RECON: SLATER'S 50/50

San Diego, CA

   

     I popped down to San Diego over the Thanksgiving holiday and couldn’t wait to hit up a new burger joint that my dad had told me about: Slater’s 50/50. Located in the fast-developing Liberty Station, Slater’s has a nice outdoor patio, a healthy obsession with bacon and fantastic service.

     I went with the Canuck and my Dad, and since it was unseasonably warm, we sat on the patio. They ordered water, but I was in the mood for a beer and the manager suggested the Hofbrau Hefe Weizen, which turned out to be a nice contrast to the burger I ordered. We started with the Onion Strings that come with BBQ sauce, but as always I requested Ranch. They were solid, not out of this world, but solid and we ate every last one. 

     Then it came time to order our burgs. Slater’s is famous for their 50/50 patty, which is half ground beef and half ground bacon!  Obviously I was having that patty no matter what, even though they offer a variety of meats (and non-meats) to choose from. Both the Canuck and my dad ordered the 50/50 burger, which is the first burger in their ‘Burgers Designed’ category. It comes with an egg sunny side up, avocado, pepper jack cheese and a chipotle mayo:

My dad swapped out the chipotle for baconnaise on the side, the pepper jack for cheddar and added bacon, so he kind of designed his own in a round about way:

I chose to build a burger: 50/50 patty, (which must be cooked medium well to get the bacon right) baconnaise, brie, tomato, grilled onions and thick cut bacon. Like other places that have a build-your-own menu, they provide half-sheets for you to create your burg, only Slater’s takes it a step further and gives you a space to name it. I named mine The Heart Attack:

  

     The burgs come out stacked tall, with a knife stabbed through the center, and trust me you need the knife. {And Side Bar: If you name your burger, they say it when they bring it to you: "And who had the Heart Attack?" I raised my hand, "I did!" Now that I know that, I will have to abuse this privilege.}

     The Heart Attack was delicious! I built a winner. The brie and bacon were awesome, the patty was perfectly cooked and I could definitely taste the ground bacon. After a few bites, the onions were too slippery and the yummy baconnaise was oozing out, getting burg juice all over both my hands and my face. I looked like the fat kid that’s in every camp movie ever made stuffing his face with sloppy-joes. The point is, I ended up using a fork and knife. 

The egg escaped the Canuck’s burger; it slid out the back while he was taking a bite. Eggs and grilled onions are awesome on burgers, but sooo slippery. The Canuck also said the chipotle sauce overwhelmed the mild avocado, so maybe ask for it on the side if you go that route during your visit. Next time I want to design my own mac n cheese (yes, they let you do that!) and do a combination plate for the appetizer so I can try the fried artichoke hearts.  

Oh, and by the way, my dad managed to keep his burger together the whole time and never resorted to silverware; he says the trick is to never put it down.