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Slater's 50/50 invited Cue the Critic and provided the meal. No payment was received for coverage. Slater's 50/50 had no editorial approval over this content.
Pig Heaven
When I saw the announcement for this month’s Burger of The Month, I was a bit disappointed because I thought it was going to be The Sriracha Burger. I did not write about it when it first made it’s appearance last December, so this would have been a great opportunity to do so. While attending the Big Bite Bacon Festival at the Queen Mary, I was informed that Slater’s would have two burgers of the month: the ‘Spice and Swine’ and the ‘Sriracha Burger’, which appears in reverence of Slater’s 50/50’s feature on The Travel Channel’s Food Paradise (again).
On Tuesday, August 5, 2014, the long-awaited Hot and Spicy Paradise 2 episode of Food Paradise had premiered. I had been anxiously awaiting the show, simply because I was in it. It was my first time doing something like that [being on TV], and I was particularly excited- nervous, but excited. I had not tried this month’s burger, so I decided I would kill two birds with one stone. I would hang out at Slater’s 50/50 Pasadena to watch the show, as well as indulge the Spice and Swine. Arriving an hour early, I sat at the bar, drank my beer (Ironfire Brewing Co.’s 5150), watched a baseball game on television, and chatted with O.G. Chris while waiting until airtime.
O.G. Chris suggested that I try Brad’s Sriracha Thai Wings, and I did; they were amazing. The heat and sweet combination was subtle but apparent. The meat was as abundant, moist, and tender as you would want and expect quality chicken wings to be. He then blew me away with his own concoction known as ‘Sriracha Ranch’, aptly named because it is simply Sriracha mixed with ranch dressing. Dipped in dressing, the aforementioned sweetness was cut and became overshadowed with a creamy/tart/fiery ranch taste. The heat was slightly intensified and more pungent. It was pure hot wing bliss.
As time moved on and 7:00p.m. approached, the televisions were changed to The Travel Channel, and my anticipation grew like that of eager Beatles fans at a concert. I placed an order for the ‘Spice & Swine’, and the show began. When my burger arrived, I was elated by the enormous slab of bone-out pork chop poking out at me. As soon as I sank my teeth into the burger, and the fiery beef patty cleared my nostrils, the sweet apricot chorizo danced a sweet melody on my tongue, and the salt of the pork chop and bacon greeted me with friendly gestures; my palette was pleased. In my mind, I could not help but think, “this is what the ‘Asian BBQ Pork Belly Burger‘ should have been like…sweet, spicy, and an honorable execution.”
Slater’s 50/50 Pasadena
Hours: Sun 9:30a.m. – 11:00p.m., Mon-Thurs 11:00a.m. – 11:00p.m.,
Fri & Sat 11:00a.m. – 12:00a.m.
Breakfast is back every Sunday, starting at 9:30a.m. during regular football season!
This post carries a disclosure above: a meal, invitation, or sponsorship was involved, and that is stated plainly rather than left out. Most reviews on this site are not sponsored and are paid for out of my own pocket. If you would like to help keep it that way, a coffee helps.
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