Burger Week 2020

Burger Week

July 12th -18th 2020

If there was ever a time for a burger week, this seems like the most appropriate time that we would need it. Not only are restaurants closing their doors at an alarming rate, but if I had to eat one more salad, fast food meal, or even worse, something that I concocted in my kitchen, I was going to lose it. Enter Burger Week to my, and everyone's rescue. 

Burger Week was held from July 12th to the 18th this year. There were 52 OC and Long Beach restaurants taking part and as an added bonus, 34 LA restaurants were participating as well. This seven-day event was organized by the wonderful people at the OC Restaurant Association, who put on numerous events throughout the year; OC Restaurant Week, the Golden Foodie Awards, Pacific Wine and Food Classic, Brunch Week, and more to come.  

Even though restaurants were closed for dine-in service, many were serving on their outdoor patios, and takeout and delivery were both options at many spots. There were no coupons to redeem, all you had to do was mention the Burger Week menu while ordering. Menus were priced at $10, $15, $20, and $25 depending on the restaurant, and included a variety of options and sides to choose from.

If you follow my Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/eatingmywaythroughoc/ you know that I had the goal of eating seven burgers in seven days. Not a Herculean feat by any stretch of the imagination, but with my TV obsession as of late, coming home from work pretty tired, and not really wanting to be out too much, I was not too sure I was going to make it through seven days. I did persevere though because restaurants need as much exposure as they can get in these trying times. So, without further ado, here are my seven takeout burger experiences during Burger Week, from worst to best.

#7 Bru Grill - Lake Forest

I admit I have never really been a big fan of the food at this popular eatery that's situated alongside busy El Toro Road. I actually picked Bru during Burger Week because I was too lazy to venture too far from home on my day off. Their $15 menu included this Killer BBQ Burger, Fries, and a Craft Beer. This half-pound burger came with Tillamook cheddar cheese, bbq sauce, crispy onion strings, and was topped with house-made bread and butter pickles. The bbq sauce really overpowered here. It was all I could taste in each bite. The beef and cheese were not very prominent. I do give them credit for their pickles though. I'm not even a fan of pickles on burgers, but they were so good I give them a pass for putting them on there. The fries were solid too. Not an awful burger, but I wish it had tasted as good as it looked in the pictures.

#6 Rock and Brews - Tustin

This rock and roll inspired restaurant is owned by KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. They recently opened a branch of their successful restaurant concept in the old Lonestar Steakhouse spot off of Irvine Boulevard. Their $20 offering included their Gastro Burger, Garlic Fries, and a Brownie. Another great deal, especially when you consider the burger will set you back $16 now that Burger Week is over. The Gastro Burger comes with an array of items; double Swiss cheese, bacon, caramelized onions, tomato, greens, garlic aioli, and a sunny side up egg. With so much on this burger, I thought it was going to be awesome, but it fell flat. Maybe there was too much going on here. I could not really taste too much, with the exception of the sunny side up egg. It also definitely needed some extra garlic aioli to liven things up. The garlic fries were the best part of this meal. The fries were done well, with plenty of garlic and parsley in each bite. The brownie was fine, but I forgot to take a picture, which sums up the brownie perfectly.

#5 Villa Roma - Laguna Hills

I was intrigued by what restaurants that aren't burger-centric were going to come up with during Burger Week. Villa Roma is an Argentine-Italian joint that collaborated with Neil Saavedra of KFI's Fork Report. They came up with the Argentine Burger which utilized a ground skirt steak patty mixed with green onions, pepperoncini's, mustard, sea salt, and pepper. The burger is then finished off with bacon, avocado, mayo, chimichurri, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and served with fries. I'm not sure if they ran out of their special burger blend during my visit, but the patty I got did not include everything their menu said it did. It was good quality, but not as flavorful as it would have been with all of those ingredients. They also forgot to add the chimichurri, which would have added a new dimension to this burger experience. I liked this burger, it just wasn't what was promised in the description. Still, even with these missteps, it was better than the two burgers above and the fries were good as well.

#4 Falasophy - Irvine

A restaurant I had never been to before, Falasophy is a Lebanese street food spot at the Irvine Spectrum Center. They joined up with the guys from FoodBeast to create a burger that I'm told is quite popular in Lebanon. Sandwiched between a sesame bun is a burger patty, french fries, sliced tomato, coleslaw, a fried mozzarella patty, and what they call cocktail sauce, but was really more of a secret sauce that you'd see on other burgers. Even though this burger patty was the thinnest of all the burgers I had this week, this worked out really well. I loved the textures and flavors coming in waves in each bite. The mozzarella patty had its own ecosystem here with its crispy outer edge and creamy inside, really good and it made me want to buy a plane ticket and head to Lebanon to give other burgers like this a try. Maybe after the pandemic is over.  

#3 Paul Martin's American Grill

The second of two Irvine Spectrum spots was this more traditional burger from Paul Martin's. I'd describe this as a classic burger made with quality items. Their $15 menu came with their burger, fries, and a bottled beer. The burger came with red onion, tomato, lettuce, pickles, Tillamook cheese, and black pepper aioli. I then added bacon and avocado for an extra dollar each, which was a steal of a deal. A little more of the aioli would have maybe pushed this burger into the top two of my burger week experiences. The bun was nice and toasted and each layer of the burger added a nice component to my overall burger-eating experience. The fries were fine and made a little better after a brief spin in the microwave.

#2 Andrei's Conscious Cuisine and Cocktails - Irvine

I have only been to Andrei's for a media event, so I was excited to see what they could do on a regular visit. Needless to say, I was impressed. They had one of the most generous $20 Burger Week menus. I received their Andrei's Cheeseburger, Kennebec French Fries, Carrot Cake, and an Iced Tea. The burger at Andrei's came with a Wagyu beef patty, Havarti cheese, red onion preserves, bacon aioli, tomato, lettuce, and dill pickles. Everything here combined to make the best traditional burger I had this week. The brioche bun was fantastic, the beef was seasoned and cooked wonderfully, the produce was fresh, the bacon aioli was front and center, and the choice of Havarti added good flavor and creaminess to the burger. The fries were also the second-best I had all week, only being beaten out by the garlic fries from Rock and Brews. The carrot cake did not last too long and I'm sorry I forgot to snap a picture of it. I'll blame the burger nirvana I experienced.

#1 Bello by Sandro Nardone - Newport Beach

The number one burger spot I went to for Burger Week was Bello, an Italian restaurant in Newport. This burger sang with flavor from the first bite until the last. I did not want it to end. This was another burger that was a collaboration, this time with Geoff Kutnick, who works for FoodBeast. This burger utilized two pork patties and was complemented by a tuna aioli, caramelized onions, sliced tomato, and salsa verde. When I had read the description I did not think it was going to work too well, but I was wrong. The tuna aioli was the biggest surprise for me, as it was not too fishy and played nicely with the wonderfully seasoned pork. The green salsa hung out in the background and added just the right amount of acidity to cut the richness of this a bit. The smashed potatoes were another standout, with plenty of garlic, gorgonzola, and herbs. I loved the burst of flavor from the gorgonzola and the different textures of the potatoes. This was my first burger during Burger Week and one that I knew would be hard to beat. 

Burger Week was an excellent distraction from the wackiness in the world right now. Yes, I gained almost five pounds during the week, but I'd do it all again right now if they greenlighted another week of burgers. It gave me a sense of normalcy as I plotted where I was going to eat each day. I loved seeing the creativity that restaurants put into their menus and it made me feel that I was doing something positive for the restaurant industry by going out and supporting them. Get that same feeling when you leave the cooking to your favorite local restaurant the next time you don't feel like making dinner.

A great restaurant resource so you don't miss the next chance for great restaurant events in OC is to visit frequently or sign up for the OC Foodies newsletter by clicking here: https://ocfoodies.com/

Checking Out at Jon's Fish Market

Jon's Fish Market

34665 Golden Lantern 

Dana Point, CA 92629

I admit I'm off of my game. Usually, at this time of year, I have reviewed over 50 restaurants and been way more active on social media. One reason for this is of course because restaurants are only offering takeout in most cases, and I don't feel that it's entirely fair to judge a restaurant based on what their food looks and tastes like after a half-hour car ride home.

The second reason I'm a little off this year is that after a long day of working with the public, the last thing I want to do is be around more people.  It's so inviting to come home, close the door behind me, and zone out by watching one of the ten TV shows that I'm currently viewing. Getting out of this rut is important though, so when Katie suggested that we go for a walk, get some vitamin D, and grab something to eat, it started to feel like it was 2019 again. The good old days.

I met Katie after work at Dana Point Harbor on a beautiful Thursday evening. Parking, which can sometimes be a hassle around these parts was no problem at all on this day. To gear up for our walk we had a decision to make on where to eat before we started our leisurely stroll around the picturesque harbor. I remember one of the wine vendors at work, Jeffery talking about how much he enjoys Jon's Fish Market, so that's where we made a beeline to.

Jon's has a prime spot in the courtyard near where you can depart by the Catalina Express for trips to Avalon. They are a family-owned business that has been serving the community since 1980. The Mansur family started out mainly serving the fisherman and their families working in the harbor, but as Dana Point Harbor became more accessible to the general public, their legacy grew by leaps and bounds. They not only serve as a full-service casual restaurant, but they also have a small fish counter where they wrap up the day's fresh catch for customers who want to cook at home.

No cooking for Katie and myself of course, but we were seated by the hostess at one of their shaded picnic tables in the front of their restaurant. The menu at Jon's is pretty impressive. They offer a good assortment of grilled fish, fried fish, sandwiches, tacos, burritos, and more. To ensure that you know that their fish is fresh, their Instagram feed is filled with plenty of pictures of them hauling fish from their boat to the restaurant. I was excited to give them a try, and also get back to some semblance of normalcy.

We started our meal off with a bowl of Clam Chowder ($5.25). This was a fine version, with plenty of clams and potato, but it left me wanting a little more. The chowder needed to be seasoned a bit more to give it a pop. The consistency was there, but maybe some pepper or another seasoning could elevate this chowder to even greater heights.

Judging by the other tables around us, Fish and Chips ($15.40) are easily the most popular thing here at Jon's, at least on this evening. An order comes with four good-sized pieces of Alaskan cod. The breading surrounding these pieces of fish was very crisp and heavy. Just like almost every other fried fish I have ever had, the fish did get a little overwhelmed by the breading. Speaking of overwhelmed, Katie was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of fish that came on this plate. She barely got through three of the four pieces and urged me to take her extra for lunch the next day. She went without the coleslaw and fries that usually come with this plate and opted to get rice and salad, which helped lighten the meal a bit.

Sorry for the lack of diversity on this visit, but I also wanted to try some of their fried offerings. I like to try as many different things as possible, so Jon's Combo ($18.45) was a natural fit for me. This combo includes three fish, three scallops, and two shrimp. The best of the bunch was the shrimp. It really stood out more than the other two, maybe because of the natural brininess of the shrimp. The fish was probably my second favorite, and I'd probably forgo the scallops, as they were pretty bland and could not compete with either the fish or shrimp. I liked alternating both the very good tarter sauce and the cocktail sauce in different bites. The fries are your basic fast food style french fry and the coleslaw was fine but lacked that wow factor.

Jon's is a great option for these times when eating outside is the only option you have to eat at a restaurant. Their patio in the front of the restaurant was very comfortable, they spaced the picnic tables six feet apart, their employees were masked and gloved while working, and the gentle breeze from the harbor a mere few feet away was very reassuring. The fish and chips here might be the closest we can all get to fair food this year. I don't mean this in an insulting way, it's just how I felt after eating this very filling meal. Of course, it's higher quality than what you could get at the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. I don't get fish and chips all that often, but these are some of the best I've had in South OC in a long time. Jon's was a good restaurant in a beautiful setting to help us forget all the things going on in the world right now, at least for an hour.

Out of five football fields, (because the worlds largest fish market in the world is the Toyosu Market in Tokyo, which is over 4 million square feet, or a staggering 84 football fields of fish for sell), five being best to zero being worst, Jon's Fish Market gets 3 football fields.

For more information about Jon's Fish Market, head to their website here: http://jonsfishmarketdanapoint.com/

No Tears Shed at the Little Onion - CLOSED

Little Onion Mexican Restaurant

14429 Culver Dr. 

Irvine, CA 92604

For this restaurant review, I reached far back on my list of must-try restaurants—nearly three years. That's when my long-ago coworker Dez mentioned a place I needed to try. That restaurant was the Little Onion, which, back in 2017, only had one location near the corner of Main and MacArthur in Santa Ana. Dez characterized it as a hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint that he and his family loved to visit from time to time. I was intrigued.

Little Onion's first establishment was founded in Hawthorne in 1963. In 1972, founder Lorenzo moved his family and successful business to OC, where they opened their Santa Ana outpost. Lorenzo retired in 2011, and his daughter Lori took over the restaurant. Under her leadership, she has added another location in Irvine, in the same busy shopping plaza as Trader Joe's, Smart and Final, Burntzilla, and Potbelly Sandwiches. This spot is also on my list.

This Irvine location would never be described as a hole in the wall. There's a lovely patio out front, which got a lot of love from customers on the early Saturday evening we visited. We sat inside the restaurant in one of the comfy booths lined by a brick wall. The dining area is reminiscent of a hunting lodge, with its exposed dark wood beams holding up the ceiling and the three large lighting fixtures hanging from above. The middle of the restaurant houses a bar, which saw little action during our visit, although they are known for their margaritas and cocktails.

The Little Onion menu is what you'd expect from a Mexican restaurant located in Southern California; appetizers, tacos, burritos, combo plates, and specialties are highlighted here. Prices hover right around the $20 price point for most entrees. Along with my parents, we made our dinner decisions rather quickly. Let's see if our maiden voyage to Little Onion was worth the three-year wait.

Upon being seated, we were presented with the traditional Chips and Salsa you get in most Mexican restaurants. Maybe because it was our first visit to a Mexican restaurant in a while, we devoured these chips and the accompanying salsa. The chips tasted freshly fried and crisp, while the salsa lacked the chunkiness that I usually like. However, the slight burst of heat used in this was right on point.

True to form, Katie ordered some Guacamole ($9) for the table. This was standard guacamole with tomatoes, onions, radishes, and some cotija cheese sprinkled in. The consistency of this was right on, but I would have liked some jalapenos or seasonings to make this pop more. This was just the right size for the four of us.

Every time we see Queso Fundido ($13) on a menu, we must try it. This bubbling cheese skillet is mixed with chorizo, poblano chiles, and a smear of guacamole across the top. We really enjoyed this version. The chorizo was not as pronounced as others but a little more understated. The Oaxacan and Jack cheeses set better as they cooled down and provided lovely ribbons of cheesy goodness as we spooned them into the flour tortillas. It was a tremendous, comforting appetizer to start off with.

My mom is not a big eater and only wanted one enchilada with beans and rice, but only 2 and 3-item combinations were listed on the Little Onion menu. Our server assured her she could get just a One Cheese Enchilada Combo Meal ($12). She ended up being very happy with this meal. The enchilada sauce had a rich depth of flavor that pleased her, with plenty of cheese inside. She also made quick work of the beans and rice as well. She might have even been able to finish a second enchilada if she had gotten one.

Enchiladas were a very popular choice this early evening, as my dad opted for the Enchilada Suizas ($19). These rolled-up corn tortillas were filled with shredded chicken and topped with plenty of cheese and enchilada sauce. I believe this usually comes with green sauce, but he asked for red, which is more to his liking. I am very happy that they were so accommodating with special requests.

Katie made it an enchilada hat trick when she ordered the Open-Faced Poblano Mole Enchiladas ($19). This exciting take on an enchilada reminded me more of a mulita in structure. It used two corn tortillas with shredded chicken and cheese on the inside and onions, crema, and mole sauce on top. Like a sandwich, but one you'd have to eat with a fork. The chicken inside was tender and flavored well, but their mole sauce made this for me. Dark and flavorful, this mole had a sweet and smooth flavor, one of my favorite characteristics of mole sauce. This came with cilantro rice, which Katie liked a lot. 

I guess it's up to me to stop the enchilada parade this evening. I followed our servers' recommendation, the Crispy Carnitas Plato ($20). I was pleased with this pork. It had a little variety; some bites were crispy, and others were softer, but every forkful was tender and moist. Not a bad bite in the bunch. Even though the menu states that guacamole is included, I did not get any, but we still had some from our guacamole appetizer. The rice and beans were nicely done.

Little Onion was a great choice for a long overdue visit with my parents during these crazy times. The Mexican food here was very solid and tasted delicious. With recipes like these, it's easy to see why they've been in business for so long. Their price point was a little high for the portion sizes we received, but that might be the new trend as restaurants navigate these trying times. Our server, Meredith, was excellent on this early evening and kept a great eye on us. For those concerned about eating out, they were doing a fantastic job of social distancing inside the restaurant. They were spacing parties out way more than 10 feet, and all employees were always masked. They also have an outdoor patio for those who prefer fresh air. We all felt very safe, precisely what you want in 2020. Thanks for the recco, Dez. I'm sorry it took us 3 years to make it.

Out of five bottles of ketchup (because I learned that the world's largest onion weighed in at over 18 pounds, and I'd imagine you'd need a lot of ketchup if you were to make that into onion rings), five being best to zero being worst, Little Onion Mexican Restaurant gets 3.5 bottles of ketchup.

For more information about Little Onion Mexican Restaurant, head to their website here: https://www.littleonion.com/