ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Hampered by construction delays, the Beach Pit BBQ will be opening its doors and feeding guests slow-smoked barbecue by the end of next month.
“We were really trying to get it opened before the street fair,” said Tim DeCinces, managing member. “But two big delays put us months behind.”
While its marquee is already up, the restaurant delayed opening in the Orange Plaza for two weeks because of problems with installing cooking equipment and fire sprinklers, according to DeCinces.
However, the Beach Pit BBQ hosted a booth at the Orange International Street Fair, which DeCinces said is something he would like to do every year, giving potential patrons a taste of traditional southern barbecue-meets-casual California cuisine.
A laid-back eatery that serves beer and wine in addition to a varied menu, the Orange restaurant will be a prototype for future locations, said Ozzie Clark, who will be the location’s manager.
“It’s an old building but has some great features,” DeCinces said.
Tight regulations exist to maintain the aesthetics of the buildings around the Orange Plaza, according the the City of Orange’s Web site. Beach Pit BBQ management has been working diligently to stay within those restrictions while staying true to the restaurant’s gritty, southern atmosphere.
“I’m always excited when something new opens in the circle,” said junior Annie Portwood. “But I will admit I’m practically a vegetarian so I don’t know if I’ll go to it.”
Beach Pit BBQ caters to vegetarians as well as meat eaters, though. Smoked pork, ribs and of course, corn bread, will be staples, but salads, wraps and pizza will round out the menu, providing something for everyone. Eight to 10 hours of hardwood-smoking harkens back to southern-style barbecue, a tradition DeCinces knows well.
He spent years in the South playing baseball and experiencing the pleasures of authentic barbecue. As a minor league player in the San Diego Padres organization, he made his way across Alabama and Louisiana, which are known for their leisurely pace of life and even slower smoked delicacies.
“California has so many different cultural cuisines to choose from, but there really wasn’t somewhere you could go for barbecue like you find down there,” he said.
Ultimately it is the food that will bring people back, DeCinces said. But word of mouth is how DeCinces chooses to get people in the front door, forgoing big advertising.
Orange will be the third location along with five smaller outlets inside of Angel Stadium. The Costa Mesa location was opened in September 2004 in a renovated house, which gives the location a “backyard barbecue feel,” and a revamped garage is the site of its Old Towne Tustin store.
“I’ve been watching and waiting for it to open,” junior Amy Ellison said. “It’s going to be an awesome addition to the Circle.”
Contact this reporter: kim.galbraith@thepantheronline.com
