The Burger Eater

Chicago Burgers

2010-11-30T12:37:00.000-08:00

(I'll get the experimental stuff out of the way first) Although it's a stated "rule" that any restaurant with a Drive-Thru will not be rated, I'm making this exception simply because... it's White Castle. So many people in LA have only seen the freezer-section-of-their-grocery-store version of this burger, so I figured, "why not give it a Burger Eater's Rating?"

(standard) pickles & onions

Presentation: For a fast-food burger, the Slider is pretty cool. It comes in a little box (pictured below). The box also serves to keep the burger warm.

Taste: Boring. The pickles and onions are basically what your tasting.

Quality: Poor

Variation of ingredients: Even for a fast-food restaurant, the variation here is lacking. Granted, it's a slider not a burger, so this sandwich is really small.

The Burger Eater's Rating: 3 (on a scale of what I would rate other fast-food burgers)

The real rating here is for Fox & Obel's char-grilled cheeseburger, (www.fox-obel.com). Fox & Obel is a high-end market in downtown Chicago. They sell some of the best meats and cheeses I've seen in one place. Think Dean & Deluca. At the back of Fox & Obel is a cafe that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every time I go to Chicago I will eat here. The atmosphere and quality are great.

lettuce, tomato, red onion, white cheddar

Presentation: Pretty standard. Served with fries on a white dinner plate. The bun is the most attractive item on the place.

Taste: I'm not the biggest fan of iceberg lettuce on a burger. It waters down too much of the flavor in the meat and sauces (there are no sauces on this burger). I added some ketchup knowing the sandwich would be a little dry. The white cheddar was subtle.

Quality: The quality of the meat was amazing. It was well prepared (medium-rare) and was juicy and tender. The bun was really fresh and warmed. I can't speak much to the quality of the toppings since they didn't add much flavor.

Variation of ingredients: I would have liked some arugula or romaine instead of iceberg lettuce and a sauce of some kind.

The Burger Eater's Rating: 7

Australia

2010-02-17T16:39:00.000-08:00

This December I had the privilege of reviewing some sandwiches in Australia...

First off, let me say that Australians, as a rule, have a tendency to OVERCOOK all of their meat. It's very difficult to enjoy a sandwich like this since the flavor in the patty is lost and the sandwich in general is more coarse.

Nonetheless, when the burgers are made right, they are comparable to the best out there.

Hayman Island - Hotel burger - All beef patty, bacon, tomatoe, lettuce, caramelized onion sauce, on an onion bun.

This was a great burger to start off with. The meat was tender and the flavors were great.

Presentation: This is how all hotel burgers should be served (don't get me wrong, some of my favorite burgers come from hotel kitchens). This one really looks like it's come out of a commercial... but the picture above is an unphotoshopped imge of what was actually brought out. Big points here.

Taste: The bacon carried most of this sandwich's flavor. The onion bun was a nice touch as well. Not a whole lot of kick from the patty since it was well-done (I ordered medium).

Quality: This burger was clearly a solid winner in terms of quality. All of the ingredients had an organic, pure flavor and texture.

Variation of ingredients: Aside from the bun, the ingredients were pretty standard. A little cheese never hurts... Especially when the meat is overcooked. I quickly learned that this was my American bias towards how meat should be cooked and served.

The Burger Eater's Rating: 8

Stout

2009-12-15T16:29:00.000-08:00

Stout has an awesome selection of burgers and micro-brews from around Southern California. Truly an impressive location and hang-out environment for any night of the week.

Whenever there's a huge selection of burgers it's sometimes overwhelming. In some cases, if we're tasting with a large enough group, we'll order a few different sandwiches and split everything. I came here with one other Burger Eater and we ended up eying the same thing: the Shu Burger.

chipotle sauce, light bell pepper, and pepper jack cheese

(I love spicy)

Presentation: Stout likes to keep it simple, and I like that. No frills with the delivery, which basically means you get exactly what you want. If you're expecting fries, don't. You'll have to order those separately.

Taste: Strong but not overwhelming spiciness. If you're looking for a classic burger go elsewhere. The cheese and sauces compliment each other nicely, but this detracts a bit from the taste of the meat.

Quality: Ingredients were of a decent quality. Nothing fancy or sub-par. I'd say it's slightly above the average quality level of most burgers, especially in the under $10 price range.

Variation of ingredients: This is the kicker... They have so many different combinations of exotic ingredients on the menu that deciding which burger to get was the most difficult eating decision I've made in a while. Bravo!

The Burger Eater's Rating: 9.5

Taste

2009-12-08T20:37:00.000-08:00

Taste's 8 ounce kobe beef cheese burger comes close to a big win, but falls short.

Ingredients: Onion Jam, Organic Arugula, Tomato, Sesame Bun,
Choice of Gorgonzola, Aged White Cheddar, Goat Cheese

The burger I'll be reviewing includes aged white cheddar.

Presentation: the Kobe burger comes stacked reasonably high with a side of shaved fried potatoes. The fries drew most of my attention, but the burger looked amazing.

Taste: Most of the flavor cam from the onion jam but the dry, heavy bun diffused most of the other tastes.

Quality: All ingredients were fresh. The meat quality was practically as good as it gets - very tender, and juicy.

Variation of ingredients: Besides the bun, the burger is comprised of the same basic ingredients as the Father's Office Burger. However, this burger falls short on taste and is nearly twice as expensive.

Burger Eater's Rating: 7.5

Houston's

2009-11-24T18:43:00.000-08:00

Houston's is one of my favorite places for French Dip. It's a great chain of restaurants that serves American classic food. Until last night I hadn't tried the burger, but it came so highly recommended by readers that I had to bring it to the top of the list.

Houston's offers three different burgers - The Cheeseburger, The California Burger, and The Hickory Burger.

I'll be reviewing The Cheeseburger and The California Burger.

The Cheeseburger:

Fresh-ground chuck with Cheddar, tomato, lettuce and onion on a house-made bun

This sandwich represents the American classic cheeseburger. If your looking for an all-around tasty, no frills burger this may very well be your best option (in the LA area).

Presentation: Served open-face, The Cheeseburger displays all of its fresh ingredients.

Taste: the charbroiled patty basically melts in your mouth. All the flavors just seem to make sense. There's nothing surprising or outrageous.

Quality: you get what you pay for with this one. For 15 smackers you get a great quality cheeseburger.

Variation of ingredients: Romain lettuce may have been a better chTasoice over iceberg. Again, with a classic like this it's hard to go wrong.

Burger Eater's Rating: 8

The California Burger:

Fresh-ground chuck with melted jack, avocado, arugula and red onion

Presentation: The California Burger is also served open-face. It appeared a bit thrown-together, especially how the avocado just rested there in attached slices.

Taste: If you like avocado, you will love this burger. It's not an overwhelming ingredient but it very nicely compliments the melted jack and the tenderness of the meat.

Quality: The ingredients in this burger are the same caliber of The Cheeseburger. The homemade bun tastes great.

Variation of ingredients: This sandwich really does encapsulate some of the essence of So Cal taste - a bit spicy with some avocado to balance extremities.

Burger Eater's Rating: 8.5

Kogi burger = Pacman

2009-11-15T19:05:00.000-08:00

Kogi is a chain of mobile/catering-truck restaurants in So Cal. They primarily serve Korean style Mexican food like tacos and burritos. This week Kogi is offering the Pacman - a burger based on some of the core ingredients featured in their other offered items.

Warning: the truck line can cost you up to 2 hours of time. It took 90 minutes for this one...

Two different salsas, beef, chicken, pork, sesame mayo, lettuce, and jack and cheddar cheeses

Presentation: Pacman is presented in the shape of our favorite round and yellow video game character. It's playful and also gives a sneak peak of the ingredients.

Taste: the flavors in Pacman are unique. From start to finish each bite has it's own unique taste. Sometimes you'll get a spicy bite, sometimes sweet. I've never had a burger that tasted quite like this one.

Quality: Not impressed with the quality in Pacman but when you're ordering a burger from a truck there's not much you should be expecting. I wasn't looking for gourmet ingredients... just a tasty burger. I would have liked a better quality bun. It tasted like store-bought sesame... very generic, bland, and dry.

Variation of ingredients: a clear winner in this category. Pacman offers a mixture of Mexican, Asian, and American ingredients for a creative concoction.

Burger Eater's Rating: 8.5

The Counter

2009-11-11T15:44:00.000-08:00

The Counter is a 22 store international franchise based out of LA county. They're becoming well known for their custom burgers. The concept at The Counter is to build your own burger to taste from the following listing of ingredients:

This review is of a 2/3 lb. beef burger, with Tillamook Cheddar, grilled onions, honey cured bacon, peppercorn steak sauce, on a regular hamburger bun.

At first glance the burger is intimidating. It's stacked high with the add-ons. It becomes immediately obvious that the sandwich is not going to be easy to eat. In fact, it's probably the hardest burger to keep from falling apart while eating.

Presentation: The massive stack is cool looking. However, this approach can easily become overkill. I saw several burgers in the restaurant that measured close to a foot high... That's just ridiculous. It's going to lose points due to the fact that it kept falling apart and out of my hands. If I wanted to eat cut up pieces of a sandwich I would have gone to Costco for some free samples.

Taste: The sandwich as a whole tasted great. The cheese was tasty, the meat was tender, the steaksauce was awesome. The bacon and grilled onions were pretty standard.

Quality: High quality ingredients all around. I was impressed.

Variation of ingredients: Obviously this place is a winner in this field. I've never seen so many options. If you think about it, there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of different types of burgers that can be created from the available ingredients.

Note: They need different bun sizes scaled for different amounts of toppings and different patty weights. If the bun was larger this would have scored a higher rating. I recommend sticking with a small patty if you like eating with your hands.

Burger Eater's Rating: 7.5

The 3rd Stop

2009-11-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

The 3rd Stop is a great place to hang out with friends and meet new people. It's a laid back environment with a friendly staff and a huge selection of micro-brewed beers. Much to my surprise, The 3rd Stop has one of the best burgers in the LA area as well - the Kobe Burger.

The Kobe Burger is served on a warm egg bun with provolone cheese, arugula, and a secret sauce. Additional side sauces can be ordered. The sandwich comes with a side of salty fries and I highly recommend trying some of the available beers - there are dozens to choose from - as well as the Nutella Pizza for dessert.

My favorite features of the Kobe Burger are the tenderness of the meat, and the flavor of the bun. The cheese offered almost no enhancement to the flavor or texture, and that was my greatest disappointment. The addition of some of the optional sauces is key. Pick one or two that fit your taste and start dipping or spreading.

Presentation: The burger is brought to you in classic deli form, with a large toothpick to keep things together. This category didn't stand out, but we were sitting outside with dim lighting, so the key for this rating is going to come from the other measurements.

Taste: With the sweet chili sauce this burger competes with the best of them for taste. Standard, the sandwich is lacking in this field.

Quality: Probably as good as it can get. The quality of meat is superb and the bun seems to be home-made.

Variation of ingredients: The fact that you can choose from a multitude of sauces sets this burger apart from many others. It allows you to pick your favorite flavors and mix and match.

Burger Eater's Rating: 9

Umami Burger

2009-10-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

Umami is defined as, "a pleasant savoury taste imparted by glutamate, a type of amino acid, and ribonucleotides, including inosinate and guanylate, which occur naturally in many foods including meat, fish, vegetables and dairy products."

Last night we dined at the La Brea Umami Burger in Los Angeles. Umami Burger serves a plethora of different flavor-themed sandwiches.

For this tasting I was accompanied by my fellow burger-eater, Michael, and an authentic Hamburger, Lisa (see post). I'll be posting these esteemed individuals' reviews before declaring my own:

Michael -

Always a conservative, I went for the classic Umami burger. A rich, greasy patty topped with a parmesan crisp, roasted tomato, shiitake mushrooms and onion. It definitely lived up to the reputation as a great new burger in town, but I have to say, for all this hype about being "the newly discovered sixth flavor" or whatever Umami is, it just tasted like a good burger with good toppings. Supposedly, the roasted vegetable heightens one's awareness of that umami taste, but even that didn't do much. The homemade ketchup was interesting (in a good way), but the side dishes (both the fries and the "tempura" onion rings) were inexcusably bland.

Lisa the "Hamburger" -

The hamburger that spoke to me on the menu was the "Hatch Burger." It
was prepared medium rare (as all burgers should be), with cheese and
four different types of chiles. All the flavors were right on point,
I just wish it would have been a little spicy. Otherwise there were
no complaints about this burger. It was definitely my favorite among
to the Umami, Truffle, and Casablanca burgers. As for the fries and
onion rings, I'm going to have to disagree with MIchael. Because the
burgers already have so much going on, I don't think the fries and
onion rings need much seasoning.

Umami Burger (pictured above)

We ordered four burgers total and ended up splitting all of them, taking short breaks in between each bite.

I'll be reviewing these burgers individually instead of placing a blanket rating on the entire establishment.

Umami Burger: A smooth texture and refreshing flavor makes this burger a good place to start (if trying more than one variation). The grilled onions, fried Parmesan cheese, grilled shiitake mushrooms and an oven dried tomato may make this burger the "standard" at Umami, but it stands out when comparing the sandwich to the rest of the burger world.

The Burger Eater's Rating: 8

Hatch Burger: This one is great. It offers just the right amount of spicy (cooked with 4 different types of green chilies). As with all the burgers at Umami, the quality of ingredients is superb.

The Burger Eater's Rating: 9.5

Casablanca Burger: Ingredients include a lamb patty, pickled apricots, and pomegranate aioli. The taste of the lamb was a nice change, but not what you're looking for to fulfill serious burger cravings.

The Burger Eater's Rating: 7 (more points were granted for variation of ingredients)

Truffle Burger: The Italian truffle cheese and truffle glaze set this one apart. I'm a big fan of almost anything truffle, so I was excited for this one. I was a bit disappointed that the truffle flavor didn't stand out as much as I expected. Nonetheless, the burger was tasty and the texture was great.

The Burger Eater's Rating: 8

Here are some images of the burgers.

Johnny Rockets

2009-10-26T22:11:00.000-07:00

Johnny Rockets is a franchised burger joint located in about 25 states (on a good day). During my last visit there I had a Rocket Double.

Let's start with presentation: Eh. You're not expecting much since you're either taking this puppy to go or eating it at the faux-fifties counter. On the other hand, for 10 bucks you might expect it to be a little more neatly put together. The thing is greasy and accoutrement hang out from all angles.

Taste: Good. The meat has a unique taste but I think a lot more flavor would be had if it were charbroiled.

Quality: Nothing special. For 10 bucks it's probably lacking here. I don't see more quality in this sandwich than in a, say, In n' Out burger (at 3 or 4 dollars).

Variation of ingredients: Standard ingredients. Nothing sets the Double Rocket apart from others.

Burger Eater's Rating: 4

Save your money. At 10 bucks you'd be better off satisfying your burger cravings with a high-quality, less greasy burger.

Nutritional Info

Father's Office

2009-10-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

Aside from a great atmosphere and a powerful offering of So Cal micro-brews, Father's Office (Los Angeles) serves one of the best burgers in LA. The fellow burger eaters and I made our way down there last night after a grueling close to the Dodgers' baseball season. We made our way to the bar (there's no table service) to place our order.

The Burger:

The Office Burger (Dry Aged Beef) caramelized onion, applewood bacon compote, gruyere, matag blue cheese and arugula. The burger is offered with a side of fries (skinny), which I ordered.

The Office Burger is brought to your first-come-first-serve table (if you can find one). The use of a French roll can throw you off, but don't let it. It's soft and chewy just like it should be. Sometimes French rolls get crunchy and can actually scrape the roof of your mouth... this simply isn't the case here.

Taste: great flavors in the tender, medium cooked meat. The real flavor comes from their caramelized onion and bacon sauce. The arugula is nice and doesn't take away from the soft texture of the sandwich nor does it distract you from the subtle flavors in the cheese and meat.

*A fellow burger eater recommended dipping this one into the white sauce that comes with the fries.

Quality: Excellent... no compromises.

Presentation: Nothing special. If you're sitting outside they'll bring the burger to you in a basket packed with fries.

Creativity/Variation of Ingredients: I think this is where The Office Burger really shines. It's not a standard burger. It's a special treat that should only be enjoyed on special occasions (like the end of a great Dodgers season). The sauce and cheese make The Office Burger a unique choice.

The Burger Eater's Rating: 9

Expect to pay: $10-15 (depends on how many of the micro-brews you want to try)

Ingredients:

French Roll
Ground Sirloin
Bleu Cheese
Applewood Smoked Bacon
Grilled Onions (plain)
Arugula

Nutrition Facts:

Amount per Serving

Calories 859

Calories from Fat 386

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 40.18g

62%

Saturated Fat 12.25g

61%

Monounsaturated Fat 3.5g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.5g

Cholesterol 250mg

83%

Sodium 558.3mg

23%

Total Carbohydrate 32.78g

11%

Dietary Fiber 1.51g

Sugars 3g

Protein 77.33g

155%

Vitamin A	4.95
Vitamin C	2.64
Calcium	2
Iron	1.66

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat 42.1% Carbs 15.3%

Protein 36.0%

The First Victim

2009-10-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we'll be rating one of my personal favorites, the Father's Office burger. I've had the pleasure of enjoying this one once before - it's a gourmet-type sandwich with all sorts of fancy ingredients (but no fancy ketchup). There is one catch to the Father's Office burger: it can't be altered or ordered in any customizable fashion. Besides, who would be ruthless enough to change something so perfect?

Father's Office Rules:

You must be at least 21 years of age with a valid identification to enter Father's Office.
We do not accept reservations. For private party information, contact us at info@fathersoffice.com or call 310 899 6040
We do not provide table service.

The Doughnut Burger

2009-10-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

This video brings to light a typical doughnut burger. I've never had one myself, but I'd like to get your thoughts on how this may change burger eating for the rest of us.

Hamburgers - A History

2009-10-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

I think it's important for us to understand the root of our burger desires. The hamburger originated from... no... not Europe, but Mongolia. The Khan armies of the 13th Century had few options in terms of the foods they were able to eat during their conquests. Ultimately, it became a matter of necessity for the Mongolians (or as the City Wok owner in South Park would say, "Mongorrrrians") to prepare mobile meals. This lead to a minced meat patty creation that the Mongolians would place between their saddle and their horse. The meat was flattened and consumed raw at the Mongolians' leisure.

Eventually the Mongolian army made its way to Russia where they adapted the concept into a steak tartar (pictured below).

Today's concept of a hamburger didn't develop until the early 19th century. As you probably guessed, our most favorite food gets its name from the city of Hamburg, Germany. I wonder if I could get away with calling someone from Hamburg a hamburger... That would be sweet.

The hamburger of today was served to immigrants at Ellis Island. It was quick, cheap, and provided the travelers with critical nutrients and protein.

An Introduction

2009-10-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

This blog is dedicated to all of you burger eaters out there who are looking for reviews, ratings, and official taste tests. There are a few rules we need to establish before moving forward - after all, it is a small circle of refined gentle-people that can truly appreciate a fine meat sandwich, and our rights need to be protected. This brings me to my first rule:

#1 - Veggie Burgers - NO! This is not the forum for veggie burgers. A hamburger, as defined by Princeton, is, "a sandwich consisting of a fried cake of minced beef(...)"

#2 - Fast Food - fast food burgers fall under a special category during our ratings and reviews. It's not everyday that we have the luxury of dining at a sit-down burger joint. Due to the realities and practicalities of life we must entertain the option of drive-thrus and the like.

#3 - Try new things - there's no such thing as "too much", "too little", "ew". Open your heart and try a new combination of ingredients.

#4 - You are what you eat - Quality is key here. We'll be basing much of our scaling system (1 to 10) on the meat and general ingredient quality.

We hope you enjoy!

*We reserve the right to alter these rules without any previous notification to you or other blog subscribers.