A Burger So Nice, They Named It Twice - CLOSED

Islands

27741 Crown Valley Parkway

Mission Viejo, CA 92691

Islands holds a very special place in my food history. It is one of the restaurants that helped me bridge the gap between the food I used to eat as a kid and the food I now eat as an adult. As a kid, of course, you love McDonald's and think it is the best hamburger in the world. However, islands opened up in Orange County in the mid-eighties, when my taste buds opened to more adult food. Islands helped me understand that there are way better burgers than just fast food cheeseburgers.

Now that I am of adult age (even though I still feel and act like a kid sometimes), I still visit Islands probably four to eight times a year. This might not seem like a lot, but writing this blog, it is hard for us to hit a restaurant more than once. We usually save Islands for nights when we do not want to go too far from home and want a good burger in a relaxed atmosphere. I say relaxed because the tropical island/surfer theme always brings me to a tranquil place after a hard day's work.

Islands started in West Los Angeles in 1982. Now in its thirty-first year in business, they have over 50 locations in four western states. The restaurant is still privately held, and they are pretty busy whenever we are here. Gone are the flowered shirts that the young staff used to wear, but the TVs showing skiing, surfing, and other extreme sports still live on. Though Islands started with a very basic menu of burgers back in the 80s, they have now expanded their menu a bit to include salads, tacos, sandwiches, and some new burgers. One of these new burgers brings us here today, as Islands invited us to come in and try their latest creation, the Nalu Nalu Burger.

Of course, right after we sat down, I knew we would not be starting with the Nalu Nalu Burger immediately because there were Cheddar Fries to eat. On this trip to Islands, we got crazy by adding bacon to the top of the mound of fries, cheddar cheese, and scallions. This appetizer always tastes great, but the added bacon increases the flavor quotient. They are always very generous with the cheese; the fries stayed crisp, and the ranch dressing went well. A great appetizer for sharing, we quickly worked on these cheddar fries.

Katie did not feel like having a burger, so she decided to have the Island Fish Tacos. These tacos are offered in pairs or as a trio. They were stuffed with fried fish, cilantro, cabbage, a white chipotle sauce, and tomatoes. Katie called these tacos "solid." The fish was flaky, the tortilla was sturdy, and the white chipotle sauce added flavor. However, in Katie's opinion, almost overshadowing the tacos were the Ranchero Beans that came with these tacos. She loved the taste of these beans and thought they were spiced very well, with a little kick.

Now the real reason that we came to Islands the Nalu Nalu Burger. I would describe this burger as a Philly cheese steak in burger form. This giant burger, of course, started with the great Islands patty, then was topped with garlic aioli, provolone cheese, sauteed onion, mixed peppers, lettuce, and spicy pepper rings. All items that I love on cheesesteaks. This burger has just been added to the Islands menu for a limited time, but it is already an employee and customer favorite. I am always partial to their Big Wave with Cheese and Bacon, but even I would have difficulty passing this up on future visits. The burger was messy but in an excellent way. The bun did an admirable job keeping these contents together while being fresh. Even though I had my fair share of fries with our appetizer, I still got the endless Island Fries with every burger and sandwich. These fries are cut fresh every day; as a bonus, they have zero grams of trans fat. So eating these are actually good for you, almost.

We rarely get dessert when we come to Islands because we are always full by this point of the meal. This time though, we sacrificed to have the Chocolate Lava Sundae. This sundae's base is made of a rich chocolate brownie, then topped with ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry. What set this brownie sundae apart was that they put plenty of ice cream on this one. So there was no need for Katie and me to fight over the ice cream because there was enough on here for both of us.

Our experience at Islands could not have been better. The Nalu Nalu Burger really lived up to its billing, but again, be advised that this burger is only available for a limited time. So get going to Islands to experience one for yourself. The service was first-rate on this visit. Our waitress, Erica, was on top of her game this afternoon. She created a good pace for our meal, anticipated our needs, and made our lunch enjoyable. In fact, everyone we encountered on this visit made us feel welcome, from the hostesses to the manager, Steve. For these reasons, we always find ourselves returning to Islands from time to time. We would also like to thank the fantastic Maggie Holmes for letting us know about the Nalu Nalu Burger and for arranging for us to try it. Thanks for everything, Maggie.

If you would like to find your nearest Islands restaurant, go to their website, which is right here: http://www.islandsrestaurants.com/