(Credit: Shane Redsar)
I was long overdue to check out The Oinkster happy hour—a sweet deal at the googie-style shack in Eagle Rock that temporarily drops prices on the trifecta of burgers, fries and beer. The weekday special has been in place since the beginning of the year, but considering the improbable midday hours (3 p.m.-6 p.m.), I had yet to catch it. (Hey, there’s no shame in being gainfully employed.) So, when I finally managed to high-tail out of the office, it totally felt like playing hooky—which was further compounded by the fact that, on the first day after Daylight Savings, the sun was blazing like it was still high noon.
To be blunt, the place was pretty dead with only an hour of happying left to go. I expected to see a hive of Occidental students packing in their first and possibly only meal of the day. The few groups scattered in the booths or outside seemed intensely focused on eating, less on drinking. Eh, a not-so-happy happy hour, I guess. Except the food was cheap: At $3.99 for a third-pound burger with fries, prices were practically at McDonald’s level. Beer was $2, an extra buck if you wanted something better than Bud Light. My Fat Tire was perfectly drafted into a big clear plastic cup—I felt like George Steinbrenner at a Yankee game.
I’m a fan of the Oinkster's pastrami and the pulled pork, but had never had the burger. Though I requested my patty be done medium, it came out well done. All the other components were delicious, even with the strongest onions in the world. (The unmistakable smell lingered on my hands for days afterward.) I’m an even bigger fan of the Belgian-style twice-fried fries, but those didn’t come out as sizzling hot and satisfyingly crisp as I was used to. The pound of fries for $5 was out of the question.
The staff took the Oinkster motto “slow fast food” to serious heart—everything came out reeeeal slow. Maybe they were phoning it in that day too. I wondered what would have happened if the place were even twice as busy, or if I had actually wanted my burger well done. I’ve also previously had excellent to-go service: sandwiches were packaged in deconstructed parts so that nothing got soggy. I requested the same favor for an extra pulled pork sandwich, but when it finally did arrive, the meat was already compromising the bread. Grrr…
I’m willing to chalk up the flubs to the kookiness of Daylight Savings; no one’s on their A-game after losing an hour of sleep. At $7.50 total for burger, fries and beer, this grownup meal deal is just way too good to swear off forever. Besides, who am I to judge? I barely made it back to work.
Jiyeon Yoo is Restaurants editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
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