This was one of the first places I went with my roommates during my third year of college. We wanted something that wasn't necessarily Asian (here's looking at you, Sawtelle), so we decided on the safest option ever: BURGERS! I mean, you just can't go wrong. My friend and local LA native suggested Islands because it would be uncontroversial and good, so we all went with it. <\/p>\n
We hopped into his jalopy (sorry, I just wanted to use that word. It's really just a Saturn) and took the short drive to Islands. We parked in a nearby neighborhood and walked over, and I took a picture of the sign, which you can see handily included below. The atmosphere of the place is pretty cool: lots of surfing stuff and other island-related paraphernalia. A bar sits in the middle and is a good place to watch sporting events such as UCLA improbably making March Madness and angering sports fans across the nation as it somehow wins its way to the Sweet 16. I didn't have them advancing in my bracket either, and I'm from UCLA...Well then... <\/p>\n
Anyways, our server was quite attentive and helpful. I eventually decided upon the Kilauea, which is this insanely pepper-crusted burger with pepper jack cheese, chipotle aioli, lettuce, tomato, and island reds. I'm famous for not liking tomato, so I took mine out--not that you needed to know that or anything, but I pride myself on accurate reviews...Or boring ones. <\/p>\n
The burger was actually really good, but if I had to nitpick, it was way too peppery. After a few bites, the pepper completely overwhelmed the burger to a point where it was overshadowing the entire meal. It was still dang good, but I had to un-crust some of the pepper to finish it. In any case, I would simply order a different burger next time since the amount of pepper (and I really, really love pepper) was a bit much. <\/p>\n
Aside from that, the bottomless fries were pretty awesome and--yes--uncontroversial. Overall, a really safe place to eat without any major gripes, and that's exactly what you should expect. <\/p>\n
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Originally posted here: <\/p>\n
Islands Restaurant - Rancho Park - Los Angeles, CA - Yelp<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This was one of the first places I went with my roommates during my third year of college. We wanted something that wasn't necessarily Asian (here's looking at you, Sawtelle), so we decided on the safest option ever: BURGERS! I mean, you just can't go wrong Continue reading