Sherman's Food Adventures: Johnny Rockets (Oak Street)

Johnny Rockets (Oak Street)

My first taste of Johnny Rockets was at their Laguna Beach location.  It was a novelty of sorts because of the retro decor and their selection of burgers and shakes.  I went away satisfied, yet with no concrete memory that would make me want to rush back.  Strangely, the next time I encountered a Johnny Rocket's was on my cruise aboard the Allure of the Seas (I'm not counting this as an actual visit).  Back when it first opened, I visited Vancouver's first Johnny Rocket's in Downtown.  Again, I went away satisfied while not exactly planning my return.  With 2 hungry kids, it was by necessity that I visited their newly opened Oak Street location.

My daughter had her eyes on the Route 66 sporting a Certified Angus Beef patty covered with Swiss cheese, grilled mushrooms, caramelized onions and mayonnaise on a brioche bun.  This was actually very tasty and well-prepared.  Lots of buttery mushrooms as well as caramelized onions complimented the moist and flavourful beef patty.  I personally would've liked to see a softer bun, but it was far from dense.  For her side, she skipped the fries and went for the Chili instead.  This was pretty textbook chili that was very mild.  It was thick and full of beef and beans complete with cheddar cheese on top.  One could have raw onions as well, but my daughter omitted those.

For myself, I had the Ultimate Cheeseburger with leaf lettuce, tomato, pickles, sweet heat sauce and 2 slices of cheese.  As you can see in the picture, the burger was neatly constructed with extreme care.  I've rarely seen a burger come out looking so uniform with everything in its proper place.  Despite my previous experiences, this burger was fantastic.  Meat was nicely charred and moist while all of the ingredients were fresh.  Fries were even on point being crispy while light and potatoey on the inside.  For my son, he went for the Smokehouse sporting breaded onion rings, smoked bacon, cheddar and smokehouse BBQ sauce.  Lots of crunch in this burger as well as the advertised smokiness.  The bacon was done right being crispy and yes smoky.  To be honest, I didn't have high hopes on this visit to the new location of Johnny Rockets, but they seem to be a well-oiled machine here and the results are good.

The Good:
- For this location, well-crafted burgers
- Fries were also good
- Staff were friendly

The Bad:
- A little pricey, but competitive
- Bun could be a bit softer

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