So a couple weeks ago we took my mom out to dinner for her birthday. Being that she didn’t have a preference of where to go I suggested Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach. I’ve wanted to check out Beachwood since I first heard about it a couple years ago. Nothing beats a place that not only serves an eclectic mixture of beers but also BBQ. One thing you will notice when you go to Beachwood is that it really isn’t that big, they have about 15 total tables, as well as bar space for about another 8-10 people, so things get really packed.
We went on a Tuesday night and arrived at around 6:30, we had a wait for a couple minutes, because all the tables were full when we arrived. Up on two walls (in the bar area, and in the dining area) they have all the current beers they have on tap listed on chalkboards, they even have a webcam pointed at it (that what the link goes to). Typically they have 20+ beers on tap, and we aren’t talking Budweiser and Miller Lite.
Talking about beer I ordered a Green Valley Pomegranate Saison, I had wanted to get a hefeweizen but they were out, so the waitress suggested the Saison, which turned out to be a good suggestion. After looking over the menu Mrs. DanGarion decided to order the Deviled Eggs
($4 for 5) for us to all try. Deviled eggs seemed like a weird appetizer to order at a restaurant, it’s not something you typically see. The eggs were average, but everyone agreed they liked the added touch of capers on top of them. Let me see if I can remember what everyone else ordered.
The birthday girl (my mom)
Half Slab Baby Back Ribs ($16) with sides of smoked asparagus and french fries. She liked the ribs, and let us all share her asparagus, everyone agreed the asparagus was good. The french fries were just standard steak fries.
My dad
Pulled Pork ($15) with baked beans and sweet potato fries. I didn’t get a taste of the pulled pork, but he seemed to enjoy it. He liked the beans (but I had them too, and they aren’t my preferred version of beans). Both of us agreed that the sweet potato fries were good.
Mrs. DanGarion
Brisket Sandwich ($10) along with french fries. She ended up not really being a fan of this. Much of the meat was tough and gristle, she ended up with a upset stomach on the drive home. We aren’t sure if it was the food or something else, but she’d try something different if we went back.
Me!
Choose two meat combo with Baby Back Ribs and Beef Short Rib ($15 + 2 for ribs) with baked beans and sweet potato fries. I felt the dry rubbed baby back ribs were a little on the dry side, although still good. The beef short rib was great. I used a lot of the spicy BBQ sauce for the ribs. For the sweet potato fries I discovered that their mustard was a great addition to the flavor profile and devoured every fried I drenched in mustard.
In addition to the sides, those that don’t order sandwiches are also rewarded with cornbread. The three of us agreed the cornbread was great. It had just enough gritty texture and was moist, and went well with their touch of honey sweetened whipped butter. I could have had the cornbread all night.
Overall the meal was average. Beachwood BBQ would be on our radar if were in the area again, but it probably wouldn’t be our first option, unless we really wanted to have BBQ. Service was good, and our waitress was attentive. We did like the choice of sauces that they had on each table. It is definitely a place I would go to check out some new beers.
Visit on 02/16/10 @ 6:30 PM for dinner.
[xrr rating=3/5]
Beachwood BBQ
131 Main St.
Seal Beach, CA 90740
