Best Restaurants of 2020

Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said about the year that we just went through together? It's been said way too many times that 2020 has been the most challenging year. The year started off normal but spiraled in March. Mask wearing, hoarding, political strife, hand sanitizer, covid, vaccines, and social distancing became part of our vernacular for the last nine months of the year, and probably well into next year.  

It's an understatement to say that this year has been extremely difficult for the restaurant industry. An industry that I have such an affinity for, one that I've written about on this blog for the last 11 years. It's been a roller coaster ride for the servers, kitchen staff, bussers, owners, management, suppliers, and anyone else who makes their living in restaurants. With the shutdowns, the pivoting to outdoor dining, and then to-go orders, restaurants have had to adapt on the fly, all the while trying to keep up with all of their bills. It's become not just a matter of making a profit, but just surviving. 

Unfortunately, with everything I've read, the prognosis for restaurants is not good. Massive closures of restaurants have already taken place, and others will follow in the coming months. It was already a tough business, but now with months of only making it by on takeout orders and a limited number of customers allowed on the premises, restaurants are facing a tough uphill battle just to get by. 

That's the reason I have continued to write this restaurant review site. I feel it's essential to promote places and let you and everyone else know that local spots are still operating and serving our local communities. Restaurants have sponsored your kid's schools and youth programs all these years, and now it's time to return the favor. Also, as you will see when you scroll down, this might be the most impressive group of restaurants that I have had the pleasure to eat at and write about in any of the 11 years of this blog. Very impressive spots.  

Yes, indeed, I have only reviewed 47 restaurants this year, far below what I've been averaging the last several years, and there are a few reasons for this. First, since I work in a supermarket, and while the restaurants were shut down, we were very busy and it made for some very long days, and that curtailed my writing. We also tried to limit our time out, eating more meals at home, finally unwrapping some of the kitchen stuff we got at our wedding... five years ago. 

So here's to a better 2021. May things get back to a semi-normal state as soon as humanly possible. As usual, I'd like to thank all of you who have faithfully read this blog, or at least looked at the pictures. I'd also like to thank all my social media followers, who put up with me not updating things quite as often as I would have liked. My appreciation also goes out to restaurant workers, who have sacrificed their health to ensure that we have places to eat. You guys are true heroes. I'd also be remiss not to mention my partner in crime, my forever dining companion, Katie, who I know was a little uneasy when we ate out at times this year, but was a trooper as we stayed safe during these turbulent times. You are the best. 

So without further ado, here are my top ten restaurants of 2020. 

#10 Gonzalez's Restaurant - Orange

This is the only Mexican spot to land on my top ten list this year. I loved the family feel of this restaurant that is tucked into the back of a nondescript shopping center off of busy Chapman Avenue. The food was pretty stellar, and this was my first introduction to an alambre, and it won't be my last. 

#9 Ahba - Laguna Beach

This is another blink and you'll miss this place. Located in South Laguna, far from the hustle and bustle of the busy downtown area, we had a great brunch during our visit. It was excellent, but I am yearning for their delicious looking burger that I've seen online. Going back very soon. 

#8 Da Hawaiian Kitchen - Huntington Beach

I feel like Hawaiian cuisine is kind of having its moment in OC right now. There used to be only a handful of spots to get your island fix, but recently some very good spots have set up shop in OC. This place is not new, but it's definitely a standout. Loved their poke and mixed plate, along with an excellent rendition of potato mac salad. 

 

#7 The Ramos House Cafe - San Juan Capistrano

Katie and I are not big Valentine's Day people, but this year we snuck out for brunch at this South OC favorite. Yes, it was a Prix-fixed menu, but very impressive egg dishes, which had us clamoring for more. Situated on the oldest street in California, a visit to Ramos House is like a little mini-vacay. 

#6 Hammer Burger - Orange

Smashed burgers are pretty popular right now, and the best burger I had this year was this one. They were doing pop-up events in front of their house in Orange for a time, but now they have a steady gig working out of the Heritage Barbecue spot in San Juan Capistrano on Sundays. More on Heritage in a bit. 

#5 Cluck Kitchen - Irvine

It seems like almost every time I turned on my computer there was another hot chicken place opening up. The best I had this year was this one, which comes to us from the guys that started the very good burger restaurant The Cut. The chicken here is juicy, had an excellent heat to it, and the fried pickles and potato salad were fantastic as well. I was also a fan of all of their housemade sauces. 

#4 Oliver's Osteria - Laguna Beach

Our visit to Oliver's could not have started any worse. Being sat an hour after our reservation time and then having to change tables because they sat our party of four at a table that was meant to seat two snuggly. The food that made its way out of the kitchen and to our table more than made up for the first impression that we had here. This is the most authentic Italian food in OC by a long shot. As the Italians would say, ottimo cibo!

#3 Oliboli Donuts - Tustin

My love for donuts is well known. I've driven at least an hour to try what people consider a great donut. Luckily, this place is less than 20 minutes away from most points in OC. These are easily the best donuts available in OC and they always rotate new and delicious flavors to keep things fresh.

#2 Porch and Swing - Irvine

Not sure what Charleston, South Carolina food entails? It doesn't really matter because all you really have to know is that whatever you order here, it's going to be delicious and well-executed. You can count us as big fans of Chef Justin Werner and his impressive resume. OC is lucky to have him right in our own backyard. 

#1 Heritage Barbecue - San Juan Capistrano

As if there was going to be any doubt which spot was going to be number one this year. For years I've lamented the fact that there wasn't a great barbecue place in OC. That all changed when Heritage came on the scene in San Juan Capistrano. I waited for two hours for my first taste, and it was definitely worth it. Go during the weekdays for shorter wait times, and they also offer curbside service to eliminate the line altogether. You'll never be able to go back to mediocre Lucille's ever again. 

So there's my list for the best restaurants of 2020. I'd have to say that even though it was a crazy year, this group of restaurants might be the best year-end list I have put together in the life of this blog. Thanks again for reading, and I hope you and yours have a great new year. 

 

Hiho Hiho up the Coast We Go

Hiho Cheeseburger

1320 2nd Street Suite B

Santa Monica, CA 90401

Katie and I were breaking free. She took a vacation day on a Friday, I had been off all week. We were flying the coop. Getting out of dodge. Breaking free of the shackles of our normal routine. For the first time in what seemed like forever, we were taking some time for ourselves. 

I had booked a hotel by the beach in Ventura, so it was natural that we'd stop somewhere in LA to get lunch on the way up. When we are going to be eating in LA, my go-to guide is always Eater LA, and more specifically, their map section. I was definitely feeling like a great burger, so I used the 19 Essential Los Angeles Burgers Map to narrow my search. I had a handful of places to choose from that were close in proximity to the 405 Freeway. I decided we'd give Hiho Cheeseburger a try. 

Hiho is situated on 2nd Street, right next door to their sister restaurant Uovo on one side, a casual pasta place, and Mediterranian favorite, Cava on the other. From what I can gather Hiho Cheeseburger started out in Ojai some time ago, and then that location closed. They moved farther south to Santa Monica in 2017, then opened another location in Mid-Wilshire late last year. 

In that time they have garnered tons of awards. They were deemed the winner in LA Magazine's Burger Bracket in 2018 and again the next year, they were a people's choice winner in the LA Times, named an essential burger by Eater LA, and they own a four and a half star rating on Yelp, with close to 900 reviews. Pretty impressive stuff for a spot that's been open for just three years. 

What makes Hiho special? They're the only restaurant that exclusively uses 100% grass-fed wagyu from New Zealand for their burgers. They add only salt and pepper to it and let the beef, cheese, and ketchup speak for itself. They hand-cut their potatoes for their fries. Buns are baked daily with locally milled flour and zero preservatives. Lastly, their pies are made from scratch every day. This all must be working as they have had great success in such a short time. 

We arrived here at just after 1pm on an overcast Friday in late October. Ordering was done inside the restaurant in an orderly fashion. The menu at Hiho is pretty easy to navigate. They have three burgers to choose from, fries, a caesar salad, a kid's grilled cheese, and a trio of desserts.  After ordering, we were given a pager as we went to get a table outside. Not sure if they are still doing outdoor dining here, but they were back in October, and it allowed for some great people watching as we awaited our food. After about ten minutes our food was ready. Let's see if this truly is one of the better burgers in LA. 

I'll share my meal first. I went with the Triple Hiho Cheeseburger ($10.95). This half-pound burger came mustard grilled and dressed with two slices of cheese, ketchup, lettuce, onion jam, and pickles. After my first bite, I knew this was a very special burger. The bun was fresh and had a nice crunch along its outer ring due to a short amount of time on the flattop. The beef patties were juicy and rich, but not greasy. Obviously a high-quality beef. The cheese was melted perfectly over the beef. They could have been a little more heavy-handed when it came to applying the condiments, but maybe that helped to showcase the beef and cheese. 

The hand-cut, twice-fried French Fries ($3.95) are not overshadowed by the burger. These fires were addictive. A great crunch to them because of being twice-fried, while being soft and pillowy on the inside. Every one a practically perfect french fry. Other restaurants should study what they do here and copy it. 

Yes, I know. It's not the most appetizing thing you have ever looked at, but there's a good reason why Katie got this Lettuce Wrapped Hiho Double Cheeseburger ($7.95). She's been on a program to help reverse her type 2 diabetes. After just a few short months, I'm happy to say she is doing great and taking only a quarter of the insulin that she was in July. I'm really proud of her and am in awe of her willpower, especially when my burger and fries were so stellar. Even though she had no bun, she was completely satisfied with her experience at Hiho Cheeseburger. She claimed that her burger was extremely juicy and that the onion jam was a great compliment to the beef and cheese.  

I had heard good things about the pies at Hiho Cheeseburger, and with my banana cravings growing by the day, I had to finish up my meal with a slice of their Banana Cream Pie ($7.00). This well-crafted pie was full of sliced bananas with a fluffy layer of cream topping it. This is not an overly sweet pie. It relies on the natural sweetness of the bananas to sweeten up each bite. I admit I was not overly in love with this slice, as I like my desserts to be a bit more sugary. This did have a good crust though, which was not soggy in the least.  

Hiho Cheeseburger definitely has its place alongside the great burgers of LA. It seems that anytime you make a statement like this, people always wonder if a place is better than In-N-Out, which seems to be the gold standard for almost everyone in LA, (not in my opinion, but that's a post for another day). Even though burgers have different price points, options, and varying quality of sides, what should really matter is how a burger tastes. After my first bite of my burger here, I knew this was in the upper echelon of burgers I've had in Southern California. Add in the hard to stop at just one french fries, and this is a place I would definitely visit again and again. Hiho Cheeseburger proved that Eater LA knows what they are talking about, and it was an excellent place to get some nourishment for the rest of our drive up the coast. 

Out of five baskets of cherries, (because the name of this restaurant brought to mind the board game Hi-Ho Cherry-O, which had players try to collect cherries in their baskets, yes, a simpler time), five being best to zero being worst, Hiho Cheeseburger gets 4 baskets of cherries. 

For more information on Hiho Cheeseburger, head to their website here: https://www.hiho.la/

Starting off Vacation at El Durango Grill - CLOSED

El Durango Grill

730 East Imperial Highway 

Brea, CA 92821

For those of you that are unaware, my real job, the one that makes me just enough money to eat at all of these restaurants, is working in a grocery store. I'm probably one of the few people that you will meet that is still working at their job they had while in high school. Yes, that's right, 32 years and counting at the same place. The end is near, as I think I have about 3 more years left in me before I can retire and head off to my next chapter. 

I bring this up because this is the time of year that really drains me. Holiday time in a supermarket is not a fun place. You can see people's eyes glaze over when they are deciding what kind of butter to buy, they forget basic things like nonfat and fat-free means the same thing, and they are so rushed for time that common courtesy goes out the window. So, as we approach the last couple of months of the year, I try to sneak in a vacation, and that's why I was meeting my mom and dad on a recent early afternoon at El Durango Grill in Brea. 

El Durango Grill came across my radar after reading an article from Brad A. Johnson in the Orange County Register a year and a half ago. As I faintly recall, he was very high on their carne asada, calling it one of the best around. I'm not usually one to order carne asada, as I prefer pork, but I was pretty impressed because Brad is a pretty tough critic. 

I arrived at the restaurant right at 11am, and true to form, my parents were way ahead of me patiently waiting. El Durango Grill is Brea Mall adjacent, as it's just past it if you are coming from the 57 Freeway on the left side of Imperial Highway. There's a 99 Cents Only Store, Fitness 19, and a Lamps Plus in this center if that helps you out a bit. 

This is an order at the counter place with a pretty good-sized menu. Their offerings include a good number of burritos, tacos, tortas, quesadillas, nachos, enchiladas, and breakfast items, which are served all day long. Almost everything here is in the single-digit range, except for a couple of entrees and a lobster burrito. They have moved some tables outside into their parking lot during these challenging times. Good thing too, since they had a very steady stream of people throughout our visit coming here on their lunch breaks. I was excited to find out if it was the great food that brought everyone to El Durango Grill. 

Since it was Tuesday, it was logical that my parents would take advantage of the Taco Tuesday specials that they have here all day long at El Durango Grill. My mom went with the Carnitas Taco ($1.50), while my dad had the Adobada ($1.50), Chile Verde ($1.50), and the Chicken ($1.50). They seemed pretty happy with their $6 lunch. My mom liked the carnitas and was impressed with the amount of pork that they included in the corn tortilla. My dad liked the chile verde and adobada tacos the best, while he thought the chicken was nothing to write home about. Not sure why he's still writing letters in the digital age, but to each his own. 

The taco train kept on chugging away with my three selections. I selected the Carnitas ($1.50), Asada ($2.75), and the Chicken Taco ($1.50). I'm not sure why mine came with salsa and chips on a real plate, while my parent's tacos came out on a paper plate without any chips and salsa. They probably just liked me better. The asada was as advertised, as it was the best of the bunch. Moist and tender, dressed simply with a sprinkling of onion and cilantro. I usually find asada to be a bit bland, but this version wasn't. The chicken taco was fine, but the tortilla on this one did not stand a chance as it ripped apart as I picked it up. I ended up just eating the insides of it with my fork. The carnitas was the weakest link here, as it was bland and dry. The salsa did end up helping though.  

Man can not live by tacos alone, or maybe they can, and I was just ravenous during this lunch. When I saw this Frontera Burrito ($11.99) online, I knew that I was going to have to give it a whirl, as it was one of the most photogenic burritos I have seen recently. A homage to the Mexican flag, the insides of this burrito was steak, onions, and peppers. It was fajita-style, wrapped in a tortilla. The steak was good, but as is the reason I avoid fajitas in most places, they used too many onions and peppers and the meat did not shine through. I was also a little disappointed with the size of the burrito for the price. It was a little on the small size, as I was expecting a bigger version. I'd save the three dollars and just get the regular steak burrito on my next visit.  

My parents did also get this Chicken Taquito ($1.50) to round out their meal at El Durango Grill. This was not a frozen then fried taquito you get at a lot of places. It was hand-rolled, filled with plenty of chicken, and then fried. Nicely done. I'm getting their beef taquitos next time. 

A few hiccups at El Durango Grill for me, but for the most part, this is a solid Mexican spot alongside busy Imperial Highway. Their Taco Tuesday deals are pretty stellar, and they do not skimp on the meat like you see at a lot of other Taco Tuesday spots. There's much more I'd like to try on return visits, like their alambre taco, adobada quesadilla, and chilaquiles. If I lived in the area this place would definitely be in my rotation of restaurants I'd return to on a fairly consistent basis. This was a good place to start off my vacation of eating, catching up on things around the house, and getting ready for the busy holiday season. 

Out of five scorpions, (because the state of Durango in Mexico is famous for their abundance of these dangerous arachnids), five being best to zero being worst, El Durango Grill gets 3 scorpions. 

El Durango Grill does not have a website, so click here to visit their Yelp page for more information: https://www.yelp.com/biz/el-durango-grill-brea