Elina Shatkin
Lists
Top 10 luxe burgers
Someday culinary anthropologists will recognize that the luxury hamburger is to turn-of-the-century Los Angeles what minimalist sushi was to Manhattan in the 1980s: an iconic representation of a culture shamelessly flaunting its excess.
Originally conceived as a way for cooks to make low-grade meat go farther, the humble hamburger, like many of L.A.’s bohemian neighborhoods, has officially been gentrified. So much so that the hallmarks of the luxury burger have become clichés: a bulging patty made from grade-A beef topped with some combination of Gruyère, blue cheese, caramelized onions, avocado and bacon, then tucked into an artisanal roll and accompanied by an elegant variation on French fries (perhaps herbed and garlicky, perhaps of the sweet potato variety). Despite the swimming-in-caviar aesthetic that luxury burgers imply, these flesh peddlers keep reinventing.
Honorable mention: 25 Degrees, Dakota, Pacific Dining Car and The Bowery.
Not "deluxe" but still so good: Apple Pan, B&R's Old Fashioned Burgers, The Counter, John O’Groats, One Pico at Shutters on the Beach, The Original Pantry Cafe and Pie 'n Burger.
Forget the $22 lobster roll that the restaurant is known for. The best and most budget-friendly item on the menu is the $14 pug burger, a towering hunk of organic Niman Ranch ground beef topped with a wedge of bacon (smoked in-house), blue cheese and avocado, all piled on grilled brioche dressed with aoili and mustard. Accompanying the burger: impossibly thin, impossibly crisp Longley fries, developed by chef de cuisine Kris Longley, who soaks the sliced potatoes overnight in water to create the delicious alchemy.
The granddaddy of the luxury burger was spawned in this gastro pub on Santa Monica's Montana Avenue. Here, you get a burger made from dry-aged beef and topped with caramelized onions, Gruyère, Maytag blue cheese and arugula, set atop a French roll. The place is usually packed to the gills, so it's a good idea to call in an order for pick-up. If you decide to brave the crowds, Father’s Office offers nearly two dozen draft beers on tap.
The “Office Burger” at Father’s Office is one of L.A.’s most coveted indulgences. The recipe for success is elusive although the ingredients are deceptively simple: dry-aged beef topped with caramelized onions, applewood bacon compote, arugula, Gruyère and Maytag blue cheese.
Now this decadent creation can be enjoyed in a much larger space located in the Culver City-adjacent Helms Bakery. Outdoor picnic tables, booths, 72 specialty beers on tap and a full list of cocktails await you; as does Sang Yoon’s promise of an expanded menu.
Any skepticism you may have about celebrity restaurateurs will be allayed with one bite of this restaurant’s signature dish. The celebrity in question is male model Lucky Vanous (of shirtless Diet Coke commercial fame), and the dish is the Kobe bacon blue burger. Customers can choose between the $13.90 Angus version, or, for two bucks more, splurge on the one made with Kobe beef (from cattle raised in Japan on a diet of beer and daily massages). All the burgers come on squishy brioche dressed with aioli. If that’s not enough of an indulgence, order a side of killer mac and cheese and a toasted pecan or chocolate cake shake, both of which are so thick they're best eaten with a spoon.
Sunday is burger night at Neal Fraser’s upscale American restaurant, where the gourmet hamburger is made from prime dry-aged Highland beef and topped with a choice of buttermilk blue, Gruyère or truffle cheese. The accouterments (fries, pickles, ketchup, aioli) are all house-made, including the fleur de sel bun. The cost is $16 for a plain burger, $18 if you want it topped with blue cheese and $21 if you opt for the decadent truffle cheese.
Looking for the perfect burger, concentrated into two bites? Look no further than the sliders at Cut. These miniature mouthfuls will likely upstage any main course you order. Trust us, it's the only burger you'll ever eat that doesn't cry out for ketchup. Or fries. In fact, you could feel positively dainty if only you could eat just one order. Don't worry about the wait for a restaurant reservation. These babies taste even better at the bar.
The restaurant’s $14 pub burger is made from hand-ground organic chuck, adorned with Point Reyes blue cheese and caramelized onions, and served on brioche with a side of onion rings (fries can be ordered separately). Although it lacks the subtle brilliance of the burger at Hungry Cat or Father’s Office, beef lovers will drool at this hunk of meat. Hang out until closing time and you’ll likely catch a glimpse of owner Ben Ford, former proprietor of Chadwick -- and son of actor Harrison Ford. (You can see the resemblance around the eyes.)
This venerable Northern California chain is known for its creative flavor combinations; its local outposts (there are three in So Cal) follow suit. First, you choose your protein: a grilled chicken breast or a beef, turkey, vegetarian or tofu patty. Then you pick a combo like the blackened burger (blackened and dusted with spicy Cajun seasonings), the Milano burger (topped with roasted eggplant, zucchini, jack cheese and tomato pesto sauce), the Popeye burger (garnished with fresh spinach and feta cheese) or the North Beach burger (topped with cheddar cheese, sautéed mushrooms and artichoke hearts), to name a few. Not one of these specialties costs more than $10; the basic Barney’s burger is a mere $6.50.
At Breadbar, starch is the star of the show, so it’s no surprise that they stick to a traditional sesame bun, albeit a high-quality version baked in-house. The $13 Angus beef burger comes with aged cheddar cheese, onion confit, tomatoes, lettuce and house-made ketchup, as well as a side of garlic ginger fries.
Another luxury burger on the low end of the price spectrum, the Nook burger is made from Sterling Silver beef and topped with red-wine-braised onions, baby arugula and Gruyère. It’s served on hearty pain rustique from La Brea Bakery and comes with a choice of fries or mixed greens.
At $11, this Melrose Avenue pub offers one of the least expensive luxury burgers in town. The chuck beef, cooked in a wood-fire grill, arrives on a too-large brioche bun topped with a piece of lettuce and accompanied by a side of balsamic onion relish. Customers can choose among Gruyère, Manchego and blue cheese as toppings. This place gets crowded and doesn’t accept reservations, so arrive early.
