I read The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I loved it. It made me reconsider the food I eat every day. It made me second guess the path to destruction that seemed like such a good idea for the American farmer (I grew up in farmland). And it made me consider the difference in taste between naturally grown food and the corn-fed stuff that we typically eat every day. I’ll be the first to tell you that grass-fed beef tastes a hell of a lot better than corn-fed.
O! Burger is the exception.
There simply was nothing exciting, flavorful, or otherwise extraordinary about this burger. The beef patty was miniscule – absolutely reprehensible given the hefty price tag. I’m willing to pay $10.99 for a burger and fries, but it better be good. The napa cabbage, tomatoes, sweet pickles, chipotle ketchup and ranch were pretty good….. but I ordered a burger, not a salad.
OK, I understand the appeal of natural foods goes waaaay beyond just flavor. It’s an environmental issue, a political issue, etc. But for me, it’s simply inexcusable if it doesn’t taste good. Sorry O! Burger, but you better up the ante. Your organic sandwiches just don’t cut it.
If there’s one thing you notice right away when you move to Los Angeles, it’s the jacked-up prices on everything from diapers to milk to rent. Everything here is just a little more expensive (unless, of course, you live in New York City). And food is no exception.
Perhaps this inequity in pricing is why In-N-Out is so beloved. After all, you can get a real decent meal there for right around 6 bucks. Carl’s Jr. has even made a point of the price of their 6 Dollar Burgers – which, I might add, are not worth the extra dough. But after you’ve gotten out of the fast food tier, you’re essentially talking about 10 to 20 dollar burgers, depending on the nature of the location you choose to dine. BoHo’s 15 dollar burger, or 25 Degrees’ 12 dollar burger are just a couple of examples of the upper tier, though some fine dining restaurants may charge well above 20.
And that’s why it is so damn refreshing to get a really killer burger for just 10 bucks at The Golden State. From the outside, you’d probably never even know this was a restaurant. I’ve driven by it a couple hundred times going to/from work, but not until I dined across the street at Animal did I even notice it. Sure enough, scrunched in between a couple of art galleries lies a beacon of hope in the mid-priced LA burger scene. And I’m happy to report, it is good.
There aren’t a whole lot of frills here, just one burger on the menu, served with applewood smoked bacon, arugula, a slab of Fiscalini Farms cheddar cheese, and the most delicious homemade aioli I’ve had in a very very long time. And it’s served with one of their sides, of which I chose the incredible sweet potato fries.
The burger was perfectly cooked to my order, rare, and came neatly presented on a clean square plate with my fries. Biting down, you’d never know you weren’t at one of the higher end burger joints – in fact, the bun is remarkably similar to the one at 25 Degrees that I’ve been known to rave about. The arugula on the burger gives a perfect bitter balance to this treat, and the substitution of aioli for ketchup makes it sweet without having the vinegary zing. I really couldn’t ask for much of a better burger, and certainly not at that price point.
And it’s with mixed feelings that I report that the sweet potato fries here are some of the best I’ve ever eaten. I say mixed feelings only because I really love the burger, and wish that I could speak about it with such superlatives.
Topping off this mix is a great selection of beers and ice creams, which can be combined into one some of the most interesting combinations of floats imaginable. Fellow Hambur.grlr Stephanie (aka hambur.grl) tried the brown bread gelato with Old Rasputin beer. The combination of bitter and sweet worked well, but leaned heavy on the hops side. Another friend used salted caramel gelato instead, and I loved it.
I really can’t say enough great things about The Golden State. I’m so happy to have found a killer spot near my house, and at a price that this recession-hater can love.
As I pointed out in my previous post, I was ecstatic to hear that the Jucy Lucy (aka Juicy Lucy, depending on where you are) had made its way west to the beautiful state of California. Well it just so happens, they serve the Juicy Lucy elsewhere too, and on a recent outing to Barney’s Beanery in Burbank, I stumbled upon that cheesy delight. I couldn’t not order it.
Well, Barney’s isn’t really known for having great burgers, or great food at all for that matter. Their gigantic menu is deceiving, since it really is just a huge list of every combination possible with their various ingredients. And nearly everything on the menu is fried, battered, or otherwise covered in grease (not that I’m complaining).
Sadly, the Juicy Lucy was no exception. It wasn’t necessarily bad, it just wasn’t good. The American cheese inside is, of course, the whole point of the Juicy Lucy, but it really just tasted artificial. They did manage to cook my burger rare, which I’m always pleased with, but the rest of the sandwich was just your average food-service buns and unripe sliced tomatoes.
I can’t say Barney’s is a great burger by any means, but that isn’t really the point of this place. It’s just a sports bar with a bunch of beers on tap, and HD screens everywhere. On the other hand, it did make for some of the best burger photos I’ve taken in a while.
If you are ever accosted by a tourist on the streets of Los Angeles (and yes, accosted is usually the correct word) and asked where to find the best burger in Los Angeles, you better tell them to head on down Pico to the Apple Pan. Now I can’t say (convincingly) that this is my absolute favorite burger in LA, but I can tell you that very few establishments scream Los Angeles Burger Haven quite like the Apple Pan.
The place has been around since 1947, and hasn’t changed much – with the exception of a couple new menu items, thoughtfully noted with the date they were introduced. Some of the patrons don’t look too far removed from the Apple Pan of yore, though the younger crowd is just as eager to get at those tasty burgers. I could probably write an entire thesis paper about the wonders of staying old school in order to market to an increasingly younger crowd, but this is a burger blog….
Let’s talk about burgers – deliciously crumbly ground beef and nothin’ else burgers. The Apple Pan might just have some of the best burger patties on earth. I really can’t find anything wrong with them. And they’ll cook it medium rare for you if you like, but be prepared for a burger that doesn’t stick together so well, since it’s a pretty thin patty. The steakburger is slathered with Apple Pan’s infamous relish, which is sort of a tangy combination of thinned ketchup and pickle relish. And while I don’t usually go for relish on my burgers, this stuff will leave you wondering how you ever ate a burger without it. They’ll also toss on a hand-picked lettuce leaf and fresh tomato for you, but cheese will run you a little extra (I go without it anyway).
What got me most about this particular trip to the Apple Pan is how incredibly efficient this place is. If you dig around the internet for reviews, you’ll hear the same thing over and over: don’t go during peak hours, unless you feel like standing in line. The restaurant is tiny, consists of only one U-shaped counter, and maybe 20 seats. If those coveted seats aren’t open, you stand with the rest of the mouth-waterers in the back until one opens up. But here’s the thing: when I dropped by, on a Saturday afternoon, the place was packed, and I was still in and out (no pun intended) in less than 30 minutes. The counter waiter asks you without hesitation when you sit down what you’d like to eat, and before you can even finish telling him, he’s already run across the counter to wait on someone else. I admit I was incredibly confused by this. There is no possible way he actually heard me give him the entire order, and yet he still brought exactly what I ordered. I’m still amazed. Admitedly, this made for a very rushed and uncomfortable lunch, but it’s all part of the game here. It’s as though we never really left the great depression, and businesses are doing everything they can to get as many happy customers through their doors as possible (oh wait, um, are we back in 1947 now?).
Either way, a trip to the Apple Pan is an amazing journey, and one that I recommend you take often. Remember, it’s closed on Mondays. And be sure to treat yourself to a piece of pie. It’s worth it.
The Apple Pan
10801 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064-2105
(310) 475-3585
Hello there…my name is Stephanie and I love hamburgers. Wait – what?! there’s a girl on hambur.gr? Its not just space geeks who love meat patties and buns? craziness! (There are some other silent/hungry members who have yet to blog, and who have yet to be named…more on that later…)
Yes, I am here to blog about burgers, and adding my feminine flair where applicable. I have been here eating and reading for awhile now, and thought it best that I dive into this great discussion:
For my first feature, I traveled all the way to NYC to taste the tempting and oh-so-talked about Shake Shack. I Having first read about it and its infamously long line in the NYT and then when Naomi blogged about it here, I put it on my mental list of places-to-try-when-I-am-in-NYC-next.
On a warm Friday evening, we walked over to Madison Square Park giddy with excitement for this holy grail of burger stands.
As you enter the park, you spot the outdoor burger joint in the corner, under the leafy shade of trees above, illuminated by large strings of sparkly lights. And then you spot THE LINE. Its not pretty. Its long. Best to go with friends you haven’t seen in awhile so you can catch up as your stomach growls with hunger for the soon to be eaten burgers. The Line also allows for plenty of menu review, and while it is not as simple as my beloved In-N-Out, it is not too complicated either. I opted for the Shack Burger - American Cheese, lettuce, tomato, Shack Sauce. (I don’t eat tomato on my burger, personal preference). The chopped onions come on the side in a little condiment container. Negative points for no grilled onions…For my beverage, I was excited to taste this delight called the frozen custard shake. I got the chocolate and it was almost too chocolate-y, not that I knew there could be such a thing but it was a tad syrupy sweet for me. My friends ordered the mushroom burger which looked delicious – a crisp fried portabella oozing with melted muenster and cheddar. Definitely not a healthier choice, but a yummy vegetarian option.
Shack Burger (Diced Onions Come a la Mode)
So, the burger. On first glance, the burger is kind of small in size. I don’t know if this is because we are brainwashed by America’s propensity for extra large portions, but I already think I should have ordered a second, or at least a double. The patty is a good size in thickness, and cooked perfectly juicy and I liked the bunnage. The Shack Sauce was kind of a poor man’s imitation of In-N-Out’s secret sauce, sorry, but its true. It was orange and slightly tangy, but mostly just creamy.
a good size patty
Fries were yummy and in addition to frozen custard shakes you can get these things called Concretes, which are shakes blended with ridiculously rich mix-ins, kind of like a gourmet McFlurry? Toppings include Chocolate Truffle Cookie Dough, Shortbread Cookie and Chocolate Toffee. These are insane and more like dessert than a drink. I loved them instantly.
Enjoying the Last Bite!
All in all, I loved the experience of eating burgers outside at picnic tables in a beautiful NYC city park on a warm summer evening. The burger, although small, is tasty, and with a side of crispy fries and a Concrete treat, it does fill you up. I love good milkshakes to compliment my burger. It’s definitely hyped (like most good burgers worth their fries) but I say its a must try on any visit to New York. And for New Yorkers, its a great dining experience (and an alternative to In-N-Out).
*Special thanks to my California Native/New York Dwelling hosts – Botch, Megan and Adrienne – who took me to enjoy my first Shake Shack burger!
Vanilla + Chocolate Concrete with Shortbread Cookies in the back row.
