We Found It, But Was It Any Good?

Eureka!

7631 Edinger Ave. #1524

Huntington Beach, CA 92647

It's one of my favorite days of the year. The day that we pick the Ducks games that we will go to for the upcoming hockey season. We split our tickets three ways, and we hold a ticket lottery where we each pick a game until there are none remaining. Unfortunately, due to some crazy circumstances, we did not get a chance to go to any of the preseason games, because we got together too late, but preseason games are pretty lame anyways. As the resident restaurant reviewer in our group, it's usually up to me to choose a spot to meet up, grab some food and drinks, and catch up before the season starts. This year I picked a place I had heard some good things about, Eureka! in Huntington Beach.

I had heard from a guy that Eureka! had some pretty good burgers, and they also have gotten some favorable reviews on some of the OC restaurant blogs that I read religiously. Started in Hawthorne in 2009, Eureka! has since grown by leaps and bounds. The three co-founders have built a pretty impressive chain, which includes 21 currently operating restaurants, throughout six states, with more on the way with their aggressive expansion plan. OC is home to two of their outposts, with the other one being in the University Center in Irvine.

They got their name because they want their customers to feel that they have discovered a fantastic dining experience with great food, craft beer, and artisan liquor program. We arrived at this Eureka located in the pretty popular Bella Terra shopping center, on a recent Sunday afternoon at 2 pm. The restaurant has a very open feel to it, with lots of grays, browns, and exposed wood dominating the very comforting space. There's about a 15 seat bar, with four TVs situated above it, which were showing football and other sports on this afternoon. Our hostess lead us to one of the comfy booths along the right-hand side of the restaurant, where we set up shop to pick our games. We were just in time for Happy Hour, which is every day from 2 to 6, and they also have a late night happy hour from 9 til closing. I quickly made a few selections, as I had skipped breakfast, and was pretty hungry. Let's check out the food here at Eureka!

I really only got these Lollipop Corn Dogs ($6) for the novelty effect, but they were actually way better than I imagined they would be. I think the reason for this was a very light corn breading, along with the surprise that the inside of these contained a polish sausage, instead of the anticipated regular beef hot dog. The spicy mustard dipping sauce was okay with these, but not great. I think we would have rather of had ketchup for dipping these.

Another happy hour item we needed to try were these Osso Buco Riblets ($7). I had pretty high hopes for these sherry braised pork ribs, but they were overcooked, and a little on the dry side. The menu mentioned that these came with a firecracker aioli, but this sauce was a dud, delivering little to no flavor. I'll give these a little credit because they did come with plenty of meat on them, but I'd pass on these the next time I'm here.

Our third and final happy hour menu item of the afternoon were these Smoked Chicken Nachos ($8). The very good and crisp tortilla chip were topped with avocado tomatillo, tomato, jack cheese, cilantro, sliced jalapenos, black beans, chipotle sauce, sour cream, and of course chicken. This was another lackluster appetizer. On the whole, it was fine, but the toppings were used sparingly, with little chicken or cheese to speak of, and they were not layered correctly. Too many of the chips were devoid of any of the toppings on them, and were thus, just plain tortilla chips.

After we had finished divvying up our tickets, we decided to order some lunch, starting with my mom's selection, the Chicken Tacos ($10.50). These visually pleasing tacos came stuffed with plenty of hand pulled chicken, jack cheese, pico de gallo, avocado slices, cabbage, slivered jalapeno, and chipotle sauce. Of course, my light eating mom could only finish one of these, but she really enjoyed the one that she had. She said the chicken was nice and tender, and really enjoyed all of the toppings included here, including the very fresh avocado slice. The tortilla did a great job of keeping everything together, and the sliced jalapenos gave this a little kick. We did think it was odd that the tacos here came with fries, but they were pretty solid.

I guess after being married for over 49 years, my parents have started becoming more and more like each other, as they both got tacos at Eureka!. My dad went the seafood route with these Mahi Mahi Tacos ($10.50). The blackened fish was joined in the tortilla with some avocado tomatillo, cabbage, and mango salsa. My dad enjoyed these but was not wowed by them. The fish had a slight spice to it with the addition of the blackening seasoning, and he liked the way this interacted with the slight sweetness from the mango salsa. My dad did not want fries, so he got onion rings for a dollar up-charge. These panko crusted onion rings were good, with a real thick onion on the inside, and a sturdy coating containing it. We did think it was odd that only three onion rings were included with his tacos, but not any odder than having onion rings and tacos served together.

Katie was in the mood for a sandwich, and this Napa Chicken Sandwich ($12) would be her selection on this late afternoon. This wine country inspired sandwich came with grilled chicken breast, roasted Roma tomatoes, pesto, Havarti, pancetta, and was finished off with some arugula. Katie thought this sandwich had a subtle pleasant flavor, but it did not knock her socks off. She would probably order something else on future visits here.

With all the hoopla I had heard about the burgers from Eureka!, I had to give one of them a try, but it was difficult narrowing it down to one. I finally went with this Jalapeno Egg Burger ($12). This burger had a lot of my favorite things included on this; pickled jalapenos, a fried egg with a runny yolk, cheddar cheese, two strips of bacon, and a spicy chipotle sauce. With everything included on this, I was left a little disappointed after trying this. It was fine, but it was missing something, which was surprising with all of these great toppings. I really liked the sturdy, but soft bun here, but the beef wasn't seasoned enough, and the other toppings did not really pop. I think this burger would have been better with a little more of the chipotle sauce on it, which might have woken this up a bit. The fries were good, and you can tell that they were fresh and hand cut here.

I was a little disappointed with the food that I had at Eureka! on this late afternoon. Nothing was that bad, but it wasn't that great either. I guess you can say it was a pretty average meal, but not memorable in any way. I did feel that the price point here was more than fair. Nothing on their menu comes close to $20 mark, so you can definitely fill up on the cheap, and I was also pretty excited that they offer happy hour every day. Our server, sorry I did not write down your name, was very patient with us, and kept checking on us numerous times during our close to three-hour stay. Even though the food failed to impress, nothing could dim our mood, because hockey is back.

Out of five bathtubs, (because the exclamation Eureka is attributed to Greek scholar, Archimedes, who is said to have said this after making the discovery of volume displacement of the water in his bathtub), five being best to zero being worst, Eureka! gets 2.5 bathtubs.

For more information about Eureka!, head to their website here: http://www.eurekarestaurantgroup.com/

Getting to Experience the Perks of the 50/50 Club - CLOSED

Slater's 50/50 Burgers by Design

6362 E. Santa Ana Canyon Road

Anaheim, CA 92807

It's been a while since I've been to Slater's 50/50. Okay, not that long, but it's been long since I last wrote about a visit to Slater's. Unfortunately, the Slater's by my house shuttered about a year ago, and I have a long list of restaurants I want to eat at, so I took a sabbatical from the over-the-top half-ground bacon, half-ground beef burgers here. That break ended when my friend Mark and I were invited to a VIP Dinner at Slater's 50/50 Anaheim Hills location last week. What is the best part about the VIP dinners at Slater's? You can get in on the action as well.

I just learned about it this evening, but Slater's has started a 50/50 Club with some cool perks. For the $30-a-month membership, you get a beer daily from their extensive draft beer list. You not only get a brewski a day, but you also receive early tasting opportunities of their infamous Burger of the Month a week before it is released to the public. You also get invites to exclusive monthly VIP Dinners, which are happening this evening. These are meals personally put together by Slater's 50/50 Founder, Scott Slater, and Chef Tony, who attended this evening and came out briefly to share his vision with us and prove that this is not just your typical burger joint.

According to our table mates, who were proud 50/50 Club members, this was the second dinner they had attended. The first was an Oktoberfest-themed dinner and beer pairing, which they all raved about. This evening, it was a Thanksgiving-themed soiree, and after taking a quick glance at the menu, my good friend Mark and I were really looking forward to what was to come out for us.

Things started nicely for us as these Bacon-Wrapped Thai Sriracha Wings hit the table. These delicious wings got everyone's attention right off the bat. Enormous, meaty wings were wrapped with at least two pieces of bacon and deep-fried. What made these for me was the combination of the sweet Thai sauce and the spiciness from the Sriracha. I love spicy and sweet together, and these were a definite winner. Please put these on the menu, guys.

Two side items were presented as a prelude to our main course. Some, like me, argue that the side items at a Thanksgiving dinner are more important than the main course, and these two nailed it. Here you have the Roasted Root Vegetable Medley and the Shaved Brussels Sprouts Slaw. The veggie medley was solid, but the slaw got us all excited. Chef Tony shared that this is the only way he can get his wife to eat Brussels sprouts, and he did make these misunderstood mini cabbages remarkable. The contrast between the sprouts and the smoky, crumbled bacon brought this side item to new heights. Really good, and our entree was up next.

Behold the Turducken Slider. I have not had a traditional turducken, and this delicious slider is the closest I have ever had. The three major components were here in some form; turkey patty, shredded duck, and fried chicken. Then, it was finished with some stuffing and two cornbread squares, attempting to keep everything together. Chef Tony expected us to use a knife and fork for this one due to the crumbling of the cornbread, but I did manage to eat a good majority of this with my hands. I liked how all the items interacted, and adding the gravy made this come alive. Another item that I wished Slater's would feature on their menu or at least make their Burger of the Month.

Dessert is always a treat at Slater's, and this Pumpkin Tart was no exception. I did not get the full description of what was in this, but the pumpkin seemed muted a bit to me, which is fine because I always feel that pumpkin-flavored anything is overrated. This tart was balanced out with chocolate and a very creamy whipped cream. It was a nice and light end to our VIP Dinner at Slater's.

Mark and I left Slater's 50/50 impressed with the VIP Dinner that evening, and we decided that if we lived closer to a Slater's location, we would definitely have joined the 50/50 Club that night. Our food items this evening were paired with wines, but I'm not too much of a wine guy, as I was way more focused on the food. We had a great meal, met some incredible people at the dinner, and got to experience a little taste of Thanksgiving a few weeks early. Now, that's really something that we could be thankful for.

Special thanks to Chef Tony and Scott Slater for coming up with this 50/50 Club and including us in this special dinner. We had a wonderful time and look forward to seeing what will be next for this over-the-top restaurant. We would also like to thank Anna from J Public Relations for arranging this visit. We had a great visit, thanks to you.

If you would like to experience the 50/50 Club for yourself or for anything else Slater's related, head to their website here: https://slaters5050.com/

Scrambling to Westminster for Breakfast Burritos

Ham 'n Scram

5871 Westminster Ave. 

Westminster, CA 92683

Katie and I have been doing a lot of walking lately. Of course one of the reasons for this is to get a little extra exercise, but I also have some ulterior motives. I usually try to pick walking trails that are next to places that I have wanted to try for a long while. So, after a five-mile walk along the San Gabriel River Trail in the Long Beach and Seal Beach area, we had worked up quite an appetite. This was reason enough to continue our quest to find a great breakfast burrito in OC, and we headed to a joint that we had heard great things about, Ham 'n Scram in Westminster.

Ham 'n Scram caught my attention when they were featured and finished third in a search for America's Best Burritos, which you can see the results here. This was pretty impressive because they were not only going up against a great list legendary burrito spots, but they also were up against all styles of burritos, not just the breakfast variety. Ham 'n Scram has also been highlighted in the OC Register, OC Weekly, The Fork Report, and Carson Daly's Radio Show. All of these gave glowing reviews.

Run by a father and son team, son Jeremy is the man in the kitchen, and dad Forrest runs the front of the house, expediting and taking orders, dishing out samples of their soups, dispensing with little jokes, which I'm sure he repeats hourly, and making sure all guests have everything that they need to make their burrito-eating experience everything that it should be. Forrest explained to us that since this is just a four-table restaurant, they want you to enjoy your ham, and then scram. It did not come across as a jerk thing to say, it's just the way it is at this almost always line out the door restaurant, which is located in one of the smallest strip malls you will ever visit, located just west of Springdale and Westminster Avenue.

We must have hit a rare time, because we had no problem getting one of their four tables, and went right inside to order at the counter. The menu here is pretty straight forward. They offer seven breakfast items, along with some sandwiches, and the aforementioned soup for people who want to forgo the first meal of the day. Ham 'n Scram is only open until 3 on weekdays, and 2 pm on weekends, so plan accordingly. Let's take a look at what has made this place such a cult favorite.

While our burritos were being prepared, we were brought out a sample of each of their soups that they had featured on this day. They were a Three Bean and a Split Pea. Katie and I had a difference of opinion on which one of these we liked better. She liked the three bean because it had bigger chunks of ham, which she felt highlighted their marquee item better. I enjoyed the smooth and easy split pea, which had a good consistency to it, and did not have to rely on big flavor from added meat. I'd really enjoy making it up here on a Friday when they offer their Ham Chowder, which I've heard good things about.

When Katie's Ham 'n Egg Burrito ($8.50) hit the table, I was immediately struck by the beauty of it. This burrito, also known as the original, comes with bacon, ham, egg, hash browns, bell pepper, onion, and cheese. Katie really liked this burrito. It had a real good smooth texture to it, the ham was prominent, and it was way more manageable than she had imagined it would be. She also was a fan of the salsa here, which did not overpower with spice but instead added a little moisture to this solid burrito.

When I saw that Ham 'n Scram offered a Double Meat Burrito ($10), of course, that's what I had to get. This is their original burrito, but with double the meat, which can never be a bad thing. Just like Katie, I really enjoyed this burrito. I loved that they grilled the tortilla, which added a subtle crunch to it. The guts of this burrito were very smooth. The cheese, eggs, and potatoes were creamy, while the ham added a nice smoky flavor. The bacon, onions, and bell pepper could have been more prominent, but I liked that this lacked a greasiness that a lot of breakfast burritos possess. I kind of felt that the salsa here was good for adding a little moisture to the burrito, but I should have gotten up to get some Cholula for an added flavor boost.

When we were leaving Ham 'n Scram, both Katie and I remarked that this is one of the lighter breakfast burritos we have consumed. These are not overly large breakfast burritos, but you will not leave here hungry. I'm usually not a ham guy, but the pork was good and tender here. As far as breakfast burritos that I've had so far, this one was good, but I still have to give a slight edge to the one that I had at Lucky Boy in Pasadena, and due to the inclusion of avocado, and other breakfast meats, I like the one I had at Nate's Korner in Santa Ana, slightly ahead of this one at Ham 'n Scram. Katie, however, claims that this is the best breakfast burrito she's had. I guess she likes a more basic version, while I enjoy more options when it comes to my breakfast burritos. Service here was very homey, and Forrest really made us feel welcome, and we enjoyed hearing his story and getting to see how proud he is of his product. It was well worth going through a five-mile walk to come here.

Out of five nuclear reactors, (because the emergency shutdown switch for a nuclear reactor is called a SCRAM), five being best to zero being worst, Ham 'n Scram gets 3.5 nuclear reactors.

For more information about Ham 'n Scram, head to their website here: http://hamnscram.com/

Football Frenzy #14 at Lopez and Lefty's

Lopez and Lefty's

1759 S. Claudina Way

Anaheim, CA 92805

It's been a long while since we have been out to find the best place in OC to watch football. I looked it up, and we have not been out to watch football for close to three years. Yikes. Yes, we have been out on Sundays, but we usually try to stay pretty close to home, so the day is not a total waste after our game is over, and we can still get some things done around the house.

Of course, the real reason that we have not been as passionate about football recently is that my beloved Jaguars have been atrocious in the last three years. Not to turn this into a sports blog, but they have 12 wins and 36 losses in the last three years and have not finished higher than third, in a four-team division during that time. Yes, I can admit, my team stinks, and that's probably why I'm not as gung-ho about leaving my comfy apartment to watch them lose yet another game. This particular week I felt a little more confident about my Jags, and I wanted to give a sports bar that I have heard a lot of good things about a chance. So we headed up the 5 Freeway to Lopez and Lefty's.

I had heard about Lopez and Lefty's when it was written up in the OC Register as having one of the better burgers in OC, along with a nice piece on some of the best fries around. That was good enough for me to put this on our restaurant wish list.

We decided to meet my parents at this kind of odd location, which straddles the 5 Freeway and is just isolated enough, that tourists from the nearby Disney Resort District would have a hard time finding this restaurant in this largely industrial area. We arrived a few minutes before kickoff and were met with about a half-full restaurant. They definitely passed my first test when coming to a sports bar on a Sunday morning, when they asked which game we wanted to watch, and turned it on for us. Very organized, and made us feel very welcome.

The inside of Lopez and Lefty's reminded me of a more rustic Island's, with a surf vibe definitely going on here, with the numerous surfboards hanging on the walls, the lifeguard chair in the front of the restaurant, and the use of a VW half bus used as their logo. The setup here is pretty good, with numerous TVs hanging throughout the restaurant, and five TVs centered over their 15 seat bar. From our table, it was easy to watch numerous games at once. All this football had made me pretty hungry, so let's take a look at what had the guys over at the OC Register all excited about this place.

During Sundays for football, Lopez and Lefty's has a Bloody Mary Special ($5) going on. This was a pretty solid version, which I ordered spicy. They definitely made this with a little kick to it. For those who prefer, they also offer $10 Bottomless Mimosa's during football games as well. This bloody mary was a great way for me to drink my sorrows away, as the Jags continued their pathetic play on the field.

On Sundays, Lopez and Lefty's have a small breakfast menu, which runs from 10 to 1 pm. This Breakfast Burrito ($8.99) was one of six items on it. Katie selected this pretty basic version, which comes with eggs, bacon, cheese, and potatoes. They have a salsa bar in the back of the restaurant so you can add a little spice if you like. Katie liked this burrito, but it did have some temperature issues. The bite I had was fine, but this breakfast burrito was pretty pedestrian and needed some onions, hotter salsa, or avocado to jazz things up.

No breakfast for either my dad or I, as we went straight to the burger section of the menu. My dad swiped the burger I was going to have, the A.B.B.A. Burger ($13.44). No, this burger was not inspired by the 70's Swedish band, the initials stand for avocado, blue cheese, bacon, and aioli. This burger also came with plenty of lettuce, red onion, tomato, and a homemade pickle placed on top of the bun. My dad really enjoyed this pretty good sized burger, and he did manage to finish it all. The insides of the burger, especially the blue cheese, provided big-time flavor in his opinion, and he'd definitely get this one again. He subbed out the fries that usually come with their burgers and paid the one dollar up-charge for the onion rings. He's happy that he did.  These were a heavily breaded onion ring, which was made with red onions. I love it when restaurants use red onions instead of regular old brown or white ones. These are sweeter and provide for a better flavor. Get the onion rings for sure here, well worth the dollar.

Since my first burger choice was taken by my dad, I was left with my second selection, the Wake N Bacon Burger ($12.44). I'm a sucker for a fried egg on a burger, and it was included on this one, along with bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and red onion. I really enjoyed the inside of this burger, especially after I asked for some aioli to bring everything together. The beef was very good, and the other toppings really shined. The bun left a lot to be desired. It did a good job keeping things together, but it was too bready, and really detracted from the otherwise very solid burger. The fries were as advertised, they were very good. They had a nice crunchy outer shell and were pillowy soft inside. Just the right amount of salt and their ranch dressing was a great choice for dipping.

I really enjoyed our time at Lopez and Lefty's, and feel this is one of the better spots we have been to for Sunday football. I'm of course not ready to anoint them as the best place to watch football because I have lots of other spots that I want to check out before I make that claim. The burgers here were very solid, and the rings and fries were even better than that. I wish they had more in the way of a breakfast menu, and maybe some better drinks specials, but that's not enough to keep us from not coming back here. Yes, my Jags ended up losing the game we were watching here, but it's no fault of Lopez and Lefty's. We'll still come back for those rings, fries, and burgers.

Out of five golf tees, (because my father-in-law's favorite golfer is Phil Mickelson, who is left-handed, and thus has the nickname Lefty), five being best to zero being worst, Lopez and Lefty's gets 3 golf tees.

For more information about Lopez and Lefty's, head to their website here: https://lopezandleftys.com/