Day Four in my “Beef Enthusiast” tour of Orange County brought me to the Balboa Peninsula area of Newport Beach and the Crow Burger Kitchen.
I had a business meeting almost all the way to downtown Los Angeles first, then a (relatively) quick trip down about 4 freeways back to the O.C. and the beach communities. This was the closest I’ve been to the ocean while on land in at least two years…last year when I flew out of LAX, we went out over the sea and turned a big arc around the Palos Verdes Peninsula, but that’s not really the same as being on terra firma.
Crow Burger Kitchen
I ordered “The Combo” to try to economize a bit. It included a Blue Cheese Burger, along with fries and a beer for $14, which turned out to be significantly less than pretty much anything else I’d done this week.
According to their menu, the patty is a 6 ounce “top secret propriety blend of prime chuck, short rib, brisket, and hanger steak, all ground daily in-house”…and that’s why I made this trip. I ordered the “duck fat fries” which is more self-explanatory than you might think. It sounded exotic and interesting so I decided to go for it. I accompanied that with a local Silverado brewed Towne Park IPA, which was just at the limit of how bitter and hoppy I like my beers.
I would swear that I asked for medium-rare, but the burger came out medium-well. Nevertheless, it was quite good, with a tasty mix of the bits and pieces they put into the grinder. The blue cheese was almost nonexistent on the palate, which was a disappointment, too. Overall, a very good burger, but not really a contender for “Best” to my taste buds…if it had actually arrived medium-rare, though…I think I would have judged it much better.
The duck fries, though, were fantastic. Possibly the best fries I’ve had this week, only enhanced by the special sauce (I missed what it was called) they brought with it.
Atmosphere was pretty fantastic, as well, with outdoor seating just a block and a half or so from the beach. The cool breeze at my back and slight brine aroma in the air was very welcome.
And all for less than $20, including tip. So while I wouldn’t call this the “best burger” in OC, I would say it was the “best value” on my trip so far.
Heading South
After this burger, I stayed on PCH and pointed the car south toward Laguna Beach and Dana Point. The traffic flow through the area has definitely gotten worse in recent years…and it never was all that good when I was growing up in the OC. I hit Dana Point Cigar & Wine, the shop owned by Craig Cunningham…who also owns the Esteban Carreras Cigar Company. Craig wasn’t in, but I struck up a conversation with the person managing the shop that day (the name escapes me…sorry). I tried out the new Chupa Cabra Hellcat and enjoyed it…and picked up a couple more so I can post a review soon.
Then I stopped in to visit a cousin that lives in Dana Point before getting back on the freeway and heading back to north county before the traffic became impassable. All told…a good day.
