Beer and bacon lovers are going to like this news - Slater's 50/50 restaurants, infamous for their bacon-centric food and the 50% beef, 50% bacon patties in their burgers, have released a new loyalty program that favors the beer aficionados. This 50/50 VIP Club grants you an exclusive-looking membership card that opens up a long list of perks including Burger of the Month preview tastings, promotions, discounts, and events; however, the greatest perk that pays for itself in our minds is getting one beer a day without additional costs as a club member (no rollovers). That's neat.


Though it is only $30/month right now for members to sign up, we haven't bitten the bullet yet to get ourselves an exclusive card. From an invitation, we did join the inaugural club members on their first ever 50/50 Club VIP dinner which was hosted as a five-course Bourbon paired dinner. The dinner was actually also open to other non-members to attend for a fee but membership wielders got to partake in the dinner without charge. The first dinner at Slater's 50/50 of Huntington Beach was hosted on September 23rd, and the menu looked decadent. I wouldn't have classified this particular dinner as a pairing style, however, as there was just a full bottle on the table of Woodford Reserve and food shuffled out aplenty rather than being paired per dish.


Regardless, what a memorable dinner albeit indulgent. For the most part, we are cognizant of what we eat and what it's made of but going to Slater's 50/50 comes with certain expectations. You will have to accept that the dishes will be bombastic. The tables began with a bowl of the Jalapeno Dip (spicy cream cheese dip with fresh jalapenos, pita chips, and fresh vegetables) which had such a pleasant kick to them without being unbearable. The fresh vegetables made us feel a little better from the start but let's just say, the following courses were in line with the indulgence the restaurant encourages.

As this was the first dinner of its kind for the 50/50 VIP Club members, we weren't sure if the chef's presentations would be part of ongoing perks but it was certainly a fantastic way to add more definition behind the dishes. With each course that was served, out came the chef to talk about why he decided to prepare the dishes as certain way. We all drooled a little bit when thick-cut slabs of Maple Sambal Candied Bacon arrived, glistening in their sweet-salty-spicy goodness. I'm not sure how or if these will appear on future menus but if you see them, get them. Not pictured is the impressive whole hunks of Beef Ribs, cooked to a smoky perfection with a tender juiciness that had us all clamoring for more.


With the VIP dinner and membership overall, members get to preview the upcoming Burger of the Month, and for October, Slater's 50/50 was aptly showcasing a Bratwurst Burger (sweet bourbon apple sauerkraut, pickles, brown mustard, Swiss, and bacon on a pretzel bun) which we all had in miniature slider form. The mixture of ingredients was a fine mix of several different textures and tastes but I found it just a tad too salty, likely from the actual brat patty. To mitigate that, we also had heaping sides of their Potato Salad and Mexico City Corn on the Cob, both satisfyingly filling as well and packed with more than enough flavor.


Now to think that that was the end of the meal would be silly - after all, Slater's 50/50 is also known for putting bacon even in their desserts. Every guest ended up with a full-sized, intimidatingly large Bacon Brownie Ice Cream Sandwich (candied bacon, chocolate ganache, vanilla bean ice cream, and fudgey chocolate brownie) which towered and could easily sate any sweet tooth. The saltiness from the bacon lent a nice twist on many places' tendency to place sea salt atop chocolate, and the chocolate was richly thick. I could barely make it through the first brownie after being so full!

All in all, the dinner itself is worth more than $30 so how could a $30/month membership not be tempting to you? Toss in a few daily brewskis and you have yourself a winning deal!

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.

The sixth location in a line of beloved restaurants, El Cholo in Anaheim Hills is opening tomorrow! The original El Cholo has been established in Los Angeles since 1923 (a 90th anniversary comes up in the fall!), and overall the restaurant has down well by opening up other locations around the southern California area. You might have seen one in Downtown Los Angeles, La Habra, Irvine, or even Santa Monica if not the original in Los Angeles itself. Well add Anaheim Hills to your list for this family-run Mexican restaurant that is cooking up long-time recipes and filling our bellies with authenticity. Duc and I were lucky enough to be invited for a sneak peek into this sixth located slated to open March 18th (tomorrow).


The sounds of carpentry and finishing touches around us didn't deter from the mood that it looks like El Cholo is trying to set. Not only will plenty of the same style and atmosphere be replicated here (after all, they have been working with the same designers/contractors for many years), the food will be the same as you may know and love with the recent announcement of Chef Felix Salcedo as the executive brand-wide chef of El Cholo. This new El Cholo has color in all the right places and even features an indoor patio dining area that will allow for guests to hang out for casual eating. At 8,500 square feet of space, you could certainly fill it to its brim of 425 people! I particularly liked the high-vaulted skylights in the main dining area and the heavy use of wood. The dinnerware was also a beautiful and friendly array of bright colors.


We got to meet Ron Salisbury himself, the main owner of the Salisbury Family restaurant business (RBI Inc.) which not only includes the El Cholo restaurants but also popular eateries like The Cannery in Newport Beach and The Cat & The Custard in La Habra. As we waited around for our food tastings, we were treated to a choice of either their LA Lemonade or famous Margarita. Being that there were two of us from MAAF there, we tried both and they were delicious! The LA Lemonade definitely could pass off as an adult lemonade of sorts and the margarita, though presented a tad differently than expected, was just the right amount of lip-smacking sugary/salty goodness. Our staters of their Carmen's Original Nachos (1959 - with aged Cheddar), Chicken Chimichangas (1967 - housemade tortillas), and the Burrito Dorado (1977 - with chili con carne, aged Cheddar, and a simmered tomato sauce) came out and wowed us in their sizes and smells. Super cheesy and super filling - it was hard to believe more was going to come out! Duc particularly liked the chimichangas which I'm guessing is attributed to their fried nature. I found the burrito quite juicy and tasty.


Next up was their most ordered plate - the Combo #1 - which is comprised of a cheese enchilada and rolled beef taco. We also got their A Taste of History plate, an impressive array of their Black Creek Cheddar Cheese Enchilada, Rolled Beef Taco, Chile Relleno & Roasted Pork Tamale. I particularly found the tamale to be the best one on that assorted plate because its texture overall. For under $15, this is definitely a great plate to try if you want a little bit of everything. One of my favorites for the night though were the Blue Corn Enchiladas (1986 - marinated chicken breast in an enchilada wrapped in blue corn tortillas; all in tomatillo sauce and with sour cream & avocado garnish). The marinade in the chicken lent to its flavorful and juicy taste while the blue corn tortillas gave a playful look to the eyes and corn-y taste to the mouth. For all the dishes with beans and rice, bravo on making them perfect. I love Spanish rice a lot and could not keep away from theirs. Additionally, all of the guacamole came out "Molcajete Style."


Despite feeling like we could eat no more, we were still being served! What I really did enjoy was an off-menu item that can easily be made if asked (ask for it! you'll like it!) - their Southwest Chicken Salad. With a rolling kick in the mouth from the spicy grilled chicken pieces, this salad is light and refreshing having been dressed with a lime-cilantro concoction. Tortilla strips also give a needed salt crunch to the meal that the Romaine lettuce won't necessarily do. I'd definitely order something like this. I'd also give their Filet Tacos (three handmade corn tortillas with Molcajete Salsa, Cilantro Rice and Black Beans) another try because the meat was perfectly tender and matched well with the accompaniments. The cilantro rice had a pleasant subtle taste of the contentious green spring, and the salsa gave the filet on top of the freshly made corn tortillas a good tang and kick. The whole table really liked these.


If you want to see more of the menu and even prices, check El Cholo out by clicking here. So at the end of it all, we had the opportunity to personally thank our chefs for the evening, two of whom are the restaurant-wide chefs that travel from location to location and another who is just the chef on the premises. I also briefly met current CEO of RBI, Brendon Salisbury, a fourth generation man of the Salisbury Family who oversees all the restaurants. Thank you to everyone at El Cholo who had us and to the ladies at JPR for the invitation. If you're curious on popping into this El Cholo, it is located at East Santa Ana Canyon Road, Anaheim Hills, CA 92808 and will open for business tomorrow!

Photography by Duc Duong and Minerva Thai. More photos are available on Facebook.