BURGER REVIEW: BGR (Arlington, VA)

I have been hearing about the burger chain BGR for a long time and took advantage of my proximity to a BGR outlet in Clarendon to finally check it out on a holiday. I ordered The Burger ($6.99) medium-rare on a fresh, buttery-toasted brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mojo sauce, American cheese (+$0.99), and applewood bacon (+$1.29) with regular fries ($2.29).

The burger was excellent, but I have discovered in my Quest for the Ultimate Burger that even though a "buttery-toasted brioche bun" sounds great, it is often too much bread and can overwhelm the patty. This was the case with BGR's bun and so I took off the top half and ate it as an open-faced burger. The combination of the crunchy bacon with the decadent melted American cheese and the perfectly cooked beef patty is the very definition of a transcendent burger experience.

The burger was well-matched with the fries. BGR has an interesting selection of items to pair with their burgers, including regular fries ("the gold standard"), sweet-potato fries ("the orange standard") and grilled asparagus spears sprinkled with parmesan cheese ("the green standard") and onion rings. The fries were definitely above average in quality (but not quantity), thicker than typical but piping hot and lightly salted. Again, near perfect.

Overall, the burger experience at BGR was surprisingly good. The quality of the food surpasses the product at places with much higher price points. I will definitely try to return there in the future, perhaps to try their ahi tuna burger with the asparagus spears.

Name: BGR The Burger Joint.

Location: 3024 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201.

Contact: 703-566-1446.

Visit: July 4, 2013.

AMBIANCE: B+

SERVICE: A-.

VALUE: A.

FOOD: A+. 

OVERALL: A/A- (3.83/4.0)

FOOD REVIEW: Fusion Burgers (Highland Park, Los Angeles, CA)

Across the street from a new fancy Italian restaurant in Highland Park called Maximiliano's is an unassuming place called Fusion Burgers. My quest to find the best burger joint in America has long been a topic on this here blog, so I won't go into that again except to say that when I hear about an excellent burger place I do try and check it out.

So, that got me into the door of Fusion Burgers, which besides getting good reviews also happens to be within a 5-10 minute drive of my house.

As I said, Fusion Burgers is located in an unremarkable strip mall on the edge of Highland Park, very close to what is probably the most well-known restaurant in the neighborhood. The two are very different, however, with Maximiliano's succeeding as an upscale Italian joint that only serves dinner (and brunch on the weekends) and Fusion Burgers is a simple burger joint.

That being said, the focus should be on the food, and that is what Fusion Burgers does, and quite well, too. I ordered the "Classic Burger" (1000 Island, boston bibb, oven dried tomato, onions, pickles and white cheddar; $8.50) along with "Beer Onion Rings" ($3) and "Ice Tea" ($2). The burger was excellent, and well matched with the bun (which tasted like some kind of brioche). However, the burger was outdone by the Umamticatessen-style tempura-like onion rings which were absolutely extraordinary (and a great bargain at $3). I finished those first after taking a quick spot check bite of the burger. The burger was ridiculously juicy (a feature of having it cooked medium rare) and was a decent size as well. A nice feature of the meal was that even though it clearly not healthy food, one did not feel absolutely stuffed, as one sometimes does at other burger outings.

I would definitely recommend going to check out Fusion Burgers, yourself. It is probably a 10-15 minute walk from the Highland Park station on the  Gold Line Metro as well as having plenty of parking on York Boulevard. Fusion Burgers offers a different gourmet burger of the week, some of them quite inventive.

I intend to check them out again in the near future, and so should you if you (like me) are in search of an excellent burger experience for under $20.

Name: Fusion Burgers.

Location: 5933 York Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90042.

Contact: 323-257-8705.

Visit: April 27, 2013.

AMBIANCE: A-.

SERVICE: A.

VALUE: A.

FOOD: A+. 

OVERALL: A (4.0/4.0)

FOOD REVIEW: Shake Shack (Washington, DC)

Even though I am trying to reduce my red meat intake my pursuit of the perfect burger continues. My favorite burger place in the Washington, DC metro area (brgr: shack) inexplicably closed after less than a year of operation, so I am continuing my search.

With that end in mind a friend and I checked out the Dupont Circle location of Shake Shack a few hours before we went to the Comedy Factory (which is less than a half-block away). I had been told that there are often lines out the door but at 6pm on a Tuesday we were able to get in and order what we wanted right away. Shake Shack is also known for its frozen custard as well as its burger. In fact it's "Shack Burger" narrowly lost to the cheeseburger at New York City's Burger Joint in a recent online poll, which is quite a feat because Burger Joint is probably the best burger place in the United States.

So, I ordered the ShackBurger (cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce) with added bacon ($4.75+$1.25), crinkle-cut Yukon fries ($2.75) and a large 50-50 (half-lemonade, half-iced tea). My receipt says the same thing, but for some reason my burger had bright red chopped cherry peppers on it (which you can see in the first picture above) which shouldn't be on the ShackBurger but does appear on the SmokeShack (cheeseburger with bacon but no letture or tomato). The burger is excellent, with a very fresh bun and excellent crunchy bacon and melted cheese gooeyness to delight. I had ordered the single ($4.75) instead of the double ($7.25) and when I inhaled the burger I was still hungry. The cherry peppers are surprisingly spicy and piquant, not in a bad way, but they seem like an unnecessary distraction from the umami of the burger and the fresh smoothness of the bun, melted cheese and bacon.

However, the true revelation was the fries. I have said before that my quest for the best burger is really about the best burger in context. If you have a really good burger (like Burger Joint and Burger Lounge) but only mediocre fries (like Five Guys does), that loses you points in my book. Most burger places that I have sampled and reviewed have much higher quality burgers than fries. I can only think of a few places whose fries (or onion rings) improve the overall dining experience. That would include In-n-Out, Juicy Burger, and Go Burger (onion rings). Now Shake Shack should be added to my list of burger places with good burgers and great fries. For places with great burgers and great fries I would list Burger Joint, Blue Dog Beer Tavern, In-N-Out and the late (and much lamented) brgr:shack. I should probably qualify this list to say that this is for burgers that cost under $10. Otherwise the burger at Lazy Ox Canteen and Umami would have to be included on the list of great burgers with great fries/onion rings.

Anyway, back to Shake Shack. Since we were still hungry, I actually ordered another order of fries and their famous frozen custard. The flavor of the day was "honey roasted peanut" and it was incredible. The second order of fries were probably too much (we didn't finish half of them, together) but we cleaned out the custard!

I would definitely return to Shake Shack but I would make sure I make it clear I do not want any cherry peppers on my burger, and probably get a double.

Name: Shake Shack (Dupont Circle).

Location: 1216 18th Street NW (Southwest corner of Connecticut avenue), Washington, DC.

Contact: 202-683-9922.

Visit: April 17, 2013.

AMBIANCE: A-.

SERVICE: A-.

VALUE: A.

FOOD: A. 

OVERALL: A (4.0/4.0)

FOOD REVIEW: b. good (Boston, MA)

Last month I was at a conference in Boston for a couple days and while I was there I checked out a local burger chain which is getting good reviews: b. good. Happily, there were two locations within a 5-minute walk of my hotel so I went there twice.

On my first visit, I decided to try one of the special suggested burger combinations that b. good offers. The "ADOPTED LUKE"  costs $6.49 and contains mushrooms, caramelized onions, gouda, and homemade bbq sauce. In addition to the burger I also ordered the "real fries for $2.49 (which for some reason it came in a paper bag labeled sweet potato fries). You can have the meat in the burger as either beef, turkey, veggie or chicken. I went with beef, and was somewhat disappointed when I wasn't asked how I wanted my burger cooked.

I shouldn't have worried. The burger (which came out relatively quickly, with piping hot fries, was quite delicious. The burger was cooked at the "medium" level (I usually like mine cooked medium well but the flavors were very balanced. The bun wasn't great, and so I took off the top half and just ate it as an open-faced burger and it was very satisfying.

In fact, I enjoyed my burger so much that the very next day I went back to b.good and had the "COUSIN OLIVER"  (lettuce, tomato, onions, Chef Tony's homemade pickles) as a turkey burger.

This was the first Turkey Burger I have had as part of my Burger Quest and I was pretty impressed. It wasn't as delicious as a beef burger, but since I have been trying to reduce the amount of beef that I eat on a regular basis, I think that it is a reasonable compromise. Between the Cousin Oliver Turkey Burger and the Adopted Luke Beef Burger I think the beef burger was better.

If I were to go again, I would probably get the Cousin Oliver Beef Burger. If you're in Boston any time soon, I recommend you try a burger at b.good!

Name: b. good.

Location: (Back Bay Location) 131 Dartmouth Street, Boston, MA 02116-5134.

Contact: 617-424-5252.

Visit: March 21-22, 2013.

AMBIANCE: B+.

SERVICE: N/A.

VALUE: A.

FOOD: A. 

OVERALL: A- (3.778/4.0)

FOOD REVIEW: Burger Lounge (San Diego, CA)

While I was visiting San Diego for a conference recently I stumbled across a burger joint called Burger Lounge in the Gaslamp quarter. I had not heard of the chain before and was surprised to see that it was primarily a Southern California-based institution, with two locations in two gayborhoods (Hillcrest in San Diego and West Hollywood in Los Angeles).

As longtime readers of this blog know, I have been on a quest to find the best burgers in America for quite awhile. Some of the excellent ones I have previously found are brgr:shack (Arlington, sadly now closed!), Ray's Hell Burger (Arlington), Lazy Ox Canteen (Los Angeles) and Burger Joint (New York City). These are all in the burgeoning category of "better burger" joints with often higher quality ingredients and very modern and sleek dining environments. These are not your average $5 burger. For that, #1 on my list is still In-N-Out burger (Five Guys is close behind, but no one can beat In-N-Out for it's quality:price ratio.

But let's talk about Burger Lounge.  I generally try to order the same thing at burger places that I am trying out for the first time, usually some kind of cheeseburger. At Burger Lounge I had The Lounge Burger™ ($7.95) which consists of "100% American Grass-Fed Beef, Lounge Bun, Crisp Lettuce, Fresh Tomato, House-Made 1000 Island, Organic American Cheese and Grilled Onion." I added the small French Fries ("Fresh-Cut, Twice-Cooked in the Belgian Tradition") for $2.99 and the delightful Organic Cane Sweetened Maine Root Soda ($2.25).

The burger was excellent with the bun impressively light, but slightly toasted. It was too much bread for me, so I actually ate the burger as an open-faced sandwich, which worked quite well. It was grilled exactly to my specifications (amazingly some places do not know what medium-rare means: light pink in the center and moist throughout the patty). No single ingredient overwhelmed any other and they all blended well together; the only thing that could have improved it would have been the option of adding bacon (but then again, doesn't bacon make everything taste better!?)

Many of the better burger joints often lose points with me for neglecting to maintain the quality of their sides in their single-minded focus on the burger. But, to me, it is about the combination of burger plus fries plus beverage. Here, Burger Lounge really outdoes itself. The twice-cooked fries are simply excellent. Piping hot, very crunch and in a cute very solid paper box (like a chinese take-out container for rice). My one quibble is that they cut them into pieces which are slightly too small. The fries, combined with the drink (high-quality soda over shaved ice) make Burger Lounge one of the best of the better burger joints I have sampled. I would definitely rank it among one of the best burger experiences I have had on the West Coast, and in the upper echelons of burgers in the country.

Name: Burger Lounge (Gaslamp Quarter).

Location: 528 5th Avenue, San Diego CA 92101.

Contact: 619-955-5727.

Visit: January 11, 2013.

AMBIANCE: A-.

SERVICE: A.

VALUE: A.

FOOD: A+. 

OVERALL: A (4.0/4.0)

Best Burger Poll: Five Guys #1, In-N-Out #2

Well, well! I have long discussed my quest to find the best burger in the United States on this blog, with reviews of several burger joints found on the food page of this blog. In particular, I have expressed my admiration for the outstanding quality of the Five Guys dining experience as well as the simple, exquisite pleasures of In-n-Out.

A recent survey has concluded what I myself discovered a few years ago: Five Guys is the #1 national burger chain in the country, with In-N-Out a close second.

The Los Angeles Times published the results:

Market Force Information questioned 7,600 consumers, calculated the fan favorite based on total votes and then factored in the number of locations for each chain.

In every region, Five Guys led the list. Overall, In-N-Out was second, followed by Fuddruckers, A&W and Smashburger.

Dairy Queen ranked last in the group of 16 chains considered. Burger King, Hardee’s, McDonald’s and Jack in the Box rounded out the bottom five.

Five Guys ranked best in categories including food quality and taste, service, cleanliness and atmosphere. The only category in which it failed to rank No. 1 was best overall value; In-N-Out won that category.

I've never even heard of Smashburger before, have you? I have tried Fuddruckers ages ago and have seen but never eaten at A&W. What chains do you think are missing from this list?

What's your view on the battle between In-N-Out and Five Guys?

FOOD REVIEW: brgr:shack (Arlington, VA)

It just turns out that my quest to experience the best burger joints in the Washington, D.C. area was made a lot easier because one of the leading contenders happens to be a 5-minute walk from where I am currently working in Arlington, Virginia. brgr:shack is a gourmet burger joint which serves "100% All Natural Grass Fed Beef Burgers." It is also literally across the street from the Ballston-MU metro stop on the Orange line.
So, there's no excuse for District-dwellers to venture into the 'burbs to experience the fast food ecstasy which is eating at brgr:shack.

Although the date on my review says that I ate at the establishment on February 7, 2012, I have actually been there almost half a dozen times since I moved to the area in August 2011. There's a reason; I am pretty confident that brgr:shack has the best burgers in the Washington, D.C. area. I have had several items from the menu, such as the {melt:brgr} (caramelized onions, red wine sauteed mushrooms, Swiss cheese, shack sauce; $8), the {m:brgr} (lettuce, tomatoes, fresh onion, pickles, American cheese, shack sauce; $7) and designed my own {brgr} (lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, cheddar, applewood smoked bacon; $8). Every single burger was sublime, perfectly cooked (medium-rare), extremely tasty and awesomely filling.

In addition to excellent burgers, the brgr:shack also pays attention to the sides. One of the failings of other pretenders to the throne of burger primacy is their lack of attention to the things you eat with the burger. (This is not the case at the best burger place in New York City: Burger Joint, I hasten to add, or at  brgr:shack.) I'm looking at you, Ray's Hell Burger , Wiinky's and Five Guys!  On the contrary,  brgr:shack  has astonishingly good onion rings as well as fries which perfectly match the high quality of the burgers. If you do not walk in to the joint absolutely starving I defy you to finish a burger-and-fries combination (which can generally be had for $10-$12 with a free soda thrown in for good measure). So, not only is the food quite good, but it's also cheap! Why are you not making your plans to eat there right now? Even more incredibly, on Mondays the burgers are all only $5. I'm seriously trying to stop myself from eating there every week!

But, wait, there's more! Usually in this kind of review you would hear me talk about the rustic but simple nature of the decor and ambiance, with a comment that its good to see that they are focusing their attention on the food instead of where you eat it. But in the case of brgr:shack the ambiance is a definite highlight of the eating experience. It is in a small but airy space, with large glass windows and very high ceilings. There is ultra-chic, modern furniture, with lots of chrome and polished hardwood.

Get thee to brgr:shack, you won't be sorry that you did (unless you show up not hungry, but don't say I didn't warn you!)

Name: brgr: shack.

Location: 4215 Fairfax Drive Arlington, VA 22203.

Contact: 703-647-9191.

Visit: February 7, 2012.

AMBIANCE: A.

SERVICE: A.

VALUE: A.

FOOD: A+. 

OVERALL: A/A+ (4.083/4.0)

FOOD REVIEW: Burger Joint (Manhattan, New York City)

Burger Joint inside the Le Parker Meridien Hotel just down the street from Carnegie Hall is one of the great best-kept secrets in New York City. Probably serving the best burgers and fries in the world, it is literally hidden away behind a curtain in the lobby of a swanky Manhattan hotel just a few blocks from Columbus Circle and Central Park.

The key to Burger Joint's excellence is its simplicity. As you can see from the picture (see above) of the sign which is prominently displayed by the counter they only do a few things but they do them very very well. I ordered the cheese burger with all toppings and the fries. I always order my burgers medium-rare and at the Burger Joint it was perfectly cooked: slightly pink in the middle and incredibly juicy. At some high-end burger places the portions are large (commensurate with the prices) but at Burger Joint both the prices and the portions are "just right." As another indication of their focus on the food and not superfluous details, your food comes to you (rather quickly) wrapped in a plain brown paper.

Another high point of the meal at the Burger Joint is that not only is the burger perfectly cooked with high-quality materials and extremely fresh buns but the fries are also exceptionally good: crispy, with a solid potato flavor and not too salty.

If you find yourself in New York, especially in the vicinity of Carnegie Hall do yourself a favor and stop by the Burger Joint and treat yourself to what is probably the most sublime burger and fries combination in the world.

Name: Burger Joint.

Location: Le Parker Meridien, 119 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019.

Contact: 212-708-7414.

Visit: September 3, 2011.

AMBIANCE: A-.

SERVICE: A.

VALUE: A.

FOOD: A+. 

OVERALL: A (4.0/4.0)

FOOD REVIEW: Golden State Cafe (Los Angeles, CA)

One of the candidates for best burger in Los Angeles is the burger at the Golden State Cafe in the Beverly/Fairfax section of Los Angeles. I wasn't really intending to do a review of the place, I just stopped by to satisfy a craving for a burger after winning a tennis match. It had been on my list of places to try for quite awhile due to some suggestions on Yelp.

Golden State Cafe did not disappoint. "The Burger" ($11) is excellent. It comes with glazed applewood smoked bacon, Fascilini Farms cheddar, arugula, aioli, ketchup and is made with Harris Ranch beef. I had mine cook medium-rare and it was perfect: definitely cooked, but with some pink at the center and quite juicy.

The fries that com with these "high end" burgers are usually something of an after thought it seems. The fries at Golden State Cafe that come with the burger are good, but not exceptional (unlike the fries at Juicy Burger, which overwhelm the burger, or the amazing fries at Blue Dog Beer Tavern).

Interestingly, Golden State Cafe also serves specials that do not involve burgers as well. I think I would go back (if I was in the area) to check out the other things on their menu.

Name: Golden State Cafe.

Location: 426 N. Fairfax Ave Los Angeles, CA 90036.

Contact: 323-782-8331.

Visit: August 10, 2011.

AMBIANCE: A-.

SERVICE: A-.

VALUE: B+.

FOOD: A-. 

OVERALL: A- (3.583/4.0)

FOOD REVIEW: Blue Dog Beer Tavern (Sherman Oaks, CA)

Exterior of the Blue Dog Beer Tavern

Twice-fried french fries with a bacon cheese burger

Vertical view of bacon cheeseburger and fries

As I continue my exploration of the best burgers in Los Angeles I was dragged into the valley for a plant-related errand by the husband so we decided to check out Blue Dog Beer Tavern in Sherman Oaks. Blue Dog Beer Tavern was mentioned in the now seminal LA Weekly article 30 Burger n 30 Days.

I had the Blue Dog Burger (Grilled Mushrooms, Bacon and Caramelized Onions topped with Swiss Cheese and Root Beer Bourbon BBQ sauce; price: $12) with the House Fries. Both were absolutely excellent.

The burger was medium-rare, perfectly juicy and well-maintained with a large toothpick through each half. The fries were crunchy (probably twice-fried), with the skin-on and maintained their temperature well. They went well with the BBQ sauce (provided on the side) or the basic ketchup provided.

The Other Half had The Burger with Cheese, $10 which he also enjoyed. If you're ever in the Sherman Oaks area near where the 405 intersects with the 101 I strongly recommend you stop by and have a burger at the Blue Dog Beer Tavern.

Name: Blue Dog Beer Tavern.

Location: 4524 Saugus Avenue, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403.

Contact: 818-990-2583.

Visit: May 30, 2011.

AMBIANCE: B+.

SERVICE: A-.

VALUE: A-. 

FOOD: A. 

OVERALL: A- (3.667/4.0). 

FOOD REVIEW: Go Burger (Hollywood, Los Angeles)

Exterior of Go Burger at Sunset & Vine

Vidalia onion rings

"duck fat fries"

my burger, with the lovely slaw and superfluous pickle

inside of my burger, with delightful bits of bacon showing

My ongoing quest to find the best burgers in Los Angeles lead me to Go Burger in Hollywood, recently. This is actually the second time I am writing this review. My first review was lost in the great Blog apocalypse of May12, 2011 which initially deleted my published review of Lazy Ox Canteen and erased my draft review of Go Burger.

 Go Burger resembles Juicy Burger (see review) and The Counter (see review) in that it is the kind of place where they have a number of set burgers but you can also select your own ingredients and design your own.

I decided to have the BLT (Double Smoked Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, BLT Burger Sauce, $11) and splurge on the fries cooked in duck fat. The person I was eating lunch with had the "Make it a Philly!" Smashed Burger (with Griddled Onions, Peppers, Pickled Jalapeños and Melted Provolone, $12) and the Vidalia Onion Rings. On the advice of the LA Weekly article "30 Burgers in 30 Days" I purposefully selected a relatively simple burger and was interested in the duck-fat fries.

It turned out that the burger was excellent, while the fries were disappointing. The onion rings were also incredible. The fries sounded better than they tasted. They ended up being somewhat soggy and not very flavorful while the onion rings were delightfully crunchy with and  relatively sweet. Another surprise was the cole slaw that was delivered with the burgers--it was also excellent. I am never fan of something other than ketchup being used to dip onion rings or fries into, but the buttermilk ranch dressing on the side was pretty good, especially with the onion rings!

The price point of Go Burger appears to be slightly higher than either Juicy Burger or The Counter but the burger seemed to also be of higher quality. It was still not as flawless as the Lazy Ox Canteen burger but I would rank it a close second to all the burgers I have eaten recently. I would definitely go back to Go Burger, to order the onion rings and try out one of their other burgers or put together one of my own design realizing that this could end up pretty pricey when cheese toppings (Vermont cheddar, American, Provolone, Monterey Jack) are $1 each and premium toppings (Blue cheese Gruyere, grilled onions, Bacon, sliced avocado, madeira mushrooms, fried egg, homemade chili, grilled red peppers) are $1.50.

Overall, Go Burger well deserves its place on the list of outstanding burgers in Los Angeles.

Name: Go Burger.

Location: 6290 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028.

Contact: 323-327-9355.

Visit: May 9, 2011.

AMBIANCE: A-.

SERVICE: A-.

VALUE: B+.

FOOD: A-. 

OVERALL: A- (3.583/4.0). 

FOOD REVIEW: Lazy Ox Canteen (Downtown Los Angeles)

exterior of The Lazy Ox Canteen

shell-on roasted fava beans, $5

yellow tail crudo w/ scallion, grapefruit & papaya salad, $14

8 oz. lazy ox burger with cantal cheese & green peppercorn mustard, $14

seared fijian albacore with lentils, pickled apple, oregano & bacon, $18

chocolate pate, $8

butterscotch pudding, $8

Recently, MadProfessah and The Other Half finally made it back to Lazy Ox Canteen, a hot restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. We went for the first time following the Los Angeles Times food reviewer S. Irene Virbila's now-famous rave review:

Lazy Ox Canteen is poised to become the restaurant of the moment. Partners Michael Cardenas and Centeno have made all the right moves. The place has an edgy energy, a cozy, casual interior with huge bare filament bulbs swaying from the ceiling and wood-clad walls, a seriously great wait staff and a wildly interesting crowd. Not to mention Centeno's deliriously inventive cooking, all at affordable prices.

I'm torn. I'd like to keep the place an insider's secret. I like being able to decide, that night, to head over to San Pedro Street for dinner and being able to get in. That's about to change. In the future, reservations are probably going to need to be made well in advance, I'm sorry to say.

We returned again this year on the same day (a birthday) and although the amazing fried chicken was not available (it typically sells out in the first hour of dinner service),we still had a stunning meal.

We started with the shell-on roasted fava beans and the yellow tail crudo with scallions, grapefruit & papaya salad. I was not happy with the fava beans. The shells were very tough and the flavor of the fava beans themselves is an acquired taste. The yellowtail salad looked more impressive than it tasted, because for $14 there should have been at least twice or thrice as much raw yellowtail. The salad looked great and was quite crunchy and piquant. But overall, it felt like a game of hide and seek looking for the crudo.

 The next item was the seared fijian albacore with lentils, pickled apple, oregano & bacon ($18). This is an incredible dish with the only bad thing that one can say about it is that there's not enough of it. It is actually an ample serving of absolutely delicious very rare albacore tuna combined with a sweet, crunchy, savory and salty mix. A must-order, in my book.

The pièce de résistance, however, was the $14 Lazy Ox cheese burger, which was produced with square cut fries and a green peppercorn mustard. The burger was cooked to perfection, exceptionally juicy with just a hint of pinkness and bursting with flavor. The fresh toppings of greens, tomato and melted cheese were kept attached to the burger through the use of a large wooden toothpick, maintaining a breathtakingly balanced burger. At first bite, both of us said "Wow! That's a good burger." Then you bite into the fries which remain quite hot for an astonishingly long time, and are amazed at how delightfully crunchy they are. The only downside of the Lazy Oxy burger and fries is the inclusion of the green peppercorn mustard. I have a strong belief tat the optimal condiment for fries is a simple ketchup and the green peppercorn mustard, although interestingly spicy, is a bit too fancy and fussy.

But, wait, there's more! For dessert we ordered the butterscotch pudding and the chocolate pâté, both of which were absolutely amazing. It's hard to choose between the two, but as a moist, very chocolatey dessert their "chocolate pate" was excellent, especially at $8.

I hope that it doesn't take another year before I return to Lazy Ox Canteen, and that they will still have these desserts on the menu, as well as the albacore and the signature burger. The service was attentive and the prices generally reasonable. Although the dining room itself is very loud when the place gets packed, a meal at Lazy Ox Canteen is one you will remember with pleasure for a long time afterwards.

Name: Lazy Ox Canteen.

Location: 1241 South San Pedro Street Los Angeles, CA 90012-3808.

Contact: 213-626-5299.

Visit: April 26, 2011 (and April 26, 2010).

AMBIANCE: B+.

SERVICE: A-.

VALUE: A. 

FOOD: A+. 

OVERALL: A (3.917/4.0). 

FOOD REVIEW: Juicy Burger (Los Feliz/Griffith Park in Los Angeles)

The exterior of Juicy Burger, at 1820 N. Vermont, Los Angeles, CA 90027

interior of Griffith Park/Los Feliz Juicy Burger

burger and fries

Not on many lists of the best burgers in Los Angeles is Juicy Burger. However, it is often mentioned in the list of good late night dining spots in the Hollywood area. MadProfessah has long been interested in exploring excellent burgers in multiple cities, and I have taken a position (in favor of the latter) in the forthcoming In-N-Out versus Five Guys burger wars.

Juicy Burger has a very similar approach to burgers as The Counter (see MadProfessah review); you get to select the size of your burger (1/3 lb. or 1/2 lb.), then select your bun (lettuce, ciabatta bread, fresh bun), select free toppings (mustard, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, red onions, mayonnaise, 1000 island dressing and dill pickles) and then add cheese (American cheese, cheddar, Monterey jack, blue cheese) for $.75 and premium toppings (caramelized onions, fried egg, sliced jalapenos, green chile, guacamole, onion strings, bacon strips, grilled pineapple, grilled spinach, sauteed mushrooms). You can also add premium sauces (buttermilk ranch, chipotle mayo, chipotle ketchup, garlic mayo, barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce) for $.50.
You can also get fries (with one free sauce) for $2.50. The place is very small, not much more than a counter, but there is whole seating section outside if you want to eat your burger right there.

Overall, I was somewhat disappointed with Juicy Burger. The fries were more remarkable than the burger. I ordered the 1/3 burger with a regular bun with the free toppings of lettuce, tomato and dill pickles, cheddar cheese and two premium toppings of bacon and caramelized onions I ordered it medium-rare but it appeared to be closer to medium-well (no pink left at all). It was also sort of dry and the bun seemed a bit excessive so I took off one half of it. The bacon was well-done (how can bacon ever be bad?) and the onions were excellent but overall the burger seemed excessive, and not well-balanced like the almost-identical burger I ordered at The Counter a few weeks before. However, unlike at The Counter, Juicy Burger's fries were excellent! Very crunchy, and not overly salty. For $2.50, the "small fries" were a decent portion. However, it is always my position that the best topping for fries is plain, simple ketchup (or catsup) and the chipotle ketchup was the closest option but this is still an inferior option (plus I had to go back to the store to pick up my sauce because I had ordered take-out and the first time they gave me my food without a sauce.

I would strongly recommend going to The Counter for their burgers but definitely check out Juicy Burger for their fries. Even though the burger at The Counter was more expensive, I felt that it was a better value and a higher quality dining experience. It's possible that some of Juicy Burger's classic burgers might be a better deal, but there a lot more burgers I want to try first before I give Juicy Burger a second chance.

Name: Juicy Burger.

Location: 1820 N. Vermont, Los Angeles, CA 90027.

Contact: 323-660-1211.

Visit: April 27, 2011.

AMBIANCE: B-.

SERVICE: A-.

VALUE: B+.

FOOD: A-.

OVERALL: A- (3.417/4.0).