34150 Pacific Coast Highway
Dana Point, CA 92629
It was a very overdue date night for Katie and me. It seemed like forever since we had gone out just the two of us. We have gotten into a routine where we are both pretty exhausted after working ridiculous hours at our jobs, just picking up something on the way home through the drive-thru lane, and crashing on the couch watching TV. This cycle repeats until it is broken with a night out with our family or friends. This particular evening we broke free from our comfort zone and headed to Station Craft in Dana Point.
Station Craft has been open for just over a year now, and if you could not tell from their name, they are big into craft beers. Their rotating board above the L-shaped bar shares what kinds of beers are available on the day you visit, along with others that are available by the can to go. They brew on the premises, which is pretty impressive based on the size of their operation, which is right alongside busy PCH. They also hopped on the seltzer train, with two varieties offered.
I was saving my calories for the food, which was seriously needed after a hard Saturday at work. Their menu is not going to dazzle you with a ton of options. They have six appetizers to choose from, along with two salads, five mains, and a duo of desserts to finish things off with. Appetizers will run you about $13, while the burgers and sandwiches range between $16 to $25 for their lobster roll. Based on what I've seen online, it does seem like their menu has changed since we visited late last year, so be advised of that.
When we visited back in October, (yes, I'm a little behind in my reviews), college football and the baseball playoffs were in full swing, with a good number of the Station Craft patrons watching the games, while others were seated on the patio that hangs above the parking lot. We were seated at a high-top table near the entrance of the restaurant, which allowed a great place for people-watching in the sleek, white-walled dining space. Let's check out the food.
Before we get to the food, we were presented with these Roasted Mixed Nuts as we sat down. A very nice touch. They were spiced nicely, with a little pop of flavor that came through in each handful.
We started things off with both Katie and I choosing an appetizer. I went with the Glazed Brussels Sprouts ($8 plus $2 for an egg added on top). This was fine, but the glaze needed to be mixed amongst the sprouts better, as it all settled down at the bottom of the bowl. The egg added very little here, and I'd skip it the next time I had this. Katie's a big fan of Bavarian Pretzels ($13) and tries them quite regularly. She liked this one but felt that the beer cheese that came with this was more beer than cheese, so she was more into dipping this into the provided, but not pictured hot mustard.
Not on their menu anymore, at least online, Katie selected this Black and Bleu Chicken Sandwich ($17). This chicken sandwich came with some blue cheese crumbles and lettuce on what I think was toasted sourdough. Katie was far from impressed with this, calling it just okay, and kind of boring. Maybe some more blue cheese and some mayo would have helped boost this up in the flavor department. This came with housemade potato chips, which were over-fried and definitely over salted. A very disappointing meal for Katie.
I had heard some good things about the Double Crush Burger ($18), but I think I was duped. This smash-style burger included two very thin patties which had a good caramelization to them from the grill, but they needed to be seasoned more. The cheese really added nothing here, and if there were any other condiments on here, they got lost somehow. For some reason, this brought to mind the Double Del Cheeseburger from Del Taco, which I like and has more flavor than what I was given on this evening. The salad fell right in line with the burger, as the blue cheese dressing was thin and tasteless. The greens were at least fresh, but that does you no good if they are not dressed properly.
I'd sum Station Craft up as a brewery first, and a restaurant second. Nothing we consumed here warrants another visit It was not awful food, it just seems like they put way more thought into their beverage program, rather than their food. Nothing wrong with that, but this is not a destination dining establishment. With that being said, we had really good service, which seems to be not the case for a lot of Yelper's out there. I also really did enjoy the vibe here, as it was not pretentious, and would be a place that I'd visit again for beer and other adult beverages. I'd just leave to find another place when it was time to eat.
Out of five dolphins, (because this is the mascot of Dana Hills High School), five being best to zero being worst, Station Craft gets 2.5 dolphins.
For more information about Station Craft, head to their website by clicking here: https://stationcraft.com/
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