Re-Peter Visit to Peter's Gourmade

Peter's Gourmade Grill

14311 Newport Ave.

Tustin, CA 92780

There is always something going on at Peter's Gourmade. This eatery started in a gas station on McFadden Avenue, not far from their current location. After being written up in OC Weekly, and numerous other print media and blogs, their business swelled. They gained a reputation for serving some of the best burgers and sides in the area.

Then the Valero gas station closed, but they remained open filling hungry patrons' stomachs. According to Peter's Gourmade web site, the new owner of the gas station raised their rent, demanded that they pay all of the utilities on the property, and refused to come to a sensible lease agreement. Needless to say, they needed to find another location, and that is what they did. Just a few blocks away, in the old Masala Bowl location.

While all of this was going on they opened a location in Newport, just steps away from the Balboa Ferry. This was the establishment that I visited when I first tried Peter's Gourmade. Unfortunately, we were not satisfied with that experience. They were out of nearly all of the ingredients for their signature items. They did not even have utensils for both of us. You can read that review here. Even with this sour taste in our mouths, we were willing to give Peter's another try. So we headed to their new location.

We got to the restaurant at about 6 on a Friday night. This little corner strip mall is at an awkward-looking intersection that really sneaks up on you. I never went to their location in the gas station, but I heard that it was a 100 square foot space, so this place must feel so roomy compared to that place. This place is not huge though. They have 6 tables in here. Ordering is done at the counter and then brought out to the table. Let's see if this time our visit is better.

Let's start with the sides first. Last time we were at Peter's, this was the only item we really liked, Peter's Greek Fries ($6.25). Lightning definitely struck twice, because these were just as good the second time around as well. They lay down a bed of french fries and top them with gyro meat, tomatoes, onions, feta cheese, and Greek oregano, then you also get a homemade tzatziki sauce. The skinny fries are overshadowed by the fantastic and plentiful gyro meat. I really wish more restaurants would add this to their menus, but it would probably not be as good as this. This is a must get when coming to Peter's.

Anthony and Sabrina consider themselves connoisseurs of humus, so it was no surprise that they ordered it here. Maria's Hummus ($4.75) is whipped up and topped with Greek olive oil and Kalamata olives. The garlic is very prevalent here. This hummus is smooth and went well with the freshly sliced pita bread. The serving size for this was very generous.

I might have found my favorite way to eat sweet potato fries. If you are a loyal reader of this blog you know I am not too fond of the sweet potato, but at Peter's, I was introduced to the Sweet Potato Gooey's ($6.50). I was basically alone in my love for these unusual fries though. Others at the table were not so excited by these, including sweet potato loving, Katie who said, "she was not feeling the sweet and saltiness of these". I, on the other hand, could not stop eating these sweet potato fries which were covered with brown sugar, maple syrup, and toasted marshmallows. Really more of a dessert than a side dish, these reminded me of a Thanksgiving dish.

Sorry for the lackluster picture of the Basil Chicken Sandwich ($6.79). This was a popular sandwich night because both Katie and Sabrina ordered it. This sandwich featured lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese, and house-made basil mayo, on a Parmesan sourdough. Both girls thought this sandwich was good. They really liked the basil mayo, calling it, "tasty". Sabrina really liked that they used shredded lettuce here. They both liked the sourdough bread, but it really filled them up. Both girls would get this sandwich again.

Last time we went to Peter's Gourmade location in Balboa, I could not have the item they were most famous for, because they were out of cheese and avocado, but I was not to be deterred a second time. The ABC Burger ($6.25), comes with avocado, bacon, cheese, mayo, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, onion, and Dave's spicy pickle chips. This burger lived up to the hype. The patty was seasoned well, the flavors melded together nicely, and the potato bun really kept things together here. The avocado was not as prominent as I thought it would be, but I could see why this burger is all the rage. I scarfed this down quickly.

The last sandwich of the night belongs to Anthony, the Patty Melt ($5.75). Here they take a six-ounce all-beef Angus patty, grilled onions, and American cheese, then place it on corn rye bread. Anthony really liked the meatiness of this patty melt, along with the portion size. Not the best patty melt he has had, but definitely a solid sandwich.

This was more of what I thought our experience at Peter's Gourmade would be. Glad we made a second trip to this location. Maybe since they do not have an extra location to worry about, and a bigger space to store items, they have it more together now. The burgers and side items were all that they were billed to be. All of the items we had were solid choices, and we would not hesitate to come back here. The restaurant is small, and I am sure they get a little busy and cramped during meal times. Spoiled Sabrina wanted me to let everyone know that they serve Royal Crown soda products here, which she is not a fan of. Wow, there is just no pleasing some people! Hopefully, Peter's Gourmade will not have to move for a while and keep serving their good food.

Out of five gas pumps, (in homage to their former location), five being best to zero being worst, Peter's Gourmade Grill gets 3 gas pumps.

For more information on Peter's Gourmade Grill, click here: https://gourmadegrill.com/Welcome.html

For Pete's Sake, an Awful Time at Peter's Gourmade! - CLOSED

Peter's Gourmade Grill

600 East Bay Ave. Ste. A7

Newport Beach, CA 92661

I am not going to sugar coat this review. I was more than a little upset after leaving Peter's Gourmade Grill. I had heard all of the great reviews. I had seen all the wonderful pictures of the burgers. I admit I was already writing a positive review in my head even before walking in the joint. All the fanfare, all the high hopes, dashed like most of my favorite sports teams success this year, (a tough year for my Ducks and Jaguars, but I will save that topic for when I start a sports blog).

By now I am sure that you know the story of Peter's Gourmade Grill. Opened in a Valero gas station in Tustin, this tiny 100 square foot restaurant got food critics and bloggers talking by serving up gourmet burgers, sandwiches, and fries. The gas station closed down, and they were still serving food out of the tiny space. New owners came in, the lease agreement became in doubt, and finally, according to Peter's Gourmade website, the relationship with the new owners became toxic, and they decided to relocate to the corner of McFadden and Newport Avenue. This location opens later this month.

While all this craziness was going on with the Tustin location, they managed to open up a second location at the Balboa Fun Zone. Near where the carousel used to turn, this is a bigger location for Peter's. Plenty more storage space than the digs in Tustin. This area of some of my favorite childhood memories would soon become one of my worst as a food blogger.

We arrived at 6:30 on a colder than normal, Saturday night. The Balboa area was not deserted, but foot traffic was not what it would normally be on a warmer night. We got to Peter's, and there were two tables of four eating their food. Stepping up to the counter to order, I already knew what I was having. The iconic ABC Burger. Denied. I was told they were out of avocado and cheddar cheese. Okay, a little disappointed, but stuff happens. I will take a Rammer Burger. No can do. They are out of pastrami, and they do not have Swiss cheese. In fact, we are told they have no cheese on the premises other than Feta. So, with such a limited menu, this is what we decided to consume.

I finally settled on a Mushroom Swiss and Bacon Burger. The burger did have a good taste, but without the cheese on this burger, it was really salty. The patty was way over seasoned. I am sure the Swiss would have mellowed this out a little bit, but of course, that is conjecture on my part. I did find the potato bun a nice touch.

Katie got a little creative with her Veggie Burger. She added Feta cheese to it. Like me, she felt this burger was very salty, and the patty fell apart on her.

The only item we ended up coming here for, and actually getting was Peter's Greek Fries. These shoestring fries were topped with gyro meat, tomatoes, feta cheese, onion, oregano, and served with homemade Tzatziki sauce. These fries saved our trip from becoming a complete bust, they were great as advertised. The gyro meat was very tender and tasted great, the Tzatziki sauce really balanced this out wonderfully. Unfortunately, we got their last fork in the entire place, so we had to take turns eating this. One fork in the entire place, really?

The menu at Peter's is not the largest, and it is made considerably smaller when they are out of basic things, such as cheese and pastrami. Out of the seven burgers on their menu, five of them have either cheese or pastrami. That works out to them being out of 72% of their burgers, as written on their menu. Throw in the fact that they were out of lids for soft drinks, there aforementioned lack of forks, and the marshmallow they used in the interesting sounding  Sweet Potato Gooey's, and it is a wonder that this place is open at all. They even had another two hours until closing time. What would they be serving by the end of the night, mustard, and ketchup sandwiches?

I know ordering in a restaurant can be hard. I am sure that it is difficult to predict how many people will come through the door. I am sure it is tough to control shrink. But not having forks and lids? These things do not go bad. The only thing I can think is maybe they are spread too thin, or maybe they are so intent on opening the Tustin location on time that they have let this place go. The crew of two workers here did not seem to care in the least that they were out of so many things. They spent almost all of our visits talking to their friend, rather than going out and getting supplies. It may not be their job to make sure supplies and food are stocked, but they did not seem bothered by it in the least.

Will we try Peter's Gourmade again? Yes, we will, but not this location. They have a lot to prove to us when the new restaurant opens up. Hopefully, they will be able to focus all their attention on the new place. I look forward to finally trying the ABC Burger, the Gooey Fries, and their specials. I just hope they remember to order enough for a whole day's worth of business.

Out of five slices of cheese, (so it might remind them to order enough next time), five being best to zero being worst, Peter's Gourmade Grill gets 1.5 slices of cheese, (or one and a half more than they had in the entire restaurant the night we were here!).

For more information on Peter's Gourmade Grill, click here: https://gourmadegrill.com/Welcome.html