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Community Corner

Best Burger in Fountain Valley? Say "Gnarly, Dude"

Only one restaurant offers burgers with names like Mavericks, Rincon, Pipeline, Bleunami and Big Wave, and it blew away the competition in our "Best of Patch" contest.

When it comes to serving up the Best Burger in Fountain Valley, the Big Wave crushed the competition.

In our inaugural “Best of Patch.” contest, 106 voters cast their ballots for the burger joint or restaurant that offered customers the best combination of bun, meat, condiments and toppings.

And the winner is: Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks

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Receiving 32 votes and 30 percent of the votes, the casual dining restaurant offers a California cuisine, from salads and barbecue chicken to fish tacos and endless onion rings. But by far the landmark item on Islands’ flavorful menu is the Big Wave Burger.

“I would say 30 percent of all the burgers we sell are the Big Wave with Cheese,” General Manager Nick Smith said. “It’s our signature burger—mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, hamburger patty, bun and American cheese.”

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Smith admits his personal favorite is the Bleunami, which comes with blue cheese dressing, lettuce, tomato, red onion and crumbled blue cheese. But either way, you can’t go wrong, he said. It’s all about the meat.

“Most fast-food restaurants use strictly ground chuck, but we incorporate bull meat (Angus), which gives our burgers a much different flavor profile,” Smith said. “The meat naturally has good taste so you don’t have to add as much (seasoning) to it.”

Islands out-paddled second-place Tommy's Original World Famous Hamburgers by eight votes (24) and 8 percent (22 percent). Third place went to Knowlwood (14 percent), which use to have a franchise in Fountain Valley but now the closest one is in Santa Ana on East 17th Street.

Rounding out the list of contenders are Claim Jumper (11 percent), (9 percent), Hot Off The Grill (4 percent),  and J&J Subs (3 percent) and Marie Callender’s (2 percent).

One other reason why Islands was able to blow away the competition is longevity. Islands has 53 locations in four Western states, 48 in California alone, but the one in Fountain Valley is the fifth oldest in the Islands chain. This June, the restaurant will celebrate its 25th anniversary at the same location: 18621 Brookhurst St, on the southwest corner of Brookhurst and Ellis Ave.

And you can bet that when June rolls around, Smith and his Islands staff will be commemorating the occasion.

“I have regulars who have been coming in here literally since they were four and five years old, and they now they are bringing in their families, their wives and young kids,” said Smith, who has been at the Fountain Valley location for the last two years, more than four years in all. “It’s just a legacy we have been building up in the community for the last 25 years.”

Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks is open Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Phone: (714) 962-0966.

This week, Patch will begin looking for the "Best in Cupcakes” in Fountain Valley.

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