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/

Another Stellar Time at the Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival

Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival

100 Civic Center Dr.

Newport Beach, CA 92660

If there's one food event that I look forward to, more than any other, it's this one. The Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival is in its third year, and getting better as each year passes. It's now a culinary wonderland, which encompasses four days of celebrity chefs, an out of this world wine tasting event, cooking demos, and of course infinite tastings from the best restaurants in and around Newport Beach.

What makes this festival so great? I love that it's all inclusive. Once I pay for my ticket, I don't have to pull out my wallet again or bother with food tickets. This is where most, "Taste of.... insert city name here," lose me. I don't mind paying more for an all you can eat and drink situation. It's like being on a cruise ship, but no fear of being marooned at sea, or getting seasick. I also love the exclusivity of this event. They limit the ticket sales, which not only helps with the crowds, but allows you to actually interact with the chefs, and if you've never talked with a chef, you are missing out. It's very true that food people are the best people. Lastly, the people watching here is some of the best you will see anywhere.

Of course, if you come to this event, your also doing something good for the community. The Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival benefits the great folks over at Project Hope Alliance, who are ending the cycle of childhood homelessness one child at a time. Since 2012, this great charity has ended homelessness for 700 children and their parents.

Great work, but I was ready to do some work on my own, by eating my way through the NBWFF. Unfortunately, we could not make it to day one of the festival, due to a scheduling conflict, but we made it to day two, which had an all new lineup of restaurants giving out signature tastes. Both Saturday and Sunday had 21 different restaurants handing out food, and of course, there was lots of wine. Wineries were pouring over 250 varietals of wine, and for those that are not too keen on wine, there was plenty of cocktails on hand from top shelf brands, as well as beer furnished by Stella Artois. As if all that was not enough, there was plenty of jazz music going on, so you could take a break from all that eating and drinking to soak up the atmosphere. I did, of course, partake in the beverages offered, but I'm more of a food guy, so that was my main focus. Let's check out the food lineup for the second day of the NBWFF.

Always a crowd favorite, just like when its namesake was skating around Honda Center, Selanne Steak Tavern always serves up quite a spread at this event, and this day was no exception. They started things out with a Bartlett Pear Salad, then got into the fall feel with a Maple Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, and then finished things off with a tender Kobe Beef with a Parsnip Foam. I could have sat here all day going back and forth between these three items, but there was still plenty to indulge in, but I did partake in one of their Adult Root Beer Floats, which totally hit the spot.

What else would you expect from Roy's? This Hawaiian-tinged restaurant offered Kahlua Pork Sliders to hungry festival goers, which were also topped with a lilikoi slaw and a clear barbecue sauce between the Hawaiian roll slider. Chef John Vega definitely does Kahlua pork correctly.

Gratitude opened earlier this year after making a name for themselves in LA, and this 100 percent organic plant based restaurant dazzled with their Liberated Salad, which was made up of kelp noodle pasta with pesto, olives, and heirloom cherry tomatoes. Not usually my scene of course, but the noodles and pesto were pretty tasty. Katie, of course, loved this salad and has made me promise to take her here soon.

No longer the new kid on the block, Sushi Roku has taken Fashion Island by storm, and really dazzled with their Hand Tuna Roll, which was filled with plenty of fresh, chopped tuna, wasabi root, and soy chili sauce. Easy to see why there were always people milling around this booth throughout our stay at the NBWFF. Sushi Roku has definitely become the go-to spot for sushi in the Newport area.

Another spot I could have made myself a nuisance at was Mastro's. They were giving out generous tastes of their Sirloin steak with Lobster Mashed Potatoes. Yes, this was as good as it sounds. I loved that the steak was a perfect medium-rare, and the mashed potatoes were decadent. This helped lessen the blow that they were not sampling their iconic butter cake. Maybe next year.

I must admit that I had never heard of Sweet Lady Jane before, but I know about them now after trying their Famous Brownies. These brownies were addictive, with their chocolate chewy innards, and then the sea salt topping that hits you with a sweet and salty combo that can't be beaten. I was also pretty excited by their Brown Sugar Delights, which are a shortbread covered with caramel, dark chocolate, almonds, and coconut. Addictive.

I've had Filomena's Italian Kitchen on my list of restaurants to hit up for awhile, and I've moved them near the top after trying their Italian Sausage Pasta made with their special Sunday Sauce. Really well-done pasta here, and the sausage was on point. It was great getting a chance to talk with Chef Linda Johnsen as well. We'll be in soon for sure.

The Montage had a whole multitude of tastes offered at this festival, which included some pretty innovative desserts. They had a Canned Dark Chocolate Screwdriver, which really packed a punch, and they had an ice your own Dark Chocolate Cookie with Sea Salt. As if that was not enough, they also had some pretty tasty macarons offered. On the more savory side, there was a Baja Octopus and Shrimp Ceviche. This fresh seafood dish was topped with peppers, onions, avocado, mango, and a spiced coconut rum foam. Pretty much everything good in one bite.

Watertable is located Newport Beach adjacent, at the Hyatt Regency in Huntington Beach, and is well worth the trip. On this beautiful afternoon, they were featuring their excellent House Roasted California Almonds, and a Beet Stained Scallop Crudo, which was surrounded by a pomegranate mango relish, caviar, and a prickly pear gelee. A great muted sweetness here, that popped with flavor.

A&O  Kitchen + Bar probably brought us the oddest pairing of the afternoon, with their A&O Branded S'More's and Beef Tartar served on a Bone Marrow Cracker. The combo did not really work when I ate them one after the other, but separately they were wonderful. We're making plans to dine at this Balboa Bay Resort restaurant soon.

Nothing Bundt Cakes has grown to multiple locations throughout Southern California, and after trying some of their products, it's easy to see why. Super moist lemon and their pumpkin spice were clear winners on this day.

Sam and Harry's had the most unique bite of the event. They started with their Superb French Toast, and then added roast fig and pomegranate molasses, with a five spice caramel corn. I was not too into this, but Katie absolutely loved this different dish.

I was not expecting to see Nordstrom Cafe Bistro here at the Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival, but they represented nicely with a trio of items. They started with Roasted Pickled Beets with a ricotta cheese and toasted pistachio. They then featured one of my favorite items on any menu, Pork Belly, which they paired nicely with a tart cherry and Asian pear. For a dessert taste, they went with a Warm White Bread Pudding, which was accented with a raspberry and white chocolate. Delicious, and not something you would expect from a department store restaurant.

Probably the most grown up offering here was from Cafe Beau Soleil. They had a Chicken Roulade filled with herbs and placed on top of forbidden rice and a rice cream sauce. Really a great dish, and very sophisticated.

With an assist from Katie's excellent hand modeling, we were quite smitten with B Candy's ice cream. I actually thought this was just a candy store, but they have some really good homemade ice cream here, with unique flavors. I was partial to their Cookie Monster flavor, while Katie enjoyed the Coffee Toffee ice cream cone. They rotate about 40 or so flavors, so we are going to be heading to Corona Del Mar soon to visit this sweet lovers paradise.

I had to look up where the Pasea Hotel and Resort is, which is home to Tanner's. It's a few blocks south of the Huntington Beach Pier, near the Hyatt Regency. They came up with a Cherry and Citrus Smoked Foie Gras Spread on house made focaccia. Very light, but full of rich flavor from the foie gras.

You would probably expect Five Crowns to just run out some of their legendary beef on this afternoon, but Chef Kling went the seafood route with this Shrimp, Crab, and Hatch Chile Gazpacho. He definitely gave notice that Five Crowns is not just about prime rib anymore.

I found myself visiting the Andrea booth over and over again for their Saffron Infused Gnocchetti with Truffle Sausage. This was my favorite bite at this event this year. The gnocchi was hand made right in front of us, and that sausage and norcina sauce were heavenly. I really wanted to dive into the pot and swim in it. Due to social taboos, we will instead be making reservations to head to Pelican Hill to dine at Andrea soon for their great Italian cuisine.

Another unexpected find at the NBWFF was the offering from Honda Center. Chef Jo Jo Doyle always raises the bar higher than you would expect from a sports arena. This year he made us a Korean Barbecue Meatball over rice and sauce. Very tender, and I definitely got the Asian flavor profile here. We're of course looking forward to sampling more of Chef Doyle's cuisine throughout the upcoming Duck's season at Honda Center.

One last roving spot I wanted to highlight was the Bite's On Trikes by legendary OC chef, Pascal. He maneuvered his motorized bicycle around the festival grounds, delivering his French goodies, like this out of this world pate on good sturdy French bread. Chef Pascal was also generous enough to spend time chatting with us, which was a real honor.

So there's our roundup of all the culinary delights that dazzled the guests at the Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival. Like I stated before, this is truly one of the best food events that come around every year in OC. We keep waiting for a drop-off from the year before, and after three of these events, we don't anticipate that happening anytime soon.

We would like to thank everyone at the Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival for allowing us to cover this wonderful event. Special thanks definitely go out to our friend, and one of the co-founders of this festival, the always personable, Lindsey Henn. We look forward to seeing you again real soon Lindsey. We also would like to thank all of the chefs, wineries, and sponsors of this event, who graciously give their time and talent to make this event so great, and raise money for a great cause. If you are on the fence about going to this next year, definitely set a reminder to buy your tickets for next years festival before it sells out. You will not want to miss out.

To keep up to date with all things Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival, visit their website here: http://www.newportwineandfood.com/