[Photographs: Damon Gambuto]

Sometimes something wonderful is right under your nose. I had thought I knew my neighborhood burger scene pretty much backwards and forwards. My little hipster-made-good neighborhood of Los Feliz is home to a very solid burger at The Fix, a less-than-stellar nouveau-diner burger at Fred 62, and the Eastside outpost of the growing Umami empire. Otherwise there isn't much in the way of burger options. At least that's what I thought until a recent lunch excursion to a neighborhood stalwart that I'd somehow overlooked.

House of Pies sits on the northern end of our "main drag" of Vermont Avenue and has long been a hangout of the neighborhood cool kids. Opened over forty years ago, the classic (late) mid-century diner has the old-school sheen that attracts the old and young alike. When I first arrived in Los Angeles I often found myself there even though their menu was just standard diner fare—it was cheap and the place looked cool. The food wasn't anything to write home (or to Serious Eats) about. But that was then, and nowadays House of Pies makes a truly great burger.

The current owner has been at the helm for about seven years, but has embraced the character of the diner with the both arms. The uniformed staff is chatty and friendly, the menu is standard diner fare with a bit of updating, and much of the menu is homemade (including the pies). The burgers get their own section on the menu and a very apropos question: "Craving a Burger?" Yes, thank you. Cheeseburger, medium rare, to more specific.

The House Burger at House of Pies is the straightforward affair you'd expect. Angus beef with a 80/20 meat to fat ratio is portioned into hefty eight-ounce patties and set atop a classic-looking sesame seed bun and topped with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and, in a nod to its Southern California heritage, Thousand Island dressing. All of the ingredients are solid, but provenance is not the story here. When I asked about where they source the ingredients a smiley manager proclaimed, "Sysco!" If you don't know, Sysco is the kind of purveyor more apt to supply a school lunch program than a great restaurant, but this is a burger that is more than the sum of its parts.

The beef was slightly overcooked for my medium rare preference, but maintained a fantastic level of juice. Add to this a healthy char and salty crust and it was almost all you'd hope for in a patty. The meat, while delivered fresh, arrives pre-ground, so it's just a bit finer and less robust in its beefiness than an in-house grind.

The veggies are all fresh and the chopped lettuce is a nice nod to the classic, thin-pattied Southern California style. The American cheese was beautifully melted and added a nice fattiness. Lastly, the sweetness from the Thousand Island was a welcomed addition.

Like all great burgers, this one isn't revealed by a breakdown of ingredients. The most appealing thing about this burger is the way all of the ingredients come together in each bite. My first was an explosion of flavor that left me shaking my head in delight.

The fresh cut fries were handled much like I'd imagine a lot of competent home cooks might make fries. Because they're almost certainly fried only once, they lacked the crispness that is the argument for twice frying, but they were still full of fresh potato flavor and had a nice dose of salt.

The rings were of the ultra-breading variety; if you're against a hearty breading, definitely stay away. That said, the breading itself wasn't greasy and had great seasoning.

I ended my surprisingly delicious diner meal with one of their namesake pies, recommended by my server: a seasonal strawberry cream pie. I was rewarded for my trusting nature. The strawberries maintained their bite and freshness and the cream, while simple, played off the berries' tartness nicely.

This kind of simple quality is what made the diner the preeminent American eatery. Once upon a time they offered a breadth of comfort foods prepared with fresh ingredients with familiar techniques. This, sadly, is not the kind of diner I grew up eating in in New York City, where I ate more than my share of cheeseburger deluxes from Greek diners. If only I had a House of Pies back then.

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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