Boudin SF is bringing BBQ pork to the menu for a limited time!

I have been a big fan of Boudin SF since my first trip to San Francisco back in the early 1980’s. We had a big family reunion there with most of the family flying in from Hawaii. I remember riding the bus and seeing fog rolling down the hills for the first time. It actually freaked me out as it was the same time period as the movie, The Fog. We ate dim sum in Chinatown and went down to Fishermen’s Wharf. This was my first experience with clam chowder in a bread boule. And little did I know that just ten years later, I would be working at Café Orleans and the Royal Street Veranda at Disneyland serving this very dish to guests. I even came up with a unique way of serving the bread boule to look like Mickey Mouse. This led to working with the Food Concept and Product Development Team and Walt Disney Imagineering during the construction of Disney’s California Adventure. I actually got to work alongside Boudin during construction of the sourdough factory in the Pacific Wharf area.

The Westfield MainPlace Boudin SF location, one of nine in Southern California, can be found in Santa Ana. It’s a lovely space with floor-to-ceiling windows for lots of natural light during the day. The interior has a nice queue for ordering with different breads available from small dinner rolls to loaves to larger creations that look like crabs, teddy bear faces, and more. There is plenty of seating inside and they also have a small patio area outside as well.

For a limited time, Boudin SF is offering new BBQ Pork menu items. The sandwiches come with your choice of chips, salad, or coleslaw. Let’s take a look at them:

Classic BBQ Pork Sandwich ($9.29) is made with slow-roasted and hand-pulled pork tossed in sweet and savory barbecue sauce topped with crunchy house made coleslaw, served hot on a garlic-buttered, toasted sourdough baguette. The pork is nice and tender. The BBQ flavor is more sweet than savory and the pork needs to be tossed in a little more sauce. The coleslaw has a nice savory flavor but also needs more sauce as well. Rating: 4/5

Aloha Pork Sandwich ($9.49) is made with slow-roasted hand-pulled pork slathered with an island-inspired ginger soy barbecue sauce featuring a hint of honey, topped with house-made caramelized pineapple, tangy pickled red onion, and fresh chopped cilantro, served hot on a garlic-buttered, toasted sourdough baguette. This is slightly sweet with a good BBQ flavor. The flavor profile almost makes it beefy versus pork. The sourdough flavor pairs perfectly with the pork. The cilantro gives it a refreshing bite. The garlic-buttered bread adds a creamy richness to the sandwich. I found that this flavor profile is more Latin or South American versus Hawaiian. We don’t really use cilantro in Hawaii. It is far more prevalent in Latin cuisine. Rating: 4.5/5

A third option is the Luau Pork Salad ($10.29), a mix of spring greens and cabbage topped with warm, slow-roasted pulled pork tossed in ginger soy barbecue, topped with caramelized pineapple and tangy pickled red onion made in house, fresh-chopped cilantro, crunchy red bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, and toasted almonds served with a zesty ginger soy barbecue vinaigrette. This salad really needs more dressing as the flavor was far too light. Maybe adding more shoyu to the vinaigrette for the savory kick or even using a sriracha ranch dressing would be better. Also, pork just doesn’t seem to work on salad. I think in this case, BBQ chicken would have worked better. Rating: 3.3/5

After shopping at Westfield MainPlace, swing on over to Boudin SF! Try these one of these BBQ Pork entrees while they last and don’t forget to get some clam chowder in a bread boule!

Atmosphere: 5 out of 5 stars

Décor: 5 out of 5 stars

Service: 5 out of 5 stars

Food: 4 out of 5 stars

For more information:
Boudin SF

2800 N. Main St.

Santa Ana, CA 92705

+1.714.640.2372

Hours: Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Parking: Free shopping center parking