[Photographs: Damon Gambuto]

There is probably a good mix of opinions about the small chain Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers, but what no one can deny is that they were ahead of their time. The first opened their back in 1978 when the burger landscape was pretty well divided between the fast food burger and the higher quality, but still usually downscale spot. The brioche-bunned, fancy-pants burger was barely a glimmer in the eye of the high-end restaurant community and no one was making waves with a premium burger.

Barney's took a different tack. Certainly, the roots of this burger chain are the basic burger and fries lunch counter, but they've managed to carve out a little bit room in the high-end burger space no one really thought it even existed. These days Barney's has fallen under the radar of the burger-hype machine while still maintaining a loyal follow for their ten locations dotted across California.

I thought it appropriate to try these "gourmet" burgers at the tony Brentwood Country Mart location which sits on the Brentwood Santa Monica border. The market is an interesting mixture of high-end shopping and few stalls of solid fare. These days, it's the midday hangout to the wealthy, Westside families and Hollywood types; Jennifer Garner brushed by me as I waited for my burger. Of course, celebrities and words like "gourmet" aren't to be trusted so I wasn't too hopeful. As it turned out, I should have been.

The Barney's Classic Burger is a simple affair with just hefty patty atop a large, commercial-style bun. The lettuce, tomato, pickle, and red onion (and an odd orange twist) were laid out under and abreast of my burger. It seemed surprisingly sloppy considering the premium strata, but then again I don't mind if a burger spot thinks that the veggies should be an afterthought.

I had them add a little cheddar to mine, but it wasn't necessary. This burger was a big, bold, beefy patty set between a very good, large commercial style bun that had plenty of fat and juice to warrant a cheeseless order. (That said, I certainly didn't mind the extra tang the cheddar added.)

The patty was cooked to almost perfect medium rare and had good, if less-than-I'd choose, helping of seasoning. The clean, minerally flavor of the meat smacked of that classic burger flavor that so many high-end, or premium burger spots seem to have given up on. Barney's gets the 82/18 proprietary blend of Niman Ranch beef delivered fresh-ground everyday. Match that with very good, spongy commercial bun also fresh-baked and Barney's is certainly a defensible choice for a simple burger.

The fries, sadly, didn't keep up with their burger brethren. They menu offers a topping of roasted garlic which I tried and can report isn't worth your time. That's what I'd say of the fries generally. Mine were limp and oily and even lacked salt.

Barney's Gourmet Burgers doesn't seem the horse I'd bet on to go to the next level in the increasingly competitive premium burger chain race, but it seems to enjoy some stable success. I'd say that seems about right. Theirs is a totally solid, noticeably high-quality burger that is worth the (relatively) reasonable price tag, but doesn't deliver that next-level delight that some of the premium burger spots have delivered. That is to say, this isn't a destination burger, but it's certainly a solid, quality choice if you find yourself

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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