The Shwack...

The whole family was down at the Dana Point Marine Institute for a Saturday morning outing. Wanting to sample something from Dana Point, consulting Yelp, and recalling a review in the OC Register recently, the choice was simple...The Shwack Beach Grill. Located in a former Starbucks location on Del Prado (the one way Southbound street which parallels PCH), the laid back place looks like a smaller version of any wahoos or TK Burger you have ever been to. The Staff was really attentive, happy to be there, and a pleasure to be served by.

The place is counter service (although they do deliver the food once cooked) and seems like it gets pretty crowded. We were lucky enough to be seated by 11:30 (the only upside to having two kids that wake you up at 6:00 on weekends), but as we left, the place started to get crowded.

We ordered the following:

Big Al's Bacon Burger
$5.95
Crispy onions, hickory BBQ sauce, american cheese and deep smoked bacon.

Shwack Spuds
$2.50
Fresh baked idahos finished in zero tras fat canola oil and served with homemade jalapeno bacon ranch.

Good Vibes Veggie Burger
$5.95
Zucchini, mushrooms, onions, potato, and quinoa with Shwack sauce, tomato, fresh arugula, and swiss cheese.

And a Kid's Chicken Sandwich.

So how was it? Very good. I realized as I enjoyed it that most men should probably order a double (which is still reasonably priced), but the single burger was actually enough to satisfy. The bun is in the top of the buns I have had and tasted like a Hawaiian bread or challah or brioche. The burger was cooked pretty well (I was not asked, nor did I specify a temperature). The crispy onions, BBQ sauce, and bacon provided great flavor.

The Veggie Burger tasted like a salad, or something like that, and had a wheat bun instead of the awesome bun the burger had.

The Kid's Chicken Sandwich was very small (slider sized) but had very good flavor and both of my kids enjoyed it.

They could use some additional sides to mix it up.

Would I drive all the way to Dana Point for the Shwack? Likely not, but if I am in Dana Point and hungry, I would definitely go back. It was very good.

The Shwack Beach Grill
24502 Del Prado
Dana Point, CA 92629
Website
Facebook Page

Register Review

Location:Dana Point

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The spread of pimento cheese | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper

Pimento Cheese is not just a great dip or snack, it is a hot new Burger topping trend. See review of Fremont Diner.

More Gourmet Burgers

The OC Register highlights 17 new Orange County restaurant openings, two of which are gourmet burger bars...article here.

Science!

The New York Times writes about a technique to produce a stellar burger.

Who has Liquid Nitrogen at their home?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/07/science/07tier.html

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Link to Esquire

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Link

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Warning: Off topic, non Burger-related post.

I love Fritos. I love Tapatio. Put them both together and you have one of the great food combinations like Peanut Butter and Jelly or Bacon and Eggs. I won't pretend that I purchased these delectable goodies without alcohol in my system, but for research purposes, I did taste them late at night and then the next morning. Both times, I was simultaneously greeted with a wonderful taste sensation and a burning tingling of spicy hotness.

I love spicy food and try to eat something caliente everyday. I tell you this to establish some spice cred. Regardless, I found these to be of a spiciness level beyond what is comfortable for normal eating. You need to be in the mood to "feel the burn" and should probably have a beverage nearby.

Crunchy Frito curly-cues with a zesty Tapatio kick! Que Sabor!