‘Burgers’

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The Valley Goes Gourmet with Laurel Tavern

September 9th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

From here it looks like any other burger.

Gourmet burgers and their associated gastropubs have been predominantly the domain of LA’s greater west side.  Father’s Office, Umami Burger, Comme Ca and The Foundry all have roots on the west-ish side.  So when I heard Laurel Tavern in Studio City was not only a gastropub, but had a burger worth writing home about, I was surprised.  Gourmet burger?  In the wretched valley?  I had to try it out.  And try I did.  More than once.  You see, Laurel Tavern is not the easiest place to get into.  Not because of some dress code or something stupid like that, but because they simply have an extremely small space.  On weekends, it’s nearly impossible to get in unless you show up mid-afternoon.  But when I heard some friends were going on Labor Day, I felt my odds were pretty good and I ventured out to Ventura Boulevard. Continue Reading»

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A Trip for Taste Buds at DMK Burger Bar

August 12th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Burger or mac and cheese? Can't it be both?

Thanks to @waldocent for the guest post.  Check out his website here.

The last time I was in Chicago, about three years ago, the only thing on my mind was pizza, pizza, and more pizza. However, on my most recent visit it was all about the beef. Burgers, of course.

I arrived in Chicago from Los Angeles at 7 in the morning after no sleep, because this wasn’t some ordinary red-eye. You see, I had a four hour layover in Las Vegas, where I left the airport, watched the fountain show at the Bellagio, placed $20 on black and WON while slurping down a few cocktails before returning to the airport, only to realize that I forgot to do one of the most essential things: EAT. So upon my arrival to Chicago, I declared to the only person listening — my cousin Jesica — that this wasn’t just a trip for me, but also my taste-buds and, to that, Jesica and many others directed me to a burger joint called DMK Burger Bar. Continue Reading»

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Breaking the Hamburger Habit

August 8th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Stop scaring me, pickles.

Over in West LA, there is a burger place called Hamburger Habit.  As I habitually consume burgers, the place sounded just perfect for me.  The exterior of the joint loudly displays an award given to it by KABC as the best burger in Southern California.  The interior is also full of awards, but unfortunately the most recent date back to the Clinton Administration.  Still, I wanted to know what all the fuss was about.  Did Hambuger Habit start churning out terrible burgers or did they just get left in the dust by newer LA burgers? Continue Reading»

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Rocks Your Socks

August 4th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Pickle me this, pickle me that.

When striving to live the high life, there is nothing better than a good, honest unvegan meal at a tasty price. In Chicago, and I imagine in all other major metropolitan areas, knowledge of the specials around town allows us to fulfill our unvegan needs without crippling the budget, especially on weeknights.

On Wednesdays, Rocks, a bar with very good burgers and locations in Lincoln Park and Lakeview, has a special of $5.00 burgers and $5.00 24 oz. beers. The latter is a distinction in which I differ a little bit from some other unvegans. When I am eating, my first choice for accompanying beverage is cola and my second choice is water. As I tend to eat really fast, I really don’t like consuming alcohol with my food. Continue Reading»

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OK Burger at Oak Street Beach Cafe

July 27th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Veggies on the side means some sad fish tacos.

Once again, here’s a guest blog courtesy of @RGSpiegel.

This week, one of my good friends is on a week-long staycation as she transitions in between jobs. Knowing that I set my own hours, she asked me if I wanted to go to the beach. Given that it was 85 and sunny with a slight breeze, she didn’t have to twist my arm too hard to take some time off from blogging late on a Monday morning. Continue Reading»

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A Birthday Burger at Comme Ça

July 26th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Well, it is melty...

Ever since I conceived of the notion of a to-eat list, Comme Ça (pronounced comb-eh sah) has resided on that list.  The reason is because once upon a time, Jane Sigal of the New York Times called The Comme Ça Burger “perfect.”  That is no small claim and no small publication.  But how would it fare against my unvegan palette?  Would it crumble to the ground and beg for mercy like the Father’s Office Burger or would it leaving me begging for more like Umami Burger?  I hoped it would be the latter. Continue Reading»

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A Personal Burger at Irv’s

July 14th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Pretty fancy.

Legend tells of a burger shack in West Hollywood.  This legend says that this burger place has been around since 1950, but retains everything that made it great in that bygone era, with at least one great enhancement.  This place is Irv’s Burgers and the enhancement is a little something special for every customer.  This something special is that rather than giving you a number, the people behind Irv’s draw a little picture of you on your plate so they know who to bring each burger out to.  This makes Irv’s a refreshing gem in the middle of the fast-paced cafes and generic boutiques of West Hollywood. Continue Reading»

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I Choo Choo Choose You

July 7th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

What an apt description.

Located just south of President’s on Highway 53 in Superior, Wisconsin, is a restaurant in a box car.  I’m not sure how, but it somehow got the name of Choo Choo Bar & Grill.  Although it is plenty old, it seems that Choo Choo has been renovated recently and has the look of a new dive bar that will not look new for very long.  And if anyone knows how to test out the food of a dive bar, it’s this guy. Continue Reading»

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Nothing Inferior About Superior Meats

July 6th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

So much bratwurst.

In this wonderful planet that we live in, there are few greater meccas of meat than Northern Wisconsin.  After all, you’re not going to survive that winter on lettuce and kale.  Yet, while shrines to meat are all over this mecca, the true Kaaba of Northern Wisconsin is Superior Meats.  Located in the heart of Superior, Wisconsin, on Tower Street, the place is not in the most ideal location for someone like me looking to grill at Amnicon Falls, but like any meat pilgrimage, the journey to Superior Meats is well-worth it. Continue Reading»

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Lab Meat

June 29th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Moo!

I’ve reported on on in-vitro meat before, and now it seems that dream of death-less meat is closer than ever.  According to the Times of India, this lab meat could even be ready in a year.  Yeah, that’s pretty soon.  Apparently the key is stem cells. Continue Reading»

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Going Global at Plan Check

Fries of the world.

A couple of weeks ago, The Backyard Bite invited me to The Burger Culture Clash, sponsored by Stussy (which apparently still exists) and Plan Check. Plan Check, by the way, is a sort of new (since February) restaurant in West LA with Chef Ernesto Uchimura of Umami Burger fame. As my love of burgers, especially those of the umami variety, I jumped at the opportunity.

Although I arrived alone, I was not the only lone eater. Just next to where I was seated, I met e*star LA and we decided to share a meal called loneliness, because it’s better than eating alone. We made quick friends over our respective blogs and Midwestern roots, then got to work at dissecting the special menu, which Plan Check will be featuring for the next month if anything tickles your fancy.

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Mmm marbly.

What is this?»

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