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Redefining Beach Food with the Pretzel Burger at Hudson House in Redondo Beach, CA

Posted by Damon Gambuto, November 4, 2009 at 2:00 PM

[Photographs: Damon Gambuto]

The Beach Cities are a collection of communities that dot the coastline just south of Los Angeles and represent that hard to find love-of-ease that can easily grow difficult. They have that Southern Californian temperament that thinks appointments are mere suggestions as to where one might find oneself. That is to say, folks down there make Angelenos seem punctual and serious. Of course, this is both a wild generalization and said with a deep and abiding affection.

When I first moved to Los Angeles I found myself spending my weekends away from my hardened, Hollywood peers in favor of languid afternoons in the Beach Cities working on my surfing skills, sangria recipe, and tan. I could barely believe just how nice life seemed down there. A friend rented a room that opened up onto a patio that was a few paces from the sand. It was all that I'd dreamed Los Angeles to be and, of course, isn't.

Redondo Beach sits on the southern end of this swath of sand and sea. While it offers the pleasures of the beach, I can't remember ever heading down to there for any special meals. That said, one of the most dramatic views of the ocean I've come across while dining is at the chain Mexican food restaurant El Torito on the pier that anchors its beach. That's the irony of the community in general. The lifestyle is so pleasant by dint of the location, there hasn't been much added to it, at least in the way of food, to make it special. A new gastropub called Hudson House is taking a shot at changing that one burger at a time.

The restaurant is a collaboration from the wife and husband team of Brooke Williamson and Nick Roberts. Both have spent the majority of their adult lives honing their respective chef skills in professional kitchens in the Los Angeles area. Hudson (named after their young son) is their third collaboration. Their first is shuttered, but they still own and operate the well-received Beechwood in Venice.

The one and only burger option on the restrained and elegant menu is the Hudson Pretzel Burger. The name is a reference to the Rockenwagner bun that it's served on, but there is more thought to the dish than simply switching up the traditional bread on a burger. It's served with wild arugula, Jarlsberg cheese, bacon, and grilled onion.

The first mouthful was an expanse of flavor. The beef managed to step forward despite all the competing ingredients, and when I found out the details it was clear why. Hudson sources their custom blend from Rocker Bros. It's a vibrant combination of dry aged rib eye and chuck that tilts the meat-to-fat ration scales at 75/25. The depth of flavor that dry aging adds is clearly the foundation of this elaborate construction. A straight chuck patty would likely wither under the ornamentation. Accentuated with a lovely whiff of char from what looked to be a cast iron grill, the patty alone is compelling argument for this burger.

The Jarlsberg seemed a challenging choice of cheese, but grating the cheese made for a lovely melt that was a welcome surprise. I'm never going to be wild about wild arugula as a topping, but it certainly has a peppery quality that mixes well on a complicated burger like this one. The grilled red onion was cooked so as to retain a little bite rather than turn into a brown jam. It too added a nice bit of texture without being too sweet. The corncob-smoked bacon has a medium smokiness and chewy texture, which is preferable to the overly-crisped iteration that shows up on most burgers. That said, I think I'd order my next one without it as the salty strength of America's favorite belly meat always has a way of demanding too much attention when on a burger.

Finally, there is the bun—it was a gleaming, blistered, bulbous beauty. It was crusty, yet pliant, and stood up nicely to the mass of patty and toppings. It makes for a distinct and delicious burger. My one issue with the burger is that it seemed as though it should be one version from a section on the menu. I would love to try Williamson and Robert's take on more traditional burger.

It seemed that I am not the only one smitten with Hudson. At least three regulars walked up to me to tell me how much they liked the place and another grabbed me as I was walking out to confirm that I liked the burger as much as he (I'll go with almost.) They already liked living in their Redondo Beach neighborhood, but mentioned how they had been longing for restaurant with the style and quality of Hudson. I don't suffer the same longing living in Los Angeles, but there's room in my neighborhood for some beach food if it's as good as Hudson's.

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Tags: AHT reviews, California, Hudson House, Los Angeles, Redondo Beach, reviews