Chef Charlie McKenna and partner Joe Manzella of TAPS Fish House & Brewery will open Lillie’s Q (240 S Brea Blvd., Brea, CA 92821) in Brea on December 6, bringing a taste of award-winning barbecue to North Orange County.
The space will seat 160 in the dining room, bar and two small patios. A lounge patio will feature sofas and loveseats while the other patio will be for traditional dining. Lillie’s is designed by Nick Bowers of Chicago-based blocHaus and has a comfortable, rustic Southern vibe with materials including concrete, wood, leather, wool and burlap in a palette of warm neutrals, reds, black and grays with accents of plaid. Custom fixtures include meat-hook light fixtures with vintage-style filament bulbs, rustic reclaimed tables, and subway tiling. An open kitchen, designed by Bob Kuchinski’s Coastline Design, showcases a wood-fired, bright-red J&R smoker.
Lillie’s Q specializes in slow-smoked pork shoulder, tri-tip, baby back ribs, hot links, and chicken cooked in custom-built smokers over peach wood and lump charcoal. The a la carte menu is organized into six categories. Starters for the table include oysters with eastern North Carolina vinegar sauce, fried pickles, pimiento cheese, hush puppies with sweet potato dressing and pork rinds. Stews and salads consist of Brunswick Stew—tomato, smoked pork and chicken, corn and lima beans—Q Salad and Southern Caesar with crawfish tails.
Sandwiches on brioche buns include tri-tip, hot link and pulled pork and may be served “Southern-style” with coleslaw. Q meats are available by the half or whole pound with several seasoned with Caroline Dirt, Grandma Lillie’s sugar-based barbecue rub. The restaurant will start serving its famous “Whole Hog Dinner” in January. This meal comes with eight starters and sides, feeds six to eight and requires a 48-hour notice. It is priced at $325.
Non-Q entrees include shrimp & grits, smoked fried chicken with Tupelo honey, crawfish roll, cornmeal batter Pacific snapper and Memphis tacos with smoked pork, coleslaw, housemade tortillas and hot smoky salsa verde.
Nine sides include cornbread with Tupelo honey butter, Southern-style coleslaw, baked beans, green beans, collard greens with ham hock, mac & cheese, sweet potato or seasoned fries and stone-ground grits with housemade bacon.
McKenna’s dessert selections are banana pudding, a specialty recipe from Lillie made with Nila wafers, seasonal fruit cobbler and a root beer float made with local root beer.
Lillie’s signature cocktails are Moonshine-based (corn whiskey that has not been barrel-aged) and served in old-fashioned Mason jars. Popular drinks include Apple Hooch & Ginger, M&M&M (McKenna Bourbon, Moonshine and mint syrup) and McKenna’s take on the classic Bloody Mary, the Morning Lillie, garnished with a housemade beef stick.
Lillie’s Q will feature Hog-Tied Amber, a beer expressly brewed for the opening by TAPS brewmaster David Huls. The American-style ale, crafted with Spalt hops, is medium bodied with a slightly sweet malt finish. It has been fermented with a yeast strain that was chosen to complement the flavors of BBQ and has an ABV of 5.3%. A selection of American craft beers with a focus on local breweries will be available as well as four highly-regarded TAPS beers on tap, in addition to a selection of bottled and canned beers.
Open daily, 11 am-10 pm (11 pm on weekends)
