629 Americana Way, Glendale CA 91210 (map); 818-637-8998; americanaatbrand.com Cooking Method: Griddled Short Order: A postmodern burger failure Want Fries with That? No. Did I mention NO? Prices: Jewel City Burger, $6.96 Notes: Wednesdays kids eat free. Maybe they won't notice how bad the food is.
The fact that full scale mixed-use mall complexes have begun to blossom here in Los Angeles is, like our penchant for storytelling, not such a big deal in and of itself. What makes the construction of these instant-communities of note is that our malls (and their culture) have a way of sneaking into the lives of people all over the country. Like the Hollywood narratives that have for years vied for attention in America’s living rooms, Los Angeles’ newest iteration of the shopping complex is angling to become your living room.
Billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso has re-imagined the mall as a mix of residential and retail space that is a funhouse attraction of the American Main Street seen through a Las Vegas lens. High-end shopping destinations and chain eateries surround facsimiles of the town square, anchored by gratuitous "dancing waters" attractions. Atop the retail outlets sit posh residences which allow shoppers to literally live at the mall. After a series of hugely successful developments across Southern California, Caruso set his sights on the sleepy bedroom community of Glendale and its waning credit limits.
The Americana at Brand is perhaps the premier example of Caruso’s vision (thus far). Hundreds of millions of Caruso's own dollars were transfused into equally valuable land that the City of Glendale gifted him in hopes that he might stamp out another success from his tested mold. And what has Caruso gifted the Serious Eater in return? A meticulously kept, terrazzo-paved hamburger stand. Jewel City Diner is a paean to America’s classic eatery and also, incidentally, a homage to one of Glendale's beloved restaurants from the bygone days. All this in mind, I set aside my mall aversion to try the Jewel City Burger.
"The craggy, salty crust is as thick as that on a prime steak and the impossibly juicy innards gush torrents all over the squishy bun."
HB Burger
127 West 43rd St New York 10036; map); 212-575-5848; hbburger.com Cooking Method: Griddled Short Order: Perfectly cooked juicy burger served on a potato roll. What's not to love? Want Fries with That? Potentially scrumptious home made tater tots failed to deliver—stale and tepid Price: Cheeseburger, $8
Thanks to Louis-Camille Maillard, we know why hamburgers are a compelling dish. Back in the 1910s, the French chemist and physician started researching amino acids and the way they react to sugars. The result of his research—called the Maillard reaction—was the discovery that when amino acids and sugars are made to react together (usually by heat) they release aromas and flavors as well as produce a browning effect similar to the non-enzymatic one that occurs during caramelization. This reaction does not so much intensify the taste of food as much as create whole new flavors and aromas. The reaction has been indispensable in our understanding of taste—indeed, it forms the foundation for the entire flavoring industry.
There has been some speculation that the browning of meat from searing—especially on lean white meats that contain very few of the reducing sugars required for the reaction—might not be the Maillard reaction at all, but rather a result of the "breakdown of tetrapyrrole rings of the muscle protein" (whatever that means). In defense of the notion that the Maillard reaction does occur during the cooking of high fat foods, such as the hamburger, I present the HB Burger—a hamburger so juicy, fatty, and toothsome, with possibly the best sear I have ever had on a patty that it could be used in place of a lengthy white paper dissertation to prove the point.
The La Cense Beef Burger Truck started serving up their grass-fed beef burgers today in Midtown, so Robyn and I ventured into the land of business suits to grab a bite at the latest food truck to hit the streets. Getting there just a little before noon and the lunch rush hour, there were only five people on line. By the time we left, around 12:30 p.m., the line was about forty deep and growing longer by the second. As Robyn was taking photos of the truck, she was approached by a P.R. woman who jumped the line and ordered burgers for us. Unfortunately, the burgers still took about ten minutes to get so cutting the line didn't really save us much time.
Chalk it up to the inefficient system inside the truck. There are two guys inside—one cooking the burgers, one handling the money and putting together the orders. With frequent glove changes and rookie mistakes like not having the already prepared food items wrapped in foil beforehand, service was understandably slow. Food truck aficionado Zach Brooks of Midtown Lunch has some suggestions on how they could improve their service.
330 South Hope Street, Los Angeles CA 90071 (map); 323-465-8500; patinagroup.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: A professionally executed burger that shines when eaten it its simplest form Want Fries with That? Yes; the shoestring fries are professionally rendered and the sweet potato version get a nice blistering Prices: (Lunchtime) Steakhouse burger, $14 (served with regular fries or sweet potato) Notes: Consider trying this high quality burger without many of the condiments for an excellent and simple meat, cheese, bun experience
A portion of the downtown Los Angeles restaurant culture seems specifically designed to cater to the needs, tastes, and billfolds of the professional community who fill the handful of skyscrapers of this decidedly low-rise landscape. It’s easy to forget that Los Angeles has industry beyond "The Industry" (a.k.a. Hollywood), but the truth of the matter is these folks (lawyers, bankers, real estate developers) make up the lion’s share of the fine diners in this city and they don't have agents telling them to watch their waistlines. This means there are number of high-end restaurants that are classic, decadent affairs that live amongst the steel and concrete towers.
One of the best of this breed, Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse sits in a small plaza between hi-rises that carry the names Wells Fargo and Bank of America across their facades. Of course, it was the excess of corporations such as these that have made bargain lunches the norm for the rest of us, but the professionals who fill these buildings still have business lunches to which they must attend (I just wish the weren't doing it with our money). I decided to take a weekday lunch excursion to see how this other half eats their burgers.
55 Third Avenue, New York NY 10003 (b/n 10th & 11th; map); 212-420-9800; ctrnyc.com/THESMITH Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: Sledgehammer execution compromises a hamburger that might be compromised anyway Want Fries with That? Included in price with but a case of quantity over quality Price: Bacon cheddar burger with the "works" and fries, $13
While I am generally a purist when it comes to hamburgers, preferring a simple preparation involving no more than salt, beef, cheese, and bread, I can appreciate the equally classic construction of a burger cast in the mode widely identified as Southern Californian—add lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and special sauce to the above listed sandwich. At least when it is executed well. Applied sparingly and in proper proportion the additions can elevate beef and bun that are perhaps not of the highest quality to something greater than the sum of its parts. On the other hand, when applied with reckless abandon the result can be less than satisfying. Unfortunately that is what I experienced at The Smith when I recently sampled their burger.
Note: South Korea-based food blogger Daniel Gray of Seoul Eats sent in this report about the best chili burger in Seoul. He has more info about the man behind the chili at his blog. Take it away, Dan!
Kevin Cyr's chili burger at Chili King is like a mining excavation. You get a mountainous hamburger dripping with golden cheese over boulders of kidney beans, green jalapeños, and rubble-like ground beef. This mountain could be intimidating for some, so let me give you some advice.
1. First, use your fork to get through the mounds of chili. The chili, with the flavors of onion, peppers, and spices married together after slowly simmering in crock pot for hours, is exceptional.
2. If the fork becomes too heavy, you can use the french fries to pick through the chili.
3. Once you get to sesame-speckled bun, grab hold with both hands and don’t let go until you finish. This is a burger that needs to be wrangled.
6372 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood CA 90028 (map); 323-465-8500; bohorestaurant.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: A hybrid of styles makes for a confusing and ultimately unsatisfying burger Want Fries with That? Yes, please. Chef Andre Guerrero has mastered the Belgian-style fry Prices: Cheeseburger, $14 (served with fries) Notes: Happy hour doesn't take the bite out of the burger price, but pizzas and beer are half off from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Not sure why, but there's no burger to be had during brunch/lunch on the weekends
As an adult I've found the expectation attendant to the opening of a second (or third, or fourth) restaurant from a chef I’ve come to admire is something akin to the early stages of a relationship. The awkward, get-to-know-each-other phase has passed. So too the numinous rush of headiness before a first kiss. We know each other and we get along. As far as my hopeful nature is concerned, the relationship could go on forever. But this is often, if not usually, a fiction—a story told to oneself about a possible future of a life yet lived... a meal yet eaten. It's absolutely riveting.
Of course, when it comes to my liking chefs, nothing initiates a crush as fast as a great burger. Andre Guerrero put together the truly excellent burger at his "slow fast food" eatery The Oinkster in Eagle Rock. It's a burger that has, for years, been on my short list of Los Angeles' very best.
When a chef who's made one of my favorite burgers in the city decides to set up a new (and swankier) restaurant that is a ten minute drive from me, the giddiness hits school-girl proportions. BoHo is the latest restaurant to open under the guidance of chef Andre Guerrero. When I hear he'd be serving a new, higher-end version of his hamburger-shaped love letter, I could barely wait to rush in. It seemed this eating relationship would be getting serious.
299 Bowery New York 10003 (at 1st Street; map); 212-933-5300; danielnyc.com/dbgb.html Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: Three variations on the burgers, the most simple of which is the winner, but the price of admission is relatively high Want Fries with That? Absolutely; golden, delicious and included in the price Price: Yankee Burger, $14 (bacon and cheese $2 each); Frenchie Burger, $17; Piggie Burger, $19
As someone who misspent the better part of their adolescents loitering outside the CBGB's hardcore matinees, I have misgivings about Daniel Boulud dubbing his latest downtown venture DBGB, but not about him opening his casual, "downmarket" restaurant in the neighborhood. Years ago "we"—the kids that hung around the New York hardcore music scene and lived in the neighborhood—would have met the arrival of a place like DBGB with suspicion bordering on hostility. It would be seen as an encroachment—an invasion even—of our urban dystopia. But the reality is that we actually cleared the way for the urban renewal projects, becoming the unwitting shock troops of the developer.
As surely as CBGB's was destined to close, so was it inevitable that a four-star chef would open a restaurant selling $16 six-ounce cheeseburgers on the Bowery. I don't have a problem with that—I have come to embrace many of the effects of gentrification, my nostalgia aside. But assuming the moniker DBGB sticks in my craw a bit, despite being a rather clever name. It feels like cultural misappropriation, as if the goal is to give the venture some unwarranted (and unnecessary) street credibility. The fact is that there is virtually no connection between the Bowery that was and the Bowery that is. But enough sentimentality.
2000 Main Street, Santa Monica CA 90405 (map); 310-396-9145; lagrandeorangesm.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: A beautifully crafted burger from a very professional operation Want Fries with That? Yes, please. The skinny-cut spuds can get weighed down by the added seasoning, but shine when hit with some salt straight out of the fryer Prices: Cheeseburger, $11.95 Notes: While the easygoing, cafe feel of lunch is beach-ready, the sit-down restaurant service at dinner makes for an easier go of it
The first time I found myself eating at one of the now growing list of LGO Hospitality restaurants I was visiting my lovely and amazing older sister in Phoenix. The most storied meal I've had in sis’s adopted hometown came to be so because, well, I decided to tell the story. It was a very personal tale of a very ordinary hamburger lunch eaten on an extraordinary weekend. While my family's narrative is an essential part of me, that experience didn’t tell the whole story when it comes to my Phoenix food experiences.
One hot (surprise) Sunday morning we headed to La Grande Orange Grocery. We fought through the Sunday brunch crowds to eat what would be one of the more memorable new pizzas I’ve had in the past few years. It was a surprise to find such a satisfying pizza in what looked to be a gourmet shop that had sprouted restaurant wings. It was an even bigger surprise to find that the my pizza brunch compared favorably with the truly excellent pizza dinner I’d had the night before at the heralded Pizzeria Bianco.
Now La Grande Orange is making waves with its beach-close location in Santa Monica. When I heard it was the same folks who'd made me my memorable Sunday morning pizza I was excited to find out how they’d handle my burger.
586 Ocean Boulevard, Long Branch NJ 07740; map); 732-229-9863; windmillhotdogs.com Cooking Method: Charbroiled Short Order: Classic backyard grill-out burger served out of vintage, circa 1964 edifice that actually looks like a windmill Want Fries with That? Untested, but they seem to be proud of their cheese fries; they get equal billing with hot dogs and burgers on the chains tag line Price: Cheeseburger, $4.19
I don't expect every website, particularly those of hamburger joints, to be the last word in web design, but I do expect the photos of the food they use to look somewhat like the food they actually serve—especially if that hamburger is rather good. Take the website for The Windmill, for example. If I didn't know better, and if a friend who grew up near to the Long Branch original hadn't vouched for it, I would never go to the Windmill based on the picture of the hamburger they use on their website. It looks like a stock photo from an agency: big crusty looking bun, vibrantly colored rabbit food that defies gravity by not sagging under the weight of the double serving of beef, the frilly lettuce perfectly ruffled on top of the bottom bun. The picture looks like something from a generic national fast food chain whose food is worse than shown, rather than what the Windmill is: a distinctive regional chain with a burger that is much better than what is pictured on their website.
Don't be fooled into getting the wrong burger. While The Windmill does offer a "California" burger with lettuce, tomato, and onion on a hard roll as pictured on their website, the basic charbroiled cheeseburger on a generic white bun is a thing of understated beauty. Even though I am a big proponent of griddle-cooked hamburgers, there is something that just feels right about eating charbroiled burgers near the beach. The salt in the air competes with the smoke from the grill for your attention as the taste of the hash marked patties evoke memories of backyard cookouts, beach parties, and summer vacations. There is something festive about this type of hamburger, but I think that they need to be eaten outdoors for the best effect. And that is where I recommend you eat the hamburger at The Windmill.
Note: You may remember Brad Japhe's email from last week in which he called us out on our lack of reviews in the San Francisco area. To help us build our repertoire, he contributed this review of Flame Gourmet Burgers in Berkeley. Thanks, Brad!
Flame Gourmet Burgers
2985 College Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94705 (map); 510-666-8500
The San Francisco Bay Area—renowned for its access to splendor—long ago established itself as a culinary utopia. In 1971 Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse, introducing the country to "California Cuisine" and revolutionizing the concept of gourmet dining to incorporate fresh, local ingredients, and bold new fusions of flavor. It should come as little surprise then that the same city of Berkeley, California—home to this world famous restaurant—also lays claim to places where you could find thin crust pizza topped with peaches, arugula and pine nuts, or even a burger with brie on a French baguette with a little French flag toothpick holding it all together. Although the recent national phenomenon known as the "gourmet hamburger" was not originally cooked up in the Bay Area, it's certainly one that we can sink our teeth into.
Riding this wave is newcomer Flame Gourmet Burgers, located in the Elmwood section of Berkeley. I admire the steps that the owner has taken to mark the setting as a shrine to hamburgers. Alternating bottles of ketchup and mustard line the walls and are at once aesthetically pleasing and nearly Pavlovian in their suggestiveness. Framed low-resolution pictures of assorted styles of hamburgers dot the walls.
4481 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90029 (map); 323-666-4242 Cooking Method: Griddled Short Order: Smaller is cuter, but not tastier Want Fries with That? No! These frozen fast food style spuds are straight from the grocery freezer and they taste it Prices: Mini cheeseburgers, $4.50 Notes: If you are throwing a kid's birthday party, you might be a hit if you show up with a bag full of Mini's
There is some external burger force guiding our reviews this week. Somehow, without out plan or pretext, Nick and I found ourselves eating small burgers at roughly the same time while being 3,000 miles apart from one another. I read his review while taking a break from writing mine and was delighted by the coincidence.
Perhaps it’s not so strange. In some respects, the small burger is why we are all here. That is to say, they're AHT founder Adam Kuban's second favorite food (pizza being the first) and the inspiration for him to start this blog. Of course, we all know semantics of the slider are fraught with slippage despite Mr. Kuban’s valiant efforts to apply a little rationality to the conversation.
Unfortunately, he’s fighting an uphill battle as the fascination with the little has blossomed into a proliferation of the small burger (or small sandwich) labeled as slider. I found the most recent offense just this morning in the form of Philly Cheesesteak Sliders. While we can’t control all of the semiotic sloppiness that has spread across our slider landscape, we can continue to sound the alarm. There is some evidence it’s working.
Biting into a White Diamond cheeseburger rewards one with equal parts flavor, textural balance, and nostalgia."
White Diamond
510 East Saint George Avenue, Linden NJ 07036 (map); 908-925-1000; Cooking Method: Griddle-steamed Short Order: Vintage slider emporium offers a taste of history and fresh beef on one of the most perfect buns ever Want Fries with That? Yes, please; crispy crinkle-cut spuds are golden and delicious Price: Small burger, $1.30; large burger (2 patties); $2.60, fries $1.70
Before he moved to New Jersey from Florida by way of Columbia, Jose Soto confesses that he used to routinely eat at Burger King and McDonald's. "I didn't know better!" he exclaimed, referring to the difference between eating the frozen, prefabricated hamburgers served by the mega chains and ones that are prepared with fresh ingredients sourced from local purveyors.
That all changed when he moved to New Jersey in 1999 and started flipping burgers at the White Rose System in Roselle, one of the few remaining vestiges of the golden age of the slider. The success of White Castle in the 1920s inspired a slew of imitators; it wasn't long before all manner of restaurants with the word "White" in the title sprang up. A small number of them continue to survive in Northern New Jersey where you can still find White Manna, the separate (and unequal) White Mana, the aforementioned White Rose, and White Diamond, where Soto recently started working. While White Castle abandoned its original ideals of using fresh ingredients long ago and opted—ironically, given how they shaped the industry—to follow the frozen, rationalized lead of the big chains, these restaurants never did.
Editor's note: Daniel O'Sullivan, an English teacher in Busan, South Korea, recently started a blog called Street Foodie to document street food he eats in Asia, but since burgers didn't fit in with the theme he offered to share his review of Kraze Burger with AHT. Take it away, Danny!
Kraze Burger (Kyungseung)
73-15, Daeyeon-3dong, Daeyeon, Nam-gu, Busan, Korea; 82-051-791-2101; kraze.co.kr Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: Burgers from the Far East that pull no punches on the flavor stakes Want Fries with That? Definitely; the chili cheese fries are worth the trip on their own Prices: K.B original burger, ₩7300 ($5.84); Chili cheese fries, ₩6400 ($5.12) Notes: Located next to Exit 6, Kyungseung University Subway Station, Line 2. Another branch is located in the Haeundae Beach area. For a full list of stores nationwide, visit the website above.
The Far East may not be a part of the world historically renowned for its burgers, but in South Korea at least one burger chain is making its mark. Kraze Burger (pronounced krat-zy) is well on its way to establishing itself as the country’s number one burger restaurant. In Busan, a city of four million people and my adoptive home for the past 10 months, two outlets are doing a brisk trade in a city where even finding a bread roll without bean paste in it can be a bit of a challenge. I recently dropped into the Busan Kyungseung branch to chow down on some honest Western fare and figure out what all the fuss was about.
Kraze Burger, according to the menu, takes its name from a portmanteau of the words “Korea” and “craze.” However, with 47 outlets opened since 1998 and growing, there doesn’t seem to be anything faddish about it. Neither is it particularly Korean for that matter. Kraze Burger is billed as an American dining experience and that’s exactly what you get. From the bilingual menu (English, then Korean) to the exclusively western soundtrack, it’s clear that the moment you step inside a branch of Kraze Burger you're leaving Korea out on the street behind you.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the food. Alongside burgers, Kraze also offers pasta, rice, and sandwiches, all with a decidedly western feel and some with the provenance to back it up. For example, a Philly sandwich looks particularly inviting, while elsewhere on the menu sides of chili cheese and Idaho fries complete the picture. In fact, the only nod to Korean-ness comes in the form of bulgogi sauce (a marinade or dipping sauce made from soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and garlic) on the cryptically abbreviated K.G. Burger.
28128 Pacific Coast Highway Malibu, CA 90265 (map); 310-457-2503; paradisecovemalibu.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: If only the burger were as delightful as this oceanfront location Want Fries with That? I'd pass on these extra-crispy, fast food-style spuds Prices: Beach Burger with Cheese, $14.90 Notes: There's a live jazz trio on Tuesday nights, but my tip is to head there in the mid-morning hours to avoid the crushing crowds to listen to a syncopated ocean
I just returned from a holiday weekend in Cleveland. My holiday was spent…in Cleveland.
Okay, normally this is the time when the coastal blogger either fortifies his snark credentials by eviscerating an easy target with worn clichés about a metropolis in peril or, alternatively, curries favor with an Middle American audience by communicating surprised delight at a resurgent city. It's the "mistake on the lake" in the first case; it's America's best new food scene in the second.
I'm not going to assume either posture. For me, it was a trip designed to celebrate my beautiful sister and her graduation from college. (Hooray, Isabella!) It's numinous to watch another person's body and mind mark the passage of time. It also happens to be deeply enervating when it demands a red eye flight and only 30 hours of land time at your destination.
The visit was short, but with its physical demands, somehow my longing for my home grew, well, long. Cleveland is certainly no mistake, but it and my sister's post-graduate life are things to which I am meant to be a visitor. After a Monday afternoon of sweet communion to raise our glasses to the graduate, I found myself strangely happy to be slipping into my tiny airplane seat. What waited for me was my home and the life to which I am resident: my bed, the sea, and a burger.
Tuesday would be an exercise in the familiar: a lonesome and savored lunch in my hometown. I decided I needed to seek out a spot that would properly mark my return—a spot that embodies the sense of place for which my city by the sea makes me long. I pointed the car toward Malibu and Bob Morris’ Paradise Cove Beach Café in the hopes of finding my happier Eden; me and a burger becoming imparadised in one another's arms.
233 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003 (enter on 19th St., b/n. Irving Place & Park Ave. S.; map); 212-979-7800; angelo-maxies.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: Big flame grilled steakhouse-style burger served on ill suited brioche type bun achieves a certain synergy but fall short of greatness Want Fries with That? Comes with superb cottage fries; shoe string fries available for $1 more are also good Price: Cheeseburger with cottage fries, $11.95; Kobe Burger with truffle butter and cottage fries, $14.95
I had an Apple iPhone for about a week. I loved the slick interface, the brilliant screen, the Safari browser, and the industrial design of the device, not to mention all the great software available through the app store. But as a telephone I found it dropped an inordinate number of calls, and as an email/SMS device its lack of both copy and paste and a physical keyboard made it a less than optimum choice for my needs. I soon returned the phone and went back to Windows Mobile, a platform that is far more customizable and, despite its flaws, I've been using for almost eight years. Since I was so impressed with the iPhone's non-telephonic functions, I picked up the iPod Touch. Most of the apps that I enjoyed on the iPhone work with it and when I travel away from home I can use it with a nifty little program that runs on my Windows phone and turns it in to a Wi-Fi router.
One of my favorite program from the app store is Urban Spoon. The application resembles a slot machine with three wheels representing neighborhood, cuisine, and price (indicated by a varying number of $ signs). Since you can lock each of the wheels to narrow down your choice, I naturally locked burgers in the "cuisine" setting while leaving "neighborhood" and "price" open. The app works off the location services feature of the iPhone/iPod Touch platform so even if you leave "neighborhood" unlocked it will find you restaurants within close proximity to your location.
You can either hit the shake button or, by using the iPod Touch's built-in accelerometer, just shake the device to set the wheels spinning. I shook my iPod with more vigor than was probably required, but once the dials stopped spinning they came up with Blue 9, which was indeed a nearby burger spot but one I had already reviewed. I shook again—Shake Shack. A great burger but again, one I had already reviewed. Another shake and Molly's Pub came up, also reviewed here by Adam. While the application works as advertised, it doesn't factor in the needs of burger bloggers. On my fourth try I hit the jackpot—well, not exactly, but I did come up with a place I had not reviewed: Maxie's Bar & Grill.
I’m a huge fan of the food at Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners. It’s got to be the only stadium in the country where you can score Thai curry, clam chowder, and an order of edamame along with the typical popcorn, peanuts and Cracker Jack. I’ll go to an M’s game at the Safe just so I can order an Ichiroll, the spicy tuna creation named for the single-named star of the team (Ichiro) or to dive into seared salmon drizzled in a sun-dried tomato beurre blanc at the Hit It Here Café. But with the recent arrival of Seattle’s premier mobile kitchen, I’m well fed before I even pass through the turnstile.
Skillet Street Food is now parked on the home plate side of Safeco Field a couple of hours before home games, serving an abbreviated version of its ‘round town menu. This kitschy kitchen located in an Airstream Trailer offers a winning lineup of sandwiches: pulled pork, fried chicken and a creation not-so-humbly called "The Burger."
11058 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90025 (map); 310-312-7013; holeinthewallburgerjoint.com Cooking Method: Griddled Short Order: This self-styled "working man's gourmet burger" is undermined by its haute influences Want Fries with That? No thanks. Not as tasty as they are attractive Prices: Beef Burger, $7.95 Notes: Daily specials, or "Grumpy Bill's Stimulus," are true deals.
Sometimes I want my burger luncheon to be a midday hideout—a place to temporarily evade my life’s welter with the stabilizing pleasure of a foursquare meal served on a round bun. A place that is hard to find for everyone who doesn't know just where to find it. A burger joint that is little more than a hole in the wall. Imagine the height of my burger hopes when I traveled to the impressively nondescript environs of West Los Angeles in search of Hole in the Wall Burger Joint.
This self-styled "working man’s gourmet burger" sits behind a doughnut shop just off Santa Monica Boulevard, but the (slightly) off-the-boulevard locale is where the similarities to that proverbial private spot ends. This relatively new addition to the Los Angeles burger landscape is a painted, polished, and promoted burger theme restaurant. In most respects, this kind of place is the antithesis of its namesake. The stand-up sign that points the way to the entrance means this is no hideout, but its simple message is its own defense: "Burgers."
433 East 6th Street, New York NY 10009 (b/n Avenue A and 1st Avenue; map); 212-388-0882; deathandcompany.com
Please Don't Tell
113 St Marks Place, New York NY 10009 (b/n Avenue A and First Avenue; map);
212-614-0386; pdtnyc.com
It used to be that if you wanted a drink in the East Village it would be served by a beefy Slavs with meat hooks for hands and was invariably a shot of something from the well, chased by a soapy domestic beer. Later on, the bartenders become pretty tattooed girls or aging singers from punk rock bands, and the liquor options widened, featuring offerings from a higher shelf and beers from foreign countries. Somewhere along the line the bartender morphed into the mixologist—now young men in tight waist coats sling exotic cocktails in dimly lit bars.
You can still find the first type of bar in the East Village, but to experience the truly avante garde you need to seek out the new breed of cocktail lounge that have sprung as of late. Death & Co. and Please Don't Tell (PDT) are two of the best example of these, and coincidentally they both serve food. Even better, both of their menus feature hamburgers.
Death & Co.
Located on East 6th Street, Death & Co. operates on a first-come, first-served basis and accepts no reservations. Assuming that there is room, you will be led through the heavy wooden door and through the heavy drapes leading into the dark, wood-paneled confines of the room that is not unlike the interior of a coffin. I am sure that the mid-20 to 30-year-old hipsters that frequent the joint have no problem reading the menu in the candlelight, but to my aging eyes the fine print is hard to decipher. When I have to pull out my mobile phone and bathe the menu in its blue glow to read it properly, I begin to feel like one of those geezers in the Owl Wallet Light infomercial.
The menu has some interesting options such as short rib empanadas, lamb quesadilla, bacon-wrapped filet mignon (a waste of good bacon in my opinion) and Kobe Sliders 2 Ways. I asked the bartender—I mean mixologist—for the most milkshake-like cocktail to go with the Kobe sliders that I order and he recommends something from the flips section: cocktails blended with organic egg. I expect to like the Pit Stop Flip the best, a frothy concoction featuring Lairds bonded applejack and maple syrup spiked with nutmeg, but find the cinnamon-infused Jack Sparrow more to my liking.
Editor's note: Earlier this month Kenji Alt met with fellow AHT member millions for a burger duel at R.F. O’Sullivan’s in Boston. Here are the results.
Having been challenged (some might even say slandered) into a burger throwdown for my poor review of R.F. O’Sullivan’s, one of Boston’s most beloved burger joints, I readily accepted, eager to defend my burger-tasting title, and also hoping that perhaps against all odds, the last couple times I've been to R.F.’s have been extraordinarily rare flukes.
I entered the bar at around 1 p.m. where I met millions, who had just arrived on an overnight from Los Angeles (the land of good burger). I had to admit, there is a good vibe about R.F. O'Sully's: It's the kind of place that makes you feel nostalgic from the moment you walk in—even if it’s your first time there. If we are to follow the Motz theory that a good burger is more than just a sandwich, but rather a sum of the experiences around eating it, then perhaps R.F.'s has a few redeeming characteristics.
I, however, am not one for sentiment, and I judge a burger first and foremost on flavor. If it tastes great, then other factors can only further improve it, but a bad burger is a lost cause, no matter where you eat it.
I bear photographic evidence of the experience.
Exhibit (a): Intense Flame Grilling
If one thing can be said for Sully's, it’s that their grillmen have no fear of the flame. The massive balls of beef are literally engulfed in flames the entire time they are cooking (a good 20 minutes for medium rare). I believe that this is the reason the insist on using "lean ground sirloin." Even the smallest amount of fat in these things would cause them to burn beyond repair. Unfortunately, as any burgerman worth his salt knows, "lean" and "sirloin" are two things that should never appear anywhere near a quality hamburger. Perhaps they work some sort of alchemical magic. I'll judge when I taste.
"It’s a full, rich mouthful that hits me with a rush of pleasure akin to hearing the curtain whisk close behind me as I walk into a plane’s first class cabin."
25 Degrees
7000 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90028 (map); 25degreesrestaurant.com; 323-785-7244 Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: A slick, Hollywood Boulevard "build-your-own" burger spot serves up some very tasty options Want Fries with That? These fast food style spuds are foiled by a sprinkle of thyme, but the onion rings are truly special Prices: Sirloin Cheeseburger, $10.50 Notes: Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
So I had the in-laws in town over the weekend. This is much less the lip-pursed, teeth grinding exercise of holding my tongue than it is a four day extravaganza of eating, drinking, and playing. They’re a decidedly generous pair who somehow endure the facsimile of an adult man that is this boy. The fact that they endure me as a partner for their superstar of a daughter is an even greater measure of their generosity. I suspect it’s the burgers.
You see, Mom is a burger lover and one of my regular interlocutors. Dad is a Texas-bred doctor who brings his studied demeanor to most things, but certainly not least of which is his grilling. Of course, a big burger lunch was on the agenda for the weekend’s festivities (as were some fine steaks from Lobel’s that arrived via FedEx—thanks Dr. C!). As you might imagine, while sitting down for our burger we discussed burgers.
I found out that my girlfriend’s father went to medical school with a chap who insisted on burgers. Only burgers. Lunch and dinner. Every day. We laughed as we imagined a life of just burgers. Dad’s button on the story was that this burger man was “hands down the smartest guy in the class.” Now, I suspect this was presented as a counterpoint to his obsessive burger consumption, but there are days when I think the burger doctor might have been on to something.
Monday would be one of those days. It would be a burger-only day for me. Of late I've been running into some rough hamburgers for my reviews and, quite honestly, I’m tired of it. I’m tired of relating the sad, desiccated state of a drive-in’s roadkill patty, or the overwrought affair I had at a barbecue joint. I don’t sharpen my pen in hopes of slicing up a restaurant with a clever turn of phrase. I’m rooting for all of them. Or perhaps better put, I’m rooting for my mouth. I want a delicious and memorable meal, not food for my evil thoughts.
In light of this, my first stop would take me back to a place that I’ve been enjoyed in the past and—more importantly—I planned on enjoying in my near future. 25 Degrees is part of the movement of “premium” burger restaurants that has taken off around the country. It, like the rest of its ilk, promises high-end ingredients, restaurant service, and (hopefully) delicious updates of the classic. I can really enjoy these places. In fact, my dinner would be another adventure in premium burgering, but I’ll tell that story in another post. Today, let’s do (a burger) lunch.
In Ed Levine's weekly review on Serious Eats New York, he heads to Greek restaurant Kefi on Manhattan's Upper West Side. You might expect a lamb burger or some such there, but it's a beef burger that has some brisket in the mix, "for moistness," one of the folks there said.
As Ed says, "It's tasty enough, with its manouri cheese and sun-dried-tomato topping, but give me Psilakis' killer lamb burger and chickpea fries at Anthos any day."
Ladies and germs, welcome to the AHT delivery showdown. This is an elimination bout for the NYC Delivery Belt. In the red corner, weighing in at 7 ounces of flame-broiled goodness, fighting out of Union Square, is Goodburger! And the opponent in the blue corner, weighing in at a reported 8 ounces of flame-broiled beefiness, fighting out of Greenwich Village, give it up for Stand! Scoring will be on the 10-point mustard system, where the winner of the round is awarded 10 points and the loser 9 or fewer. And now, let's get ready to sizzle...
Goodburger
870 Broadway, New York NY (17th/18th; map); 212-529-9100; goodburgerny.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: A nicely balanced juicy burger travels well and fulfills the promise of flame-grilling Want Fries with That? No, soggy and tepid Price: Cheeseburger, $6.75; fries, $2.50; shakes, $5.50 Notes: Delivery, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., 7 days
Stand
4 E. 12th Street, New York NY (Fifth Ave/University; map); 212-488-5900; standburger.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: High-quality beef somewhat hampered by a cloying ketchup Want Fries with That? Not for delivery, probably better in restaurant Price: Cheeseburger $10; fries, $3; shake, $6 Notes: Delivery, 12 to 11:30 p.m., 7 days
Getting a hamburger delivered is not ideal. It is obviously far better eaten moments after it's scooped off the grill or griddle, slapped down on a bun, and deposited in front of you. Wrap it in foil, wax paper or shovel it into a cardboard box, and throw it into a plastic bag before taking it on a bumpy bicycle ride through Manhattan's potholed streets and your chances of achieving burger perfection go down exponentially by the block—the patties cool, cheese congeals, lettuce wilts and buns become soggy.
But of course there are times when you have no choice but to get delivery because you are too hungover, because it's pouring rain outside, because you are waiting for a delivery or because you are just too damn lazy to go out. As it turns out I recently found myself fulfilling all of these conditions and decided to pit Stand and Goodburger, two of my neighborhoods dedicated burger spots, in a head-to-head delivery battle.
16063 Sherman Way Van Nuys, CA 91406 (map); 818-781-0830 Cooking Method: Charbroiled Short Order: This throwback, '50's drive-in isn't what it used to be. Want Fries with That? Fries aren't all bad, but go for the rings instead. Prices: The Big Beeper $3.79, 1/4 lb. Cheeseburger $3.09 Notes:The 3 p. m. - 7 p.m. two for one burger deal make a sub-par burger easier to swallow.
The drive-in is, in many respects, why we’re having this extended burger conversation. That is to say, American burger culture, writ large, came of age in the postwar boom that scattered people and their cars across the suburban landscape. The increasing sprawl made the automobile a necessary accoutrement of modern life. Cars would get us there, and carhops would get us our burgers.
Living in Southern California means living alongside this history. I’ve visited some of the now-defunct original locations that heralded the burger boom, but my favorites are still functioning. My first review here brought me to Van Nuys for a burger that had changed little in 40 years (with good reason).
Recently, I headed back to sunny Van Nuys, and all of its post-industrial malaise, to try a place that lays claim to 56 years of serving burgers. Beeps Fast Food is not only a name that references that aforementioned drive-in culture, it’s a living part of its history. I drove in to see if was still riding the glory road or if its glory days were in the rear-view mirror.
174 Fifth Avenue, New York 10010 (22nd/23rd streets; map); 212-675-5096; eisenbergsnyc.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: This circa 1929 lunch counter offers a decent burger in a pinch, but it's probably not worth traveling too far out of the way for Want Fries with That? No, they are generic steak fries; the generic onion rings are only marginally better but still not worth your time Price: Cheeseburger, $7; cheeseburger deluxe, $8.50
"At Eisenberg's eating a cheeseburger," read my Facebook friend's status update. "How is it?" I posted on his comment, to which he replied, "Not bad." I might have left it at that had I not recently watched Anthony Bourdain on TV enjoy a tuna sandwich and lime Ricky at the circa-1929 sandwich shop located in the Flatiron District; he promised me a nostalgic sojourn replete with "1970s prices." He was right about the nostalgia, but I doubt the cheeseburger cost $7 here in the 1970s, if they even sold them.
Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop is one of the last of the great lunch counters that once dotted the city. It is a literal hole in the wall, occupying a thin sliver of real estate on Fifth Avenue and serving a throwback menu that includes egg creams and pastrami sandwiches.
I visited Iceland from April 18 to 24. Although this sparsely populated country may not be known for its cuisine, there was plenty of interesting food to report on. I've been sharing it via these Snapshots from Iceland.
Burgers aren't what you think of eating when you go to Iceland, but when you're a part of AHT, burgers are always on the brain. During my recent vacation to Iceland, I made it a point to visit Hamborgarabúllan, an easy choice because it was pretty much the only place that came up when I searched for where to get a burger in Iceland. (There are other restaurants in Reykyavik that serve burgers, but they're not as burger-centric.) My choice was reinforced by reading this interview with proprietor Tommi Tómasson, who started making burgers in Iceland in the 1980s and, with four locations of Hamborgarabúllan under his belt, shows no sign of stopping.
Opened since April 2004, the original location of Hamborgarabúllan on Geirsgata is a small burger joint with a comfortable, homey feel—from the handwritten sign outside to the interior adorned with Christmas lights and a mish mash of signs handwritten notes of burger love. You could forget that you're in Iceland until you look out the window and see a quiet harbor with mountains in the distance.
When it comes to burgers, size matters. But bigger isn't always better, especially at Taste, the urban-chic restaurant at the Seattle Art Museum.
A pair of minis is a portrait in sustainability. The special grind of organic beef comes from Skagit River Ranch and the Samish Bay farmstead gouda is produced 40-some miles north of the city at Rootabaga Country Farms. The wee buns come from nearby Columbia City Bakery. The only far-flung ingredient on the plate is the Dijon that is folded into the house aioli.
Taste is rightfully proud to point out on its menu the percentage of products sourced in Washington and Oregon. (It varies from season-to-season, currently standing at 46 percent at lunch, 53 percent at dinner.)
"Considering how overwrought this restaurant’s design is, perhaps I shouldn’t be so surprised that its burger is a highly constructed affair."
Baby Blues BBQ
7953 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90046 (map); 818-284-4215; babyblueswh.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: This robust barbecue joint simulation misses the mark with its overwrought burger Want Fries with That? No, thanks. Skinny cut, mixed with sweet potato, and bathed in seasoning, they aren't worth the toll. An easy pass Prices: The Lasker Burger, $11.50 Notes: A super friendly atmosphere certainly argues for the trip
Here in Los Angeles, we’ve some of the finest examples of just about every cuisine imaginable with some unimaginable exceptions. First, and most tragically, we lack a robust (or even defensible) pizza culture. I’ve lived here for over a decade and just mentioning it makes me sad, so let’s move on. The gastronomic gap that is germane to today’s (burger) discussion is serious barbecue. While there are many contenders, I’ve yet to find that one that brings me back for the brisket. That said, a number of them do a serviceable job with their cue, and—as one might predict—serve a pretty good burger.
It seems fair to expect a tasty burger from a serious barbecue restaurant. The obsessive and meticulous preparation, the felicitous hewing to tradition, and, of course, the love and respect paid to the meat should mean a good burger is a good bet. I understand that, for the dedicated BBQ-ers, hamburgers shouldn’t share the same sentence as, say, brisket, let alone the same menu, so perhaps I should amend my original statement: If a serious barbecue spot throws a burger on their menu, it’s fair for me to throw some expectations back at it.
Baby Blues BBQ recently opened a third location in West Hollywood and its reputation and my expectation led me there for lunch. The budding restaurant chain itself is little more than a toddler, and with this most recent outpost of Baby Blues being basically a newborn at five weeks, it’s fair to expect a few wobbles. That said, when you put a legendary picture of the legendary Johnny Cash on your wall and serve a burger with its own name, you better be ready to grow up fast.
Editor's note: New York City-based AHT reader Frank Luciano shares his review with us today out of a love for eating burgers (he has a list of over 80 places in the city to hit) and a lack of outlets for getting burger recommendations out to the masses. Hopefully he'll have more reviews to come!
Waterfront Ale House
540 2nd Avenue New York, NY 10016 (at 30th Street; map); 212-696-4104; waterfrontalehouse.com Short Order: Delicious burger, perfectly cooked and place on a bun with just the right amount of bounce in its step Want Fries with That? You better believe it. Can't go wrong either way you choose with waffle fries and hand cut sweet potato fries on the menu Price: Hamburger (comes with fries), $11.95; toppings, $1 each Notes: Make sure to check out the Wild Selections, the wings, and the always interesting beer list. The French Dip is almost as good as the burger here
Unless you’re a recent college graduate, there’s a good chance you consider heading into Manhattan’s Murray Hill/Kips Bay neighborhood as on par with visiting the plains of South Dakota. However, hidden away on the border of these badlands, just outside the shadows of the Bellevue and NYU Medical Centers, is one of the city’s top beer halls and burger joints. Waterfront Ale House has been proudly proclaiming “warm beer, lousy food and an ugly owner” since 1989 and while it's certainly not as well known as some of the big guns, it quickly becomes a favorite of all who step through the front door.
Walking in from Second Avenue, the bar is set up railroad-style with a large yet slightly dark front room, narrowed by tables on your left and a long bar on the right, and a more open back room set for sit down dining. A self-serve popcorn machine makes fresh popped kernels round the clock and the multiple televisions make it a suitable spot for watching games or just chatting with friends. Waterfront has over 20 beers flowing from their taps (including a seasonal rotation) and many more unique names in bottles and small batch alcohols—it’s obvious in more than name where the Ale House places its priorities.
9546 Washington Blvd, Culver City CA 90232 (map); 818-284-4215; rushstreetculvercity.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: This Hollywood-sized gastropub production delivers a delicious burger Want Fries with That? This solid iteration of shoestrings doesn't do anything to change my mind about the varietal Prices: Dry-aged burger, $11
Perhaps nothing is as much a sign of high-end restaurant culture going mainstream as the popularization of the gastropub. In the U.S., our bars are where we meet, drink, and —of course—eat. What we opt for in bar food is what we came for in the first place, comfort. Whether it's our burger and fries or a plate of mac and cheese, we are looking for that taste of home while we drink the night away in our home away from it.
The gastropub promises the pleasures of the casual native to a night out at your local without the meal becoming a casualty of it. Here in Los Angeles—where dressy means giving your flip flops the night off and an original idea is one that you stole without getting caught—it's no surprise that this high concept dining experience has spread like superhero movies. It seems as though you can find one popping up on every other corner and can no longer get a pork chop without some sort of glaze on it. One is a burger legend, most have have had big-time debuts, and few have lived up to their promise.
On the Southern edge of L.A. you'll find Culver City's newest gastopub, Rush Street. It lays claim to a Chicago germline, but when I heard that it had Hollywood origins, I rolled my eyes and lowered my expectations.
When it comes to burgers, size matters. But bigger isn't always better, especially at 
