Bison and Bacon Meatloaf, with Bacon Mac and Cheese, is a special treat at Slater’s 50/50
Slater’s 50/50 is a small chain of restaurants with six locations from Pasadena to San Diego. Their claim to fame is the burger, which, as the name implies, is a mix of 50% ground beef and 50% ground bacon. Slaters has much more on the menu, however. Last night, I went to try their special menu for Orange County Restaurant Week. They had several items created especially for the week.
The dinner started with a choice of cocktails or beer. I ordered one of their house specialties, the Bacon Old Fashioned. It was delicious, with just a hint of bacon infused into the whiskey. Shortly after, our appetizers came. I had ordered the Chicken Fried Bacon, while my guest ordered the Sriracha Chicken Wings. What’s better than battered bacon, deep fried? The bacon was crisp and very flavorful. The chicken wings were also very good, with a flavorful sauce and a fair amount of heat. It was a good start to the meal.
Chicken fried bacon, a porcine delight
For the main course, my guest ordered the Coffee Rub Burger. It was a delicious burger, with a coffee barbecue rub on it that added a nice amount of flavor. The patty was cooked perfectly to taste—the cooks certainly know how to cook a burger to order. The burger was topped with hush puppies and bacon cheddar cheese. It was certainly a delicious hamburger, served on a nice brioche bun with chipotle ketchup on the side.
My main course was another special, the Bison and Bacon Meatloaf. Anyone sensing a theme here? This was truly a work of art, consisting of 2/3 of a pound of ground bison and ground bacon, baked with a pistachio Dijon crust. On the menu, it said bone in, a unique way to describe a meatloaf. Bone in it was, however, with a large marrow bone in the center filled with delicious marrow and topped with marrow butter. It was an amazing taste sensation, good to the last drop of marrow out of the bone. On the side, a nice cup of Bacon Mac and Cheese provided a nice complement to the luscious meatloaf. It’s hard to think of a better meatloaf that I’ve had.
For dessert, I ordered the Bananas Foster Milkshake and my guest ordered the Cocorama. The milkshake was rich with fresh bananas, banana syrup and caramel. It came in a large glass with the straw standing upright in the middle, plus the stainless cup with almost another glass of shake in it. As full as I was, I finished both cups worth. It was that good! The Cocorama was delicious too, made in a cast iron skillet. It consisted of a coconut, caramel and chocolate cookie baked in the skillet, then topped with two scoops of ice cream and a Girl Scout cookie. It was a beautiful presentation and a delicious way to end the dinner.
Most of these dishes were specifically made for the Restaurant Week. At the end of the meal, we got a survey to fill out, asking if the items should be on the regular menu. For all of them, it was an unqualified “yes!”. I’m looking forward to returning and having a 50/50 Burger next time. Judging from the crowds that were there on a rainy night, there are a lot of people who enjoy Slater’s so much that they will brave the storm to go and enjoy drinks and delicious food there.
Slater’s 50/50
Locations in Pasadena, Anaheim, West Covina, Lake Forest, San Diego and Huntington Beach
