The Orange County Register reports that Carl's Jr will be adding a turkey burger to the menu starting Wednesday, March 23, 2011. They menu item was created in a colloboration between Men's Health Magazine and Carl's Jr. There are three options, standard, guacamole, and teriyaki. Check back here for a review.
Article Here
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Islands in the Stream
I was stuck working late and my wife and our kids wanted to go out to meet some friends for dinner. They decided on Islands due to its location and kid-friendly atmosphere and menu. I have been to Islands many times and have always enjoyed the food.
Tonight, my wife selected the Kilauea Burger to bring home to me. It is described on the menu as a Jalapeno & black pepper crusted burger with pepper jack cheese, chipotle aioli, lettuce, tomato & Island Reds (crispy onion strings).
The burger itself was good. Not too big, but great flavor (especially with the jalapeno and black pepper crust) and a solid foundation for the toppings. The chipolte aioli provided a smoky and spicy kick, and the Island Reds (which were placed in a very generous fashion) were oustanding.
It was a great burger and I enjoyed it tremendously, HOWEVER, as you may have starting noticing, chain restaurants in California have started adding nutritional information on the menus. When you look at the specifics of this burger, it is simply astounding how bad it is for you. Consider the following:
SERVING SIZE (oz) 18
CALORIES 1560
CALORIES FROM FAT 1030
TOTAL FAT (g) 115
Uggggghh...I didn't even get fries with that. Great burger, but you should probably run to and from the store to get one...
Islands Restaurants
Numerous Locations
Website
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Deemers = Delish
The names of the burgers alone got me excited: "Caliente", "Napa" and "Californian". And the menu is just the start. Before I dive into the food, first a bit on Deemers. During our recent lunchtime visit we spoke to the manager, who was friendly and eager to share the restaurant's story. Recently opened by Kevin Deemers, a Newport Beach chef and restauranteur, Deemers American Grill offers a straightforward menu of burgers (beef, turkey or chicken), salads and sandwiches. Kevin was the man behind the former Yankee Tavern in Newport Beach and also spent time in the kitchen of the Ritz Carlton. Deemer's, his latest venture, is focused on gourmet burgers in a non-white table cloth environment. The competitive advantage: Deemer's is one of the only burger joints to grind their own meat. According to the manager, most of the competition buys their patties pre-made.
The friendly staff, comfortable and clean interior and enticing menu forshadowed a tasty Sunday afternoon lunch. I ordered the Caliente burger while my wife sampled the Classic with Cheese. The Caliente was a no-brainer order for me:queso fresco cheese, sauteed jalepenos, beefsteak tomato, iceberg lettuce, with Deemer's fire sauce. We also ordered a basket of fries and a side of peanut coleslaw.
The Caliente was fantastic and the freshness was obvious. The patty itself was slightly crumbled (in a good way) and to me indicated that it was not a pre-formed patty. You know those hand-formed homemade burgers that sort of crumble when you sink into them? Not sure how these guys form the patties, but I got the feeling of homemade while I was eating. My wife thoroughly enjoyed the Classic with cheese...so much that I wasn't able to steal a bit for research purposes!
The Caliente was fantastic and the freshness was obvious. The patty itself was slightly crumbled (in a good way) and to me indicated that it was not a pre-formed patty. You know those hand-formed homemade burgers that sort of crumble when you sink into them? Not sure how these guys form the patties, but I got the feeling of homemade while I was eating. My wife thoroughly enjoyed the Classic with cheese...so much that I wasn't able to steal a bit for research purposes!
The fries might have been the dark horse of the whole matter. Thick-sliced potatoes lead to crispy and lightly seasoned goodness. The peanut coleslaw was a bit of a let down. I love peanut coleslaw, but this one left much to be desired. I think the peanuts were on strike--I couldn't find them in my bowl.
Bottom line: Deemer's delivered a fresh, tasty burger and an overall great experience. So far my favorite burger of the year and I can't wait to go back to test the "Buffalo": blue cheese, red hot sauce with two cabbage peanut coleslaw.
Deemer's American Grill
27221 La Paz Road
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 425-8770
-B
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)