Showing posts with label burgers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label burgers. Show all posts
Mo Better Burgers is Still Mo Better
As far as food goes, I don't usually get too nostalgic about the past because there is so much in the present to discover and taste. Over the years each time I had one of the fancy, designer burgers in town, I kept thinking back to my former favorite.
It was then called Mo Better Meatty Meat Burger. What a great name, isn't it? I love the redundancy.
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| Photo appears at WSC When Saturday Comes site: http://www.wsc.co.uk/forum-index/28-world/441477-who-likes-looking-at-maps?limit=20&start=220 |
They were known for their quality of meat and produce as well as their very popular veggie burger.
A couple of months ago I drove down La Brea and saw a sign in a strip mall for Mo Better Burgers. I wondered, could it be?
Yes, it was. A quick web search later I found out the beloved burger was back! Apparently the original founder's daughter, Eve Fouche, is part of this glorious comeback. Evidently they use an organic angus chuck blend, organic turkey and non-GMO produce.
Because I no longer live in the neighborhood and they close relatively early in the evening, I tucked this idea in the back of my head.
Well yesterday at work, we successfully completed a large and long term project. As a celebration, I drove past my old apartment (my first one after college). It happened to be 4 blocks away from Mo Better Burgers.
I couldn't resist going in and having a taste. There was just 15 minutes before I had to meet a friend so I reigned myself in and had the small 3" burger without fries. From what I remember their seasoned fries also delivered.
I used to enjoy it with raw onions, but since I had to be somewhere I went for the grilled. And even though I don't eat much dairy anymore, I had to go for a slice of cheddar for old times' sake.
It tasted just like I remembered. Just a great, finely seasoned burger, as you can see from the multiple spice tins by the grill. Always made fresh to order, the meat gets grilled in its own juices.
The veges are fresh and crisp, not the limp and processed stuff you get at a fast food joint. The potato bun is light and fluffy giving it just the right ratio of meat to veges to bun. One of the few burgers where I do not have to remove one of the buns nor add more meat to taste it.
Although perfect as is I usually add a few shakes of their house made hot sauce which also tastes uniquely flavorful. After my first bite I regretted getting the smaller size.
The clientele seemed to consist of regulars and each person who walked in after me was greeted by name. It's a wonderful touch you do not see much these days. They asked me how I heard of the place and greeted me by name when I left.
There is a special Magic Johnson burger on the menu, as well as his signed memorabilia throughout the store as well as mementos of the earlier burger stand.
Dine LA: Short Order - More Than Just Burgers
During this recent DineLA restaurant week period, I availed of 3 participating locations all starting with the letter "S".Short Order, located at the Original Farmers Market, is the collaboration of Nancy Silverton and Amy Pressman, who met almost 30 years ago at Spago and stayed friends ever since. Pressman's passing during fall of last year shortly before this special project of hers came together really encouraged me to support her efforts.
My group and I arrived just before the dinner rush since they do not take reservations, and we were seated upstairs at the communal table immediately.
The communal table definitely served as fun people watching since it contained a couple of Top Chef former contestants. I didn't really stare at the whole group, who were circulating quite a bit, but fairly quickly recognized Marcel Vigneron and Alex Reznik. Both chefs whose food I've loved.
Among quite a few menus the beverage choices stood out, especially the "adult milkshakes". Most notable is the Charlie Brown - a vanilla custard shake with chocolate ganache and roasted Spanish peanut infused bourbon (infused in-house in an immersion circulator).
They serve custard shakes which are more popular in the east coast and midwest. An interview I read of Amy Pressman just before her passing mentioned that they were inspired by Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack in Manhattan, making custard ice cream and hand-spinning shakes into four flavors.
The daily special vanilla custard shake with crushed graham cracker and caramel and the chocolate shake with Guinness practically overflowed from their jars. Each of us ordered different flavors.
Being a big fan of malt flavors, I decided on the Coffee Malt shake. The jar size is just right with a creamy yet not too heavy consistency. One doesn't have to wait to get the shake through the straw. I loved the frothy texture, especially on the top, which reminded me of the foam you'd find on a cappuccino.
The menu contains regular, classic fries or these Spuds, torn pieces of baked potatoes fried to a crispy golden color. The dipping sauce of baked potato fixins such as sour cream with chives and bacon bits cling to all the rivulets on the spuds to add punches of flavor.
I didn't know if Chef Christian Page, formerly Chef de Cuisine at Eva, would remember me, especially with all the chef buddies around. But he did and spent a fair amount of time chatting with us (and posing for a couple of fun pictures with a colleague).
He gave some good tips on the menu and I have to say, between the hat, button down shirt and cool apron, definitely one of the chic chefs I've seen around town. I've tried his food and loved it, which is another reason for wanting to come to Short Order.
Let me reiterate that his constant relaxed state and grace under pressure really really impressed me yet again. We had a lot of hiccups in our service, to put it mildly, between their recent opening and a new server who was nice but was not familiar with DineLA!
Many components of our meal were forgotten and we had to remind the staff repeatedly. It was hard to stay positive, but the chef definitely helped me to roll with the punches.
The shake won as the best thing to order but unexpectedly, this Bean Salad won for me as a close second. The mixture of green and yellow wax beans, gigante beans, garbanzo beans, red onion, oregano, parsley, and lemon vinaigrette melded perfectly.
It's always good to try a well seasoned salad as well as a high protein salad, since I'm always looking for sandwich (low carb) lunch alternatives. Chef Christian mentioned that many of the staff eat this salad daily and I can see why. I took most of mine home and it might have even tasted better the next day, still crispy.
The salad of market greens, persian cucumber, celery, dill, champagne vinaigrette also provided a light, crispy side for the entrees.
For the DineLA menu we were given a choice of 3 burgers for the entree. Nancy's, Ida's or Amy's. I had read that these burgers were meant to be the simpler flavors that chefs enjoy when they are not working. They are named after the people who inspired them, which is true to eating what the chefs actually make at ahome.
As much as a I love high quality beef burgers, and heard Ida's burger was inspired by In N' Out Burger, I opted for Amy's Turkey Burger, based on the recommendation of food critic Jonathan Gold.
It contained organic turkey, sage cheddar, melted celery, leeks, mustardy mayo. Very clean and light, I particularly enjoyed the all green condiments and the notion of melted celery, which was probably braised or sauteed. I loved the seeded mustard, choice of lettuce, juicy turkey and general lightness of it all. Even the bun, which I usually do not eat, was delicious and light enough to eat.
Was it a burger I'd crave? Probably not. In fact I've enjoyed other burgers more. It was solid though, and a burger you don't feel guilty about eating afterward.
They offer burgers made with various meats, including lamb, so I'd definitely be willing to give others a try.
I'd gone to a brunch earlier that day at friends' house and did not have a huge appetite to begin with, so had packed half of everything to go. At this point Chef Christian kindly came out with a tray of more items to try - Pretzel Dogs and Pretzel Pups.
I'd been eyeing this dish of mini pretzel dogs at a neighbor's table. Even though I didn't eat it until the next day, it heated up well. I loved the La Brea Bakery pretzel bun, well seasoned dog and lightly pickled cabbage kraut, along with mustard. My third favorite dish on the menu so far.
My friends took home the Corn Dogs with Anson Mills corn batter, mustard. If they were the same dogs with batter instead of the bun, they were probably also tasty.
These cute little decorative touches, like the banana peel doorstop, add a great whimsy to the open air setting upstairs.
The staircase lies next to the original clock tour, which looked charming at dusk.
This charming table upstairs contains one of a couple of beautiful in-table fireplaces.
Upon walking out, I saw this sign outside the kitchen, explaining the story behind Short Order.
My group walked over to Bob's Coffee & Donuts, one of my favorite vendors in the market and an L.A. institution. They had run out of most of their items since it was near closing time.
I decided to do a quick visit to Short Cake and Single Origin, around the corner from Short Order and utilize the $5 certificate they'd given us as part of the DineLA menu.
The decor exuded a very happy, energetic vibe. Even 5 minutes to closing there was no lack of customers in line.
Items in the case included uniquely intriguing flavors such as: chocolate cardamom cream cake, double baked croissants, curry raisin/buttermilk blueberry/sesame date/feta scallion scones, brown butter cranberry muffins. I picked up a sesame date scone for breakfast and a cookie for late night snack. It is indeed a delightful bakery.
I'd only tried one of Amy Pressman's creations, an extremely elaborate Peruvian-inspired dessert, at Test Kitchen during a Ricardo Zarate dinner.
Despite not having a huge sweet tooth and being insanely full, almost everything appealed to me from the cases. I'm sure her spirit is extremely proud of this swan song.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
About a year ago I noticed many people discussing Five Guys and how great they are. Five Guys originated in the metropolitan DC area in the mid-1980s and year after year remains rated as top burger in the area.Both locations closest to me are about a 1 hour drive and I don't eat burgers often, so I kept it in the back of my mind as something to try but not to lose sleep over.
Labor Day weekend, my family spent it together in the San Diego area and one of my goals for the weekend became having a meal there.
As the picture shows, it doesn't disappoint. It's a juicy burger with high quality ingredients that tastes like someone who knows what they're doing just grilled one up fresh for you.
Their principles include using fresh ground beef of known origin, no freezers on the premises, peanut oil for cooking, no trans fats. Everything tasted uber-fresh, including the tomato.
While the bun's lightness appealed greatly, and did not overshadow the burger, I'd have preferred it more toasted and warmed up.
These babies come wrapped in foil with numbers on them corresponding to each custom order. Topping choices (free with burger purchase) include:
- Mayo / Relish / Ketchup / Mustard / Bar-B-Q Sauce / A.1.® Steak Sauce / Hot Sauce
- Onions / Lettuce / Tomatoes / Pickles / Jalapeno Peppers / Green Peppers
- Grilled Onions / Grilled Mushrooms
You can get creative as the possibilities are endless.
The fries, cooked in pure peanut oil, come regular or Cajun style. Fantastic!
A huge box (with the date brought in) of peanuts in the shell are there to be scooped up while you wait for your order.
The store proudly displayed signs stating where the day's potatoes came from alone with quotes such as "Will Wonkas of Burgercraft", "...as perfect as french fries get" and "The Best $5 Burger For The Money".
I wondered why the inevitable comparisons to In-N-Out Burger abound? Well, look at the place! All red and white, friendly service, burgers cooked on flat top in open kitchen.
Both are tasty, but for the price of about $5 each, these burgers take it a notch higher. In-N-Out holds precious lifelong memories for me, so it's still strong in my book. No comparison, will go to both!
Burgers & Beats - Recession Priced Burgers
There are so many variations of burgers all over town, but an 'underground' burger from a chef of quite an extensive background was a first for me. |
| Burgers & Beats 4.0 - The Juicy Luicy |
For this beautiful burger it's worth going underground.
Several months ago my friend Abby from Pleasure Palate shared some tweets and blog posts about a monthly outdoor event by Chef Christian Navarro of Haute Skillet.
So a group of us were determined to try his next creative burger at the 2nd event of this type. Because of the rain, the normally outdoor location moved to the Curry Up Cafe in Woodland Hills.
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| Christian Navarro and the Mother's Office Burger description |
His concoction for that day was the Mother's Office Burger - "the difference is Mom doesn't get mad when you add bacon and sauce to it".
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| Curry Up Cafe's Wongie Fries |
While the burgers were grilling in the kitchen we ordered some of Curry Up's side dishes - the Philipino lumpia (egg rolls) and the house special Wongie Fries (think In N Out Animal Style - esque fries), complete with cheese, green onions and secret sauce.
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| Mother's Office Burger |
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| Mother's Office Burger - unwrapped |
The burger, served on a French baguette, came with pork belly confit, organic arugula, maple glazed onions, classic American cheese and the divine topper of a 63 degree egg. The runny yolk served as sauce which the bread held up to well.
After eating we got to go into the kitchen one by one (due to space restrictions) where Chef Navarro warmly chatted with us and we exchanged contact information.
Needless to say, I was a fan. Not only of the delicious food, but also of his passion and charisma. Which brought me back to B & B 4.0 where Chef Navarro would prepare his much requested signature version of the Juicy Lucy burger, and it would be outdoors as intended.
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| Burgers & Beats 4.0 - The Juicy Lucy |
Upon arrival at the 4.0 Hollywood location (a private residence), Chef Navarro was prepping out in the yard. Fresh croissants were on the grill with sprigs of rosemary that were sourced from the house's garden.
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| Burgers & Beats 4.0 - The Juicy Lucy |
Next step was seasoning the patties. Since this was a Juicy Lucy, the cheese goes inside the patty and melts to gooey perfection when served (an inside-out cheeseburger). Chef Navarro completed this step prior to arrival, but talked us through his recipe.
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| Burgers & Beats 4.0 - The Juicy Lucy |
If you usually add ketchup, mayo or mustard to your burger, how about a freshly prepared lemon-rosemary aioli, fresh picked from the garden? Perfect complement to the burger.
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| Burgers & Beats 4.0 - The Juicy Lucy |
By this time the meat patties came off the grill to rest.
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| Burgers & Beats 4.0 - The Juicy Lucy |
Next the chef mixed up and dressed some greens including organic arugula and pea shoots, another unexpected twist. I particularly loved the fresh, almost minty quality, the pea sprouts brought to the table.
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| Burgers & Beats 4.0 - The Juicy Lucy |
The patties and greens went on the croissants.
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| Burgers & Beats 4.0 - The Juicy Lucy |
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| Burgers & Beats 4.0 - The Juicy Lucy |
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| Burgers & Beats 4.0 |
Did I mention this chef-prepared burger is free ? Tips help offset the costs of this generous operation and keep it sustainable, so diners are invited to pay whatever they feel is appropriate.
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| Burgers and Beats 4.0 |
The first round of people ate and relaxed with drinks while the "beats" portion of the event, the musicians, began setting up.
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| Burgers & Beats 4.0 - guests enjoying the space |
In order to make room for the next round of lucky diners, a group of us migrated over to nearby Milk for dessert.
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| Milk - butterscotch banana ice cream bar |
All in all, a delightful gourmet Sunday.
If you'd like to experience an upcoming Burgers & Beats, you can follow Haute Skillet on Twitter (@hauteskillet), on Facebook, or join their mailing list directly from their website.
Look out for the details. Chef Navarro has all kinds of interesting plans for the future.
