the great quest...part 2

 

So the Great Quest has begun! There are dozens of Top Ten lists for the best burger in LA floating around the interwebs so I decided to pick and choose some of the interesting ones out of the lists. But I also decided to dig deep into the underbelly of the city and find my “El Dorado”… the burger version that it.

Each restaurant has it’s own flair and it’s own charm. It’s hard to gauge each place on a equal playing field since there is so much that goes into the experience of eating. It’s easy to judge the burger alone, but that is only half the fun. It is about ambiance… or lack there of. It is about service. It is about the people who dine there. But most of all, it is about your level of satisfaction when you have devoured the food. In lieu of this, I’ll be putting each burger joint into a category and choosing the best one from each.

There is The Unknown; this is the place right around the corner from you that you pass on the way to work everyday. You may not even know that it is exists, but there is a large and loyal following. The service is good and the people are nice. The only problem is finding anyone who even knows about it.

There is The Hip; this is the place where every skinny jeans wearing cool kid with a sweet haircut goes. They will tell you that this place has, bar-none, the best burger that they have ever had. It probably is good, but since that hipster has sang similar praise about crappy music and horrible films, you are quick to shut down his recommendation.

There is The Dive; this is the place that looks way too dirty for you to go, but there is always a line at lunch so it catches your eye. It may be a little shack on the corner, or a plain looking storefront that has caused you to ignore it and instead go for the McStandard burger. Either way, these are the types of places where magic happens on the grill.

And finally, there is The Fancy; this is the place where you have to make a reservation and put on your snazziest sweater vest. This is the place that your girlfriend may actually order a burger and not her usually salad with the dressing on the side. There will most likely be a valet that will steal your change and waiters who know nothing about the food but will try to sell you their screenplay about a down and out waiter in LA who makes it big after he wins the dancing contest [Ed- hey, I might actually watch that]. But many times these are the places that house the best chefs and the highest quality food.

The first stop on my quest was one of The Unknown, Hole in the Wall Burger Joint. Review will be up soon. Next stop, a one of The Hip. A Santa Monica favorite, The Counter.