FOOD
M A I N
DRINK
C O U R S E
B O S S C AT K I T C H E N & L I B AT I O N S
Southern food expert takes over beloved spot in Old Towne Orange. by Gretchen Kurz
O
ld Towne Orange, a tight-knit community that is sweet on preservation, went weepy in January 2020 when storied Rod’s Liquor shuttered after seven decades of selling ice, booze, and the day’s Racing Form. The collective heartbreak of losing the cherished merchant hit hard and fast. Locals were less ready to move on than the Fraser family, who retains ownership of the fabled corner and enthusiastically welcomed its transformation into a lively gastropub. Tapping the group behind Bosscat Kitchen was an ingenious flex. Long successful in the airport zone, the whiskey saloon has a scalable formula—widely appealing eats, clever bar program, plus a welcoming setting just the right shade of cool. Leslie Nguyen, the cofounder and creative director, leapt at the chance to fuel the future with the landmark building’s past. Salvaged fixtures are now artwork, vintage neon reminds that liquor is still sold here, and 100-year-old oak floors reappear as tabletops. Look around at the high-ceilinged room, 19-stool bar, open-air patio, and private dining room—and spot repurposed treasures everywhere. As with Newport Beach’s original Bosscat, Peter Petro is executive chef, adding a third address to a portfolio that includes another in Houston. He describes the fare as southern comfort food and his one-page menu is indeed rife with old-school southern players— grits, succotash, chow-chow, and huckleberries.
But global flavors such as kimchi, risotto, Gouda, and churros suggest he’s up for fun with fusion. The menu opens with plenty of shareable grub; after all, this is also a whiskey bar and happy hour hot spot. Chicken cheese dip with homemade potato chips is spicy-not-fiery and enough for four. It’s a prime choice for bold, substantial snacking that gives those libations a safe place to land. No wonder it’s a top seller. Same for the pork belly poutine. Do consider a mini Mason jar of tart house-pickled vegetables for a crisp palate-reviver. Piping-hot hush puppies filled with pulled pork are irresistible with or without their mustardy dipping sauce. Just when cardiac arrest enters your thoughts, a trio of seared ahi tuna lettuce wraps save the day with light soy glaze and pickle strands. Avocado toast is basic—heirloom tomatoes, sea salt, and cracked pepper. Room-temperature cornbread madeleines with oddly bland fruit butter miss the mark.
118 W. Chapman Ave. Orange 714-716-1599 5 BEST DISHES Spicy cheese dip Pulled pork hush puppies Bosscat Burger, chef’s way Gulf shrimp and grits 12-hour beef short rib PRICE RANGE Starters and sandwiches, $6 to $24 Mains, $21 to $30 Desserts, $9 to $12 FYI An excellent happy hour runs Monday through Friday, 3 to 6 p.m.
LEFT House pickles, avocado farm salad, spicy cheese dip, pulled pork hush puppies, grilled mahi-mahi RIGHT Fried apple pie and a black Manhattan photographs by E M I LY J . D AV I S
July 2021 • OR A NGE COAST 61
