Slater's 50/50, Anaheim, CA

After a long day of photoshoot and starving the model so she can look good in her shoot, a fitting end is a gourmet burger. Kchan, Kyosuke and J-Kun decided to join me in heading to Slater's 50/50. This place has a signature in which their 50/50 burger consists of 50% beef and 50% bacon. Yes, you heard me, 1/2 the meat patty is bacon.

Tangerine Wheat Beer



Tangerine flavored beer

Judgment: The restaurant is also a sports bar so enjoying a beer here once in a while is a nice change of pace. Typically I don't drink much when I go out to eat. Mostly because it's expensive, but when I looked over the beer list, I found this little gem hiding in the menu. I HAD to order it because it's named after one of the Maid Cafe girls that I work with. Lovely miss Mikan (Tangerine). The beer itself was really fragrant with the scent of citrus and the taste kind of lingers in your mouth after you drink it. 8 / 10

Pick-3 Sampler



Sweet Potato Fries, Onion Straws and Artichoke Hearts covered in Gruyere Cheese

Judgment: A typical fried appetizer platter. The sweet potato fries definitely compliment the pumpkin sauce. The Onion straws were lightly seasoned and fried to a crisp golden brown. The Artichoke hearts were delightful and yielded when you bite into them. The addition of Gruyere cheese really brings the flavor together. 9 / 10

Peanut Butter and Jellousy Burger



1/3 lb. Beef Patty, Thick Cut Bacon, Peanut Butter, Strawberry Jelly on White

Judgment: OH MY GOD. Where has this been in my life?!! Who knew that cows and pigs went together with Peanut Butter and Jelly??! The sweet subtle tastes from the jam did not overpower the saltiness of the bacon or the burger. Be warned though, about 70% of the way through, I had wanted milk to go with this. Order yourself a shake before you dig in for sure. 9 / 10

Conclusion: The place really redefines what a burger is all about. The location is kind of hidden away behind a giant realtor's building but when you know where it is, you won't miss it again. The beer selection is quite extensive with a really good selection available. The service can get a little slow because it does get packed in there.

The Restaurant gets an A-Rank.

JT Schmid's Restaurant and Brewery, Anaheim, CA

Last night was a visit to JT Schmid's Restaurant and Brewery. Never visit the anaheim one when there is a Hockey Game at the Honda Center and a Angel's Game at Angel Stadium. Parking was ridiculous. And for people with very low cars like mine, you might want to head over to the Tustin one instead.

As with my other entry, I went with the Restaurant week 3-course menu:

Ahi Tuna Poke



Chopped Fresh Tuna on top of a Fried Wonton gracing a bed of spring mix salad with citrus dressing.

Judgment: The tuna was fresh and tasted very good. The wontons were not cooked to the same color as you can see in the picture. But the more "well done" one was crispier than the other one obviously. The salad was a good palate cleanser when you feel that the tuna is getting a little overwhelming. All in all the dish was well balanced. 8 / 10

10 oz. Flat Iron Steak with Bleu Cheese Butter & Onion Straws



Flat Iron Steak accompanied by Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Fresh Grilled Asparagus

Judgment: The steak was cooked to a beautiful Medium Rare as I requested. The bleu cheese compound butter did not just liquefy and become a gooey mess but instead held up similar to a cheese spread over the steak. If you love bleu cheese, this will be a great experience for you. The Onion Straws were not oily or bland but well prepared. The mashed potatoes could have been a little more creamy but all in all, it was well seasoned with garlic and pepper. Asparagus was also fresh and tasty. 9 / 10

Bread Pudding



Bread "Pudding" with Whipped Cream and Caramel drizzle

Judgment: The Bread pudding was not so much a pudding but more like just a tasty Muffin. The caramel was light and accompanied the dish very well. Whipped Cream was not too thick but was not too fluffy either. 7 / 10

Conclusion: The restaurant reminded me of BJ's simply because they're pretty much the same kind of restaurants except BJ's also specializes in chicago style pizzas. The in-house brews of beer were pretty good and not too pricey. The food was pretty good and the restaurant has plenty of other menu items to go through. My friend ordered a Buffalo Chicken Pizza and I gotta say, it looked promising in terms of taste.

The restaurant gets an A-Rank.