So this is going to be one of my more embarrassing entries for the blog to date. One fine afternoon after work, Dianne, Jason, Melissa and I decided to go to Father's Office for a fine dinner. I had heard about this place from some of my other friends and that it was definitely worth a visit. The restaurant definitely gets packed and it's understandable because the food is top notch.
As for the embarrassing note, I will save that for later.
Sweet Potato Fries
Basket of Sweet Potato Frites "A La Cart" roasted garlic, cabrales, blue cheese aioli.
Judgment: We actually had 2 kinds of fries and I will address the regular potato fries as a separate judgment because the 2 fries were definitely very different. The Sweet Potato fries were fried to a delicious orange crispness which complimented well with the Blue Cheese Aioli.
French Fries
Basket of Frites "A La Cart" garlic parsley aioli
Judgment: Your typical basket of french fries with a nice garlic aioli dipping sauce to accompany it. The fries were crispy as they were shoe-string thin. Personally, I like my fries to have a more potato feel to them and less of the potato chip feeling. Although I did enjoy the Aioli.
The Office Burger
The Office Burger (Dry Aged Beef) caramelized onion, applewood bacon compote, gruyere, matag blue cheese and arugula.
Judgment: There's a reason the chefs tell you to leave if you ask for ketchup, and that's because the burger itself is prepared in a delicious fashion already. The caramelized onions add a hint of sweetness to the burger that I didn't expect and the assembly is just perfect. The oversized roll encompasses the burger well that instead of the oils and flavors dripping out like other massive burgers, there is some bread to soak it up rather than having it land in the basket.
Conclusion: There's a reason why this place became more famous for their burgers than their beers, although their beer collection is quite extensive. To be honest, I did have a beer that night, and I can't remember the name of it, so I'll have to leave it out of the review for now. I do wish to make another trip to Father's Office again and probably try one of their other entrees to see how they stack up to the burger.
This place gets an A-Rank
Epilogue: SO the embarrassing moment I experienced. We met up at Dianne's house to carpool out to Santa Monica, and prior to that, I had stopped at the ATM to get money. We hopped into Jason's car and were on our way. I was greeted by a doorman checking for ID and I realized I had left my wallet in my car, back in Orange County. Fail. The doorman was nice enough to let me in, after asking my friend a series of questions about me to verify my identity and age.
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.
I was in the mood for some burgers, and as we all know, everyone can be picky of what kind of toppings they want on it. The Solution? Go to a burger bar and customize your own! I had the opportunity with the lovely ladies and gentlemen of AniMaid cafe this weekend to go back to one of the nicer burger places I've been to. The Counter is actually a chain of restaurants and we happened to be a the Irvine location because it was near our shoot location.
Customized Burgers!
2/3 lb. Turkey Burger with Bleu Cheese, Lettuce Blend, Dill Pickles, Bacon, Grilled Onion on an English Muffin with Garlic Aioli on the side
Judgment: The burgers here, like usual, are massive. The 2/3rds lb. weight is the AFTER cooking weight. For turkey burgers, they are cooked to well done mainly because they don't want to risk you getting salmonella or other forms of food poisoning. The ingredients are top notch and fresh, and it all just depends on your imagination. As with this combination it is a very typical build for other burger places such as Red Robins. I particularly enjoy the Garlic Aioli a lot here so it really tops off the meal. 9 / 10
Conclusion: The burgers here are always a different experience every time because you can always change up the build and experience. There is plenty of beer and other drink options here as well because it doubles as a mini sports bar. Although there aren't too many TVs around for that.
The Restaurant gets an A.
So with the typical Tuesday Eating crew, we went to Fuddrucker's in Buena Park. I haven't been here in a while so I wanted to have a good burger again.
Wild Boar Burger
Wild Boar Burger with Grilled Onions, Bacon, Pepper Jack Cheese, Bleu Cheese with Chili Cheese Wedge Fries
Judgment: The burger was surprisingly healthier than the regular burgers there. I thought being Wild Boar, it'd be a burger full of piggy goodness so I added some bacon for that double piggy goodness. The taste is similar to a turkey burger but again with a slightly different edge to the flavor. The meat was a little more dry than beef as well. The chili fries were not much to write home about, although just hearing that it was an option made it tempting to order. Don't get tricked like I was. 7 / 10
Conclusion: The restaurant is just as I remembered it and for some reason, I had a yearning for some Garlic Parmesan Fries. Curse you Red Robin!
The Restaurant gets a B.
Bonus Material: Here's a Strawberry Shake my buddy Tony ordered. It looked SO good, I had to take a picture of it. I wish I had ordered one as well but I imagine it would've been WAY too filling.
