Oink and Moo!

So on a recent Friday evening I decided I was really, really hungry, however I also wanted the gourmet equivalent of barbecue. My choice was simple: Oink and Moo Burgers and Barbecue in Fallbrook.

Oink and Moo, which is located on the corner of North Pico Avenue & Alvarado Street a couple of blocks off of Mission Road, has been aptly described as both “funky” and “artsy”. It is as if someone who had actual artistic flair was inspired to outdo the décor of TGI Fridays.

Jonathan & Jennifer Arbel, who opened Oink and Moo last August, take their food, how it is prepared and where it comes from very seriously, but don't take themselves seriously. You get that when you pick up a menu and see the logo, which is a representation of Che Guevara as a pig. According to Jonathan, this isn’t a political statement, but rather their desire to “bring a food revolution to Fallbrook.”

“We believe in getting back to basics,” he told me. “We opened the restaurant because we thought that Fallbrook needed food made from scratch, given a lot of love. We make our own rubs. Our biscuits are made from scratch. Our burger patties are hand-ground from one hundred percent Black Angus beef steak and brisket. We know what goes into it. We have our own herb garden in the back of the restaurant. When we can, we buy local produce.”

They also don’t serve processed foods and they spend an inordinate amount of time on such things as cooking their pulled pork and barbecued baby back ribs. According to Jonathan, it can take anywhere from three hours to seven days to cook.

The Arbels have put a lot of themselves into their establishment. All of the décor was designed, executed and painted by Jennifer, who says she isn’t an artist—but seems to have a natural talent for it. Jonathan built the light fixtures.

Jonathan was trained as a chef at the University of Las Vegas hospitality program and at Cornell University. He has been in the restaurant business for most of his life, with jobs ranging from chef to restaurant manager. He met his wife in San Francisco when she came to work for him in a restaurant he managed.

When they moved to Fallbrook, they decided that they wanted to open a restaurant and use what they had learned in the business in the Bay Area. Oink and Moo is a true mom-and-pop eatery.

“It was our goal to bring back to Fallbrook the kind of quality food and service that we had in San Francisco,” says Jennifer.

“We play our music really loud and mix it up with old-fashioned rock and roll and country,” says Jonathan. This encourages a casual, convivial atmosphere conducive to good friends and good talk.

Oink and Moo has a Monster Burger Eating Challenge that was suggested by the reality TV show Man Vs. Food in which they place a burger of Himilayan proportions (it’s stacked about a foot high!) in front of the challenger—who must finish it or pay for it. The winner of the challenge will get to name the burger, and add an item to it for the next challenger. So far six have tried and failed.

When my hosts asked me what I wanted for dinner, I replied, “Chef's choice,” which in my view is always a smart move when dining in a restaurant you are unfamiliar with.

I started dinner with BBQ Pork Lettuce Cups, which won the first place 2012 Taste of Fallbrook award. This succulent dish is made from slow-cooked pork topped with honey-roasted nuts and cilantro, with a side of sweet chili vinegar for dipping. This was a delicious introduction into the wonderful world of Oink & Moo.

Next, I sampled the Mac & Cheese Fritters, which starts with the house Mac & Cheese—which is itself a sumptuous example of what I like to call “adult mac and cheese”—rolled into a ball and covered in bread crumbs, then wrapped in bacon and deep fried. It was served with a side of Pomodoro sauce. This is an incredible delicacy and well worth the trip all by itself.

Then I tried some of the House Truffle Fries, which are hand cut shoestring potatoes infused with truffle oil and served with garlic aioli, which is a delicious variation on mayonnaise.

As much as I liked the above-mentioned fries, they paled in comparison to the Sweet Potato Fries seasoned with a honey maple drizzle. I’ll give this side dish three exclamation points!!!

Then I tucked into the main event (one of them anyway), the Moo La La Burger, which is the signature house burger and is made with a generous hand ground beef patty topped with fresh lettuce, tomato and brie cheese, and wrapped in bacon and served open face because you might have to ratchet open your jaw to fit it all into your mouth! I ordered mine rare and wasn’t sorry.

I also sampled the Baby Back Ribs served with Little Oinker Biscuits. The meat falls off the bone. The sauce is sweet and tangy and has a great little zip to it.

Oink and Moo is a great place for an evening with your family or spouse, and definitely perfect for a gathering.

They are open Wednesday-Sunday 4:30–9 p.m., and are closed Mondays and Tuesday. If you have questions or want to make reservations, call 760-451-6005.