Sabatino's - Lido Shipyard Sausage Company

With only a handful of weeks left before summer is officially over, I felt it imperative to showcase a backyard BBQ favorite …sausage. Tucked away in a Newport Beach shipyard is Sabatino’s – Lido Shipyard Sausage Company. Peter Sabatino’s privately owned food factory is located next door to his restaurant where the family’s special sausage recipe, dating back to Sicily in 1864, and other food items are made fresh daily. The tubby tubes of encased meat are mixed with imported Sicilian goat’s milk cheese, various herbs and come in mild or spicy flavor.

As I left the comfort of my home in Laguna I contemplated the many dishes I wanted to try. Hungry and salivating, I walked past the outdoor hostess stand and dining patio into a lobby and storefront where a large refrigerated window display full of seafood, large coils of homemade sausage, fresh bell peppers stuffed with rice and sausage and other food items for take home beckoned.

Several of the pleasant staff greeted me and I was immediately seated. The bus boy quickly served me a small basket of French baguette slices and a delicious cup of complimentary soup. During these tough economic times I was pleased to discover Sabatino’s giving away a free cup of soup with my meal. My clam chowder was excellent - made with thick bacon pieces, tender bites of clams, dices of firm potatoes and oyster crackers. I may have enjoyed the chowder too quickly as the bus boy noticed me hastily gobbling up my soup and kindly offered another free cup (yes, I accepted)!

Grilled calamari steak limone is served piccata style with garlic, capers and fresh herbs, surrounded by lemon wedges and roasted red peppers. I am a seriously tough critic of properly prepared calamari (over-cooked, tough and rubbery calamari sucks) and my squid steaks were well prepared with a good balance of salty capers off-setting the tart lemon juice.

I rarely eat sandwiches but had to try the sausage sandwich at Sabatino’s. Peter and C’est Si Bon Bakery in Newport Beach have teamed up to create special baguettes made without yeast and very low in gluten with the end result a light, less filling bread. My Sicilian “low-fat” sausage sandwich over-flowed with fresh green peppers, onions and was served with a side of marinara sauce and a mixed green salad. One bite of the glistening, moist sausage sandwich filled my mouth with herbaceous flavors and sweet-salty cheese. I was satiated!

For my last attempt at a food coma I ordered the Pizza Sabatino – sauce and cheese pizza. With the addition of mushrooms, black olives, sausage and green peppers and made with fresh pizza dough this thin crust pie was mediocre at best. I must admit, my heart’s desire was won over by the fresh sausage, not a pizza pie.

Desserts at Sabatino’s are made fresh daily and include the “best Tiramisu around”, New York style cheesecake, cannolis and “After Dark in a Blanket” - homemade crepe stuffed with vanilla bean ice cream served with zabione crème, hot fudge and fresh strawberry sauce. After tasting many savory dishes my palate lacked the desire for sweets – my belly was full therefore I passed on dessert. Albeit, the After Dark in a Blanket teases my senses and sounds tantalizingly tempting!

My primary goal in dining at Sabatino’s was to try the homemade cheesy sausage. Fellow foodies don’t be mistaken the restaurant offers many more Italian food items from pastas, poultry, veal and seafood to a vegetarian menu. Wine and beer are available and should you decide to bring your own wine, there’s a $22 corkage fee.

Note: After my solo lunch I purchased one pound each of mild and spicy sausage and looked forward to the sights and lingering cheesy smell of grilling the fat tubes at home. After several minutes of cast iron grilling, I turned the sausages to grill the other side and noticed some crispy-chewy cheese chunks had oozed out of the meat casings and sizzled on the hot grill. As the goat cheese caramelized and hardened, I quickly picked off the crispy cheese cracklings and popped them into my mouth. The taste combo of moist and lean flavored sausage and Sicilian goat cheese was delectable!



Beer and Wine
Open daily for breakfast, lunch & dinner
Champagne brunch served Saturday & Sunday 8:30a.m. - 1:00p.m.

Burgers and Beyond!!!

I ask ya, who in the world does not love a great grilled burger?!! “The Counter - Custom Built Burgers” in Irvine offers the best ingredients for a fabulous burger. Located in a huge shopping center at the corner of Sand Canyon and Irvine Blvd., The Counter gives everyone from adults to wee lads the chance to customize their own burger.

I love what they stand for…all of their meat patties are 100% natural and certified humane raised and handled (although I’m not quite sure how one humanely slaughters a cow for its meat?). They also have chicken, turkey, veggie and vegan burgers and use locally sourced produce.

Once you enter the burger joint your server shows you to your table and hands you a small clipboard with a form attached at which time you begin the “steps” to build your own burger - from the personalized ingredients to the size. They have so many wonderful items to choose from and at times when I am really hungry I struggle to make a decision.

Some of The Counter’s great cheese options are Danish blue cheese, soft ripened brie, jalapeno jack and gruyere, just to name a few. Then you move onto your choice of toppings and some selections are Bermuda red onion, dried cranberries, roasted red peppers and grilled pineapples for the fancier burger connoisseur. Once you decide on your topping the next step is to choose a sauce. Oh geez, they have tons of yummy sauces to choose from: apricot sauce, chipotle aioli, ginger soy glaze, tzatziki sauce and hot wing sauce. Those are just some of the sauce options! A hamburger is not a hamburger without a bun and you get three types to choose from -: a regular bun, English muffin or honey wheat bun. If you are going carbohydrate free and for an added $1 you can order the “In a Bowl” option. Although, I do not quite understand why eliminating a bun would make you have to pay more. Hey, I don’t make the rules.

For and extra fee, they also offer “premium toppings”. How about some black forest ham, a fried egg, sun-dried tomatoes or honey cured bacon on your gourmet burger? “Heavens to Mergatroid”, the varieties are endless, where do I start??

Since I have heard so many wonderful things about The Counter’s veggie pattie I had to try it. Guys, it is by far the best veggie burger I have ever tasted…and I have tasted many! Homemade daily, the veggie patties are a scrumptious mixture of fresh brown beans, red peppers, mushrooms, onions, spinach, corn, zucchini, carrots and dried cranberries. Yes, dried cranberries, a great balance of sweet and savory! This veggie burger is my idea of healthy, low-fat, comfort food.

My custom built veggie burger consisted of sharp provolone cheese, Bermuda red onions, dill pickle chips, sprouts, tomatoes and tzatziki (diced cucumbers) sauce on a honey wheat bun. Yum-mee!!

My husband ordered a 2/3 lb. chicken burger on a regular bun with grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado, Muenster cheese, grilled green chilies and garlic aioli. The two skinless, boneless chicken breasts were pounded thin, grilled to perfection and piled high in his bun…it looked and smelled delicious. For starter appetizers you can order the “Fried Dill Pickle Chips” (I have never had them and they don’t sound good to me), “Hobo Pack” (mixed grilled veggies and fresh herbs), “Turkey Chili” or “French or Sweet Potato Fries”. They also have several sandwiches on the menu, a child’s menu and various desserts. The hubby and I split the “Fifty-Fifty”, half crispy french fries and half sweet potato fries. The french fries were lightly seasoned and the sweet potato fries cooked to a crispy perfection. You get a side of horseradish mayonnaise but because the fries were so good, my taste buds were happy without the accompanying sauce.

The Counter also has a great beer and wine selection. Their wine list has a decent variety of California red wines and white wines from New Zealand, Spain, France and the Napa Valley. I preferred a nice lager with my veggie burger so I opted for the “Organic Sam Smith Lager” from the U.K. Sam Smith is a small independent British brewery and they produce a very good lager. The Counter also has an “Organic Wychwood Duchy Ale” and four different Belgian beers in addition to several foreign and domestic beers. “Bitburger” brew anyone?

If you find the room to enjoy dessert after your delicious burger, you have four different choices from “Apple Crumble” to “Key Lime Pie” and a couple of other sweets in between.

Unfortunately, The Counter is at least a thirty minute drive for me (with no traffic) but once I got there, enjoyed my delectable veggie burger and lager, the drive was long forgotten and well worth it!

Open Daily & Very Good Price Point
Outdoor patio for those balmy summer nights.
Many more locations throughout Southern California too!