A Disappointing Burger at Cabbage Patch in Beverly Hills

Posted by Damon Gambuto, March 10, 2010 at 1:30 PM

[Photographs: Damon Gambuto]

Cabbage Patch

214 South Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills CA 90212 (map); 310-550-8655; cabbagepatchbh.com
Cooking Method: Grilled
Short Order: Too fine a grind does not make for a fine burger.
Want Fries with That? No thank you. Dusted with seasoning and lacking any silkiness, these are not worth the trouble. Go with the more interesting Cabbage Patch Slaw that has the unique additions of peanuts and cilantro.
Prices: Cheese Burger w/frites, $12
Notes: The fresh produce and inventive salads are where this place shines.

Cabbage Patch has a burger that I've been meaning to try since the restaurant opened. The name of chef/owner Samir Mohajer has popped up on a couple of occasions in my burger travels around Los Angeles. Mohajer used to be the chef at Rustic Canyon, home of one of my favorite burgers in town. While I clearly I have a bias toward the current head of that kitchen, Evan Funke, at the very least, I have to give Mohajer the credit for first putting a burger on that menu. Mohajer also did some consulting for the boys at The Golden State, another restaurant with a great burger. As you can imagine, my curiosity about what his place might be like was thoroughly piqued.

When Mohajer first ventured out on his own, he'd imagined opening up a more upscale wine bar, but the realities of the recession made the idea of a casual lunch spot seem more in sync with the times. Clearly he made the right choice, as his fairly-priced and locally sourced Cabbage Patch has become a casual lunch favorite in Beverly Hills. I stopped in the other day in the hopes that his clientele's devotion is largely due to his burger.

The Cabbage Patch Cheese Burger ingredient list reads like the contemporary playbook for good, higher-end burgers: Niman Ranch beef, Tillamook cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, arugula, and a brioche bun (likely from Rockenwagner). On the side comes the choice of frites or the Cabbage Patch Slaw. Of course, having to decide between two things is a dilemma that is best solved with my simple heuristic: order both.

The burger arrived looking a little, well, green. It seemed the entirety of the cabbage—or arugula—patch had made its way onto my burger. I know the place gets a lot of attention for its salads, but I prefer mine on the side. Their brioche bun is fine, but they neglected to give enough toasting to my preferred texture: crunch against sponginess.

The patty itself showed a surprisingly fine grind that was the biggest disappointment. The beef is quality and has some good flavor, but the grind undermines the texture. The bacon, normally not my favorite, actually added a helpful extra hit of fat. The Tillamook cheddar (the same used on the legendary Apple Pan burger) is a welcome highlight. I find the flavor and texture close enough to my childhood memories of gooey American on my cheeseburgers to please my nostalgia, but with an added bite that matches a more complex burger.

The frites seem oddly named as they aren't reminiscent of an authentic French version. Mohajer opts to dust his with a heavy coating of seasoning (paprika, et al) that makes the already dry spuds completely overdone. The slaw was where Mohajer's talents came to the foreground. The crunch of the cabbage is met with a wholly pleasing addition of peanuts and cilantro.

It's unfortunate that Cabbage Patch's burger was such a disappointment because it doesn't seem to match the quality of so many other options on the menu. Well, that and the fact that I am always hoping for burger greatness. There may be a lot of reasons to pay a visit to Cabbage Patch, but the burger isn't one of them.

12 Comments Favorite this! (5)

Tags: AHT reviews, Beverly Hills, Cabbage Patch, Los Angeles, reviews, Southern California

12 Comments:

appropriate that the slaw/cabbage is worthy!

SAKSc at 4:55PM on 03/10/10

it looks like there's too much bun for the size of the patty. or maybe i'm too used to giant patties.

Christina at 5:12PM on 03/10/10

My first thought when I saw it was it looked like a garden exploded all over a decent looking cheeseburger. Agreed -- way too much greenery. Perhaps a way to cover up the lack of taste?

MissBrownEyes at 5:51PM on 03/10/10

I work down the street and personally think it is a mighty fine burger especially when you lather on the aioli that comes on the side. I'll take the Cabbage Patch burger over The Counter or Umami any day.

trojans at 7:06PM on 03/10/10

From those pics, this burger looks amazing. (I'm looking at you perfectly melted cheddar cheese.) I'm disappointed to hear that it doesn't deliver.

iheartcheese at 8:27PM on 03/10/10

This looks yummy. Thanks fot the post.

yas001 at 8:49PM on 03/10/10

Damon, you made that burger look so much sexier than it was!

I agree - across the board. Although, I would have preferred a sharper cheddar.

Nicely written piece.

Paula Maack at 3:12AM on 03/11/10

agree with MissBrownEyes... that arugula spilling out from the edges of the bun doesn't exactly look appetizing. that said, i believe that golden state uses arugula on their burger and it seems to work for them. they definitely serve up a good burger. @trojans maybe i'm wrong, but in my opinion if you have to "lather" on the aioli in order to make a burger taste "mighty fine", that's saying to me you need to "add flavor" that isn't otherwise present in the lightly dressed version of the burger in order for it to taste good. not exactly a recommendation in my book.

HerbyN at 8:29AM on 03/11/10

I'm surprised you were able to find your way out of the restaurant with all that arugula attacking your burger! I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of what makes a good burger thanks to your reviews. It's fun impressing friends at dinner when I start going on about fine grinds and brioche buns. You are officially my Cyrano De Burgerac. Thanks for another great review!

dzhughes at 4:07PM on 03/11/10

P.S. Is it just me or has the Golden State burger gone down hills a bit since they first opened? I haven't been there in months but the last 3 or 4 times I went something was off.

dzhughes at 4:08PM on 03/11/10

HerbyN, The Aioli works with the arugula it adds a fat to round it out. To be fair it is a part of the burger description when you order it, that was omitted from the above description. If it was my restaurant it wouldn't be on the side it would be integrated with the burger. Unfortunately BH and LA dictated it must be on the side. By adding it to the burger you are having it the way Samir wanted you to have it, as a complete flavor profile.

trojans at 10:24PM on 03/11/10

@Christina - For me the patty wasn't overwhelmed by the bun, but its texture was big problem. That said, you are partial to the bigger patties then for sure this one isn't for you.

@MissBrownEyes - Yeah - I can't imagine that there's intention behind that exploding garden!

@Trojans - Maybe over The Counter (I am not a big fan of that one), but I think Umami is an easy winner over this on for me.

@yas001 - Thanks for the comment!

@Paula Maack - Thanks for the compliment. Always appreciated!

@HerbyN - Indeed. More on your point later

@dzhughes - "Cyrano De Burgerac" Love it! Glad you enjoy the reviews and the burger talk!

@trojans - I think I have to side with HerbyN on this one. He's referring to your use of the word lather. The burger arrives with two little tubs of aioli and ketchup. This doesn't it any way seem like the chef is doing anything other than offering the diner options, not saying lather your burger. That said, I put both on the burger and it still didn't come together for me. Hey, it's a burger of quality ingredients to be sure - Further I'm glad you've got a place nearby that you like, but it's just not for me.

Damon Gambuto at 12:34AM on 03/12/10

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