O.C.’s 2019 Dish of the Year: Oak Grill’s BBQ Spiced Short Ribs

Photograph by Anne Watson

Chef Brittany Valles, Oak Grill in Newport Beach

A top-secret barbecue sauce has doses of soy, Worcestershire, and Dijon mustard to bring forth flavors that evoke sophistication as much as they recall backyard feasting.

Slowly simmered whole macadamia nuts are a genius cohort: rich, starchy, and creamy with an enticing texture that counters the tender beef.

A neon dribble of chimichurri laces things together with bright cilantro, parsley, and grilled green onions to impart notes of smokiness.

Grilling mutes the bright sweetness of peaches—stone fruit Valles swaps out for plums, pears, apricots, or persimmons as the season’s crops allow.

Tender baby kale adds leafy-green nutrition and some garden goodness to balance the other rich flavors of the dish.

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