As soon as you set foot in Solvang’s Chomp, a burger eatery with a striking logo on the outside, something feels very different.
Chomp is something between an ultramodern European gastropub and a classic 1950s diner, with touches of whimsy around the edges. The huge chalkboard wall that spells out well wishes and messages near the front door only adds to the comforting aura, disarming anyone who might be intimidated by the air of intellectual foodie authenticity that radiates from the venue.
A sign on one of the walls makes the philosophy behind Chomp abundantly clear: “Chomp: To chew food or bite on something repeatedly. The act or an instance of vigorous biting. ‘He finished his burger with a single CHOMP.'” The play on the word is meant to signal that while the mood might be slick and contemporary, the food is meant to be comforting and above all enjoyable.
Make no mistake Chomp isn’t an ordinary diner offering standard burgers and shakes. There is something deeply smart about the design and menu selection here. Burgers start out pretty basic enough—standard burgers and cheeseburgers evolve into black and bleu burgers with grilled mushrooms, grilled onion, and lettuce—but give hints of an elevated yet playful spirit.
The caprese burger is an eye-catching gambit for a burger menu. Made with the same ingredients as a standard caprese salad, it offers fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil with a balsamic glaze. I don’t recall seeing something like that on a menu around here in recent years, and I appreciate Chomp putting it out there.
I’m not a fan of overly spicy food, but I really love the egg ranchero burger, made with a fried egg, pepper jack cheese, salsa, and diced jalapeños. It’s a good amount of heat, which is cut nicely by the creamy yolk of the egg.
But Chomp is at its best when it steps outside of the traditional burger menu box. Take their veggie burger, for example. Made with panko, cheddar cheese, roasted red peppers, chopped onion, eggplant, a lime sauce, and hand packed, this is a change of pace that doesn’t overwhelm you or make you feel like you’re Peter Rabbit gnawing on vegetables pulled out of the ground
My favorite offering has to be the surprisingly flavor-packed Kyzer burger, a bare-bones pork burger piled high with grilled onions. What this burger showcases is the venue’s ability to take something simple and cook it to perfection. I am a huge fan of pork burgers (because what isn’t great about pork) and I never find them often enough to my satisfaction in our region. If you’re for more of a kick to your pork burger, try Chomp’s Asian pork burger, made with ground pork, Asian sriracha-teriyaki sauce, and coleslaw.
Burgers start around $10 and go up to about $12. Chomp also has a selection of old-school menu items such as patty melts and reubens, as well as a sinful-looking selection of desserts and diner-friendly shakes, floats, and malts. So if you head into Chomp, forget calorie counting here and pretend you’re back in the 1950s again, when everything was delightfully delicious and no one worried about carbs.
Arts and Lifestyle Writer Rebecca Rose is all about sriracha. Contact her at rrose@santamariasun.com.
• I am absolutely wild about North China Restaurant‘s cheese rangoons (pictured). These are a crispy, creamy bite of perfection, and I’m not sure what they are doing with the sauce but it is absolutely perfect. Plus their sweet and sour pork is a perfect plate of comfort food. Try these dishes out at 113 N. Broadway, Santa Maria.
• Pizzeria Bella Forno in Old Orcutt is now open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to their classic flatbreads (which I love), they are also now serving pastas, appetizers, and more salads. Check them out at 119 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt.
This article appears in Apr 5-12, 2018.