Slater's 50/50
17071 Beach Blvd.
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Besides my love of bacon, one of the things that keeps bringing me back to Slater's is that there is always something going on. It has been a busy time for the guys over at Slaters. On July 1st, they opened their sixth Southern California location in Rancho Cucamonga. Now, people in the Inland Empire can reduce their driving time to experience all the bacon bliss at Slaters. The team at Slater's is tight-lipped regarding where they are opening next, but I have heard whispers about a possible out-of-state venture in the works. Stay tuned for more info on that.
Slater's is very open about its new food items, which debuted on the first day of July. We were lucky to try these out before they hit the menus. We went to the Huntington Beach Slater's for a preview party with other bloggers and some of Slater's most ardent supporters. We got a chance to talk with many of their PR people, but of course, the highlight was talking to the man behind all the Slater's madness, the man himself, Scott Slater.
Scott is a very nice but unassuming guy. Before meeting him, I assumed his personality would be over the top, just like the burgers he creates with Executive Chef Brad Lyons. He is entirely the opposite of what I had imagined, though. He is more subdued than I imagined and lets his burgers do the talking for him. Slater's hit the marketplace at the right time. They opened in 2009 when people were going crazy for anything bacon. After numerous awards, TV appearances, and magazine articles, Slater's is not resting on their laurels. Almost as soon as we were seated at this preview event, the food started coming and did not stop until nearly everyone in the room had been put in a bacon-induced food coma. Let's see what Slater's has up their sleeves for us now.
It might surprise some people that Slater's has salads on their menus. I am sure many of the customers who find themselves at Slater's bypass the salad portion of the menu, but this section proves that you can come to Slater's and eat healthy. A case in point is this new salad, the Kale Quinoa Salad. This salad combines two of the hottest trends in vegetables right now, kale and quinoa. I have seen so many restaurants feature these two items recently, and now Slater's hops are on the bandwagon. Joining the kale and the quinoa in the bowl is red onion, roasted sunflower seeds, and a lemon-garlic tahini dressing. I will let you in on a little secret that I am sure most of you will be shocked at. Okay, that was sarcasm, by the way. I am not a big fan of either kale or quinoa. I know they are healthy for me, but I almost automatically run for the hills when I hear something is healthy. Katie really liked this salad, though. It had a robust citrus dressing with a great texture profile from the crunchy kale and sunflower seeds. The red onion added a good flavor boost as well. Katie looks forward to trying this salad in future visits to Slater's.
Even though it is summer and time for warmer weather, this was one of my favorite night items, the Twice Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Not just content with having a plain old grilled cheese on the menu, the guys at Slater's took it up a notch with this sandwich. Stuffed with two kinds of cheese, they add cheddar cheese to the outside of the sandwich instead of just buttering the bread and grilling it. The result is crispy cheese on the outside and a very rich but oh-so-satisfying sandwich. Served alongside a tomato basil house-made soup, this will be handy on those southern California winter nights when it dips into the low 60s.
It's not new to their menu, but I think they wanted to show off a bit. It is Slater's classic burger, the Old-Timey. This burger recently got a perfect 10 from OC Register food critic Brad Johnson. He is a notoriously harsh food critic, so this is a significant accomplishment and something that Slater's 50/50 should be proud of. This burger starts with a Sterling Silver ground beef patty and is layered with American cheese, thick bacon, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, and Thousand Island dressing. This is then sandwiched between a white brioche bun that does an admirable job of keeping the burger together. The result is a delicious bacon cheeseburger. Another new item, the Almond Joy Milkshake, came out with the burger. Slater's released a new line of signature Milkshakes that can be made with or without alcohol. This one came with Three Olives Chocolate Vodka, Bols Amaretto, chocolate syrup, toasted coconut, and almond syrup. This one really did taste like the famous candy bar. The alcohol taste was hidden by the ice cream and chocolate here, so be careful when consuming these. These could become dangerous.
Last July, the Burger of the Month at Slater's made headlines nationwide for being one of the craziest bacon items ever seen on a menu. I definitely got caught up in the hoopla when I was dared by a waiter to eat the one-pound version of it. I finished it and have lived to tell the tale of vanquishing this ultimate bacon lovers burger, the 'Merica Burger. The core of this burger is a 100 percent bacon patty, yes you read that correctly, all bacon patty. It is then topped with a bacon-infused Thousand Island dressing, bacon cheddar cheese, a sunny-side-up egg, two strips of bacon, and, for good measure, a bacon pretzel bun. The bacon on this burger was definitely overpowering, to say the least. Many people took only a few bites of this, but true bacon lovers will love this burger, at least in moderation. You can read about my visit where I ate the pound version of this burger here. Coming out with this burger was the Milk Chocolate Guinness Signature Shake. Of course, this shake starts with Guinness Irish Stout and then is taken to shake form by adding vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and Andes Mints. If you like mint, this is the shake for you.
The last course we were given was a double dose of dessert, which is always good if you are already full. The signature shake for this go-around was the S'Mores Shake. This campfire treat transforms to shake form with ice cream, toasted marshmallow syrup, crumbled graham crackers, chocolate syrup, and Three Olives Chocolate Vodka. This was my favorite shake of the night. The graham cracker really brought the s'mores taste out for me. Known for their over-the-top desserts, Slater's outdid themselves with introducing the 50/50 Bacon Blondie. For those unfamiliar with blondies, like me, they are brownies, but instead of chocolate, they are made with brown sugar and vanilla instead. This version came with a creamy peanut butter frosting and candied bacon and was served a la mode. This was so good but oh so rich. It is best to split this between two or more people. A very lovely but filling end to our night at Slater's.
By the time we left Slater's 50/50, we needed to be wheeled out in a wheelbarrow. Man, were we stuffed. Most of the new items are a welcome addition to the ever-changing Slater's menu. I am always excited to see what the culinary team from Slater's has up their sleeve next. I will definitely be back for that grilled cheese and the bacon blondie. I'll probably skip the Merica Burger this time, though, because I am just recovering from eating it last year.
We thank the Slater's 50/50 Huntington Beach staff for making our night so great. They kept the food coming and enjoyed clearing plates and filling drinks while answering our questions. I would also like to thank all of the PR staff at Slater's, especially Heather Pimentel, who reached out to us with the invite. Thanks so much for thinking of us, Heather. Lastly, we would like to thank Scott Slater, who provided excellent food and was so nice to us when we saw him and gush all over his restaurants. We look forward to seeing you again soon, Scott.
For more information on the newest items at Slater's 50/50 or any other Slater's related information, click here: https://slaters5050.com/
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