Slaters 50/50

hopburster

Washington

3.8/5  rDev -4.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 2 | $$

A: Nice, open layout. Tables inside and out. Plenty of big screen TVs tuned to various sports channels.

Q: Decent tap list and the food seemed to be popular with the happy hour crowd. However, the onion rings I tried were so greasy that they were basically inedible!

S: Attentive without being pushy...seemed to know something about the tap list, but didn't evidence any depth of knowledge when questioned about a couple of the offerings.

S: Pretty decent selection. Highlights of their American craft beer selection included Mongo, several selections from the Bruery and a bunch of Stone selections. Also had a decent selection of Belgians (Delerium, Chimay, ABT 12). One nit, they had two tap hands on for beers that had already blown...of course they were my first two choices!

F: Menu looked great and local crowd seemed to be wolfing it down, but the onion rings I ordered were so greasy, they were inedible.

V: Beers seemed a bit pricey, but then this OC.

Overall, a decent place in a market that seems to be seriously lacking in choices for craft beer drinking.

08-18-2011 23:13:45 | More by hopburster

DoubleJ

California

4.18/5  rDev +4.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$$

The opening of a Slater's with more taps than the Anaheim location was music to my ears. The fact that a co-worker of mine lives nearby justified a day which we would explore the place together, so we gathered a few more co-workers and brought them to Slater's 50/50 for burgers and beers. Good thing I arrived early, becuase there didn't seem to be enough parking.

Fun atmosphere all around, though being Friday night, there was a good crowd on hand. An oval shaped bar shaded towards the enterence/exit. 31 TV's are scattered throughout the restaurant (including one in the bathroom!). Lots of old time photos and beer memorabilia decorating the walls. At several points there displays a tap listing (more on the details in a moment). There's even a clean pool table towards the back. Two outdoor patios, one in front and one in the back, the latter didn't seem to be used. The front patio is used as a waiting area, complete with a firepit and alcohol service, smart.

While there were plenty of servers who were friendly and were equipped with a beer "cheat sheet", there were moments during the long stay which the speed of service seemed to go slow. But...it was also Friday night, so I'll give 'em some benefit of the doubt. Regardless, it was closer to good than bad.

80 beers on-tap mixed with macros, micros, and rareish kegs. Stone, Bear Republic, Lost Coast, Rogue, Spaten, Allagash, North Coast, Duvel, Delirium, Russian River (Supplication!), The Bruery, Victory, Steigl, Hangar 24, La Chouffe all coming from the keg. As great as the tap list was, they were out of a few beers that my party asked for (such as St. Bernardus Abt. 12). In general, beers are offered in 16, 22, and pitcher sizes. One co-worker ordered a Delirium Tremens in a 22 ounce glass and cost $16. It's a good thing larger sizes are offered, because some of the 16 ounce prices are high ($7 for Red Seal Ale, for example.) I remember the Anaheim location being more slightly reasonable with beer prices. The pours were fresh and lively (and I tasted a lot that night) nothing short poured. Sampler flights are offered too, which is one way to go.

The food is what made Slater's famous, and it does not dissapoint. Fully customizable burgers that are half ground beef and half ground bacon with tasty topping and has the flavor of a steak makes ordering a burger an obligation. Also on the must try list is the Vampire Dip, which I hadn't tried until that Friday. Calling it insanely good would be an understatement.

Usually at the Anaheim location I order one big glass of beer with my burger. At the Huntington Beach location, it's much more difficult to stick with one beer given that there are 80 draft options and many that rotate in and out. Time will tell how often I stop at the Huntington location, but I can confidently say that this is tagging just behind Beachwood and Taps among places to eat and drink well in Orange County.

09-14-2011 00:00:28 | More by DoubleJ