Starting a New Burger Quest at BLK Burgrz - CLOSED

BLK Burgrz

27742 Antonio Parkway

Ladera Ranch, CA 92694

The OC Register's restaurant reviewer, Brad A. Johnson, recently wrote about his top ten destination burgers. Burgers he feels are worth the drive. These are not fast food burgers, but burgers that are more expensive than what you are used to paying, but he reasons that you get what you pay for with these burgers, and I agree with him on that point. I won't shy away from spending $20 on a burger as long as it is worth it. One place that was high on Brad's list is right around where we live and has been on our list of places to try, so we met some friends on a recent Friday night at BLK Burgrz.

I usually give a restaurant six months to iron out their issues before coming in to review them. I had a hard time waiting six months with this place. I had kept hearing such good things about their burgers, but I stayed away until now. Now open for over six months, we showed up without a reservation on a recent evening. We were told the wait would be close to an hour and a half, but we were determined, so we put our names in. Luckily, it was only an hour's wait, and we had plenty to discuss with our good friends Tom and Daniele.

BLK is housed in the former Newport Rib Company spot we reviewed about four years ago. Man, time flies. I barely remember what it was like back then, but now, the restaurant's focal point is the front patio. There's a fantastic vibe out there, with music around eight. We were going to be talking, so we sat inside. It's a small restaurant inside, with maybe 12 or so tables. We sat at this irregularly shaped high top, which I doubted would fit the four of us, but we made it work.

The menu at BLK is geared towards burgers, but they also have some salads, chicken, and steak dishes for the three people who do not enjoy burgers. This is a proper build-a-burger restaurant. Much like Slater's, they have a checklist for creating your burger masterpiece. You choose the size, style, and condiments you want to partake in. I'm always a little nervous that I'm going to screw up my burger when I order like this, especially since you can have as many toppings as you want here because they're all included in the price of the burger. It's a lot of pressure. Let's see how I handled the pressure when our food started to come out.

One tip I gleaned from reading others' reviews about BLK is that you should forgo the appetizers here because the House Made Chips are so good and free. Think of this as their version of a bread basket. These chips are fried crisp, made fresh, and sprinkled with ranch dressing powder. It took a long time for our food to come out, so we went through four baskets of these, or as Tom put it, a basket per person. That did not make me feel too good, but the chips were addictive, and I was hungry. These were made even better when Tom asked for a side of spicy ketchup, which added a flavor boost to these chips.

We usually do not drink too much when we go out, but it was Friday, we were with Tom and Daniele, so it felt right to have a few cocktails. The big lush Katie had a Virgin Moscow Mule ($8). Since it's a virgin beverage, this one has ginger beer and lime juice. She seemed to like this, though. My first drink was the BLK Mai Thai ($9). This was a delightful version of a Mai Thai. Tom started with a fruity martini called the Frenchie ($9), but he soon finished that and switched to a more manly beer. He seemed pleased with the beer list here. Daniele started with the Cucumber Mojito ($8), then switched to the Orangesicle ($8), and I followed suit and had one of those too. My first sip of this brought me back to when I was eight and having a 50/50 bar on a trip, we took to Mission Beach way back in the day. This was definitely my favorite drink of the night.

The burgers finally hit the table, and we'll start with a shot of Tom's creation. I'm not sure of all that he added to this 3/4 LB Burger ($20), but I spotted bacon, cheddar cheese, jalapenos, fried egg, and mixed greens, all on a cheddar bun, which Tom questioned whether this was a cheddar bun at all. He seemed pleased with this burger but took half of it home. Burgers here include one side, so Tom counteracted all the chips he ate with a side salad. Good plan, big guy.

Katie went with one of BLK's stuffed burger options, the Garlic Roasted Red Pepper Burger ($18). Here, the garlic and red pepper are blended into the beef. This made the patty very juicy and flavorful. She kept it simple with the toppings, lettuce, and Swiss cheese and asked for the garlic aioli and lemon caper spread on the side to control how much went on this burger. The aioli was her favorite out of the two. She liked the bun and felt it did a great job keeping everything together. For her side item, she opted for onion rings, which were crispy while allowing the onion flavor to come through. She left here pretty satisfied with this burger experience.

Man, I had difficulty picking what I wanted for my burger here. I went pretty basic. I had the Three Quarters Pound Burger ($20) like Tom. My basic burger included guacamole, cheddar cheese, bacon, red onion, and Thousand Island dressing. I liked that they did not drown this burger with toppings. They were present but kept the great Wagyu beef used here. The meat was juicy and cooked to my desired medium temperature, and the toppings went well with the meat. When I saw the bun, I was afraid it would be too dull, but it impressed me with its sponginess and structure. After Brad Johnson raved about the fries, I knew I had to try them. He was right. These fries are hand-cut and fried very well. They were not too greasy, had a nice crunch, and were fantastic with more garlic aioli. Really a solid burger and fries.

After eating a big burger and all those chips, I was not totally ready for dessert, but when I saw that they had a BLK Hot Fudge Donut Sundae ($8) on the menu, I got a second wind. This was not a donut but more of a cronut, the trendy hybrid of a croissant and a doughnut that swelled with popularity last year. Flaky layers were dusted with cinnamon and sugar and then topped with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate fudge. I liked my first introduction to a cronut. The layers were easy to get through, and the ice cream was plentiful, but I would have liked a little more chocolate. Good finish to our meal, though.

BLK Burgrz impressed us. It's the kind of restaurant I will need to visit a few times to find my perfect burger, but I will enjoy the delicious journey. I look forward to trying their stuffed burgers on future visits, and I'll be brave enough to attempt their deep-fried burgers, which sounds awesome. For those of you who bristle at paying $20 for a burger, these are worth it. You get to add whatever toppings you want, and you also get to choose a side to go along with the burger. It is only a couple dollars more than what you would pay at Island's or Ruby's. As with new restaurants, and this one is still relatively new, some kinks still need to be worked out. The service on this night was okay, but our food did take a long time to come out, and our server was gone for long periods. It also might be nitpicky, but the water glasses were so tiny that they sat empty for extended periods (why no ice for the water? I thought it was odd). In the end, though, we can not wait to return to BLK, just like we can't wait to tackle more of Brad Johnson's list of destination burgers. Hope they are all as good as this one.

Out of five airplanes (because BLK is also the airport code for Blackpool International Airport, located on England's West Coast), five being best to zero being worst, BLK Burgrz gets 3.5 airplanes.

For more information about BLK Burgrz, go to their website here: http://www.blkburgrz.com/

No Need to Trip at SeaLegs - CLOSED

SeaLegs Wine Bar

21022 Beach Blvd. 

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

I'm not going to lie to you. I was not too excited to come to SeaLegs Wine Bar. I'm not really a wine kind of guy. I'd be much more happy with beer or rum. I know it's probably not a shock to anyone that I'm also way more into food than wine, and it's been my experience that when a place focuses so much on wine, the food is usually an afterthought. I can admit when I am wrong though, and boy I was definitely wrong when it came to SeaLegs.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Since SeaLegs opened up just over two years ago they have won praise from people on Yelp, have won a Golden Foodie Award, and been on numerous top ten lists for their wine and food. My fellow OC food bloggers have all really enjoyed their visits here, and it was definitely time for us to see what all the hoopla was about at SeaLegs.

SeaLegs is located in the last shopping center before you hit the water on Beach Boulevard at Atlanta. This shopping center is also home to Mama's on 39,  Las Barcas, and Boardwalk Burgers and Fries. I'll tell you, I could almost spend a year just writing about the restaurants on Beach Boulevard, there are so many to choose from around here. Even with all of these dining choices, SeaLegs had quite a crowd on the recent Wednesday evening we showed up to check out their new Spring/Summer menu offerings.

The first thing I noticed after we were seated was that this was not as stuffy as other wine bars I have visited. This restaurant was loud, which brought life to it. I immediately felt comfortable here. SeaLegs had a kind of Hampton's or Cape Cod feel to it, without the hassle of flying cross country. The focal point of SeaLegs is the beautiful wine case behind the bar. After I got settled in, I became aware that SeaLegs had a ratio of six women to every man, so if you are a single guy, this might be the place for you to find your other half. I already found my other half, so I was definitely focused more on the food that was making it's way out to our table. Let's see if it will be a match made in heaven.

I never order artichokes in restaurants, but that might change after trying this Grilled Heirloom Artichoke ($12). This huge artichoke was served with a wonderful basil aioli. Grilled perfectly, this artichoke was very meaty, and was made even better with a few squirts of the grilled lemon provided. Really a tasty starter, and more than enough for both Katie and I. They paired this with a Chasewater Reisling ($9). Reisling might be my favorite kind of wine. This one was light, with hints of apple in the background. I was pretty happy Katie allowed me to finish off her glass of Reisling.

Coming out the same time as the artichoke, a new edition to the Spring/Summer menu at SeaLegs are these Grilled Turkey Meatballs ($12). When I think of turkey meatballs, I always think they are going to be bland, but that was not the case here. The meatball had a hint of sweetness, which I thought could be from a hint of cinnamon. These meatballs came with a harissa and tzatziki sauce, which kind of gave these a Moroccan tinge to them. The harissa had a nice spice, while the tzatziki sauce cooled things down a bit. The meatball itself was fork tender. Very tasty.

The next course came out lead by Rebel Coast's Reckless Love Cabernet Blend ($21). This cab possessed a rich aroma, but was not too heavy. Full of flavor, this really coated the mouth on the way down, and the bottle even glows in the dark. This fun winery does not take themselves too seriously, and it's definitely worth a visit to their website here: http://rebelcoastwinery.com/. This blended cab was paired with a Farm Fresh Vegetable Flatbread ($14). I'm usually a little leery when it comes to flatbreads with just veggies on them, but I liked this one. This flatbread started with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and was then topped with heirloom grape tomatoes, asparagus, shredded zucchini, micro arugula, basil, and herb oil. The produce that topped this was very fresh, and the asparagus had a nice crispness to it. The cheeses added a smokiness, which went well with the sweetness from the tomatoes. I'm not turning my back on meat, but this flatbread has taught me that vegetables can be my friends too.

They must have known that I was craving meat, because the Charred Filet Medallions ($16) came out next. These billiard ball sized pieces of filet were topped with a pickled onion and a sweet red wine demi-glaze. The meat was tender, the sauce was sweet, and the pickled onions added some unexpected flavor to this. My favorite item of the night was up next, the Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus ($12). This blew me away. The prosciutto was crisped, the asparagus retained a juiciness, and the inclusion of the roasted tomato and sunflower seeds rounded this out perfectly. Such a simple dish, but one I have thought about regularly since we left SeaLegs.  I must have still been in an asparagus stupor, because I did not snap a picture of the wine that we had this round. It was Boeger Winery's Barbera ($14), which had the sweet aroma of burnt creme brulee running through it, but when consumed it was not as sweet as expected.

I was sad that we were nearing the end of our first SeaLegs experience, but this Pina Colada Cake ($10) helped to soften the blow somewhat. This is new to the menu, but I feel it should stay on for a long time. This cake had pineapple running through the middle of it, sandwiched between two moist layers of cake, and topped with a coconut cream frosting. After eating so much food, I was happy this cake was very light, but still had just the right amount of sweetness to it. It will be hard not to have this cake on my future visits here, but I'm going to have to try their carrot cake soon.

I left SeaLegs a little bitter that I had not been here until now. All that wasted time not coming here, because I thought they would be too focused on their wine to care about the food. Chef Alexander Dale has convinced me that I was wrong about my assumptions. Everything we had on this night was top notch. We are really looking forward to coming back again real soon to try some of their other menu items, like their Bleu Sliders, Lump Crab Cakes, and their Truffle Mac and Cheese. I wouldn't call these small plates, but they are not full sized entrees either. The dishes here promote sharing with your tablemates. I can definitely see both Katie and I coming here and ordering three plates to share between us, and if one of them is the prosciutto wrapped asparagus, then she will only have the choice of the other two plates. I really loved that asparagus.

We would really like to thank everyone at SeaLegs for the wonderful hospitality that we experienced on this night. The staff made sure that all of our needs were met, and that we enjoyed everything. Our waiter, Jeff was very knowledgeable about the entire menu, as well as all the wines. We also need to acknowledge our hostess for the evening, the very personable Lauren Henry. Even with it being a busy night here at SeaLegs, she took the time to check on us often, and answer all of our silly questions. She not only did this with us, but we saw her do this all over the restaurant with all of the customers. Lastly, we need to express our gratitude to the great Janet Pacheco for setting up this tasting of the Spring/Summer menu. Thanks for everything Janet.

If you would like to experience SeaLegs for yourself, find out more about them here: http://www.sealegswinebar.com/.

Family Celebration Time at North Woods Inn

Clearman's North Woods Inn

14305 Firestone Blvd. 

La Mirada, CA 90638

You have probably passed by it a million times. The snow covered restaurant off of the 5 Freeway going towards LA. It's right where the traffic always seems to start backing up entering Norwalk and all points beyond. Why is this section of the freeway only three lanes wide, when it should be about six lanes across? Okay, that's the end of my traffic rant for now, but if any of you work for Caltrans, can you please put in my request for more lanes on the 5 Freeway?

Anyways, back to the snow covered restaurant at the Valley View exit of the freeway. Clearman's North Woods Inn seems to have been around forever. The truth is, it has only been in this location for 25 years now. Yes, that's a long time in the restaurant business, but it really does seem like I have seen this restaurant since I was a kid. In those 25 years, my family and I have celebrated numerous birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations here. The reason for this visit, more of the same, celebrating Katie's birthday and my sister's anniversary.

North Woods is part of the Clearman's Restaurant Group, which operates two other North Woods locations, (Covina and San Gabriel), along with Steak N Stein in Pico Rivera, and the Galley, which is also situated in San Gabriel, and is more of a casual sports bar type of place. The menus in their restaurants are all kind of similar; steaks, seafood, and sandwiches dominate the menu, but what really gets people talking are their side items that come with the dinners. More on them later.

We got to North Woods just after 3PM on a recent Sunday afternoon. We went with this unusual time to maybe avoid the crowds. Mission accomplished. We were almost the only party in the restaurant, but as we were leaving, it started to fill up. Waits for tables here can get pretty long during peak meal hours. Once you enter North Woods, the hunting lodge feel continues inside. It always seems to take awhile for my eyes to adjust to this dark restaurant. We got here so early that there were very little peanut shells on the sawdust covered floor, but we made quick work of that. Snowshoes, Tiffany lamps, and stained glass windows lend to the cabin decor here, which has never changed, much like the staff, which we have seen from year to year. Also not changing is the menu. With so many trips here over the years, I pretty much knew what I would be ordering when I walked into North Woods. Let's see if this visit would be the same as all of our previous ones.

Whether waiting for your table to be ready, sitting in the bar, or seated at your table, you will definitely have the opportunity to eat peanuts and throw the shells on the floor. Go ahead, there are signs letting you know that it's okay to dispose of the shells all over the restaurant. These unsalted peanuts are okay. Wish they were salted, but I found myself grabbing a couple of handfuls while waiting for our food to come out.

Whenever you run into someone that has been to North Woods, the first thing they instinctively bring up first are the side items that come with all of the meals here. The two salads and bread are all refillable, which really helps squash any family squabbles over who would get the last piece of bread. The salads are a Pickled Cabbage Salad and a House Salad, which kind of has a mild blue cheese dressing that they add liberally. There's really just one way to eat these salads, and that's to mix them together. They go so well together, the slightly sour taste of the pickled cabbage, and the tangy house salad. If you eat these salads separately, you are doing it wrong. There is however no way to eat their famous Cheese Bread wrong. Even though you have a meal coming, it's impossible to not fill up on this bread. Even writing this a few weeks later, I can still taste this cheese bread in my mind. Sourdough bread is topped with a cheese spread that bakes into the bread perfectly after it is placed under the broiler. Delicious, and one of the best bread baskets ever. I probably had six slices of this while eating here.

We'll start off the entree portion of this review with my niece's selections off of the kid's menu. Both Kaylie and Lillie had different kinds of chicken. Seven year old Lillie tried the Chicken Strips ($6.95). She's a pretty picky eater, but managed to eat a good number of the fries, and one whole chicken strip. She liked the barbecue sauce they used here. Kaylie is a much better eater, and really enjoyed the Kid's Fried Chicken Dinner ($6.95). She devoured the leg, and many of the french fries, but her Dad took the breast for lunch the next day.

Kind of a boring looking plate, my sister and mom split the Steak Chunks on a Skewer ($23.95). With this dinner you get two skewers that contain three chunks of meat on them. This is the perfect dish for those with tiny appetites, or people that filled up on the bread and salads. This plate, like all the dinners include Rice Pilaf and a Baked Potato. Unless you absolutely love traditional toppings on your potato, get the same cheese spread that is so good on the bread, slathered on top of your potato. It brings the baked potato to life.

Both my dad and brother-in-law got the same thing also, the North Woods Scallops ($29.95). This dinner came with about seven golf ball sized scallops on each plate. I tried these and thought they were a little rubbery, and not as flavorful as I would have liked. If it weren't for the breading, these would have been pretty boring. My brother-in-law said he would stick with a steak on his next visit.

Katie was a little taken aback at the sheer size of her Fried Chicken Dinner ($19.95). Yes, that's four pieces of nicely fried chicken on her plate. This chicken was not overly breaded, lacked a greasiness, and most pieces were pretty tender, with only the large breast kind of a little on the dry side. It's probably heresy to say this, but this fried chicken almost rivals the one served down the freeway at the famous berry theme park. When I don't get steak at North Woods, this is what I get.

I did get a steak on this visit though. I have not figured out what my favorite kind of steak is yet, and at this age, I may never have a favorite. I went with the Angus Rib Eye ($33.95) this night, because ribeyes are supposedly the most flavorful steak, but also the most fatty. This one had some fat on it, but it was not as bad as others I have had. This steak was 16 ounces, and cooked to my desired medium rare specifications. Not the most tender piece of steak I have had, but it did have a decent flavor profile. The baked potato came with plenty of cheese spread, so that was all good. The rice pilaf here is nothing to write home about. Very bland, and adds nothing to the meal.

When you tell them that you are celebrating something at North Woods, they always send out two scoops of Orange Sherbet. I always enjoy this after the large meal I just ate here. It's light, and cleanses the palette for a little while, before you can taste the cheese bread again.

We have been going to North Woods for a long time now, and it's always the same. This is a restaurant that does not take too many chances by adding trendy items to their menu. You're not going to see kale, truffle oil, or okra on the menu here. The menu has been the same for as long as I can remember, and that's probably the way most of their customers like it. The entrees are not of the Mastro's, Morton's, or Capital Grille quality, but they are passable. The real draw here are the salads and cheese bread, and that's enough to get us back here once a year for any kind of family celebration. The service is always real good, and the prices are a little on the steep side, until you realize that you are getting a full meal here, unlike those other fancy steak restaurants. So when traffic suddenly stops at the Valley View exit of the 5 Freeway, get off, and head to North Woods for some cheese bread and some salads. Not that the traffic will die down, but at least you will have the lingering taste of the cheese bread all the way to your destination.

Out of five softballs, (because La Mirada is home not only to North Woods, but is also where Jennie Finch, one of the most prolific woman of softball, grew up), five being best to zero being worst, Clearman's North Woods Inn gets 2.5 softballs.

For more information about Clearman's North Woods Inn, go to their website here: http://clearmansrestaurants.com/northwoods/

Good News, Slapfish is Open in Laguna - CLOSED

Slapfish

211 Broadway

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

I have been waiting for this expansion to take effect for a long time now. When I heard that Slapfish would be opening new spots, I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas morning to arrive so I could unwrap my presents. It has taken a long time, but Slapfish is finally spreading the love across the county and even going international. Our long wait is over.

Slapfish has finally opened another OC restaurant, and the lucky city is Laguna Beach. I'm excited because this cuts my drive to their original Huntington Beach spot by at least twenty minutes. This means their chowder fries are closer, their crispy fish sandwiches are within reach, and I can almost smell their lobster rolls if there's a good wind. Okay, that one's a stretch, but you get the point. I'm excited to have a closer Slapfish.

For those of you who need to become more familiar with Slapfish, they describe themselves as a modern seafood shack, one which prides itself on serving fresh seafood from responsible and well-managed sustainable suppliers. They reason that sustainability tastes better, and you can not argue that fact after eating here. Started as a food truck, Andrew Gruel and Jethro Naude opened their first brick-and-mortar spot off of Beach Boulevard in 2012. Now, they are aggressively planning to franchise. They have already opened a Slapfish in the Middle East, with 50 more planned. Along with those, they are also planning on opening more across Southern California, along with the rest of the US. Some local spots I have heard whispers about are Costa Mesa, Irvine, and Newport Beach, but for now, we have Laguna Beach.

This location is right across the street from Main Beach Laguna, in a funky food court, closest to the intersection of Broadway and PCH. They are neighbors with an Asian restaurant and a gas station right around the corner from Carmelita's. This Laguna location is a more stripped-down version of their Huntington Beach restaurant. Yes, they still have a lot of your favorites; fish tacos, lobster rolls, and chowder fries are all still here, and they also have a step-by-step ordering process where you choose your dish (sandwich form, fish and chips, or salad), then you pick the kind of fish you want, and then select whether you would like it grilled or crispy. The night we were here, they offered Hake, Mahi, or Shrimp for the build-your-own meal option. However, these are subject to change based on availability.

This Slapfish restaurant is pretty tiny, with a good majority of the seating occupying the back wall, which features bar seating. There is, however, a lovely patio out front, which will be the place for us quite a few times this summer. I came to Slapfish hungry, so I could not wait to eat. Let's see how everything came out for us.

Something I have never had at Slapfish before but have always wanted to try is their Lobster Dip N Chips ($4). This creamy dip definitely had the lobster vibe going for it. This dip was very rich, with little hunks of lobster running throughout it. I am also a fan of the chips served here. They were fresh, crispy, and seasoned with light chili powder that night. Whatever it was, we made quick work of this delicious dip.

One of the times we visited the Huntington Beach Slapfish, Katie had the Major Crunchy Sandwich ($8), and I remember her giving me one bite and me wanting a lot more. I vowed that this would be the night I had my own crispy fish sandwich. The fish they use here is hake, a relative of the cod family and pretty popular in Europe. This sandwich was as good as I remembered it. Crispy on the outside, and the hake inside was nice and tender. You have six sauces to choose from, but you must have the Awesome Sauce with this sandwich. The sauce is creamy, with just a hint of smokiness. Really a well-made sauce. The sandwich is then topped with lettuce, tomato, and pickled onions and sandwiched between a very well-made brioche bun that perfectly keeps everything together here. The meal is rounded out with some well-seasoned potato chips. This sandwich was so decadent that it filled me up, which is rare.

Okay, Katie and I were similar with our orders that night. It was bad planning on our part. Anyways, she had the Grilled Mahi Sandwich ($9). This sandwich, like mine, came with a choice of sauce, and she went with the Jersey sauce, a creamy lemon herb. This sauce was not overpowering but added enough flavor to compliment the fish nicely. The sandwich was also topped with tomato, lettuce, and pickled onions, just like my sandwich. Katie liked this sandwich and was happy they had a grilled option, which slightly cut down on the richness.

Even though I came here very hungry and only ordered a sandwich and lobster dip, I left full. Not overly stuffed, but very content. The sandwiches at Slapfish are deceptively filling and will satisfy even large appetites. We did not get it on this visit but do not miss the Chowder Fries. You can add a fried egg to it for even more decadence. It sounds like we will be making many more trips here during the summer unless they want to open one closer to our house, like Mission Viejo. No pressure, just a thought.

We would like to thank everyone at Slapfish for the opportunity to come down and see their new place. We are very excited to see what the bright future holds for you guys. We would also like to thank Mona and Talia of Moxxe Public Relations for inviting us to another one of their significant events. We had a great time and will be back soon.

For more information about Slapfish, go to their website here: http://www.slapfishrestaurant.com/