Bacon Lovers Rejoice at Slater's 50/50
By
Chef Robert Sturm
Bacon
Lovers Rejoice!! You will go crazy over these burgers.
The house specialty is 50% Sterling Silver 21 day aged USDA Choice
Beef and 50% thick cut Apple Wood Smoked Bacon ground together
and cooked like you would cook a burger in your own backyard!
On a Saturday night my wife and I went to the Slater's
in Lake Forest, California. It was 5 o'clock and already jammed
with a waiting list. We were fortunate to have a reservation.
We were greeted at the door by Todd Wagner the assistant manager,
who snuck us through the dining room to our table. We could enjoy
the aromas of great cooking already permeating the dining room
from the open kitchen. "Mmmmm" I thought, "it's
going to be good!" Nothing like the smell of bacon to wake
up your appetite. Our server was Alexis, who was a regular at
the Huntington Beach 50/50 restaurant. Alexis
tells us she liked the food so much, she got a job here. Quite
an endorsement, I must say.
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The
50-50 Burger
The dinner business was warming up and service is quick, friendly
and professional. We started off with some great appetizers. You
have got to try the Slater's Vampire Dip. This hot bubbly cream
dip was filled with roasted garlic, cheese & artichokes! The
dip is served in a sourdough bread bowl with fried pita chips.
Don't plan on kissing anybody for a while though.
While
we were enjoying the Vampire Dip, Bree the "Hospitality Ambassador"
stopped by to check on us. I have never heard of a "Hospitality
Ambassador" before so I asked Bree "what does a "Hospitality
Ambassador" do? "I keep people happy" was her answer.
"That's my job and I love it!" It's obvious that Bree
is very outgoing having served on missions trips to Japan building
homes for the tsunami victims. So far we are very happy. Nicole
swings by our table and brings a huge plate of sweet crispy fried
pickles with house made mustard sauce. A beer sounds great with
the fried pickles but I was just curious what the bartender would
recommend. Bree, no not the "Hospitality Ambassador Bree"
but the "Bartender Bree" suggested a Fever Tree Ginger
Beer. Wow!! Great combinations. The clean ginger note was such
a nice compliment to the mustard dipped pickles. Try one. My wife
gets a "Skinny Gal" Margarita made with 1800 Silver
100% Agave Tequila, Cointreau, fresh pressed lime and agave nectar.
She is happy with a capital "H".
Beer
Cheese Fries
"Bree the server" - wait a minute. Are you catching
on here? That's three Bree's so far and yes Slater's 50/50 has
four more Bree's. "Are you kidding me" I asked? "We
have seven Bree's here". Holy Cow!! That has got to drive
the kitchen nuts. And all seven were working the night we were
there. We wanted a group picture but the restaurant was way too
busy. So back to the food. Bree "The Server" brings
fried bacon mac and cheese balls made just like the classic Italian
Arancini. The crispy delights were oozing with hot cheddar cheese
and served alongside with a house made Tapatio(r) Ranch Dip.
House
made beer battered onion rings rounded out our appetizers and
these gems are fantastic made with jumbo Spanish onions and fresh
draft beer. Amazing! You have got to try the BBQ sauce served
with these beauties. The sauce has three reduction cooking steps
and takes over four hours to make. Patience is the key here for
the chefs and it pays off with lots of happy faces at the tables.
Peanut
Butter & Jellousy Burger
Now for the main event, the 50/50 burger. Oh boy, was it worth
the wait. This burger is so big the chef cut's it in half and
holds the burger together with a steak knife. Each patty is hand-made
and baby sat on the grill to the burger is cooked medium to medium
well. Curiously, the burger patty is still pink due to the amount
of bacon in the burger. The Slater 50/50 is served on a white
brioche bun with a farm fresh fried egg and guacamole made with
California Haas avocados. No scrimping on quality here. For the
adventuresome try the PB&J (Peanut Butter and Jellousy). This
is undoubtedly one of Slater's favorite and it's an award winner
and highly recommended by Ron Pester the general manager. Sterling
Silver ground beef topped with thick cut bacon, creamy peanut
butter and strawberry jelly on a honey wheat bun. My wife flipped
out over this one and she doesn't even eat peanut butter! The
burgers were served with hand cut fresh fries with a house made
chipotle ketchup.
Bacon
Brownie
Alexis told us "There's only one way to finish a meal like
this, a bacon maple milk shake and a double stacked chocolate
bacon brownie with chocolate genache and old school vanilla ice
cream. I gave up. "Uncle" I screamed. The milk shake
reminded me of a place in Canada and the brownie? Thank god my
teenage daughter and her friend showed up. Boy were they happy!
So
give Brooke Bayer, one of the manager's, a call for parties. Or
just ask for Bree. One of them is sure to be there.
Slater's
50/50 is open seven days a week at five locations. Find
your location on the web at www.slaters5050.com.
And by the way, show up HUNGRY!!
Slater's
50/50
www.slaters5050.com