Summer has arrived, which means grilling season has landed upon us. As an American tradition, citizens officially start the grilling season on Memorial Day weekend, as that signifies many things. First off, on that weekend, Americans celebrate an important federal holiday to celebrate and honor the lives of those lost while serving for the United States Armed Forces. The weather starts to significantly heat up by this weekend, following the inconsistent weather of April and most of May. As a result of the warmer weather, Americans take advantage of a holiday weekend off of work until the next federal holiday, Independence Day, to gather some friends & family for a party involving grilling. When thinking about grilling for a group of people, what food exactly comes to mind? I guarantee that hot dogs and hamburgers top the list. The notion to purchase these items in bulk contributes to the misconception that these foods do not taste good. The phrase “You get what you pay for” has never applied as much as it does now, as most who purchase in bulk tend to pay low per individual unit. If you seek quality, you will have to drop extra money for it. Hot dogs tend to bear questionable ingredients, but true hamburgers still exist in this world. If you happen to find yourself in Southern California this summer, check out these five places to grab some of the best burgers you will ever have. One bite into these will change the way you look at hamburgers forever.
5. The Federal Bar‘s The Federal Burger
When a brand grows large in popularity and demand, one should expect that brand to expand the reach to a larger scope or audience. For example, Southern California’s own Slater’s 50/50 has recently opened their sixth overall location in the Inland Empire, while Eureka Burger has FINALLY concocted plans to expand into Los Angeles and Orange County. Not too long ago, when The Federal Bar in North Hollywood grew beyond their walls, they first opened up another restaurant right around the corner under the name Bow & Truss. Eventually the demand for Fed Bar grew so much that they had to expand past their little bubble in North Hollywood. As a result, they opened their second location in Downtown Long Beach this past April. Boasting nearly the same menu, The Federal Bar maintains the theme of a prohibition-era federal reserve bank while operating as a full-fledged gastropub. Along with a menu stocked with terrific craft beers, fine wines, and artisanal spirits, The Federal Bar serves up classic gastropub faire with a gourmet spin, which you can fully grasp in their namesake, The Federal Burger. Cooked to order, this burger comes with garlic chips, smoked cheddar, bibb lettuce, black peppercorn aioli, and balsamic onions on a brioche bun. For a manly meal, add some Maple-Glazed Sweet Potato Tots, and order a Pale Ale. The combination of the garlic chips plus the balsamic onions creates a potent yet pleasing taste that unites tart with savory for a contrasting yet balanced finish. Remember that you can order this at both the North Hollywood and Downtown Long Beach locations, so you have no worries about distance, since one of them lies within your reach always!
4. The Bottle Room‘s Uptown Bacon Cheese Burger
More often than not, a hole-in-the-wall joint carries some of the best of the best. These places may not advertise much, but they focus on product quality and great service so that they get more business via repeat customers, but especially word of mouth. Other times, some great places lie way out away from urban sprawl in cities and/or neighborhoods no one would expect. Given today’s stereotype of the common hipster, one would expect trendy places to dine and shop at in cities like Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, Redondo Beach, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, and a lot of other beaches. How often would someone tell you about a trendy place more inland, but not quite to the hills yet? Out in Uptown Whittier, many small-town business owners call Greenleaf Avenue their “Home Away From Home” because of how much the community strives to make it pedestrian-friendly to both locals and travelers. Regardless of the questionable level of safety of the outlying neighborhoods, one cannot deny the small-town charm of Uptown Whittier, especially in a little restaurant & pub known as The Bottle Room. This small and dark restaurant caters to a wide audience with their televisions behind the bar, their drink selection, and their food that they cook out of the smallest kitchen proportional to the dining area. In fact, the bartenders here have more space to move around in than the kitchen staff, which has to share their tiny space with the stewards. Do not allow the small stature of the kitchen fool you, as they can craft some unexpectedly delicious eats with their limited resources. Of particular note, they grill up an Uptown Bacon Cheese Burger with bacon marmalade, cheddar cheese, one big fried onion ring, and barbeque sauce. For best meal results, upgrade your side to their Sweet Potato Fries, which comes with a fried ginger seasoning and garlic aioli dipping sauce. Craft beer enthusiasts will want to pair this meal with an IPA. Skeptical about this place? They have all-day Happy Hour on Sundays, so head on in on Sundays, and bring friends and/or family and treat them to great eats with small-town charm.
3. Grill ‘Em All‘s The Berzerker
What happens when you unleash the fury of heavy metal guitarist & icon Zakk Wylde on the smash & grab heavy metal burgers of Grill ‘Em All? You get a face-smashing off-the-menu special that nobody can consume like any old burger, and this burger has nothing “any old” about it. As this year’s April 20th (4/20) special, the legendary guitarist teamed up with the boys from Grill ‘Em All to create the monsterpiece known as The Berzerker. This mammoth meal contains a half-pound burger over chipotlé ketchup and white truffle pomme frites, which gets topped with thick-cut bacon, cheddar cheese, a giant fried onion ring battered with Eagle Rock Brewery‘s Solidarity, and Hellfire Chili. If Grill ‘Em All carries it, pair this brute with a red ale. On April 20th, 2013, any bloke brave enough to order The Berzerker received their burger with TWO beef patties. Grill ‘Em All still carries The Berzerker as a secret menu item, but only for a limited time, so act fast on it! If you feel bold enough to attempt to conquer The Berzerker in its original form, request it that way when you order. Do not forget to take pictures or video tape it to cement your heavy metal legacy.
2. The Morrison‘s Filet Burger
I curse Panera Bread for a cashier once asking me if I wanted more bread with my bread. How often do you get asked if you want to add more of almost the same thing? For example, what if you ordered a baked potato, then your server asked if you wanted to add some fries to that? Well everyone should limit their bread and carb intake, but that kind of talk belongs to fitness instructors. Needless to say, depending on the situation, sometimes adding more comes with greater benefits. In these cases, they call it an ‘upgrade’ of sorts. To make things different enough so that it does not feel like simply an upgrade, use two different lines of thoughts or products. North of Los Angeles up near Atwater Village, The Morrison has taken traditional Scottish cuisine and added a dash of American insight to create a menu more appealing than just upgrades to the standard American gastropub faire. In addition to Happy Hour seven days a week, The Morrison employs a featured Burger Of The Month. However, they retain the more popular burgers on their standard menu, including their famous Filet Burger. Sitting between a sliced English muffin, port salut cheese gets sandwiched between filet mignon and a thick burger patty seared with marrow butter, which then sits on a bed of coleslaw and remoulade sauce. The menu says the burger comes with fries; however, I did not ever receive fries with my burger. Regardless, I did not come here just for some fries, and neither should you. You should come here for this epic burger with an explosion of meatiness and meat flavor. Words cannot accurately describe how the marrow butter affects the burger patty, but expect a sort of crisp texture from the outside of the patty full of meaty fatty flavor that holds the juice all inside the patty. To cut through all that savoriness, order an Imperial IPA to pair with this burger – if the Morrison does not carry an Imperial IPA, a standard IPA will suffice. The Morrison’s assertive servers will ensure you receive the best food & drinks they can offer. If you can get past the male servers’ Scottish gruffness, you will grow to love this place.
1. The Back Abbey‘s Back Abbey Burger
Any new business owner can dump a lot of money on marketing and public relations. Entrepreneurs need to discover all possible means of getting the brand out to the public, whether free or paid. Using the internet for social networking comes with no monetary cost other than time and research. Using other media may require a cost, such as a local publication, or through the use of a coupon, such as with Groupon or Living Social. However, the marketing and public relations will never matter if the brand does not deliver a product or service that the public crave. The public has to want what the brand has to offer – the marketing simply drives new customers to the brand. In the long run, a great product and/or service will get customers coming back for more, and eventually more customers will come in thanks to word of mouth. Despite a location off on the side of the beaten path, The Back Abbey has long established their legacy as the go-to gastropub for worldly drinks and worldly cuisine that employs international cooking techniques to deliver an unexpected spin on expected dishes. With an old English themed interior, The Back Abbey appeals to all ages with its quaint design, the dimly-lit dining area, the close interpersonal tables, and the unbelievable menu that everyone will want to share. Of course, you want to have your plate to yourself, especially after you take one bite into the Back Abbey Burger. Before I explain what sits on this burger, I have three words: double caramelized onions. Look at that bed of onions beneath the burger. Imagine how juicy, how soft, how sweet and how meaty those onions must feel and taste to hold that burger up. Aged gouda cheese, Niman Ranch bacon, mustard aioli, and micro greens top off this burger, all sandwiched between a sliced brioche bun. I have no idea who came up with this combination of ingredients, but I praise an upper deity for gifting a chef with the knowledge to produce one of the best burgers of all time. No set of words can describe how this all tastes other than the right balance. Each ingredient works harmoniously to contribute towards the big picture of constructing this gold standard of burgers. All burgers come with a side salad, which I suggest eating first since the burger may overwhelm your palate if you have not prepared your palate. As The Back Abbey serves mainly Belgian or European beers, you may not always find an IPA to pair with this burger. Instead, inquire from your server if they carry a Belgian Strong Pale Ale, or anything close to that. You may go as light as a Belgian Golden Ale, but I advise against any beer lighter than that. If you find yourself in the Claremont area, you may feel tempted to visit Eureka Burger or even Beer Belly Deli. Opt to try out The Back Abbey if you have not already gone there. Your friends will feel jealous that you ate from there first.
A Punk, A Camera, and An Empty Stomach 