Guadalajara from wood and copper taken out of old churches, while dealing with a municipal bureacracy intent on keeping a historic district exactly as it wants, some things get crossed off your list before they’re even attempted.

Gabbi and Ed Patrick are delighted - and probably quietly astonished - that even without a sign, a 16-table restaurant can be packed at lunch and at dinner. How nice for them.

They cannot make enough horchata. Or chop chocolate fast enough for the thick mole sauce. They can’t train staff in a leisurely manner. What was going to be a soft launch is full-blown slammed.

So what does that mean to you? Well, the horchata, if they haven’t run out, is sweet, creamy and full of cinnamon. The mole I’ll pass on, thanks. But I’m still thinking of the mixed grill ($16), a big steel trough holding moist chicken darkened by a sultry herb paste, a few lengths of chorizo and excellent skirt steak. It comes with tomatillo salsa and tortillas. You must follow your natural human instinct by deslicking the bottom of the pan with a tortilla and tasting that wonderful thin layer of darkened animal fat for yourself.

There are failings. An unsuccessful plate of beef tacos is weighed down by an incompatible pineapple salsa. And those chicken enchiladas in mole sauce ($12) are tough going; the sludgy sauce is a burden.

Navigate through those less-stellar dishes and you’ll find ceviche ($11), a lively, unrestrained existence among citrus juices, cilantro, chunks of fish and mango. Maybe better, though, is a plate of pork sliders ($7) (again with that anchoite herb paste) on small tortillas with black beans, avocado and onions.

Gabbi’s has passed the two-month mark and it appears things will only get better.

Gabbi’s Mexican Kitchen, 141 S. Glassell St., Orange. 714-633-3038.

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henry says:

September 13, 2006 at 4:29 pm

What is the dish on the photo here?

Tenny says:

September 13, 2006 at 6:04 pm

Hi, Henry, the image is of ceviche. - Tenny

Christian says:

September 15, 2006 at 3:54 pm

“Ed also said he’s considering not putting up a sign out front because several people have told him they thought it was kind of cool having to find the place only by clues given to them by other people, as though they were on a scavenger hunt.”

Paco Shafer says:

September 18, 2006 at 9:15 pm

I too am a big fan of Gabbi’s Mexican Kitchen. While I haven’t tried all of the dishes that Tenny refers to, I did try the mole. It tasted just like the mole the mother of the house used to make when I lived in Mexico a number of years ago. It was delicious!

Mary says:

September 24, 2006 at 6:27 pm

I love the chicken enchiladas with mole. I’ve recommended them and always had people thank me for the recommendation.

Ken says:

February 13, 2007 at 7:09 pm

The mole is excellent and one of the best offerings at Gabbi’s. I think Gabbi specialized in sauces during her formal training and Ed mentioned that they spent extensive amounts of time researching and refining the Mole. My girlfriend is from Guadalajara and says it is the best mole she has tasted in the United States…maybe it was off that night or not to your liking but the Mole is a definite highlight.

Carolyn says:

March 9, 2007 at 7:19 am

Just went there last night and thought the food was extremely bland.

The basic chips and salsa was nothing special. I like the delicate chips at Chevys better and the Gabbi’s salsa was very similar. The best salsa I’ve had is the roasted tomato salsa at Pachangas in the Manhattan Beach.

We had the fundido con chorizo as an appetizer and it was nothing special. A mass of cheese with chorizo sprinkled on top and served with pasty flour tortillas.

I had the special - camarones with a red mole sauce served with the garlic rice and asparagus and corn. The shrimp was very fresh but the red mole sauce was very bland.

I sampled my friend’s house salad with cilantro citrus viaigrette and found the dressing to be bland. I like the cilantro dressing at El Pollo Loco better - at least it has a kick to it. Even Trader Joe’s cilantro dressing is better.

We had the churros for dessert. They were over fried on the outside - very dark brown - and undercooked on the inside. All in all, a disappointing dining experience for all the hype I’ve read.

My friends said they liked El Torrito better for the money. As for myself, I’ve found Cozymels in Manhattan Beach to have more interesting flavored food and served hotter. It seemed like our food had sat a while before it was served. The ambience is great and the service was good but overall not an outstanding experience.

Robert says:

March 12, 2007 at 4:07 pm

My wife and I have been to Gabbi’s three times and enjoyed it every time. The huge plate of food referenced in the original review was big enough for two and outstanding! If anyone in a review (see Carolyn above) of an authentic mexican place references El Torito and Chevy’s as worthy comparables, well, you know to take said review with a grain of salt El Torito and Chevy’s are for uninformed palates used to bland, tasteless chains. It’s the type of person who goes to Italy and is disappointed because you can’t find a Macaroni Grille to eat at!

Liz says:

March 25, 2007 at 9:25 pm

The atmosphere was so awesome! Tall brick walls with large iron sconces and big colorful paintings. The bar was my favorite with an amazingly tall and beautiful wood cabinet and shelves. The wait(the hostess said 45min, but it was 25min) was worth it… my dad and I sat and enjoyed a drink each at the bar. He had a homemade margarita on the rocks that he thought was one of the best he’d ever had. I had a mojito. I watched the bar tender tear fresh mint and grind it with sugar and lime… it’s by far the best quality and tastiest drink I’ve ever had. The people who say its comparable to El Torito and Chevy’s..I beg to differ. I’ve eaten and worked in a lot of restaurants and there is a huge difference in the quality of food that makes a dish different from a combo lunch especial. We each decided to try a little of something different, so he had the ensalada de casa as an appetizer and I had a cup of tortilla soup. Our forks and spoons couldn’t decide whose plate or bowl was more delicious. The lime vinagarette was muy delicioso and the flavor of the soup was out of this world! I’ve had my share of bland food and tortilla soup can be very poor and this was so far beyond exceptional I wanted to lick the bowl. For my main entre I order the braised pork, fajita style(be careful, that pale salsa is habanero and it is really really hot). My dad ordered the chile relleno (which has a differnt stuffing each day) and we were so stuft at the end. We couldn’t get enough. The plantanas (bananas) were one of my favorite parts of the meal. We decided to order the highly recommended churros with caramel and chocolate dipping sauces, and coffee. Our meal was long overdue for father-daughter night and we were so pleased that we could share each others company at a local restaurant near my school (Chapman Uni) that had the quality of a Hollywood hot spot. I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner as much as I enjoyed my “date”. Service was Fabulous! Muchas Gracias Gabbi for taking mexican cousine seriously and bringing it to Old Town Orange.

Orange County Register