Re-Peter Visit to Peter's Gourmade

Peter's Gourmade Grill

14311 Newport Ave.

Tustin, CA 92780

There is always something going on at Peter's Gourmade. This eatery started in a gas station on McFadden Avenue, not far from their current location. After being written up in OC Weekly, and numerous other print media and blogs, their business swelled. They gained a reputation for serving some of the best burgers and sides in the area.

Then the Valero gas station closed, but they remained open filling hungry patrons' stomachs. According to Peter's Gourmade web site, the new owner of the gas station raised their rent, demanded that they pay all of the utilities on the property, and refused to come to a sensible lease agreement. Needless to say, they needed to find another location, and that is what they did. Just a few blocks away, in the old Masala Bowl location.

While all of this was going on they opened a location in Newport, just steps away from the Balboa Ferry. This was the establishment that I visited when I first tried Peter's Gourmade. Unfortunately, we were not satisfied with that experience. They were out of nearly all of the ingredients for their signature items. They did not even have utensils for both of us. You can read that review here. Even with this sour taste in our mouths, we were willing to give Peter's another try. So we headed to their new location.

We got to the restaurant at about 6 on a Friday night. This little corner strip mall is at an awkward-looking intersection that really sneaks up on you. I never went to their location in the gas station, but I heard that it was a 100 square foot space, so this place must feel so roomy compared to that place. This place is not huge though. They have 6 tables in here. Ordering is done at the counter and then brought out to the table. Let's see if this time our visit is better.

Let's start with the sides first. Last time we were at Peter's, this was the only item we really liked, Peter's Greek Fries ($6.25). Lightning definitely struck twice, because these were just as good the second time around as well. They lay down a bed of french fries and top them with gyro meat, tomatoes, onions, feta cheese, and Greek oregano, then you also get a homemade tzatziki sauce. The skinny fries are overshadowed by the fantastic and plentiful gyro meat. I really wish more restaurants would add this to their menus, but it would probably not be as good as this. This is a must get when coming to Peter's.

Anthony and Sabrina consider themselves connoisseurs of humus, so it was no surprise that they ordered it here. Maria's Hummus ($4.75) is whipped up and topped with Greek olive oil and Kalamata olives. The garlic is very prevalent here. This hummus is smooth and went well with the freshly sliced pita bread. The serving size for this was very generous.

I might have found my favorite way to eat sweet potato fries. If you are a loyal reader of this blog you know I am not too fond of the sweet potato, but at Peter's, I was introduced to the Sweet Potato Gooey's ($6.50). I was basically alone in my love for these unusual fries though. Others at the table were not so excited by these, including sweet potato loving, Katie who said, "she was not feeling the sweet and saltiness of these". I, on the other hand, could not stop eating these sweet potato fries which were covered with brown sugar, maple syrup, and toasted marshmallows. Really more of a dessert than a side dish, these reminded me of a Thanksgiving dish.

Sorry for the lackluster picture of the Basil Chicken Sandwich ($6.79). This was a popular sandwich night because both Katie and Sabrina ordered it. This sandwich featured lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese, and house-made basil mayo, on a Parmesan sourdough. Both girls thought this sandwich was good. They really liked the basil mayo, calling it, "tasty". Sabrina really liked that they used shredded lettuce here. They both liked the sourdough bread, but it really filled them up. Both girls would get this sandwich again.

Last time we went to Peter's Gourmade location in Balboa, I could not have the item they were most famous for, because they were out of cheese and avocado, but I was not to be deterred a second time. The ABC Burger ($6.25), comes with avocado, bacon, cheese, mayo, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, onion, and Dave's spicy pickle chips. This burger lived up to the hype. The patty was seasoned well, the flavors melded together nicely, and the potato bun really kept things together here. The avocado was not as prominent as I thought it would be, but I could see why this burger is all the rage. I scarfed this down quickly.

The last sandwich of the night belongs to Anthony, the Patty Melt ($5.75). Here they take a six-ounce all-beef Angus patty, grilled onions, and American cheese, then place it on corn rye bread. Anthony really liked the meatiness of this patty melt, along with the portion size. Not the best patty melt he has had, but definitely a solid sandwich.

This was more of what I thought our experience at Peter's Gourmade would be. Glad we made a second trip to this location. Maybe since they do not have an extra location to worry about, and a bigger space to store items, they have it more together now. The burgers and side items were all that they were billed to be. All of the items we had were solid choices, and we would not hesitate to come back here. The restaurant is small, and I am sure they get a little busy and cramped during meal times. Spoiled Sabrina wanted me to let everyone know that they serve Royal Crown soda products here, which she is not a fan of. Wow, there is just no pleasing some people! Hopefully, Peter's Gourmade will not have to move for a while and keep serving their good food.

Out of five gas pumps, (in homage to their former location), five being best to zero being worst, Peter's Gourmade Grill gets 3 gas pumps.

For more information on Peter's Gourmade Grill, click here: https://gourmadegrill.com/Welcome.html