Elite Tasting: Slater’s 50/50 Lake Forest

OMG… Where do I start. (Not for dieters) The best burger I have had ever. That includes in-​in-​out. The ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ burger is worth the price. For an appetizer I recommend the Vampire dip. It is an artichoke, cream cheese dip in a sourdough bowl. The taste is out of this world. Comes with pita chips and sourdough bread.
The we got the 3 way fries: sweet potato, regular, and onion rings. Each comes with its own fancy sauce. The fries come with a bacon ketchup. The sweet potato fries comes with a pumpkin dip (my favorite for dessert). The onion rings come with a dip, but I forgot what it is. I don’t eat the onion rings; my hubby does. I usually like onion rings, but not here. This was the only thing I did not like here. They are puffy, like Japanese tempura style.
I got the build it yourself burger and hubby got the ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ burger. All burgers are made with the best quality beef. The ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ they add bacon to the burger patty. Wow. what a taste… Yummy.

I love being treated like royalty! Thanks Slaters ⁵⁰⁄₅₀.
We walked in and were immediately seated next to another couple. They were doing shared seating to accommodate more people, which is great so we could meet other Unilocalers!
Slaters treated us to drinks, appetizers, food and dessert. What the heck!!!
I ordered a diet coke but the SO ordered their lemonade. Pretty tasty. I ordered the classic slaters burger and he ordered a veggie burger. My burger had a fried egg on it and it drizzled with warm yoke and half bacon half beef patty. So delicious.
Our appetizer was the vampire dip which is truly delicious but a whole meal in itself. Beware if it’s just the two of you because it may be waaaay too much food.
We ordered a banana shake for dessert. It was made with real bananas and not artificial flavors. So freaking amazing.
The service was training that night so they were a little nervous. However, they went completely out of their way to make sure we were happy and enjoyed our meal.

Been saving my 300^th review for my very first Unilocal Elite event. Am so glad it was at Slaters 50 50.
Never knew this portion of the mall was here. Kinda hidden, but no more. Parking appears to be more than adequate and its an Easy in going North on El Toro.
Since I’ve had an OMG experience at Slaters, I knew what to expect. Ordering from the «Design It» menu can be challenging, so elected for a pre design. Got the Big Daddy Melt and the GF got the Pittsburgh Pastrami. Also got the Buffalo Chicken Mac n’ Cheese. Dessert was the ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ Famous Bacon Brownie.
Got to sample some of the porters and stouts. Tried the Dechutes Black Butte Porter, Old Rasputin Stout, and the Avery Ellie’s Brown. Excellent beers. Got a pint of the Black Phoenix and we also got a Framboise. Thank you Brooke for being so accomodating.
Awesome event, Ryan. And thanks to Thomas O. for helping out in front.
The food was incredible.

Left full and satisfied!
Me and my +1 ordered the Pick 6 appetizer and sampled the bacon mac n cheese balls, fried pickles/​jalapenos, reg/​sweet pot fries and onion rings. Bacon mac n cheese balls were the best hands down– ooey gooey delish!
I got the Flamin’ Hot burger and it was mighty hot– I started to sweat: P
Dessert was a milkshake because they ran out of ALL their desserts! Bummer because I wanted to try the bacon brownie :(
Our server Ryan was on point and made it a great experience for us.
Thanks Slater’s! Will be back for more :)

My first Elite event of the year! Woo Hoo!
Ryan C always puts on very cool Elite events and this one was no exception! Not much mingling going on though because it was a full on sit-​down dinner. Free food? Oh yeah I’m there!
We arrived about a half hour early for our reservation, but that didn’t seem to matter, we were seated immediately!
As this was the «soft opening» a day prior to their «official» grand opening and really put the staff to the test because the restaurant was completely packed! Our server Ben was awesome! Very friendly, helpful and eager to make sure we were happy! If Ben wasn’t right there to check on us, another server was, the whole team was right on top of everything! Unfortunately it took a while for our food to come out and when it did the appetizer and entrees arrived at the exact same time. Bummer, but I’ll chock it up to being the pre-​opening test run. The music was a bit loud for a while, but someone turned it down about half way through our meal (thank you).
Like many others, we ordered the Vampire Dip, it was creamy, garlicky, pure awesomeness in a bread bowl!
For entrees we order the ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ Burger and the Hawaiian Burger
DAMN these things are HUGE! Once I was able to get into it, there was a lot going on flavor wise, but it was all really tasty!
OMG People… Bacon Salt!!! OH… YEAH!
Dessert was the «Cococarma» — toasted coconut, caramel, chocolate cookie and vanilla ice cream? How could you possibly go wrong! It was sweet and tasty finish to our very filling meal!
Thank you Ryan C, Thomas A and most of all, Slaters ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ for an awesome event, a really great time and a very filling meal!

After many complaints about my absence
(some funny people were suggesting a name change to Lili MIA H)
this is my first Elite event of 2013 =)
and what a great event: we were invited to try the new Lake Forest Slater’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀
Absolutely delish!
First I forgot to make the reservation
(good one! seems like part of my brain cells still in Bogotá)
so I called at the last minute and they told me that the only available time was 5:45 pm. I thought… not too bad… a very very very late Sunday lunch =)
We arrived on time and were promptly seated. Andrew our server was super nice and welcoming.
In addition to their burgers, Slater ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ is well known for their brews, over 100 I was told…

I started with a Maui coconut porter and then I had a Alpine Spring (seasonal) Both delicious in their own way.
What did we have?
— Appetizer Vampire dip: If you like garlic and/​or if you are being chased by vampires this is a God’s send. It comes in a sourdough bowl with crunchy and flavorful bread on the side. Awesome!
— Burger: here I got too creative with the ingredients, and designed the one and only «Colombian Goddess Burger», if you can see the ingredients it’s sweet and salty…
Inside:
Outside:
IMHO it tasted delicious! but taste as beauty is in the eye (or taste buds) of the beholder…
Regardless how good it was, I wasn’t able to finish it, had to get a box =)
— Dessert: Bacon dessert a la mode, to go! I couldn’t eat anymore and had to be careful with my designated driver falling into food coma…
Thanks to my +1 Paul (aka Pablito) fun as usual!
I also had great neighbors, who were my Unilocal friends but we never met before: Vinnie, Maria and Emily.
Great to see Roy, Fia, Rohlin, Laina, David, Kevin, John… I’m glad you guys missed me because I missed you all as well!
Thank you Ryan for putting it together! It was a blast. Way to start the year of the Water Snake =)
Thanks Thomas, Andrew (our server who did a great job) and all the Slater ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ crew. Excellent team work!

My First Elite Event of the Year!!!
…and what a kick ass way to ring in the new year, too! Lunar New Year that is…
This lucky son of a gun got invited to an exclusive Elite event at the brand spankin new Slater’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ in Lake Forest and all I can is, «I had a blast!»
There was nothing but love as soon as I stepped into the room. The staff was quick accommodating and friendly. We had our orders placed in a jiffy by our efficient server and without a moment to spare, we had some frosty mugs of beer in hand with loads of tasty appetizers to nosh on! Yummmmm
The fried Mac n cheese balls — To. Die. For and the fried pickles you ask? Bomb! The crispy onion rings were splendid and the accompanying dipping sauces elevated the flavor profiles to new heights! Two words folks: Tapatio Ranch! Dayam it’s guuuuud! What an excellent way to start the meal, too!
But the best was yet to come!
As soon as our burgers arrived in all their glory my jaw got unhinged at the site of these behemoths! The patty alone was a thick and juicy slab worthy of praise but the pretzel bread glistening in all it’s glory had my mouth watering and the garlic aioli guac combo oozing from the side of the burger reeled me in! To say I devoured this burger is an understatement, cuz I Inhaled it! That’s saying a lot cuz I rarely finish an entire burger here but it was so tasty, there was no room for leftovers.
We topped off the evening with a bombdiggity bacon brownie with cool vanilla ice cream and drizzled with fudge… Sweet decadence I tell ya, and I enjoyed every sinful spoonful!
I also got a chance to see some of my Unilocal buddies which was awesome, as well. For those I missed, hopefully I’ll catch you at the next event!
A big thank you to Ryan C for organizing this awesome event for us lucky Elites and Slater’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ for hosting. You guys are rockstars!
Happy Eats!

Special thanks to Slater’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ and Ryan C. for making my first Unilocal Elite event a memorable one!
Dawn M. and I arrived a few minutes before our 5:30 reservation. We were greeted by the friendly hostesses and made our way to the Unilocal check-​in table. Free Unilocal swag? Don’t mind if I do! I’m totally wearing the wristband to the gym tomorrow.
Our table was ready a few minutes later. I saw fellow Unilocaler and friend Stephan Y. as were being seated, so I didn’t feel like a total noob. Our waitress for the evening, Caroline, welcomed us. She was a bit nervous at first, but did a great job of settling in as the night went on. She was attentive, polite, and very friendly. As part of the event, each table received a free appetizer, one ¹⁄₃ lb. burger per person, and dessert.
We started with the Vampire Dip since we noticed a number of fellow Unilocalers ordering this dish. The appetizer arrived in a bread bowl and was served with fried pita triangles. OUTSTANDING. The cheese and garlic blended seamlessly to make this plate quite irresistible. Seriously, I had to control myself if I was going to have any room for my burger.
Even though drinks weren’t included, Dawn M. and I wanted to try a couple anyway. I love stout beers and coconut, so I couldn’t pass up on the Coconut Porter. Sadly, this beer didn’t quite live up to its name. It was a solid stout, but I couldn’t really taste the coconut flavor. Dawn M. got the Hangar 24 (starts with a V), which was a lighter, more refreshing option.
Alright, burger time! We both decided to design our own burgers. My burger including the following: Medium well beef, arugula, tomato, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, cheddar cheese, and garlic aioli on rye bread. Dawn M. got a similar burger, but also added a fried egg. The cool part about designing your own burger is that you can name it! It was pretty funny to hear him say «Post-​Dejeuner» and «Young Money Democrat». The burgers came out in about 15 minutes and were HUGE. Keep in mind that we ordered the smallest portion (¹⁄₃ lb.), too. For $ 8.95, it’s a steal! The meat was cooked perfectly, the bun was toasty, and the toppings packed lots of punch. Eating the entire burger was a battle, but I prevailed.
For dessert, we ordered the bacon brownie. I mean, we were already eating with reckless abandon, so why not? This dessert came with two giant bacon-​topped brownies and 3 – 4 scoops of chocolate-​drizzled vanilla ice cream. Unfortunately, we were already pretty full, so we couldn’t fully enjoy this concoction. Overall, this was a tasty treat, but nothing mind-​blowing. The bacon meshed surprisingly well with the brownies and ice cream. I’d give this dish 3.5 stars.
Wow, talk about a hearty meal. We got home at 7 PM and KO’d till 11 PM! My stomach is definitely satisfied. Thanks again for everything and hope to see everyone soon!

Attended my first elite Unilocal event, courtesy of my BF :) we came in for the soft opening on 2÷10÷13 (Opening day, 2÷11÷13). On this evening, Ben handled our orders and drinks. He was very helpful, especially on helping us decide on what to order for appetizer, so we went with the Buffalo Chicken Mac n’ Cheese, the burgers for the evening: meet the Big Daddy Melt and the Pittsburgh Pastrami, to end the evening, dessert: 50/50’s Famous Bacon Brownie!
The appetizer: Buffalo Chicken Mac n’ Cheese — was a nice surprise! It was smooth, velvety, three-​cheesy Alfredo sauce, macaroni, with a crunchy, Cheez-​Its topping. There were chunks of buffalo chicken with celery and blu-​cheese, that melted well with the three cheese Alfredo sauce. Good job Ben!
The BF got the Big Daddy Melt (2/​3lb burger on a grilled rye bread) and I got one the Slater specialty, the Pittsburgh Pastrami. First off, the Big Daddy Melt, was a behemoth of a burger, Slater style lol Cooked just how we like it, medium rare, it was juicy and tasty, topped with melted Swiss cheese, grilled onions and a aioli sauce… can’t quite put my taste buds on it. My Pittsburgh Pastrami, oh my, love me some pastrami and they pile on the pastrami! What I was not expecting, was the coleslaw and fries were in the sandwich! Who does that? Oh yeah… Slater ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ does that haha!
The dessert: 50/50’s Famous Bacon Brownie, was a double brownie, topped with bacon and drizzled hot fudge (handled with a heavy hand), and vanilla ice cream, well done. Oh GAWD, it was so freakin good!
Complimenting our food, the drinks: Bootlegger’s Black Phoenix (his) and Timmermans Framboise (her). We also got to sample some other drinks (flight style): a Deschutes Black Butte Porter, a North Coast Old Rasputin, and Avery Ellis’s Brown Ale, courtesy of the mgr, Brooke. Thanks Brooke :)
Tonight’s service played out like a wonderful symphony, the food was flavorful, mouth watering, the smells and sights were tantalizing, the following food coma was expected too lol. We each took home half our burgers and a smile… thanks to Ben and Brooke, for a memorable night! Keep up the fantastic work and many thanks to the Unilocal Elite event organizers: Ryan C. and Thomas O.

Unilocal Elite Event, 2÷10÷2013.
Great food, great service, great company.
Burgers were great, milkshake was phenomenal and fried pickles/​fried Mac n cheese balls were great.
This was a night of practice for the servers and staff, which was fine with us. We only had a minor issue, the appetizer came out warm, not hot. While it didn’t taste like they had been sitting around, they just weren’t hot! I chalked it up to the evening being super busy. The fried pickles were still super yummy. :)
We watched the staff and sometimes it seemed like they weren’t completely sure of where to take the food in their hands. Someone would stop mid-​step and look around the room or would bring the wrong food to the wrong table. In the end, it was a practice service and it’s ok to make a few mistakes. Nothing is going to stop me from coming back for another burger soon!
The restaurant assistant manager or manager (Ryan) came around and made sure everything was great with our meal. I brought up the warm appetizer and he sincerely listened to my statements on it. I appreciate the time he took to make sure everything was good with our meal.

Amazing event.
Slater’s personnel were gracious hosts and service was fun and prompt.
Bf had the B’B’B’Bacon burger and said he liked the sauce, it was sweet.
I TRIED to tackle the monstrosity that was the Chicken and Pancakes. I failed, deliciously.
Yummy food and great drinks to be had. Coffee was especially good!

OMG, overload on FOOD!!! Ryan, you just keep topping event you hold~ No wonder OC Elite Events are impossible to get into ^^
Where do I start… A burger + a burger + a burger = burgerlicious! There were appetizers, which is the way to start getting yourself stuff before the «actual» meal. Got the Vampire dip; fatty, gooey & cheesy. Then, I made my own burger ~ the Hello Fattie Kittie burger, heh heh. The only sad part was they forgot my mushroom and guacamole, but, no stress, when I asked about it, the waiter brought it right out to me. And, what better way to end a meal than with brownies and ice-​crème! OMG, chocolate on steroids! By this time, my stomach felt like it was about to explode because I ate stuff myself with too much food!!! What happens when you eat too much of the good stuff? Well, you get an awesome food coma ^^
Tip: Ryan rocks, OC Elite Events are the way to go!!!

An exclusive event for Unilocal only! Huge kudos to Ryan for a super organized awesome Elite event at such a cool place.
This was my first experience at any Slater’s establishment and I was impressed. I really liked how I was able to make reservations ahead of the event and was even text ed 46 minutes ahead of time. My waitress Connie was supper friendly and was thorough explaining the menu. Started off with the vampire dip:
which was pretty rich and ended up taking most of it home BC it was gigantic sized.
I ended up going with the burger of the month — supreme pizza burger. The awesome burger was made up of half 21 day aged beef, half Italian sausage, roasted peppers, pepperoni, garlic marinara sauce, mushrooms, mozzarella sticks and served on aioli bun.
This huge burger was a meal in itself but I was craving a milkshake and chose the banana nutella flavor which was so incredible:
Of course there was Unilocal swag:
I hearted the wrist bands, bottle openers, mints and Unilocal bags.
Thank you Ryan and Slater’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ for a great time!

Ryan, where were you? I wanted to say Hi.
I had an awesome time. I made reservations a little late because of our busy Chinese New Year schedule and was a little disappointed I missed many of you. Burgers is on my top favorite things to eat and this event did not disappoint. I got the beer cheese fries which was BOMB. For my burger, I designed a lettuce wrap ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ patty with a bunch of other goodness. It’s always better when you make it yourself. I left stuffed and satisfied. Everything was made perfectly and oh so gooood…
The staff and service was excellent. So friendly and accommodating. I loved the whole reservation thing so it wasn’t too pack and there was no wait. Can’t wait for the next event =).

Another awesome Elite event hosted by Unilocal,Slaters 50/​50, and Ryan C. Even though Ryan was absent, we still had a great time. Chris K. made reservations since I was WL but we still managed to sit with a few of our Unilocal friends: Vanessa H., Shane D. and their plus 1s, Julie B. and Karen. Thanks to Chris for letting me be his +1. Slaters was prepared this time around and had their liquor license so it was nice to try some of their beers. I had the Angry Orchard Apple cider which was really great for a hard cider. Chris got to try a new beer which I don’t recall. We got to mingle with a few Unilocal friends while waiting for food so it was nice.
We ordered the vampire dip, fried jalapenos, and fried mac & cheese balls for our appetizers. For the burgers, a few of us designed our own, while others tried the menu items. The burgers are always great but they have more than just burgers. Julie ordered the chicken and pancakes, while Vanessa tried the California chicken sandwich. Karen had the peanut butter and jealousy burger which is always popular.
Our server Anton, was on point. He was funny, social and informative. He made some suggestions when we asked about the menu and he even went so far as to offer us free dessert cards when the kitchen ran out of all of the desserts. Our milkshakes were comped too since we didn’t have dessert. That’s awesome! We did have to pay for our alcohol which was expected since our appetizers and burgers were comped too. Thanks to Slater’s for having us try the restaurant out. They open officially today and I hope they do well. This location has plenty of parking and will definitely be busy.

Took care of everything, even add-​ons and drinks.
Only negative was the mozzarella sticks in the pizza burger for my +1… those things were like basically inedible, like literally rocks after theyve been either fried too long or sitting in the warmer too long. Wasnt even sure if there was cheese in there lol.
Other than that the practice service went great cept they ran out of desserts but they made it up by giving us a free dessert card and a milkshake to finish.
As far as the food: Vampire Dip, of course! Then the burgers were great as well… that ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ patty mmm!

Thoroughly enjoyed my pig-​out session! Me and my plus one were slightly late for our reservation but didn’t have a problem getting our own table after checking in. The place was packed but the service was definitely quick. We had a table to ourselves, even though seating was unbearably close, i didn’t mind it too much since we were amongst other Unilocalers.
We ordered the vampire dip as apps and we had no problems polishing off MOST of it. I did prefer the sourdough bread with the dip instead of the super greasy fried pita wedges they served with it. For entrée, the BF never had a burger at Slater’s before so he was ecstatic to order the B’B’B’ Bacon Burger (he LOVES bacon). Being a picky health nut eater, I had the Turkey Burger with lettuce wrap (i know, boring) but i really enjoyed it! I didn’t plan on having dessert but again, since the BF never had it before, we ordered the Bacon Brownie which, honestly, was waaaaaay too much for us. After two bites, we literally couldn’t do it anymore and ended up taking the rest home to share with roommates.
I saw a lot of fellow Unilocalers check in but unfortunately didn’t get to say hi any of them since we were late and pretty much was in a food coma afterwards.
Thanks to Ryan C. and his crew for the opportunity to dine here tonight!

My first elite event and I felt all special knowing everyone eating there tonight were Unilocal Eliters! Pretty cool to be in an environment of people who loves food, knows to «check in on Unilocal», and takes pics of the food.
Service was impeccable from the moment we were greeted at the door
till walking out the door! Our server was Matt. He was really attentive, gave us the 411 on what they’re known for and was constantly refilling our drinks.
Started off with the Vampire Dip … Mmm cheese garlic goodness served with pita bread and sourdough bread. One of Slaters’ most popular dish!
My +1 and I both built our own burger. I got the ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ (half bacon, half beef) with lettuce, tomato, grilled onion, pepperjack, avocado mash, beer battered onion rings with garlic aioli. Juicy and full of flavor. The meat was cooked perfectly to medium as I asked for with a little pink on the inside.
The only downside was since my reservation was 8:30 which was the latest slot, they ran out of all desserts besides the Bacon Brownie and shakes. So I opted for a shake … Nutella & Oreo!!! Let me tell you, it was the best shake I’ve ever had! Hands down. No joke. It was a perfect consistency and I could taste some bits of Oreo and the richness of the Nutella.
Wow one of the best free meals ever. Thank you Unilocal,Ryan C and Slaters for hosting this event. So happy attending my first event and I can’t wait for future ones. It sure pays off to write those reviews and be active on Unilocal ;)

Free full burger, appetizers, dessert & drinks! Ooooh yeah: D Everybody was super nice & attentive. Several of the staff walked around making sure to ask everybody how everything was… and everything was phenomenal!
The sweet potato fries were my favorite appetizer… it came with pumpkin sauce which complimented the fries very well. The regular fries were good too, especially dipped in their bacon ketchup. And the burger… huge & delicious… perfectly cooked and presented and must be eaten with a knife & fork. I made my own… love that you can put a name on the burger you build.
I’m so glad I got accepted to this event. Loved the free Unilocal pins, Unilocal grocery bag, mint tin, and the delicious free food of course:) Slater’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ was an excellent choice for a Unilocal event. Unilocal on!

Slater’s took my virginity tonight and then stuffed my face with a juicy piece of meat!
Tonight was my very first Elite event… wahoo! Since there was a 4 hour window for reservations, I wasn’t expecting to see so many Unilocalers. But almost every table sat a Unilocaler… it was cool, I felt like I was part of a cult!
Slater’s was extremely GENEROUS. Each Unilocaler and their +1 we were offered a ¹⁄₃ pound burger plus appetizer & dessert to share. Hubby couldn’t make it so I brought my sister, Cindy C, since she was wait-​listed anyway.
Appetizer — We created a Pick 3 combo that consisted of Slater’s fries w/​bacon ketcup + Beer Battered Jalapeños w/​cilantro-​lime sour cream + Fried Bacon Mac n’ Cheese Balls w/​Tapatio ranch. Hands down the star of this show was the FRIED BACON MAC N’ CHEESE! The macaroni had just the right amount of ooey gooey cheese and the breading was fried to perfection. Yum!
Burger — They have a wide selection of pre-​designed burgers but I decided to build my own. My choice: medium rare fire beef w/​pepper jack, alfalfa sprouts, arugula, red onions, tomato, 1000 island dressing on a honey wheat bun. The beef patty was cooked to perfection and since it was the fire beef, there was a slight kick… loved it! The burger was HUGE and I ended up packing up half of it for tomorrow’s lunch.
Dessert — We chose the Cococarma: toasted coconut, caramel & chocolate cookie baked in a cast iron skillet served with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream. So delicious… loved the coconut. And I love desserts that are served a la mode.
I’ve been to the HB location once and am ecstatic that this location has opened up. It’s so much closer to home and it’s nicer too… big, bright and new! Service tonight was awesome.
Thanks Ryan C for putting together tonight’s event. Thanks Slater’s for hosting. I had a great time, left with a full stomach, and most definitely will be back soon!
The highlight of my night was finally meeting Craig F and his girlfriend Val in person, plus seeing Roy B and Gloria R again. :)