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The Burger at The 101 Coffee Shop in Hollywood Is a Bit of a Turkey

Posted by Damon Gambuto, December 3, 2008 at 3:00 PM

If you are thinking of heading to Hollywood to follow yours dreams of silver screen stardom then you can be pretty well assured that you will find yourself sliding into the leather booths at The 101 Coffee Shop at some point during your journey to fame or misfortune. Perched on the Northern edge of Hollywood, this retro diner resides on the first floor of a Best Western. The chain that runs the mid-range hotel belies its history. Hollywood luminaries have been making their way to this spot since it opened as The Franklin Hotel in the 1930s. These days the clientele is more Hollywood-hipster than Hollywood royalty, but then again, history is just the story told when the game is over. Winners and losers can be hard to spot in medias res. Today’s tattooed waitress could be tomorrow’s Olivia de Havilland (or Angelina Jolie, for those of you who demand contemporary references). Part of the magic of celebrity is simply the notion that the person dreamt big and won.

These kinds of thoughts can be distracting when dining at a Hollywood spot like this one. You can almost feel diners' heads lifting and falling with each new patron that enters in hopes of stealing a glimpse of an up and coming ingenue pretending to eat or—at the very least—a former cast member of That 70’s Show finishing off an evening of drinking and carousing with a some late night pancakes. Sorry gang—it's just Damon here for a burger (or two).

The Classic Diner Re-imagined

When you first enter The 101 Coffee Shop it’s hard to tell whether it’s new construction designed to look old, or old construction that’s been renewed. Luckily, I come with an inquisitive mind and the internet: It’s actually a very purposeful reworking of the classic mid-century diner. Warner Ebbink is the designer and he’s done a bang up job. The menu duties fall mainly on Ebbink’s partner, chef Brandon Boudet, but despite this division of labor, the duo are notoriously obsessive and collaborative. (They’ve scored follow-up successes to 101 with the reworking of the Hollywood classic Dominick’s and its Los Feliz sequel Little Dom’s.)

When you take a look at your menu choices you’re immediately reminded that this is a simulation of the classic diner. You're vegan? No problem. At the 101 they’ll make your Heuvos Rancheros without any eggs (or other animal products). If that’s your bag, I’m okay with it, but I like to think these incisors (and dreams of roasted meat) in my head evolved there for a reason. Oh wait, there’s a reason right there in its own little box on the menu: a burger.

There are three options for a burger at the 101: beef, turkey, and veggie. Hmmm? Which shall I have? Okay, normally this is a no brainer—burgers should be made of beef—but the season tugged at my heart and I went for the turkey burger in honor of Thanksgiving (my visit to 101 was pre-Thanksgiving). Of course, I ordered the regular burger too. To complete the diner dining experience I asked for the 101’s Nut ‘n Honey shake (vanilla ice cream, peanutbutter, and honey–yum).

I sat in my leather booth and surveyed the interior. The space is all manner of beige and brown. Floors are terrazzo and the walls are adorned with fake rock, like a futro bachelor pad. The lighting is subdued and emanates from warm globe lamps that hang low. It’s all rather fantastic looking. I found myself thoroughly pleased with the ambiance. Maybe there is something to this whole Hollywood simulacrum thing.

Looks Are Deceiving

The food arrived looking very attractive from my very attractive looking server. (Everything just looks so good here.) Both burgers come with lettuce, tomato, spicy mayonnaise, and grilled onions. I selected cheddar cheese for the beef and jack for turkey. For sides I ordered fries (which come with some sweet potato slices mixed in with the regular potato) and mashed potatoes and gravy. How seasonal!

Where to start? Oh right, the shake: It’s an immense and creamy glass of peanut buttery deliciousness. Good start. Next, maybe some fries and a bite of mashed potatoes. The fries are not so good, and the sweet potatoes add-in sounded better than they tasted. The mashed potatoes are quite good and come with a healthy portion of dark brown gravy, which adds a nice visual contrast and the welcomed added fat. The opening acts were inconsistent, but we’re here to taste the headliner, so let’s dig in.

The beef burger looks bunless with its open-faced presentation. As it turns out, the substantial bun is just cleverly hidden under the patty and lettuce. When constructed, it becomes the picture of beautiful burgerness. A large, domed, top slice of bun tops gives it an impressive profile. Once again, things are looking good. I bite into my pretty picture and find myself wondering where all the taste is. The bun is too thick and almost has a hint of stale to it. The grilled patty is overcooked and under-seasoned. Even the onions seem to have had the sweetness grilled out of them. I am utterly confused. Perhaps all of the visual attraction has raised my expectations to unreasonable heights. I try another bite. Chewing, chewing. Nothing. It tastes like a meal you’d get at home. I’m not talking home-cooked comfort, but rather that under-seasoned dinner you grew up with that made you so fond of eating out.

Okay, maybe this is one of those restaurants mounted by someone who is, at their heart, not a red meat eater. Perhaps it’s not the dictates of the Hollywood actor’s diet demands that has driven all the non-meat options on the menu, but the true inspiration of the chef. I dig into the turkey burger and, once again, find myself left wondering where all the taste went. Everything sounded right when I ordered it. It certainly all looks right. Why doesn’t it taste right? A lack of seasoning? Certainly. A bit of false advertising? Maybe. (The mayonnaise mixture is neither spicy, nor particularly mayonnaise-y). Whatever the reason, I am finding that my wide-eyed, Hollywood (burger) dreams have been dashed. I push away my plates and drown my disappointment in my shake.

A Beautiful Mistake

Heading out of the restaurant, I still couldn’t figure it out. My server continued to look great and was a delight with her waiter small talk. I still loved the décor and the music. Is the cliché true? Is Hollywood all style and no substance? I thought of all the wonderful burgers I’ve had in my adopted home town. I soothed myself with memories of the good char of burgers past. No, the whole story is more complicated than a simple cliché.

Hollywood is full of genuine talent in service of artifice. We are a city that is stylishly substantive. I see it there in the memorabilia that adorns the walls of the hallway leading me back to the parking lot. Natalie Wood stares at me with intensity. Sinatra mugs for the camera in a Santa outfit. De Havilland looks determined to be more than a pretty face in a screen test photo. It’s like they all know you have to do more than just look the part.

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