[Photographs: Damon Gambuto and James Carroll]

Long before the restaurant scene in Los Angeles exploded into the mainstream of serious food discussions, we were a city of young chefs playing with the idea that culinary traditions were made for fusing and dining rooms should feel like high-end clubhouses. The sine qua non of the movement was the vibrant Wolfgang Puck. His (still superlative) Spago was at the center of our centerless metropolis' food scene, but for many of the city's dining out set, it was just too far from the beach to be a regular destination.

Luckily, the city also had the equally talented Michael McCarty to turn to for culinary excursions. He opened Michael's back in 1979 at the tender age of 25, and it's since become one of the standbys of the Santa Monica dining scene.

Recently the restaurant got a minor makeover that updated its '80s look, along with some menu offerings that are similarly of the moment. Enter the Michael's burger. While it unsurprisingly gets the chef's treatment with bold toppings, less expected is how expertly it hews to tradition.

For $18 (with fries), the Michael's burger isn't the everyman lunch option, but the fantastic ingredient line up along with a seat in one of the more pleasant restaurant patios in town makes it a defensible, (medium) rare indulgence.

The patty starts its short yet delicious life at Rocker Bros. Meats and is a proper 80/20 blend of chuck. I was told it was eight ounces, but I wouldn't be surprised if the couple of times I tried it there was at least nine ounces of juicy, delicious beef on the bun. Speaking of which, Michael's serves up the sesame seed-covered brioche from the Basque informed Etxea Bakery. It's a nicely spongy (i.e., not a typical brioche), substantial bun that doesn't necessarily make for the prettiest burger; as you can see, the proper sponginess means the bun deforms when handled. It's the reason so many high-end places avoid this style of bun. It's also why so many of them make substandard burgers. I commend Michael on the choice.

The burger gets a slice of beefsteak tomato, grilled Maui onion, and some wild baby arugula. Then there's the flavor profile defining additions of North Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon and a pair of cheeses: Gruyère and Stilton. Now usually this is the time when I go on and on about how bacon and stinky cheeses are too much for a burger, but this time it was different. Don't get me wrong; the bacon and cheese (especially the Stilton) vie for attention, but they don't get their ways—at least not entirely. The salty and juicy patty is full of flavor that shines through.

The rest of the toppings all fall into order to make for a noticeably classic taste that balances the strong cheese and bacon flavors. My one caveat would be to hold the Stilton if you aren't a fan of blue cheeses, but other than that I can't find fault with the construction of this burger—and I usually make it a habit to complain about bacon on my burgers. Add to this unexpectedly tasty and decadent burger some professionally handled shoestring fries made from Yukon Gold potatoes and it wasn't hard to understand why Michael's has made such a mark on the restaurant scene in LA.

About the author: Damon is one of our roving burger reporters and food writers. When he's not eating more than is warranted or healthful (and then writing about it) he can be found writing and producing for television and film. You can contact him at seriouslydamon@gmail.com.

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