When I had work in the area I'd either go to Tito's or an Indian cafeteria/store (20 pound bag of Basmati rice and fresh cardamon anyone?) kinda place further away (name escapes me) with tasty lentil and grain dishes, exotic fruit lassies, pistachio sprinkled desserts, and Bollywood posters on the walls. Loved the smell of spices walking in the door of some of those ethnic grocers. Ditto in NYC as well. Tito's chips fried in lard sure tasted good. Food pyramid be damned.
My girlfriend just turned me onto The Hat 2 years ago and I'm kinda hooked when I get my car serviced at the Ford dealership a few yards away.
Another old-style pastrami sandwich/hot dog/burger joint is Johnny's Pastrami in Culver City at Sepulveda & Washington Blvd right off the 405 Fwy. That joints been around since 50+ yrs and still going strong. It's not your good Jewish deli type of pastrami sandwich, but more of a street corner(which it is) joint french dip sandy. Not to mention Tito's Tacos is also right next door(if you don't mind a 30+ deep line 24/7).
There's also another Johnny's Pastrami on Adams at Crenshaw & Adams Blvd just a few yards south of the 10 fwy. This one's been around since '56. Depending on how cosmopolitan you are, the area might be a little too dodgy for the more suburban eater.
We also need to start talking LA barbecue soon, I've got a few good places on my regular rotation list.
The Hat: Sanchez, QB of the NY Jets, eats at the Hat all the time. His parents live around the corner. I live 5 minutes away. BTW: The original restaurant is in Pasadena, and another one is in Glendora. I actually love the one in Glendora on Old Route 66.
If you're in Orange County, definitely hit The Hat(Lake Forest) for their Pastrami Sanwiches, fries, etc. Haven't tried their burgers, but their sandwiches are classic, old-style, meat bombs. Their hot dogs/chili dogs are great.
If you make it to downtown LA, Nickel Diner for burgers and deserts, or Wurstkuche for exotic sausage sandwiches and Belgian fries along with imported beers.
In LA, you should check out Father's Office in Santa Monica?Brentwood. A small bar on 1018 Montana Ave. The owner, who is Korean, hand grinds the beef.
If you head into the OC, you should check out TK Burger in Costa Mesa and the Crow Bar in Corona Del Mar. For good and original Mexican, I can recommend La Sirena in Laguna Beach. Email me if you make it South. Would love to join you.
I tend to like the burger grilled instead of pan seared as well. I agree 100% with D-Mob's analysis.
I like a huge variety of condiments, but to be pefectly honest, if I can put some tasty guacamole (or just fresh avacado slices) and pico de gallo on my burger, with that super tasty grilled fat infused patty and a toasted/grilled bun.....
K, it's Goode Co Taqueria and Hamburger for lunch today. Kirby at Westpark in Houston
I have to go to LA (well Orange Co) again next week, so I'm taking BongFury's recomendations. I must admit, in the same vain, that waiting 1 1/2 hrs for hot dogs at pinks a couple of months ago was actually worth it, so I'm stoked about looking for a great LA Burger.
1) I think the number one importance is good ground beef with a nice, high, fat content. Results in much juicier and tender burger. 2) hand-formed, thick, patties are a must. The production line pre-formed patties are too thin, too dense, and improperly seasoned, if at all 3) Thick wedges of tomatoes, onion(or grilled), and a nice bed of crisp lettuce. 4) Toasted bun with some crunch to it
Get those 4 things right and everything is just a cherry on top. Cheese, mayo, ketchup, mustard are all great, but if the four things above are wrong, then it's simply putting lipstick on a pig.
So, why do so few get it right?
For Southern Californians, the beloved icon In & Out Burgers is classic example of a mediocre product. Paper thin patties with no flavor where buns and condiments end up the being the primary thing you taste in each bite. You have to go off-menu to, at least, the custom "3 by 2" three patty burger to begin tasting meat and it doesn't get real until the "4 by" at which point that's a fairly expensive mediocre burger.
Byegolly there is also a black and blue burger at BW3, a blackened hamburger with bleu cheese, alas they are always overdone and not worth the price...
agree about the pineapple on pizza (ugh) but that is not the same thing!
I'm game for guacamole on my patty, but don't if its Roquefort, Saga, Danish, or Gorgonzola - blue cheese on burgers is gross. Double that for pineapple on pizza. Dude!
Wendy's bacon bleu burger is one of the few we have in Kazoo and I confess to eating one. Something about the two flavors is good depite the horrific Wendy 'burger' flavor.
:^D
I forgot we also have Red Robin but a $10 burger should be way better that that!
Hard to get excited about burgers in NYC when they carry NYC real estate prices. Pizza, yes, burgers, no. The Shake Shack is a joke; most burger joints in the city charge 7 to 10 dollars for what routinely sells for 2 to 4 in the rest of the country. Only the Corner Bistro has a worthy burger and it is a 45 minute wait on a good day. Just my opinion.
Byegolly. Yeah, that was a good one. He has a new inexpensive sausage joint on Abbott Kinney. Speaking of that side of town, I also liked Cora's Coffee Shop in San Mo. They made a pretty tasty burger a la the tradition of the Apple Pan and Pie and Burger.
Macdad: Christian's Totem in Houston rocks. Nice selection of toppings. BTW: Your Top 5 has been "googled" and now appears in the organic search line, right below yelp, when you type in Top 5 Burgers Houston.
I used to like Rockenwagner's in Venice in their early days. Never forget their thinly sliced, super tender seasoned lamb loin piled high on a pretzel bread bun. No burger/sandwich outside of the NYC 21 Club burger came close to that. IMO of course.
It's the Pappas Family, they own about 60 restauants, mostly in Texas, they are all insanely good. As an aside, my wife an I both worked for them while in college then right afterward as managers, and I can tell you they are unbelievably well run.
MacDad, I'm guessing that Pappas Burger is related to Pappadeaux's? We have a Pappadeaux's (pronounced "Pappa Does") in Phoenix, and it's an insanely good Cajun Creole food restaurant. When I was in Houston three years ago, I found out that there's a slew of places this guy has, like Mexican; BBQ etc, all with "Pappa's" in the name in a creative way. My question is: Are they ALL great?
Jody Maroni's stand in Santa Monica/Venice area had pretty good sausages. Back in the day I'd buy one and walk over to watch the guy juggling chainsaws, or talk to the skater playing his electric guitar. The Peoples Republic of Santa Monica indeed. Loved the farmers market there, but not as good as the one in Berkeley. Now if only I could find a killer mussel & frites place outside NYC.
Hudsons in Couer d A'lene, Id Very simple: They only sell them with your choice of pickles and a slice of onion plus two homemade sauses. No fries, no shakes. Best burger I have ever eaten. 22 seats. 2.65 for a single
We lost our art space after 5 years due to a change of owners in the Million Dollar Hotel. Closed in September; was on the NW corner of 5th and Main. U2 played on the rooftop of a store on 7th and Main in 1987. I lived in a loft in 4th and Main. Saw that show--was amazing--you can see me on the street in the video for Where the Streets Have No Name. Bert Green Fine Art and Pharmaka started the airwalk in 2004 when it was real dicey. Now--hipster central.
02-24-10: Bongofury D Mob,I helped create the Pharmaka Gallery across the street from the Nickel in 2004. Along with Bert Green, we were the pioneers in starting Gallery Row. They have a wonderful art walk once a month.
Very cool. My girlfriend and I have gone to Wurstkuche(across from the old Al's Bar) a few times for sausages, Belgian frites, and beer then done the art walk around there. But, I didn't know it extended over by Nickel Diner. I really like that area - just enough edge to keep the yuppies out, but not the war zone downtown used to be.
You DEFY anyone? I mean, it would be stupid and excessive, I agree, and one would wish one hadn't, but I can't imagine its actually being much of a challenge for a person with will and appetite. I mean, it is a big portion, but gluttony could easily manage it. Have you seen some of the people waddling around out there? Ever witnessed an eating contest?
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