It's All Still Great at G Burger - CLOSED

G Burger

421 East La Habra Blvd. 

La Habra, CA 90631

In my quest to review at least 1000 restaurants on this blog, I rarely go to the same place more than once. There's always a new restaurant to try or one I have wanted to eat at but have yet to make it to. The four pages of my restaurant wishlist can attest to that. My point is that a restaurant has to be unique for me to make a return visit, but G Burger in La Habra is definitely in that particular category.

My first visit to G Burger was six years ago. It was the first restaurant I ate at in La Habra, a city some people still think is in LA County. 2012 was a magical time for burger lovers. It was an era when new burger spots were opening up everywhere. Chefs were ditching their fine dining roots and opening burger spots to feed us. The burger was not just something you would pick up at the drive-thru anymore. It was elevated to an art form that chefs liked to showcase on their menus and prove they could do better than anyone else. I loved this time.

On my first visit to G Burger, I met George Makri, the man behind the grill and the founder of G Burger. I remember him being subdued but passionate about how he crafted his burgers. He told us that he went to the farmers market when possible for produce, made all of their sauces in-house, and was very picky about their vendors. The results were evident when you consumed one of their burgers. When asked today about my top burgers in OC, I always mention G Burger.

Flash forward to the present. When Samie from G Burger reached out to me through Instagram to invite me to try some of their new menu items, I could definitely not say no to this very generous invitation. I grabbed my friend Jeffery, and we made the long trek from South OC to the northernmost city in OC, La Habra, for a late lunch.

Once here, we met with Antonio, the current man behind the grill (sorry, I did not get his last name). I inquired about George, and he told me they were on their third owner now and that George had left the area some time ago. I did a little internet sleuthing and found out he is now the owner of a bar and grill in Quebec, which does sell burgers, but the menu is in French, so I'm not sure if they are like the ones he made here at G Burger. I also asked about the heartbreaking closure of G Burger Irvine, which is closest to my house, and he claimed that it was a financial decision partly based on the overabundance of burger options available near the Tustin Marketplace. The good news is that there are no plans to close the Fountain Valley G Burger anytime soon.

G Burger is located in the downtown district on the corner of La Habra and Lemon. It's a small restaurant where you order at the register, and then you try to find one of the ten or so tables, or if they are occupied, there's counter seating facing the restaurant's front window. We were here after the lunch rush, so we had no problem getting a table. The only problem for us was trying to narrow down what we wanted to eat, but we did so after some tremendous inner struggle. Let's see if G Burger is still as great as in 2012.

The first clue I had that the burgers would be just as good as they were was that they looked like works of art. First up was my Blue G's Burger ($10.50). This masterpiece was stacked high with an Angus beef patty, lettuce, tomato, blue cheese crumbles, BBQ sauce, butter pickles, candy cayenne bacon, and crispy red onion rings. I ended up taking half of the onions out of the burger to make it more manageable. I really enjoyed the myriad of flavors on this one. The crisp and well-seasoned bacon, the tang from the blue cheese, the barbecue sauce's slightly sweet touch, and the crunchy onions' texture made this a balanced and well-thought-out burger. Even after I took the stick out of the middle of this, the bun did a great job of holding this half-pound burger and everything else together. Really impressive.

Jeffery's burger choice did not fail to impress when it hit the table either. He selected one of their new burgers, the Guacamole Burger ($11.95), as his afternoon lunch. This burger was listed on their specials board right next to the register. This colorful burger came with plenty in the way of creamy guacamole, swiss cheese, two strips of bacon, tortilla strips, chopped red onions, tomatoes, and peppers, and was crowned with chili topping on its bun. Jeffery really liked this burger and made it disappear rather quickly. They did not splurge with the toppings on this one. This definitely should make their regular menu.

Sides should not be ignored at G Burger. The G Style Fries ($5) is a much better version of the animal fries you can get at In N Out. I've always thought that the only reason to order animal fries at In N Out is to make their awful fries go down much easier. Okay, sorry for my anti-In N Out rant. These fries stayed crisp even with the Thousand Island, cheese, red onion, and bacon bits covering them. These are the way to go if you want to jazz up your fries a little bit. I've always loved the Onion Rings ($5.50) at G Burger. When I first came here, they used red onions for their rings. Now, they use the more traditional brown onion, which is buried inside one of the best breadings to ever cover an onion. They went well with some of the ranch dressing we were provided with. Still one of my favorite onion rings around.

Based on this visit, I'm happy to report that all is well at G Burger. A lot of times, after the initial owners leave, the quality takes a hit. I did not find that to be the case here. I sensed the same finesse when putting the burgers together; the ingredients were fresh and carefully chosen, and they still made their sauces, including one of the best ranch dressings around these parts. Full disclosure, we did try another one of their specials, Chicken Wings and Fries, which were in the testing phase while we were here, and they could have been better. The breading needed to be thicker, and the sauces covering the chicken also needed to be corrected. Definitely stick with their burgers and sides, and you can not go wrong. I'm still sad that the Irvine location closed, but that makes every trip up here to La Habra much more special.

G Burger does not have a website, but you can find out a lot about them from their Yelp page here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/g-burger-la-habra-la-habra

A Piece of Havana on Harbor Boulevard - CLOSED

Moros Cuban Restaurant

1299 South Harbor Blvd. 

La Habra, CA 90631

Yes, it's been a long time since we made it to OC's most northwestern city—the Seattle of the OC if you will. When most people think of La Habra, they almost always question me that this city is not actually in Orange County. Yes, this city contracts with the Los Angeles County Fire Department for fire protection, but trust me, La Habra is in OC.

We had not come this way in over four years when we made our maiden voyage here to visit one of the best burger spots anywhere, G Burger. On this trip, we visited my parents, who live in Yorba Linda, and we all craved Cuban food. A quick search of Yelp brought us to Moros Cuban Restaurant.

Moros is celebrating their 5th anniversary of being in business this year. That's a significant milestone in the challenging restaurant business. Located in a nondescript strip mall, the big draws appear to be a Pizza Hut and Cask and Hammer, an interesting-looking dive bar; this fifth anniversary is even more impressive here, where if you blink driving up Harbor, you might miss this place.

Their website describes their restaurant as a modern take on Cuban cuisine influenced by Spanish and Latin cooking. The kitchen and this restaurant are helmed by Sean Saafan, an Egyptian who moved to New York at 19, attended the French Culinary Institute, and graduated top of his class. This is a pretty impressive resume, and it made us very excited to try the food at Moros.

We arrived at Moros just before 6pm on a recent Saturday. It was not a big place, and I was worried that we would have a long wait, but we just had to wait for one of the 12 tables to be cleared, and we were seated. There's no hostess stand here, and when you walk in, you see the steam tables used for their Sunday buffet. You think you ordered at the counter, but it's waiter service here. Lots of bright colors adorn the space, and the smells from the kitchen really got our mouths watering. We hurriedly made our selections and waited for our food to come out.

Before our food hit the table, we were presented with these Rolls and Black Bean Dip. The rolls had a subtle sweetness, adding flavor to this excellent bean dip. The bean dip appears runny in the picture but has some texture. I ate my fair share of this.

Whenever I think empanadas, I always think of Argentina, but other countries also feature these portable meat-filled pies. Moros offers Beef or Chicken Empanadas ($5 for an order of three), so we had to try both. The better of the two was the beef version, but both suffered from a bland and almost dry outer shell. The chimichurri served with these helped a little bit, but more was needed. These were not filled with enough meat to overcome the outer shell. We'd skip these next time.

You must not skip these Papas Rellena ($5), though. These little balls of deliciousness were filled with ground beef and onions, then encased in mashed potatoes and fried—kind of like a bite-sized version of Sheppard's pie. They were served with a thin white sauce, which coated them well and added some extra flavor. It was a delicious appetizer.

Entrees are up next, and I was a little surprised with my sister's selection, the Churrasco ($19). I can't remember the last time I saw her order steak in a restaurant, so this was something rare, no pun intended. This skirt steak was done to her requested medium and was still pretty juicy and delicious. It came with grilled onions and chimichurri sauce. Skirt steak can sometimes be hit or miss, but this was a winner this evening. It also came with a mound of rice and some delicious plantains. My sister did not eat much of this but took the rest home and enjoyed it the next day.

I wanted to try one of their rice dishes here, but the menu states that they take 30 to 40 minutes, and I did not want everyone to wait for my food, so I went with this Lechon Asado ($14). This marinated pork came topped with onions and a mojo sauce. Some pieces were a little dry, but this was remedied by asking for extra mojo sauce. This was a good-sized portion and very good the next day. The rice here was good, but the plantains were better. Fried nicely and not overly sweet. Just the way I like them.

Both Katie and my mom got sandwiches, so we'll start with Katie's first, the Chicken Sandwich de Moros ($11). This sandwich also includes beef or pork, but Katie's always partial to chicken. The chicken was joined on the toasted bread with plenty of greens, tomato, and their secret sauce. Katie felt the chicken here was a little on the dry side, but she enjoyed the flakiness of the bread. She thought this was a decent chicken sandwich but did not think it was very Cuban. She'd get something else on her next visit here.

My mom is a sucker for Cubano Sandwiches ($11), so I was not shocked to see her order this. The Cuban sandwich is one of the most balanced and delicious sandwiches ever created. You have saltiness from the ham and pork, the tang from the mustard and pickles, the creaminess of the Swiss cheese, and a touch of sweetness from the bread they use. All these components make a pretty awesome sandwich, and this one at Moros was right up there. They use a lot of meat in this, a lot more than we are used to seeing in a Cuban sandwich. It could have been pressed together with a little more, but the abundance of meat probably prevented that. This was served with some long, steak-sized fries, which had a nice crispness to the outside. My mom is more partial to smaller fries but found these to be acceptable. A lot of food here, and half of it got packed away for my dad's lunch the next day.

Speaking of my dad, his entree was the last one to hit the table. It's always a crapshoot about what he will order, but he settled on this Camarones Al Ajillo Con Rum ($16). This shrimp dish with peppers and rum made my dad very happy. The waitress talked him into a lower spice level than he would have liked, but the flavors were still pretty stellar. The shrimp were cooked well, but the sauce made this dish for me. When it was mixed with the rice, it resembled a jambalaya. Very tasty and deceivingly filling.

Moros is different from any Cuban restaurant we have been to before. They definitely nailed what they are going for here, and that's a modern take on Cuban food. The flavors were bold, and some of the meats had some issues, but everything was excellent for the most part. The next time we are here, I'll invest the time and try one of their rice dishes, which looked and smelled terrific when brought out to nearby tables. The prices were more than fair for the amount of food you get here. Service was superb, with Diana taking care of our every need, even on this busy Saturday evening. Glad we made it up here to La Habra again, and it will definitely not be four years before we're back.

Out of five horses (because the La Habra Stakes is run at Santa Anita Park almost every year), five being best to zero being worst, Moros Cuban Restaurant gets 3 horses.

For information about Moros Cuban Restaurant, head to their website here: http://www.moroscubanrestaurant.com/#about

G Burger, the G Stand for Go Now! - CLOSED

G Burger

421 East La Habra Blvd.

La Habra, CA 90631

I know I have been neglecting some of you. I know I claim to be "Eating My Way Through OC," but I have let some of you down. I have missed entire cities in my quest to find our county's best food. Really? I have never been to a restaurant in Brea, but I have been to 2 restaurants in Aliso Viejo?  That does not seem right. I have been to zero places in Los Alamitos but have been to 16 places in Laguna Hills! Ugh, this stops now. There are 34 cities in our great county, and I pledge that I will have reviewed at least one in every one of them as soon as possible. So, let's get to it. La Habra, you are up first.

Our first La Habra joint is the well-reviewed G Burger. I read about G Burger in the OC Weekly, OC Register, and one of my favorite blogs, Eat In OC. This place is known for its great burgers, which have been called the best OC has to offer. We arrived at lunchtime, just as a cop was getting on his motorcycle to resume his duties. My Mom, who was joining me for this lunch, asked him how it was. He smiled, gave us a thumbs-up, and told us it was great. Policemen always know the best places to get their grub on, so I knew we would be in for a treat.

Ordering is done at the counter of this small restaurant. Behind the registers is the large grill, where the workers put together the burgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches. After ordering, we grabbed one of the ten tables in the place and waited for our food to arrive. I can imagine this place gets a little cramped at times, but we found it to be clean and cozy. After about a five-minute wait, our food arrived and looked like this.

To put it literally, I went big here! What you see above is the namesake burger of this restaurant, the G Burger. This hamburger came with everything, and I mean everything. Everything includes house Thousand Island dressing, tomato, sweet pickles, teriyaki glazed mushrooms and onions, homemade Cole slaw, grilled pineapple, fried egg, pastrami, avocado, cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, chili, and an extra hamburger patty for good measure. This was one of the best burgers I have ever had. I thought all the toppings would cancel each other out, but that was not the case. Even with everything on this burger, you can taste the freshness and quality of the meat. The freshness of the toppings came out as well. The bacon's crispness, the pastrami's saltiness, the pineapple's sweetness, and the fresh avocado's creaminess. It was like a chameleon of a burger. Each bite was different and more delicious than the last. I got this burger for the shock value, but I do not think I will get anything but the G Burger on my next visit here.

My Mom was not in the mood for a burger (her loss), but she spied the BLT Ultra-Sandwich and had to have it. She never orders BLTs in restaurants, but this one sounded too good to pass up. This sandwich comprised two types of bacon (applewood smoked and hickory ), lettuce, tomato, chipotle mayo, and avocado. My Mom enjoyed the fresh produce on this sandwich and liked the fact that there was plenty of bacon on it. Nothing is worse than having a BLT sandwich, and they only put 2 or 3 strips of bacon on there. That is not the case here. Also, something needs to be said about the buns here. They were excellent; even with my burger, they stood up to all the toppings. Nice texture, and the bread did its job here.

I had heard of their Onion Rings before I walked in here, so they were a must-try. They do not use the standard onion here at G Burger. They use red onions to make their rings. They also do not use the standard breading; they use cracker meal. The result is a more flavorful onion ring with a breading that sticks to the onion better. The lack of grease surprised me because these rings did not lack flavor. The House Ranch served with these had a great consistency and was a good condiment with these onion rings.

If you could not tell from reading the review above, I really enjoyed this restaurant. We even got to talk with the owner, George, for a little while. He was very gracious when speaking with us. His philosophy with G Burger is that he makes things that he knows he would like. His palate is pretty much dead on. Everything we had on this visit was great. The prices were not too bad either. My burger was $14, but with everything that went on this, it was worth every penny. The BLT sandwich was $6, and all other burgers were under $8. After eating here, I wondered why it took us so long to get to La Habra. It also made me stop and think about what is hidden in the other eight Orange County cities we have yet to get to. Villa Park, we are on our way!

Out of five hibiscus flowers (it is the official flower of the city of La Habra, and I did not want to take the easy way out and make the rating about La Habra's own, Octomom!), five being best to zero being worst, G Burger gets 4 solid hibiscus flowers.

For more information on G Burger, click here: http://www.gburger.com/about_us