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We have a special place in our hearts for The Oinkster, Andre Guerrero’s masterpiece of “slow fast food” on trendy Colorado Blvd. in Eagle Rock (and one of Jonathan Gold’s 99 Essential LA restaurants in 2008).

Part of this is Pinoy Pride: as the celebrated owner and chef of Max, Senor Fred, and Oinkster, Guerrero is one of the highest-profile Filipinos in town.

Another part is nostalgia: we celebrated our first “dating” anniversary at Max. We can still taste the magnificent miso-marinated black cod and ritzed-up lumpia shanghai (which, sadly, has been taken off the menu!).

Mainly, though, we love Oinkster because it’sso damn good.

In fact, it’s near the top of our To-Do list whenever we have meat-eating guests in town, which is how we ended up there with Chris’s Dad a few weeks ago. From the look on his face, it didn’t disappoint!

The Ultimate Pastrami

With Oinkster, Guerrero puts a gourmet spin on the classic roadside burger stand. You can see it in the details: the red-roof A-frame and bulb-rimmed signage boasting burgers, pastrami, and rotisserie chicken is revamped with red leather lounge seating flanking flat-screen TVs. Composite floors lead out to a spacious patio ringed by close-packed bamboo.

Like Bruce Wayne training with Ra’s Al Ghul in order to become Batman, Guerrero apprenticed himself to Norm Langer, L.A.’s top deli man, in order to come up with the perfect pastrami recipe. The result? Mouth-watering mounds of meat that Guerrero cures himself in-house for two weeks. He smokes it with applewood and rubs it with spices, then heaps it generously onto French rolls, slathering it with Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, and red cabbage slaw.

Guerrero backs up this Abrams tank of a sandwich with an infantry of Belgian fries. They’re twice-fried, meaning you get them hot, with a firm, crisp bite on the outside and a light, fluffy reward on the inside.

Oinkster Ketchup

Dip these suckers in homemade ketchup (plain or chipotle) or the garlic aioli, which fellow Filipino blogger Burnt Lumpia described as “containing the souls of a million garlic cloves.” We also like dipping the fries in Guerrero’s Carolina-style barbecue sauce which, true to it’s name, is vinegary and sweet, though it’s no Bone-Suckin’ Sauce.

Forget about the chili fries: the chili is thin and relatively flavorless. We say keep the fries plain and indulge yourself in the ketchups and sauces instead.

This time around, Yuri tried out the burger, which gives Pie ‘n Burger a run for its money. Weighing in at 1/3 lbs. of Nebraska Angus and doused with Oinkster’s house-made Thousand Island, this burger’s only drawback is that all that goodness soaks the bun fast: we had to finish it off with a fork and knife!

Next time, we want to try the pulled pork sandwich. According to the menu, it’s “brined with soy and honey, then slowly roasted and smoked,” and finally topped off with that Carolina barbecue sauce. Even copying and pasting that text makes us salivate.

Shake Your Ube

If you can swing it, Oinkster’s ube (OOH-bay) shake delivers a knockout punch.

We’d been meaning to try it — after all, this is the one menu item that gives Oinkster some Filipino flash! — but are usually flattened by the sandwiches and fries. This time, though, we saved room.

What is ube? It’s the purple yam that gives Filipino baked goods like <i>hopia</i> a violet hue and buttery flavor. Oinkster’s shake features Fosselman’s ice cream, fusing ’50s malt shops with Pacific Island palates. (We thought there was a hint of coconut milk in there too).

After a greasy meal of savory standbys, the ube shake is mind-numbingly good. Instead of beating you over the head with sweetness, this shake is rich, buttery, refreshing, and complex.

By Chris and Yuri (see more of their posts). You can find more of Chris and Yuri's writing at their own website MIXED WELL.