In the dead center of DTSA lies the 4^th Street Market, a patio where foodies can rejoice. From craft beer, ice cream sandwiches and tacos, this indoor and outdoor food court has everything you want to eat. This past week I was invited to try their newest addition to the court, Pig Pen Delicacy, a savory take on American comfort food. Now if you love bacon and pork, this place is a must try. I got the chance to have their Maple Bacon Jam burger, which consisted of a medium cooked patty, Havarti cheese, caramelized onions, onion strings topped with chive aioli sauce and bacon jam. Now I don’t know what exactly bacon jam is but I would definitely have it again because if could define the burger in one word I’d have to go with umami. You can never go wrong with a savory burger. With every great burger to be eaten, there needs to be great fries to pair and these fries are far from disappointing. Every single fry was crispy at every bite. Though what I wish I had tried before they sold out were their Crispy Pork Belly Fries topped with a fried egg. I mean look at the pictures of it on their Instagram. You can count on me coming back for that.

Pork belly fries topped with an egg #PigPenDelicacy | : @jessicamtl

A photo posted by Go HAM (@pigpendelicacy) on Feb 26, 2016 at 7:54pm PST

For those of you too manly to want traditional dessert from around the market, Pig Pen Delicacy has you covered with their candied bacon. A brown sugar caramelized bacon strip with spices will fulfill your needs.

If you’re in the area be sure to give this place a try before you explore all the other food places down this strip. You won’t be disappointed.

Pig Pen Delicacy

201 E 4th St Santa Ana, CA 92701

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Located on Venice Beach’s Abbot Kinney Blvd, Chop Daddy’s is tucked between an organic cafe and a froufrou wine store. No they don’t belong on this bock of upscale furniture and sun dress boutiques, and I love them for that. They’ve really gone for it too, with a huge mural of a skateboarding Z-Boy on the side of their shop and an “outdoor patio” out back that is a decidedly non-chic picnic table on astroturf.

So it’s a non-pretentious kitchen pumping out finger licking BBQ, but what do you order? After an absurd amount of visits and menu explorations, my go-to recommendation is The Chop. This perfectly smoked brisket sandwich is topped with creamy southern slaw (damn Southern) and served on an impossibly airy brioche bun. This isn’t one of those grey meat sandwiches with a impotent squirt of BBQ sauce on top for some flavor, no this meet is swimming in its subtle sauce from before it ever touches the roll. That’s not to say it is a complete disaster on your hands or clothes either. The thick sauce clings to the meat like it should and never overloads your taste or distracts from the honest brisket flavor.

Don’t even think about getting any of their fantastic sandwiches without picking up a side of sweet potato tots or even better their crispy fried pickles. These things are the bane of my existence – and I mean that as the highest praise possible. These pickle chips are doused in a light batter, fried to just beyond golden brown, and served up pipping hot with a side of spicy aioli dipping sauce. I swear I taste paprika in that batter, but whatever it is these aren’t your run of the mill fried pickles that rely solely on the chip to provide flavor. The batter nicely balances out the acidity of the pickles and the firm crunch as the aioli dissolves on your tongue is pure food paradise.

If you’ve got room after a sandwich and side – and I don’t know how you would – Chop Daddy’s has you covered with a bread pudding that is ethereal in its texture but with a decidedly worldly punch of sweetness. Served with a cloud of whipped cream and drizzled with a light caramel to provide balance, I’m always able to gobble down about half a serving before I want to just lay down and wait for my body to die.

It might not be the best BBQ in these United States, but nothing is. What Chop Daddy IS, is a bastion of good ‘ole flavor and quality that rises above superficial fare with which it competes. If I balloon up to 400lbs next year, Chop Daddy will be the reason why. God bless ’em.

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