10 San Diego Uptown News | December 10–23, 2010


FOOD


J. Dean Loring, shown above, opened the first Burger Lounge in 2007 and now has a total of six locations. (Cour- tesy Ramsay Photography)


Q&A with the man who never lounges J. Dean Loring of Burger Lounge chats about his growing urban eatery empire


By Frank Sabatini Jr. SDUN Reporter


sk any urbanite in San Diego about Burger Lounge and they’ll easily point you to a location within their neigh- borhood or very nearby. Partake in the eatery’s various patties, fresh-cut fries and sprightly salads, and you’ll understand why the cer- tified-green company has enjoyed rapid success since launching just over three years ago. Come March, owner J. Dean Loring will add a sixth location to his portfolio of sleek, orange- accented “lounges” that began in La Jolla before easefully branch- ing into Kensington, Coronado, Little Italy and most recently, Hillcrest, located at 406 Univer- sity Ave. His upcoming Gaslamp District location will rank as the largest Burger Lounge in a string of homegrown restaurants that served nearly 600,000 guests last year and recently earned kudos in Rachel Ray Magazine. We caught up with Loring


A


shortly after last month’s opening of Burger Lounge in Hillcrest to inquire about his magic formula for success, his culinary back-


ground and future goals and when he finds time to rest.


San Diego Uptown News: What triggered the concept of Burger Lounge?


Loring: I’ve been in the


restaurant business all my life and owned three eateries in Humboldt County called Stars Hamburgers when I was in my 20s. They were essentially the same concept as Burger Lounge. I also worked in fine dining in San Francisco, and as a manager, I opened a place in Beverly Hills in the ‘80s called Kate Mantilini, which began specializing in comfort food before comfort foods were really in. I’ve also owned Cody’s La Jolla since 1998. So, I had conquered a strong learning curve by the time I opened the first Burger Lounge in 2007, knowing how to make quality burgers and fine salads—basically taking common products and elevating them to high standards.


SDUN: Did you foresee open- ing locations in multiple neigh- borhoods when first starting the company?


Loring: When we opened the


prototype in La Jolla, we were prepared to grow if that became successful. It was well received and busy from the get go. We like being on corner lots in urban envi- ronments, such as in Hillcrest, and I’m enjoying the growing process.


SDUN: What makes your


burgers and other menu items stand out from the competition?


Loring: Our beef at Burger Lounge is 100 percent organic and grass-fed and comes from heirloom stock from a ranch in Kansas, which we partnered with right from the beginning. Our buns are made by a local bakery from a blend of organic wheat and white flours, and have a little molasses in them. Our fries are fresh-cut. The onion rings are made from sweet onions battered in buttermilk and Japanese bread- crumbs. And we use pure peanut oil for frying.


SDUN: There are some cus- tomers who claim they are so ad- dicted to your turkey burger that they can’t venture away from it. What’s the secret to that recipe?


Loring: It’s a blend of white and dark meat. And before we shape them into patties, we add in lots of fresh basil. We also have a popular vegetarian burger that we make with quinoa, brown rice, veggies and spices.


SDUN: Do you plan on expanding the menu?


Loring: We’re always look- ing at new opportunities, but for now, we like the simplicity of the menu because it serves most demands. People today lead very complicated lives and the last thing you want to give them when going out to eat is a complicated experience.


SDUN: As a certified-green


company, what measures do you take in protecting the envi- ronment?


Loring: It means that we use


recyclable products and building materials such as our tables and tiles, as well as energy-efficient lighting, heating and ventilation systems. We also recycle all of our oil, which in January a com- pany will be converting into bio fuel that we will use to operate our delivery trucks.


see Burger, page 13


A NEW, CURRENTLY UNNAMED CHICKEN DISH WILL MAKE ITS WAY ONTO THE MENU. The bird: A free range, hormone-free variety from Shelton’s


Farm of Pomona, Calif., complemented by potatoes and yams from Ave 5’s Highland Valley Ranch garden. The sauce: Chef Colin will make a mole with a starter imported from a Mexican family who reside in a village in Oaxaca.


A NEW PORK RIB CHOP WILL ALSO EARN A PLACE ON THE MENU.


The meat: The hormone-free pork chop will hail from the Salmon Creek Farms of the New Rockport Ranch in Montana, a family-owned and sustainable operation, and will be dressed with pomegranate syrup using seeds from Colin’s own pomegranate tree.


Banker's Hill eatery and bar, Ave 5, located at 2760 Fifth Ave., is co-owned by brothers Brian and Colin MacLaggan fuel their dishes with locally sourced produce. (Courtesy Ave 5)


From tall toque to straw hat How one Banker’s Hill restaurant is going green with greens


your food travels before it’s planted on your plate? I do. For example, if you put me on a several hundred-mile jour- ney from Northern California to San Diego, or a several thousand- mile trek from Ecuador to San Diego, I’d step out of the cabin disheveled and ornery. Our food doesn’t fare much better. Often picked before its prime, or out of season, food is at our mercy as most of us are not con- tent to wait for apples in autumn or avocados in the summer. Imag- ine the quandary of chefs—urged by demand to ignore Mother Nature’s rules, bending to their customer’s wants and whims. Many continue to create seasonal dishes, even if the desired ingre- dients aren’t in season. For some food frolickers, this whole “eat what you want, when you want it” mentality’s not cut- ting it. Chefs and restaurateurs across the country are beginning to grow some of their own food, harvesting it at its peak—Uptown not excluded. Alas, they’re not doing it in droves, for wearing the hat of a toque and a farmer is not for the faint of heart; cooking—and growing—for the masses can be exhausting


D


o you ever wonder how far


SlowLane Brook Larios


and thankless vocations. But by focusing on good, clean produce that


often travels less than the aver- age daily commuter, adventur- ous chefs and restaurateurs find they’re augmenting quality while cutting costs.


Banker’s Hill eatery and bar, Ave 5, located at 2760 Fifth Ave., is one such restaurant, where dishes are fueled, partly, by a fruit, vegetable and herb garden of its own. Co-owners and broth- ers Brian and Colin MacLaggan work hard to plant their own vittles, taking control (at least as much as Mother Earth and the local insect population will allow) of what they put on your plate in an economically savvy and quality boosting fashion. The MacLaggan brothers, along with their father, began tending their own garden at Ramona’s Highland Valley Ranch last year. For months, executive chef Colin used the ranch’s own produce in his creations at Ave 5, incorporating carrots, peppers, tomatoes, snap peas, string beans, squash and herbs in his rotating menu—until the frost recently set in. Citrus and pomegranate trees are still far-


see Slow, page 11


A sneak peek of what’s to come at AVE 5 in 2011


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