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Review: The Golden State makes the best 10 dollar burger in LA

// August 30th, 2009 // Comments // Restaurants, Reviews

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.

The Golden State
Website: http://thegoldenstatecafe.com
426 N Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.782.8331

Review: BoHo in Hollywood: a newcomer makes a worthy showing

// June 13th, 2009 // Comments // Restaurants, Reviews

I wasn’t really sure what all the fuss was about: how could a restaurant really call itself Hollywood’s first and only gastropub? It’s a bit of a lofty claim, but then Hollywood is a notoriously difficult place to find a decent beer, let alone a perfect burger. I, for one, though, applaud this place for filling a sadly vacant space in Hollywood, nestled right next to the Arclight Cinemas (the world’s most incredible theater complex), in the space where failed steak joint Charcoal used to be. Also, does anyone really think we need another mediocre sushi restaurant? Yeah, I’m talking to you, Club Sushi.

The first thing you’ll notice when you enter BoHo is the incredibly welcoming atmosphere, a sort of a cross between your dad’s study (no, not your father’s office) and the Elk’s club. Big cushy chairs, mismatched and comfy, with dark rustic wood decor. You might also notice the enormous row of beer taps, all craft-brews, and mostly local to California and the west coast.

Of course you’ll also notice the tempting menu options. A small plates list with twist: fried oyster po’ boy sliders, and pork belly with maple jus, just to name a couple options. You’ll probably also pass a few diners chowing through the “Pile O’ Ribs,” a dish that lives up to its name.

But then there’s the burger. The menu reads:

BoHo Burger Delux, cambazola cheese, caramelized onion, heirloom tomato, dill pickles, Thousand Island, fries, aioli

I don’t know about you, but I was caught off guard here: Thousand Island? This isn’t In-N-Out (oh, wait, that’s special sauce, sorry). And why would the burger have Thousand Island and aioli? Confused, I decided to just go with the flow, order it up, and see what happens.

What happened next was slightly serendipitous while being mildly disturbing. My burger did not come as described. In fact, I’m pretty sure not a tomato was in sight. Nor was there any Thousand Island. The aioli was served on the side, along with a homemade ketchup. And there was lettuce on the burger. I admit I don’t like at all when the food I receive is significantly different from what I order, but in this instance, it actually worked out for the best.

The meat is not your typical burger patty; it crumbles. This wasn’t a bad thing, necessarily, since it nicely offset the thick and sturdy bun, which was sadly a little stale. The downside to the crumble is that, as Sinosoul pointed out, there’s no charred crust, the tasty goodness that makes a rare burger a rare treat. Similarly, the burger seemed under-seasoned, although the meaty flavor came through well. I wasn’t especially happy with the pickles, but the lettuce and creamy cheese balanced this burger well.

In all, I’d say the dining experience at BoHo is better than the burger, but it’s a worthy entrant to the Hollywood scene. It’s not cheap in the slightest – weighing in at a whopping 15 dollars with fries – but then, it’s Hollywood. Heck, I’d go back just for the beer list.

BoHo
Website: http://www.bohorestaurant.com/
6372 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323.465.8500