No. 8: Prime Burger at Morton's The Steakhouse

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ProfessorSalt.com
Prime Burger at Morton's The Steakhouse


Yeah, so it's the seventh burger on this year's 100 Favorites list. We love burgers, and some of the best are served at the evergreen Morton's The Steak House in South Coast Plaza. Ground from the trimmings of their aged, USDA-Prime grade steaks, this is a poor man's high-end steak sandwich.
Still, this being Morton's and also being South Coast Plaza, your "poor" man's burger runs a hefty $17. But if your idea of a good burger starts and end with the best meat formed into an equally hefty patty, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better example of tender, flavorful aged ground steak. The burger meat is so tender it can practically chew itself, especially if you order yours rare.

The bacon here is thin and crisp, not thick and chewy. Bacon crisply crumbles with each bite, rather make you face the embarrassingly premature pull-out of too-thick bacon. You can also choose to add perfectly soft caramelized onion, sauteed mushroom slices, and your choice of several cheeses (horseradish Cheddar, American, Swiss, blue or Cheddar).

The bun? Like most pricy, gourmet burgers, it's a tall, sturdy toasted white bun that holds up to the onslaught of juices from the meat and toppings. The bun is old-school American in comparison to the French-y, mildly sweet brioche buns of other luxe-burger restaurants, but then, that's Mortons: an old-school, American steakhouse recalling an era when hatted businessmen took clients to three-martini lunches and smoked cigars. If that sort of a classic American steakhouse appeals to you as the place to get a steak, it's also where to get your burger.

Click here for our 100 faves from 2010!

The list so far this time around:

No. 9: Sesame Chicken Salad at Sage Cafe
No. 10: Hawaiian Sausage And Eggs at Break of Dawn
No. 11: $4.95 Breakfast at Da L'uau
No. 12: Nem Nuong Cuon at Dat Thanh
No. 13: Cupcakes from Island Cupcakes
No. 14: Pork Chop Bun at J.J. Bakery
No. 15: Chilaquiles at Taqueria Zamora
No. 16: Crispy Fried Chicken at Pizza & Chicken Love Letter
No. 17: Antipasto Sandwich at A Market
No. 18: Pâté Chaud at Au Cœur de Paris
No. 19: The O.C. Burger at Burger Parlor
No. 20: Chicken Pie at La Palma Chicken Pie Shop
No. 21: Mac and Cheese at Ecco
No. 22: Almond Croissant at Layer Cake Bakery
No. 23: ABC Burger at Peter's Gourmade Grill
No. 24: Tripas Tacos at Alebrijes Grill
No. 25: Happy Hour Pho at Pho Thanh Lich
No. 26: Longsilog at Manila Groove
No. 27: Paletas from Nevería Flor de México
No. 28: Any Bánh Mì at Bánh Mì Cho Cu
No. 29: Cheeseburger at TK Burgers
No. 30: Peanut Butter and Jealousy Burger at Slater's 50/50
No. 31: Beef Noodle Soup at Twin Dragon at the Block
No. 32: Bun Cha Hanoi at Pho Quang Trung
No. 33: Blintzes at Moscow Deli
No. 34: White Pizza at La Rocco's
No. 35: #4 at Pieology
No. 36: Veggie Special with Chicken at Chicken Dijon
No. 37: Foie Gras Nigiri at AnQi
No. 38: Short Rib Grilled Cheese at A Restaurant
No. 39: Garlic Artichoke Croissant at Blackmarket Bakery
No. 40: Nuco Mia at New Duc Huong
No. 41: Mantu at Chili Chutney
No. 42: Dipped Italian Beef Sandwich at Portillo's
No. 43: Spicy Wontons at A & J Restaurant
No. 44: Saffron Rice Pudding at Wholesome Choice
No. 45: House Special Pork with Sauteed Kimchi at Koba Tofu Grill
No. 46: Seared Artichokes with Lemon Aioli at Il Garage
No. 47: Green Curry With Pork at Papaya Thai Bistro
No. 48: Mongolian Hot Pot at The Red Pot
No. 49: Beef Rolls at 101 Noodle Express
No. 50: Tlacoyo at El Borrego Sagrado
No. 51: Hard-Shelled Taco at Avanti Cafe
No. 52: Special-Events Grilled Cheese Sandwich at Old Vine Cafe
No. 53: A Big Ol' Plate of Rice With Must-o-Musir at Wholesome Choice
No. 54: Pork Souvlaki at Kentro's Greek Cuisine
No. 55: Toum at Sasoon Chicken
No. 56: Bacon Hash Dog at Berkeley Dog
No. 57: Blueberry Donut at M & M Donuts
No. 58: Tempura Fried Poached Egg at Break of Dawn
No. 59: Mulitas from Tacos Y Mulitas Ruben Truck
No. 60: Pho Ga from Pho Quang Trung
No. 61: Panuchos from Conde Cakes
No. 62: Sandwich and Egg Cream from Benjie's
No. 63: Margherita from TJ's Woodfire Pizza
No. 64: Macaroon at Disneyland
No. 65: The Sputnik at Rick's Atomic Cafe
No. 66: Corn Dog from Disney California Adventure's Corn Dog Palace
No. 67: Bacon Fried Rice at The Loft Hawaiian
No. 68: Charcuterie and Cheese at SideDoor
No. 69: Burger (With Duck Confit) at Watermarc
No. 70: Korokke Pan at Cream Pan
No. 71: Chorizo and Quail Egg on Toast at Sol del Sur
No. 72: Fried Brussels Sprouts at 320 Main
No. 73: G-Style Fries at G Burger
No. 74: Fried Cuttlefish at Benley
No. 75: Roti at Bangok Taste
No. 76: Wet Burrito at 301 Cafe
No. 77: Pork Curry at Miyabi-Tei
No. 78: Bánh Tieu at Bánh Mì So 1
No. 79: Any Sandwich at the Crosby
No. 80: Fish Pho at Pho Vinh Ky II
No. 81: Quesadilla Chilanga at Alebrije's Grill
No. 83: Nem Nuong Cuon at Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa
No. 84: Wild Boar Balinese Sausage at Valhalla Table
No. 85: Comida Corrida at Taquería La Raza
No. 86: Breakfast Burrito at Troy's Drive-In
No. 87: Mandoo at L&M Liquor and Deli
No. 88: Chicago Dog at Chicago Harv's
No. 89: Sweet Potato Tater Tots at Pee Wee's Famous
No. 90: Kaya-Stuffed French Toast at Chomp Chomp
No. 91: Egg Breakfast at Rick's Atomic Kitchen
No. 92: Sticky Rice With Chicken at Quan Hy
No. 93: Beef Koobideh at Hen House Grill
No. 94: $5 Fish Bento at Bentoss
No. 95: Milanesa Sandwich at Piaggio's Gourmet on Wheels
No. 96: Samurai Burrito at Wafu of Japan
No. 97: Carnitas Gordita at Bodega R Ranch Market
No. 98: Spam Musubi at k'ya Street Fare
No. 99: Tortilla Andorra at Anepalco's
No. 100: Lemongrass Chicken, Extra Spicy at Vietnam's Pearl

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Morton's The Steakhouse

1641 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, CA

Category: Restaurant

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25 comments
Steak San Jose
Steak San Jose

Thanks for thispost. I definitely agree with what you are saying. I have been talking aboutthis subject a lot lately with my brother so hopefully this will get him to seemy point of view. Fingers crossed!

Josh
Josh

Morton's is great but I'd go with the Bone in Rib Eye there, along with some Shrimp Alexander to start.

As for this list, it does seem off this year, not well organized, chains, salads, etc.

Aaron
Aaron

Pretty sure McDonald's fries are going to be #1. 

5.  Anything from the LIME TRUCK!4.  Oahu Shrimp Burrito from Dos Chinos3. New Sesame Chicken from Pick Up Stix2.  Oven Fried Chicken $5 Footlong from Subway1.  MCDONALD'S FRIES!!!!!!!!

Woooooohooooooooo!  Til next year guys!

js
js

 red robin has restaurants in OC, bottomless fries #1 is my guess.

gustavoarellano
gustavoarellano

And your list is?

Shuji Sakai
Shuji Sakai

js -- this list isn't called "100 Favorite Dishes You Can Only Get at Non-Chain Restaurants in Orange County," because that's neither how we eat nor blog. In fact, you're reading too much past "100 Favorite Dishes." Beyond the 100 part and beyond the Favorite part, there's nothing more implied from our end.

All the same, we love Orange County's independent restaurants and do more to celebrate the mom and pop joint than any other paper's food section. I'm glad you like this part of our mission, but we're not limiting ourselves just to local restaurants for this 100 Favorite Dishes feature.

gustavoarellano
gustavoarellano

If you're not Beach, it's all the same!

Sent from my pinche iPhone

js
js

shuji -  because the title of this whole thing is 100 favorite in orange county. orange county restaurants. should be specific to orange county. c'mon you can't be serious in thinking this morton's burger is an "orange county" dish. tell me about something i can't go get in 25 other states.

JB
JB

Colombian Cuisine is in Laguna Hills, not Laguna Niguel!

Shuji Sakai
Shuji Sakai

What do you have against chains?  It's a great burger. So what if I can get the same burger in Chicago?

gustavoarellano
gustavoarellano

That's for Shuji to answer! However, I will point out that it's a list of our favorite places right now, not necessarily the best...

js
js

 i see. agree to disagree on arepas and rooster's goat cheese dish i guess. seriously though..........morton's? there aren't any great dishes that come from a true orange county restaurant that are better than a burger from a steakhouse where you can visit anywhere the country?

gustavoarellano
gustavoarellano

No, I'm saying that there are many better dishes than pinche goat cheese. You can get Colombian-style arepas at Colombian Cuisine down in Laguna Niguel, but arepas in general aren't much to write home about...

js
js

Little Saigon does an herb roasted goat cheese that is better than rooster pm? Confused about that statement.

Re: Mil Jugos - only arepa I have ever had so where can I get another?

gustavoarellano
gustavoarellano

Not a bad list save for Rooster PM (good, but #3? Half of Little Saigon is better on any given day). Since you know Ruben's, try their pichangas, and the alambre at El Rincón del Sabor. Oh, and the arepas at Mil Jugos are overpriced and overrated—but their cachapas, man...

js
js

hard to narrow down....

10.tres leches cake from felix continental - orange9. mulita de pastor at tacos ruben y mulitas - santa ana (found this from you guys)8. calamari at chef joe's tasting spoon7. smokey burger at burger parlor - fullerton6. pink sauce at mama d's - newport5. house lao noodles at vientiane thai laos - garden grove4. black cod sushi at ohshima - orange3. herb roasted goat cheese from rooster pm - costa mesa2. shio ramen from santouka ramen - costa mesa1. pabellon arepa at mil jugos - santa ana

honorable mention: torta la cubana -el rincon del sabor, chilaquiles from anelpacos - orange, carne asada from el toro bravo - costa mesa, red snapper sushi from ikko - costa mesa

gustavoarellano
gustavoarellano

Give us your list, then, o swami of supper!

Aaron
Aaron

1. Pappardelle w Lamb ragu from Cucina Alessa in Laguna2. Misto Salumi pizza from Pizza e Vino3. Carnitas burrito from Albatros - Lake Forest4. Calamari from Chef Joe Youkhan's Tasting Spoon5. Pastrami Burger from Peter's Gourmade6. Bagels from I <3 Bagels in South County

There you go for starters.

gustavoarellano
gustavoarellano

CHAIN ALERT! CHAIN ALERT! I Love Bagels is a CHAIN—call the sheriffs, Ma! Not a bad list, if a bit too South County-centric. And the only reason to visit Albatros--a good reason, mind you--is the California burrito; their carnitas are pedestrian, at best.

js
js

chain restaurant item as #8??? fail. I can't wait for this list to be over. Should have taken a year off after last year's list.

Niyazpirani
Niyazpirani

Such a great burger. One of my all time local favorites. I remember telling Overley about it, but he didn't want to spend so much money (I think they were $14 at the time?) on a burger (obviously times have changed). But I remember he had a bite and said it was worth it. I totally agree.

Sam
Sam

I love this burger! Do you know if it's still lunch only?

Shuji Sakai
Shuji Sakai

It's also on their bar menu, so I believe it's available at dinner as long as you're willing to eat it at the bar.

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