CTB Eatery

CTB Eatery had a pretty brilliant idea for a restaurant: combine Japanese yakitori with a Vietnamese bar and exotic meats. But between its obscure location and limited operating hours, it disappeared from the Orange County dining scene way too soon relative to the strength of its concept.

As our photos show, this was the place to visit if you’ve ever been curious about meats that aren’t commonly available in grocery stores here: the complete list of exotic choices included alligator, alpaca, buffalo, camel, coyote, deer, elk, emu, frog, goat, rabbit, llama, rattlesnake, shark, wild boar, and yak, each served by the binchotan yakitori-grilled skewer for $6 to $9. We know from extensive travel and adventurous dining that finding most of these meats historically required visits to multiple cities and restaurants; finding them all in one place was incredible.

CTB also hedged against making itself purely a place to visit for novelties by offering more common yakitori choices – steak, pork, shellfish, and vegetables – plus a significant collection of cocktails, beers, sojus, and sakes, plus a small menu of traditional Vietnamese items ranging from snails and claims to basic salads and hotpots. The non-exotic menu more than doubled in size over the restaurant’s brief lifespan, but spawned quality complaints from customers, who had no shortage of compelling alternatives nearby, even in the same plaza.