“Tuesday night is too early for a cheeseburger.” Or so we told ourselves. Feeling wiped out from a long day at work and fighting traffic, we decided eating in is not cutting it.
So where do we go? To Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks in Rolling Hills Plaza, that’s where. Islands has been our go-to burger joint since 2009. The establishment offers a fine selection of draft and bottled beers, a full bar that mixes up delicious island-style cocktails all in a modest Polynesian/tiki themed sit-in restaurant.
While burgers are their specialty, Islands also offer various dishes and appetizers, such as poke and fish tacos, just to name a few. But we’re hankering for a juicy burger, not some wimpy fish tacos. A fine burger and a luscious cold one to wash it down with, that’s what it’s all about.
All burger orders come with a side of endless fries, but we usually find one serving is more than belt-bustingly sufficient.
The Longboarder
Before going out and actively exploring burger joints in and around town, Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks is in fact our go-to burger joint and I can’t say that enough, because we’d judge other burger joints from an Islands perspective. After having a taste of other “hand-made”, “gourmet”, “custom built”, “craft”, etc. burger joints, our burger experience, or at least mine, have changed.
Before starting the Burger Duo Burger blog, Islands did it job and did it well: satisfy our carnivorous cravings with drinks and ambiance. Now I pay attention to every details that go into a burger. So to review Islands, I ordered a Longboarder burger; it’s basically the Big Wave burger with thousand island sauce.
The essential ingredients are: beef patty, ice berg lettuce, tomatoes, thousand island sauce, slices of white onion and your choice of wheat or white bread bun. I also added a slice of American cheese to mine. My burger chaser is a 25 oz. ice cold mug of Islands Porter beer.
The Longboarder Cheeseburger
I opted for white bread buns to go on my Longboarder. The bread is a regular toasted hamburger bun, kind of dry to the taste. The immediate issue I had with my cheeseburger is the size of the patty. Don’t get me wrong, it was cooked perfectly with plenty of juice to spare.
However, it was just modestly seasoned and the size of the beef patty is pretty, well, wimpy to say the least. Islands can get away with this if their specialty isn’t burgers, but when the restaurant is known for their burgers, this is kind of a let down. To exacerbate the burger experience, Islands incorporates chopped up ice berg lettuce in their ingredients!
I sliced the Longboarder into two halves and ate each half one at a time. For a patty this wimpy, it was actually cooked exceptionally well and retained its juice. I had to request additional napkins to hold this gravid little bad girl together.
I prefer the use of red onions to kick up the flavor profile up a notch, but this was not the case with Islands. Instead, white onions were used. There’s one common denominator I’ve noticed that most self-proclaimed server of “island burger” utilizes and that’s white onion slices (and a grilled pineapple slice, if applicable).
The Longboarder Cheeseburger, nicely cooked wimpy beef patty
See, there’s a problem when the beef patty is equal thickness or just a tad thicker than the tomato or white onion slices it sits on top of. BIG problem. When the bread is compressed, it bottoms out like a pancake and stays that way. For comparison of the burger patty, take a look see at our recent visit to The Counter Burgers in Torrance.
The Hula
Islands is always a great place to go to, whether it’s a weekday or the weekend. Their burgers never disappoint – they do deserve to have the label “fine burgers” in their name. While usually packed towards the weekend (you may have to wait an average of 20 minutes), you should have no trouble instantly scoring a table if you go on an off day (like a Monday or Tuesday).
Well let’s get down to business. How are their burgers? Being a creature of habit, I order the Hula every single time, with a wheat bun, every single time. (This girl has to have her mushrooms)! As I previously mentioned in another post, I am just a sucker for seasoned mushrooms on a scrumptious beef patty. And it helps that Islands offers bottomless fries (though we rarely take advantage of the offer, being so full after eating the burger).
The burger itself is always just cooked the right amount and juicy. While I wouldn’t say it’s seasoned to perfection, it’s seasoned really well. The cheese is melted just right and blends well with the lightly salted mushrooms.
The burger is juicy enough, not soggy, and the patty is lightly seared on the outside. The burger goes well with a lot of drinks in their selection. If you’re like me, and you like your drinks creative and fruity, you will love this place. In this visit, I had a Mangorita and a Lava Flow. (I’m in it not for the buzz but for the taste!)
All in all the burger was above average, although I wouldn’t say it’s to die for. It’s good enough for us to come back to this joint at least once a month, but I wouldn’t say that I haven’t had better.
Overall, a visit to Islands always guarantees good food, good conversation, good drinks, and a good time. The place is friendly to the wallet as well. You can have a satisfying dinner out for an average of 40 dollars for two people.
If you skip the fancy drinks, 25-30 dollars will suffice. We will definitely be back in a few weeks. It’s a great place to unwind after a tough day at work.
The Hula Cheeseburger on wheat bread
Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks. They got the “fine drinks” down but need work on the “burgers” part. Islands is still a great place to eat, congregate or simply drink. The servers are attentive and friendly. We’ll definitely return for both their burgers and drinks, but compared to what’s out there, we’ll have to give Islands a 3.5 patty rating.
Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks
http://www.islandsrestaurants.com
2647 Pacific Coast Hwy
Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 530-5383
Hours
Sun-Thurs: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Fri-Sat: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM