Turning the Balboa Fun Zone Into the Burger Zone

 Irv's Burgers

600 East Bay Avenue

Newport Beach, CA 92661

I love burgers, but finding delicious ones is getting harder and harder. Yes, I could go to a steak house, and I'm sure they will have a good burger, but who wants to get all dressed up for a burger. About ten years ago, I could throw a rock in any direction and hit a restaurant that serves a great burger. We had Slater's 50/50, Burger Parlor, Crow Burger Kitchen, G Burger, Mick's Karma Bar, and Vaka Burger, all serving great burgers, but they have all shuttered. They probably were all replaced with a hot chicken restaurant, or at least it feels that way. 

So when I hear about a new burger place opening up, it piques my interest. When I heard that the new burger place had been around for 78 years, I immediately moved it up in my restaurant queue. What got me moving even faster is that the new burger restaurant is located at one of my favorite places in all of OC, the Balboa Fun Zone. A spot that instantly transforms me into an eight-year-old kid playing skeeball in the arcades, riding the Ferris wheel that I swear used to be taller, and eating as many Balboa Bars as humanly possible. 

Irv's Burgers is the new burger spot in Balboa. They opened their first OC outpost in March of this year. They opened in 1946 as Queen's Burgers alongside Route 66 in West Hollywood. In 1970, a man named Irv bought the place and changed its name. He sold the business to the Hong family in 2005, and they operated it until they had some troubles in 2018 and were forced to close. Food entrepreneur Lawrence Longo entered the picture four years later and, after a rebrand, breathed new life into Irv's. They now have seven locations, including ours at the Balboa Fun Zone. 

I visited Irv's before the busy tourist season in Newport. Although they had been open only a month, they already had a steady stream of customers. They are a mere few feet from the Balboa Ferry and the Ferris Wheel I mentioned before. This used to be a pizza place, but I had never been there, always preferring the Ruby's at the end of the pier or the Orange Julius that used to be on the corner of Balboa Boulevard. The seating at Irv's is limited to six swiveling barstools, and I did not see any seating outside on my visit. Plan ahead and bring a blanket and eat on the sand or in the nearby park. 

The menu at Irv's fits right in with the Fun Zone vibe. They offer burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, fries, milkshakes, and floats. Burgers go from anywhere between $4.50 to $11, hot dogs are $5 to $8 for a chili cheese dog, and the most expensive thing on their menu is the pastrami sandwich, which will set you back $15. Combo meals are available. This location also serves breakfast sandwiches and burritos until 11am. I was here, of course, to try their burgers, so let's see how my first visit to Irv's went. 

I was lucky enough to snag one of the six sets at the bar, with a window looking out towards the busy boardwalk. It was excellent for people-watching, but once my food tray arrived, I only had eyes for what was on it. Let's start with the burger. When a burger proclaims itself the best, I need to order it, so I got the Best Burger on the Menu ($10.95) on my maiden voyage to Irv's. This double burger comes with American cheese, grilled onions, and Irv's sauce, all on a toasted sesame seed bun. Who needs lettuce and tomato on a burger? Not me. This is no salad bar. I enjoyed this burger but will tweak it on my next visit. The outer edge of the patties had a slight crispness to them, like a smash burger, but to a lesser degree. The patties inside were juicy and more hefty than you get with a smash burger. The gooey cheese provided a nice blanket around each patty. I will ask for extra Irv's sauce next time, as I can not even describe it because they put so little on this burger. I assume it's like a thousand island sauce, but I'll have to make a return visit to confirm that. The bun was loaded with sesame seeds and was nicely toasted. Delicious burger, check. ✅

Hot dogs must be a tough sell. Every time I find an excellent hot dog restaurant, it closes. I guess there are not too many hot dog fans out there. Maybe trying this Chili Cheese Dog ($8) from Irv's might change their minds. Irv's uses Hebrew National all-beef hot dogs and then covers it with chili and shredded cheddar cheese. I loved the meatiness of the hot dog, the flavorful chili, and the fact that they use grated cheddar cheese instead of a cheese sauce. The bun was unique here, reminding me of what they use when making lobster rolls. It was toasted and did a great job keeping everything inside the bun. Delicious chili dog. Check. ✅ 

Since I had gotten chili on my hot dog, I decided against getting the chili fries and just went with Plain Fries ($4). These fries came out of the fryer very hot and were salted nicely. They were a good fast food fry, but nothing that would elevate them more than that. French Fries. 🆗

I left Irv's very satisfied with my food. I included the ala carte menu prices for the things I had here, but I did get the burger, fries, and a drink as a combo meal, which cost me $16.45. The burger and chili dog from Irv's are superb and among OC's best ones. I look forward to revisiting again soon to try their patty melt, pastrami sandwich, and chili cheese fries. Even though this was a counter-service restaurant, I must mention the guy working the register and handing out food on this particular day. I believe his name was Rico, and he was awesome. He not only kept the line moving and delivered the food as soon as it was ready, but he also memorized everyone's name and, on their way out, asked them how their food was. Very impressive, significantly since the lunch rush was ramping up, and they were getting busier by the minute. Hopefully, the arrival of Irv's Burgers will catalyze a new burger renaissance in OC. 

Out of five lost lids (because 1946 is not only the year that Irv's opened for business, but it's also the year that Tupperware was invented, and many people have lost the lids of these plastic containers over those decades), five being best to zero being worst, Irv's Burgers gets 3.5 lost lids. 

For more information about Irv's Burgers, head to their website by clicking here: https://irvsburgers.com/

Falling in Love With Cupid’s Hot Dogs? - CLOSED

 Cupid's Hot Dogs

106 North Harbor Blvd. 

Fullerton, CA 92832

Hot dogs need to have their moment in the spotlight. Hot chicken sandwiches, bacon on everything, poke, frozen yogurt, and even kale were a thing for a hot minute a while back. What we need now are more hot dog restaurants in OC. With a few exceptions, restaurants relegate hot dogs to the kid's menu or offer one at the bottom of their regular menu as a throw-in. Hot dogs should be front and center more often. Luckily, the people of North OC now have a new option for hot dogs, and it's called Cupid's. 

If Cupid's Hot Dogs sounds familiar, you must have grown up in the Valley. They have been serving hot dogs up there since 1946 and are now being run by the third generation of the Walsh family. I did not grow up in the Valley but had heard of them when I visited PCH Dogs in Orange. Owner Scott Browning grew up there, and when he moved to OC, he missed their hot dogs so much that it inspired him to open his own place. See, the power of the hot dog is a powerful thing. 

A new family has brought Cupid's to OC, but they have been working with the Walsh family to ensure that the consistency is the same here. The menu is similar to the ones in the Valley, with the difference being that the Fullerton spot offers fries, but they don't sell soft-serve ice cream. In the six months they opened, they have amassed a perfect five-star rating on Yelp, which, along with my love of hot dogs, was enough for me to make a lunch date with my parents recently. 

Plenty of parking was in the back of the storefront, but the entrance is on the Harbor Boulevard side. When I was growing up, this was a baseball card shop, and more recently, it was a jewelry store. The long, narrow space is sparsely decorated with their logo on their white walls. A couple of tables and a four-seat counter face one of the walls. There is not much seating, so avoid mealtimes or plan ahead and order to go, as we saw several people do during our visit. 

The menu is really very simple here. They have five hot dogs to choose from, and the sixth is a build-your-own option. Sides include fries, chili, and chips. For those who care, there's no fountain drink service here, as they only have beverages in bottles. With such a limited menu, we quickly made our selections and took the one unoccupied table to wait for our food. 

Let's start out with the Chili Fries ($4.75). With the exception that Cupid's uses crinkle-cut fries, I thought these resembled Tommy's chili cheese fries. The chili had the same taste and texture but needed more cheese to help balance things. This was layered well, so I was not just left with a bunch of fries at the end. The fries stayed crispy throughout my whole time eating this. 

This Reuben Dog ($5.80) missed the mark for me. The hot dog had an excellent snap to it, but the sauerkraut really overpowered here, so I could not taste the mustard or cheese. This hot dog is misnamed, as a true Reuben has Swiss cheese and Russian dressing, not mustard and cheddar cheese. It was okay, but I'd skip this in favor of the two hot dogs still to come. 

My mom is pretty basic regarding what she likes on her hot dogs, so it was no surprise that she opted for the Make It Your Way Hot Dog ($4.85). With this option, you can choose any toppings that you wish. I don't know if this includes chili or if there are any limitations; the menu is a bit vague. My mom went with mustard and light relish on her hot dog. She loved the all-beef hot dog and the pillowy soft bun, which was spongy and held its shape well. Way better than her beloved Weinerschnitzel hot dogs that she has monthly. 

One of the better, if not the best, chili cheese dogs I have had in OC. Their namesake Cupid Hot Dog ($5.35) comes with plenty of chili, onion, mustard, and shredded cheddar cheese. What made this so good? It starts with the all-beef Vienna hot dog that they use here. Its casing really snaps when bitten into, and you can taste the high quality of the hot dog in every bite. The bun held up nicely to the meaty chili. I wish more onions were involved here or placed on top of the chili to get them more involved in each bite. Still an excellent chili cheese dog. 

Based on my chili cheese dog, I can see why people in the Valley are so passionate about Cupid's. Their menu has limited options, but if you crave a hot dog, this place will satisfy those cravings. Service was straightforward, and the price point for some of you might be higher than what you are used to paying at your local Wienerschnitzel, but these are far superior hot dogs and worth the extra dollar or so. I have doubts, but I'm still hoping this might get the ball rolling so that hot dog spots start popping up so I don't have to drive 45 minutes to visit Cupid's every time my hot dog cravings hit.  

Out of five leftovers (because when Cupid's opened in 1946, it was also the same year that Tupperware was invented, which helped keep leftovers fresher longer), five being best to zero being worst, Cupid's Hot Dogs gets 3.5 leftovers. 

For more information about Cupid's Hot Dogs, head to their website here: https://www.cupidsoc.com/

Hooking up for Hot Dogs in Orange

Pacific Coast Hot Dogs

3438 East Chapman Ave. 

Orange, CA 92869 

If there's one thing that south OC needs, it's a good hot dog place. Sure, there's a few restaurants down this way that have a hot dog on their menu, like The Hat, Tommy's, Five Guys, and Hot Off the Grill, but we need a hot dog-centric restaurant. A no-nonsense place where the main focus is hot dogs and no Wienerschnitzel's diminished quality over the last few years does not count. We need a place like Pacific Coast Hot Dogs, which unfortunately is not south of Irvine, but instead resides in the city of Orange. 

PCH Hot Dogs reached out to me recently on Instagram to come by for a visit. It had been seven years since my last visit, so you could say that I was definitely ready to quench my hot dog cravings. I decided I'd meet up with my good friend Rebecca, a long-time Orange resident, one who has passed by this place many times but had never stopped until now. 

Situated as close as you can get to the heavy traffic on very busy Chapman Avenue, PCH celebrated their 25th year in business last year and is still going strong. The man who started it all is Scott Browning, a self-proclaimed hot dog fiend. He was a big fan of the hot dogs at Cupid's in Northridge, where he grew up. When he moved to OC, he was frustrated by the lack of good hot dog spots, (I feel your pain, Scott), and he decided to create his own hot dog legacy. 

This roadside restaurant has nine hot dogs on their menu, fries, and a ground beef taco, which we are told is slowly gaining in popularity. PCH uses Thrifty's ice cream to make floats, freezes, shakes, or, if you prefer, just scoops for those with a sweet tooth. Prices are not growing to break the bank here, as most hot dogs hover around the $4 mark, which is two dollars more than what you can get at Weinrchnitzel, but the quality here is way better. 

Rebecca and I decided on what to have and found a table on their patio, which was shielded from the wind while we caught up with each other's lives and basically just gossiped about all of our old coworkers. We could easily talk for hours, as we did this afternoon, but we also had hot dogs to eat, so let's check out Pacific Coast Hot Dogs. 

Here's what we picked up fresh from the window. We decided to get a nice cross-section of their menu but did not want to make hogs of ourselves, even though I could have totally eaten way more than this, but I did show some restraint for once. Let's dive a little deeper into each item.  

I could sense Rebecca's anticipation of diving into these Chili Cheese Fries ($4.65) as I was snapping my pictures as quickly as I could. The crispy fries, chili, and grated cheese were as photogenic as anything I have eaten recently. The fries were nice and crisp, they layered the chili well so every french fry had some on it, and what made this for me was the hand-grated cheese, which is very rare these days with the popularity of bagged cheese that almost everyone else uses. A very nice start to our visit.   

These two hot dogs look similar, but they are not. The one up at the top is the BBQ Bacon Dog ($5.40) with its slice of bacon, jalapenos, pickle, and barbecue sauce topping the snappy hot dog. I'm not usually a big fan of barbecue sauce, but it worked here, with the tinge of spice from the jalapeno and the smokiness of the bacon. On the bottom is the Tijuana Dog ($5.40), which comes dressed with mustard, diced tomato, grilled onions, and jalapenos. This one showcased the all-beef flavor of the hot dog and the snap of the casing better than the bbq bacon dog. I also have to mention the buns, which were pliable and soft, but still held everything together nicely. 

I did not ask, but I'd bet that the Chili Cheese Dog ($5.40)  is the most popular item on the menu at PCH Dogs. This was filled with chili, grated cheese, onion, and mustard. The chili is very solid, but not overly spicy. It adds good flavor, which goes well with the rest of this hot dog. I appreciated that this is not a sloppy chili dog, one that is so overloaded with chili that most of the chili winds up on the parchment paper as you consume it. This did not happen here, as it had the perfect amount topping it. I easily could have eaten another two or three of these with no problem. 

Since I visited Pacific Coast Hot Dogs, I have lamented the fact that they are not located closer to where I live. It would be so nice to be able to swing by whenever the hot dog cravings set in, but maybe because they are so far away, it makes a trip to PCH seem even more special. Check them out for yourself and let me know what you think of them. Now that Rebecca has tried them out, I'm sure she will be swinging by from time to time. Lucky girl. 

For more information about Pacific Coast Hot Dogs, head to their website here: https://pacificcoasthotdogs.com/home

Burntzilla Is on the Loose - CLOSED

Burntzilla

14413 Culver Drive

Irvine, CA 92606

The new year is full of promise and hope for a remarkable 365 days ahead. As is our custom, Katie and I spend the first day of the year together. We go out for a walk, thinking in the back of our minds that we will make this a habit and walk a few miles every day, which usually only lasts until January 3rd. We also hit a spot on my restaurant wishlist to start the new year.

Our first pick ended up being closed, and our second selection was shuttered on the first day of the year. Did no one want to take our money? The third restaurant we ultimately found was the charm, as we finally got to experience a place I'd wanted to try for a long while, Burntzilla in Irvine.

Burntzilla is a collaboration between two of what some might argue are the most successful OC-based food trucks. I'd go with Slapfish as the most noteworthy truck, but the Burnt Truck and Dogzilla are also right up there. This partnership combines the Burnt Truck's modern take on classics in slider form while adding Dogzilla's Asian twist on its mini hot dogs. After our walk and our misses with closed restaurants on this New Year's Day, I was excited to finally have my first meal of the year.

The Burntzilla menu features 8 sliders, four mini hot dogs, one salad option, and a quintet of sides. There are also two combo options, which allow the indecisive to pick two or three sliders or dogs, depending on how hungry you are, along with an order of fries and a drink. I was initially intimidated by all the choices but quickly zeroed in on what I would be having. We ordered from the cheerful counter girl and found a seat in front of their restaurant, soaking up the sun while we waited nearly five minutes for our food to arrive.

Yeah, our new year never includes the pretense of diet food. Katie selected the Golden Combo ($11 with upgraded loaded fries) for her maiden meal in 2020. You can choose two sliders or zillas, fries, and a drink with this combo. Katie went with the BLT Slider and the Banh Mi Zilla. She enjoyed both of these. The BLT came with precisely what you'd expect from any BLT, but they also added a jalapeno aioli, which gave it a little kick. She added some avocado, which added a nice textural element. A good choice for lighter eaters. The Vietnamese-inspired Banh Mi came with a wonton-wrapped spicy chicken link, pickled carrots and radish, jalapeno cilantro, and garlic aioli. She liked all the layers of texture on this. The pickled veggies dominated a bit, but the chicken link was one of the best she has had. It did not even taste like chicken. The Irish Nachos were more to her liking than mine. The fries are topped with a sharp and pepper jack cheese sauce, squirts of sour cream, crumbled bacon, and chopped green onion. I'm not big on cheese sauce for my loaded fries, but instead, I opted for melted grated cheese. Katie liked these more than the tater tots, which you will see in a moment. I also found that these needed to be layered better, as the bottom portion of the container was just plain fries. 

I had the Big Combo ($13), with three sliders or zillas, tater tots, and a beverage. I also got an extra Slider ($3) on the side. The best of the bunch for me was the Nashville Style Hot Chicken, which cranked up the heat with a spicy, crunchy breading on the chicken, along with a house pickle slaw and spicy Thousand Island dressing. The Street Dog grabs the silver medal as it continues the heat trend with its bacon-wrapped spicy link, avocado, jalapeno cream, pico de gallo, and a little crunch from some tortilla strips placed on top. A lot going on with this textural-wise, and the flavors did not drown each other out like I thought they would. The BBQ Pulled Pork snags the bronze as the third best. The pork was dressed in a barbecue sauce, which overpowered the entire slider, so that was all you tasted. It's not awful, but I would have liked the pork to be the show's star instead of the BBQ sauce. The worst by a long shot was the Cheeseburger, which looks probably like the best based on the pictures above. The Angus beef patty, American cheese, grilled onions, and avocado spread could have made a more significant impression. Very dull. Tater Tots are always very comforting to me; these were no exception. They could have been crunchier, but they were still good.

Burntzilla was an excellent choice for our first meal of the year. I liked almost everything we had here and would come back and try more of their stuff. From what it looks like online, they rotate items on and off their menu rather frequently, which helps keep things fresh for their devoted customers. I do wish that they had bigger versions of their food. A few bites of their Nashville hot chicken sandwich was not enough. I also would have gotten a bigger version of their street dog if it were available, which, from the pictures I have seen of their menu on Yelp from a few years ago, appears bigger versions used to be available but are not presently available. Service was cordial and unobtrusive. I've heard parking in this shopping center can be a little challenging, but since the Trader Joe's was closed on New Year's, we had no problems with parking, but something to be mindful of.

Out of five rakes (because the city of Irvine has nearly 80,000 trees within its borders, and I imagine they need plenty of rakes to clean up around the city), five being best and zero being worst, Burntzilla gets three rakes. 

For more information about Burntzilla, head on over to their website here: http://www.burntzilla.com/

You'll Want More Than Two Minutes at This Penalty Box - CLOSED

The Penalty Box

12900 South Euclid St. 

Garden Grove, CA 92840

I get excited when I hear a new burger and hot dog place opening up in OC. As if you couldn't tell from my ten years writing this blog, I have eaten my fair sure of burgers and hot dogs. I was even more excited when I heard that the team behind one of my favorite fine dining restaurants was behind this concept. Throw in my love for the Anaheim Ducks and their best player of all time, and I literally could not come up with a better combination of my passion for food and sports.

I'm talking, of course, about The Penalty Box at the new SteelCraft communal dining space in Garden Grove. It's brought to us from the talented culinary team behind Selanne's Steak Tavern in Laguna Beach, the brainchild of Kevin Pratt and hockey legend Teemu Selanne. This duo has branched out to put their own spin on the ultimate in American comfort food, burgers, hot dogs, fries, and shakes. Needless to say, I had very high hopes when we were recently invited to try The Penalty Box.

My excitement reached even higher into the stratosphere when I learned my friend Joe and I would meet up with Executive Chef Vince Terusa of Selanne Steak Tavern, who does double duty overseeing the kitchen at The Penalty Box. He makes the trip from his home in Rancho Santa Margarita to Garden Grove in the morning, gets the restaurant up and running, and then travels back down the coast in the afternoon to start his day at Selanne Steak Tavern. I was tired just listening to his workday schedule, but he relished it.

This Garden Grove location is the third SteelCraft urban outdoor eatery, with the other two in Long Beach and Bellflower. They use repurposed shipping containers to house their craft food and beverage vendors. This Garden Grove spot houses not only The Penalty Box but also Cauldron Ice Cream, Renegade Taco, Barrio, a Filipino barbecue joint,  Beachwood Brewing, The Nest, a breakfast place, and other dining options. However, I was 100 percent concentrated on The Penalty Box.

The Penalty Box menu features five pucks (burgers), four sticks (hotdogs), four twig offerings (french fries), and three whipped ice (shakes). There's also a kid's meal and bottled sodas. Joe and I met with Chef Vince, made our selections, and he brought them out to us in less than ten minutes. Let's see if The Penalty Box lived up to my lofty expectations.

The menu lists these as poutines, but they are really loaded fries since no cheese curds or gravy are included in them. Maybe they wanted to give this more of a Canadian hockey feel to them, not that they needed it. This is the "Vladimir" ($10). The base of this was their house Yukon Twists, a thick French fry with a soft and pillowy inside that was way better than any steak fry I've had. They top this with short rib, pickled red onion,  scallion, American cheese, Russian sauce, and cornichon, which I learned is just a fancy way of saying tiny pickles. Google gets the tip for that info. Anyway, everything included here melded well together. The short rib was tender and flavorful, while the pickled red onion and cornichon slightly cut the richness. I feared the American cheese would stick out like a sore thumb, but it played nicely with the well-made Russian sauce. A way more sophisticated version of animal-style fries.

Joe and I split this Triple Deke ($14) since we both got our own burgers and wanted to be kept from being rolled out of SteelCraft with a wheel barrel. After finishing half of this, I wished I had gotten my own. With this one, they take a bacon-wrapped Polish sausage and top it with braised pulled pork, pickled onion, scallion, a three-cheese fondue, and penalty box sauce. Chef Vince told us they source this solid Polish sausage from Texas. It had a great snap to it. The bacon was crisp and went well with the other parts of this loaded hot dog. Definitely one of the best hot dogs I have had this year.

For my burger on this visit, I went with the Broken Rib ($16). This third-pound wagyu burger was accompanied on the bun with a bourbon barbecue short rib, a giant onion ring, smoked gouda fondue, and sin bin sauce to tie everything together. I was expecting a heavier burger when I first read everything that was involved with this. Each bite was better than the next and lighter than I had imagined. The Wagyu beef is high quality, and I'd ask for some extra sin bin sauce the next time I had this. Really a well-crafted burger.

My friend Joe is a very sophisticated eater. While my pockets are littered with receipts from fast food eateries, his pockets are filled with credit card slips from Mastro's, Ironwood, and Fleming's. I'm not trying to embarrass him, but my point is that he knows good food. We both became big fans of this Great Eight Burger ($14). This is the only burger on the Penalty Box menu that does not utilize a beef patty. Instead, it is anchored by an eight-spiced Morrocan lamb patty and accented with roasted piquillo pepper, goat cheese, pickled red onion, rocket, and delectable chimichurri aioli. This had a big-time flavor in each bite, and the lamb patty lacked any gaminess, which can sometimes be a drawback to eating lamb. I also have to shout out to the excellent ciabatta roll that this came on. A very memorable burger, not one that should be missed.

One trip to The Penalty Box was not enough, so I returned the next week to try a little more from their menu. This time, I started with the Goon Fries ($7), their Yukon twists with thick slab bacon, chipotle aioli, cheddar cheese, and a fried egg on top. I liked this, but I liked the Vladimir fries I had on my first trip better. The egg was done perfectly, as the yolk was runny enough to be spread evenly across a large portion of the fries to provide a pleasing richness. The cheese was mellow, but they could have used more chipotle aioli for my taste.

This Barnburner ($9) hot dog was not only delicious but visually stunning as well. The beautifully shining brioche hot dog bun houses an all-beef gourmet hot dog, spicy cream cheese, pickled Fresno chili, braised onions, and sin bin sauce. I was unsure about the cream cheese on this, but it was not a distraction here, and in fact, it added a nice element to the hot dog. This had just enough spice to make it a good choice for people who like a tinge of heat without having to guzzle water right afterward. Very well done.

On my second trip to The Penalty Box, my swan song was this Hall of Famer Burger ($14). I had an excellent expectation for this burger when I read the description of it on their menu. A third-pound wagyu patty with red onion marmalade, American cheese, house pickles, shredded iceberg lettuce, and thick slab bacon. This was good but a little too subtle for my tastes. The bacon was thick and smokey, but I needed more from the red onion marmalade and some of that excellent sin bin sauce. This was definitely the mildest of all the items I had on my two visits to The Penalty Box.

After eating at The Penalty Box, I could feel the fine dining line in the food. These are elevated burgers, hot dogs, and fries. It should not be surprising since the cuisine at Selanne Steak Tavern is world-class, so it logically means that the same culinary team would do the same with the food we grew up with. As one of my favorite hockey players, who also has his name on one of my favorite restaurants, The Penalty Box adds to Teemu Selanne's legacy in Orange County. I can't wait to see what the Great 8 comes up with next.

For more information about The Penalty Box, head to their website here: https://www.penalty-box-oc.com/

A Chili Dog 50 Years in the Making?

Larry's Chili Dog

3122 West Burbank Blvd. 

Burbank, CA 91505

When I started dating Katie over nine years ago now, she was absolutely amazed that I had never been to the San Fernando Valley, or as it's more commonly known as The Valley. I'm not sure why she was so shocked by this. I did not have any family or friends up this way, I really had no business to attend to up here, and there was just no reason for me to be in this part of Southern California.

That was until Katie came into my life. She has a very large extended family that dots almost every city up in The Valley. One of our first trips up here was for a family function where I met at least 50 aunts, uncles, cousins, and longtime family friends. It took me a little bit of time to get to remember all of their names, but I eventually got them all down. One person I never had a problem remembering was Katie's cousin Bridget.

We immediately had a connection due to hockey, but we also enjoyed having a few cocktails, reminiscing about cheesy love songs from the 80's, and of course our love for Katie. So when we were invited to come up to the Valley to celebrate her 50th birthday, I made sure to take the weekend off since I knew it would end up being very hard to get up the next morning due to our excessive celebrating. I also knew this would be an excellent opportunity to try a few places that I have wanted to try for a while.

One of those places was Larry's Chili Dog. This place is pretty iconic in the Burbank area and has also been mentioned in numerous, "best of" and "top ten" lists as having some of the best hot dogs in LA. Larry's has been here since 1952 and has been serving hungry patrons for many generations now, with no signs of stopping anytime soon. Not only do people get pretty pumped for their dogs, but the breakfast burritos have also reached cult status here. Unfortunately, we were not able to make it here before they stop serving breakfast at 11am, but I was still amped up to give Larry's a try.

Larry's is located on the corner of Burbank and Ontario, and if that doesn't help you out, look for the large neon sign with a dog laying across the top of a hot dog. You can't miss it. There's limited parking in the back of the restaurant, but plenty of street parking in the surrounding neighborhood. We arrived here at just after 1pm on a Saturday, and there definitely was a very steady stream of people getting their hot dog fix. Ordering is done at the window, and then you take a seat at one of the ten or so tables and wait for your food to be brought out to you. Let's see if Larry's is worthy of being mentioned on the list of great chili dogs in LA.

I know I promised you hot dogs, but Katie was a little worried about how her body would react to hot dogs and wanted to try something lighter since she knew we would be up rather late for Bridget's big party. She decided on this Turkey Wrap with Avocado ($7.55). Not sure why they did not include the avocado inside the wrap, but she really enjoyed this a lot. Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, mayo, and mustard were wrapped around a garlic pesto tortilla for this one. Fresh ingredients and a solid wrap, but nothing really made this pop. A good alternative for people that want to eat a little lighter at Larry's and don't want to order a salad.

Now, this is much more representative of what Larry's is known for. Chili-palooza was in full effect with my order. I got the #5 Chili Cheese Dog Combo with Chili Cheese Fries ($8.99). The chili dog came with a little bit of mustard, onions, and of course chili and cheese. I did a little bit of research online and found out that they use Hoffy brand for their hot dogs. It had a good initial snap to it and a good beefy flavor. The chili tasted exactly like the chili at Tommy's, but maybe a tinge lighter. The bun was sturdy and kept everything together well. The chili fries came out scaldingly hot. As much as I wanted to dig right in and try them, they did not stop steaming for a good five minutes. The fries were obviously from the freezer, but they were fried nice and crisp and kept their crispness even under the ladled chili and grated cheese. The chili was evenly dispersed so every french fry got a little of the chili and the cheese. Again, these reminded me almost exactly of the chili fries at Tommy's, but not as heavy as the chili at Tommy's. Really good and a good base for all the cocktails I would be enjoying a little later in the evening.

Just for good measure, I had to give the Louisiana Hot Link ($5..75) a try. If the chili cheese fries came out hot, this hot link was on fire. I let it cool off for a long while before attempting my first bite of this. It had a good casing with spicy meat beneath it. The hot link came dressed simply with mustard and onion. Pretty good sized and I think I might get this next time with chili and cheese for the ultimate Larry's experience.

Larry's is right up there with some of the best chili dogs I have had. If you are a fan of Tommy's, you will definitely enjoy the chili dogs at Larry's. I still have to give the chili dog crown to Fab Hot Dogs, which is home to the Texas Burrito Dog which is two chili cheese hot dogs wrapped in a tortilla and is still one of the best things I have eaten n the last nine years of writing this restaurant blog. Back to Larry's though. I thought the prices were more than fair here and the service was pretty good. There was a pretty big lag time from the time we ordered to our food arriving at our table, but luckily we were not in a hurry. You could also call your order in ahead of time to combat this from happening to you. Larry's was an excellent spot to lay the groundwork for what I knew was going to be a long night celebrating Bridget's big 50.

Out of five potatoes, (because the year this restaurant opened for business, 1952, was also the first year that the popular toy Mr. Potato Head was first sold), five being best to zero being worst, Larry's Chili Dog gets 3 potatoes.

For more information about Larry's Chili Dog, head to their website here: https://larryschilidog.com/

Mixed Review of Crocker's

Crocker's The Well Dressed Frank

211 Marine Ave. 

Newport Beach, CA 92662

I never feel like we take enough advantage of our coastline. Katie and I might be nicknamed the pasty posse because we burn within minutes of being exposed to the sun, but we seriously love being down at the beach. Taking advantage of the cool ocean breezes, getting a little exercise, and the general feeling of a mini getaway that the seashore can inspire makes us grateful for being able to call OC home. One of our favorite seaside strolls is around Balboa Island, which also gave us an opportunity to cross Crockers off of our restaurant wishlist.

Crocker's earned their way on to our list when they got a glowing review from who I believe was OC Register Restaurant Critic Brad Johnson for their Chili Burger and their Chicago Dog. I quickly made a note and it sat on our list for a while.

Crocker's has been open for three and a half years now and is owned by Victoria and John De Frenza, who named their restaurant after Victoria's grandfather, who just happened to be the first paid Fire Chief on Balboa Island. It's this nostalgia that has inspired their menu of pure American comfort food. Burgers and hot dogs headline here, but there are a few sandwiches, sausages, and a couple of seafood options as well. We also hear that they make a pretty decent clam chowder, which we didn't try on this trip, but maybe will in the future when it cools down a bit.

To be honest, this is not the most comfortable of restaurants. Not good for large groups for sure, there's one table for four, one that sits two, and some counter seating facing a wall. If things do get a little tight here, we've heard that you can also order and sit at their restaurant next door, the slightly larger Croker's Abundant Table. Other than those options, it might be wise for locals to do what we saw a lot of people doing, getting their food for takeout. We got lucky and got one of the two tables, so let's see if our luck would hold with a great meal at Crockers.

I must admit that I was a little taken aback when Katie got the Chief's Chicken Sausage ($9). Not the most photogenic of sausages, this albino looking sausage came with Swiss cheese, thousand island dressing, warmed kraut, and a poppy seed bun. Katie liked the snap of this mellow chicken sausage, which went well with the Rueben feel of this. She also mentioned the bun as a standout.

I was all set to try the Chicago dog before arriving here but switched it up at the last minute to this Wild and Wet Chili Dog ($9). This steamed skinless frank came with chili, shredded cheddar cheese, diced onions, and a strip of bacon perched on top. This was a very good version of a chili dog. It starts with the bun, which was freshly baked, soft, but pliable, and I have a sneaky suspicion that they might come from Blackmarket Bakery, but I don't have any official confirmation on this. Whoever makes them, they are excellent. The chili is pretty good, not of a spicy variety, but still flavorful. I had wished that the bacon would have been tucked into the bun so I could have it included in each bite, but still satisfying.

As much as I enjoyed the chili dog, I was underwhelmed by George's Patty Melt ($11.50). This half-pound burger was seriously underseasoned, and the Swiss, onions and thousand island dressing could not salvage this. The bread was very sturdy, but that's about as memorable as this sandwich gets. Should have gotten the chili burger instead.

Rounding out our meal was these Fries ($5). I rather enjoyed these fries seasoned with parsley and sea salt. They had a great crunch to them, while the potato inside was pillowy soft.

Looking back over this visit, I should have probably stuck with the items that I was gonna try when I first came here, the chili burger and the Chicago dog. Even though the chili dog shined, I'm not sure it was a $9 chili dog. In fact, I think most of the prices were a few dollars too much for the amount of food you get, but you have to consider the high rents in this touristy area. Service was pretty solid, and the food came out in a pretty timely manner. Even though Crocker's did not blow us away, it was great getting out and enjoying Balboa Island, one of our favorite beach spots.

Out of five boxes of cake mix, (because whenever I hear the name Crocker, it always brings to mind the advertising icon, Betty Crocker of General Mills fame), five being best to zero being worst, Crocker's The Well Dressed Frank gets 2.5 boxes of cake mix.

For more information about Crocker's The Well Dressed Frank, head to their website here: http://crockersfranks.com/