[Photographs: Damon Gambuto]

This is the kind of review that is always tough to write. The Shack in Playa Del Rey is a beloved local institution. The denizens of this beach community have been scarfing down sausage-topped Shack burgers for years and doing so with a measure of local pride. It's not hard to find a chorus of "best burger"claims from the folks who make this their regular watering hole. Perhaps it's the mix of char-grilled smoke and salty air, but something about The Shack summons people back again and again.

Here's the thing: I'm not sure why. The burgers at this place aren't particularly bad, but then again they aren't particularly good either. They live in the fattened middle of American burgerdom where you'll find the kinds of burgers that make for good childhood memories and not so good adult meals. I can already hear the hoots of protest from The Shack's large fan base. Before you take me to task, let's take a look at just what I ate.

There is one burger that lives above all others at The Shack know as The Shack Cheeseburger. Even their menu boasts it as the one that "made us famous." A commercial bun gets a 1/4-pound patty topped with cheese (I chose American), lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, and mayo. All sounds standard, so why the fame? Well, I left off the last critical ingredient: the hot link (or Portuguese sausage).

Other than the hot link everything looks like an ordinary burger fixing, right? But that's the problem: Everything is just ordinary. It's like someone at The Shack decided that Sysco was good enough as a supplier and rode the wave of popularity that the hot link delivered. To be fair, it's a decent sausage. It's a tangy, not as spicy as you'd imagine sausage that offers up a hefty snap with each mouthful.

Unfortunately, none of the other ingredients stand up to closer scrutiny. The patty vanishes amid the heaps of mayo and flavor of the sausage, and the burger toppings don't match the flavor of the sausage that well. Thinking the sausage doesn't have much to add to a burger, I decided to give the straightforward cheeseburger a try.

This one was the exact same burger sans the hot link. I liked it more, but certainly not so much that it merited special attention. The patty was underseasoned and desiccated by the powerful char. The toppings were all fine, but certainly not exemplary of the pleasure of a good fresh vegetable on a burger. The one element that stood out to me was the bun—a nice commercial bun that got a heavy griddling such that it was almost flattened out and got an added chewiness like a grilled baguette. I actually thought it showed real finesse on what was an otherwise ham-fisted hamburger.

I tried to find some solace in some fries and onion rings and was punished for my efforts. These were among the weakest fries I've come across in a long while. They were limp and soggy with oil and lacked any salt. The onion rings didn't come out much better.

It was all a small burger mystery to me. When I showed up for weekday lunch I found myself waiting on a line for twenty minutes to order the above line-up of gastronomic disappointment. Perhaps this is the kind of place you have to be a local to love. From my perspective, it seemed like the kind of spot that has lived through its heyday. Perhaps there are some locals out there who can tell us the secret to getting a worthwhile burger at The Shack. For the rest of you, if you are determined to try a Shack burger, at the very least spare yourself the indignity of eating the fries and rings. I wish I had.

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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