FOOD REVIEW: Blue Dog Beer Tavern (Sherman Oaks, CA)

Exterior of the Blue Dog Beer Tavern

Twice-fried french fries with a bacon cheese burger

Vertical view of bacon cheeseburger and fries

As I continue my exploration of the best burgers in Los Angeles I was dragged into the valley for a plant-related errand by the husband so we decided to check out Blue Dog Beer Tavern in Sherman Oaks. Blue Dog Beer Tavern was mentioned in the now seminal LA Weekly article 30 Burger n 30 Days.

I had the Blue Dog Burger (Grilled Mushrooms, Bacon and Caramelized Onions topped with Swiss Cheese and Root Beer Bourbon BBQ sauce; price: $12) with the House Fries. Both were absolutely excellent.

The burger was medium-rare, perfectly juicy and well-maintained with a large toothpick through each half. The fries were crunchy (probably twice-fried), with the skin-on and maintained their temperature well. They went well with the BBQ sauce (provided on the side) or the basic ketchup provided.

The Other Half had The Burger with Cheese, $10 which he also enjoyed. If you're ever in the Sherman Oaks area near where the 405 intersects with the 101 I strongly recommend you stop by and have a burger at the Blue Dog Beer Tavern.

Name: Blue Dog Beer Tavern.

Location: 4524 Saugus Avenue, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403.

Contact: 818-990-2583.

Visit: May 30, 2011.

AMBIANCE: B+.

SERVICE: A-.

VALUE: A-. 

FOOD: A. 

OVERALL: A- (3.667/4.0). 

FOOD REVIEW: Go Burger (Hollywood, Los Angeles)

Exterior of Go Burger at Sunset & Vine

Vidalia onion rings

"duck fat fries"

my burger, with the lovely slaw and superfluous pickle

inside of my burger, with delightful bits of bacon showing

My ongoing quest to find the best burgers in Los Angeles lead me to Go Burger in Hollywood, recently. This is actually the second time I am writing this review. My first review was lost in the great Blog apocalypse of May12, 2011 which initially deleted my published review of Lazy Ox Canteen and erased my draft review of Go Burger.

 Go Burger resembles Juicy Burger (see review) and The Counter (see review) in that it is the kind of place where they have a number of set burgers but you can also select your own ingredients and design your own.

I decided to have the BLT (Double Smoked Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, BLT Burger Sauce, $11) and splurge on the fries cooked in duck fat. The person I was eating lunch with had the "Make it a Philly!" Smashed Burger (with Griddled Onions, Peppers, Pickled Jalapeños and Melted Provolone, $12) and the Vidalia Onion Rings. On the advice of the LA Weekly article "30 Burgers in 30 Days" I purposefully selected a relatively simple burger and was interested in the duck-fat fries.

It turned out that the burger was excellent, while the fries were disappointing. The onion rings were also incredible. The fries sounded better than they tasted. They ended up being somewhat soggy and not very flavorful while the onion rings were delightfully crunchy with and  relatively sweet. Another surprise was the cole slaw that was delivered with the burgers--it was also excellent. I am never fan of something other than ketchup being used to dip onion rings or fries into, but the buttermilk ranch dressing on the side was pretty good, especially with the onion rings!

The price point of Go Burger appears to be slightly higher than either Juicy Burger or The Counter but the burger seemed to also be of higher quality. It was still not as flawless as the Lazy Ox Canteen burger but I would rank it a close second to all the burgers I have eaten recently. I would definitely go back to Go Burger, to order the onion rings and try out one of their other burgers or put together one of my own design realizing that this could end up pretty pricey when cheese toppings (Vermont cheddar, American, Provolone, Monterey Jack) are $1 each and premium toppings (Blue cheese Gruyere, grilled onions, Bacon, sliced avocado, madeira mushrooms, fried egg, homemade chili, grilled red peppers) are $1.50.

Overall, Go Burger well deserves its place on the list of outstanding burgers in Los Angeles.

Name: Go Burger.

Location: 6290 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028.

Contact: 323-327-9355.

Visit: May 9, 2011.

AMBIANCE: A-.

SERVICE: A-.

VALUE: B+.

FOOD: A-. 

OVERALL: A- (3.583/4.0). 

FOOD REVIEW: Lazy Ox Canteen (Downtown Los Angeles)

exterior of The Lazy Ox Canteen

shell-on roasted fava beans, $5

yellow tail crudo w/ scallion, grapefruit & papaya salad, $14

8 oz. lazy ox burger with cantal cheese & green peppercorn mustard, $14

seared fijian albacore with lentils, pickled apple, oregano & bacon, $18

chocolate pate, $8

butterscotch pudding, $8

Recently, MadProfessah and The Other Half finally made it back to Lazy Ox Canteen, a hot restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. We went for the first time following the Los Angeles Times food reviewer S. Irene Virbila's now-famous rave review:

Lazy Ox Canteen is poised to become the restaurant of the moment. Partners Michael Cardenas and Centeno have made all the right moves. The place has an edgy energy, a cozy, casual interior with huge bare filament bulbs swaying from the ceiling and wood-clad walls, a seriously great wait staff and a wildly interesting crowd. Not to mention Centeno's deliriously inventive cooking, all at affordable prices.

I'm torn. I'd like to keep the place an insider's secret. I like being able to decide, that night, to head over to San Pedro Street for dinner and being able to get in. That's about to change. In the future, reservations are probably going to need to be made well in advance, I'm sorry to say.

We returned again this year on the same day (a birthday) and although the amazing fried chicken was not available (it typically sells out in the first hour of dinner service),we still had a stunning meal.

We started with the shell-on roasted fava beans and the yellow tail crudo with scallions, grapefruit & papaya salad. I was not happy with the fava beans. The shells were very tough and the flavor of the fava beans themselves is an acquired taste. The yellowtail salad looked more impressive than it tasted, because for $14 there should have been at least twice or thrice as much raw yellowtail. The salad looked great and was quite crunchy and piquant. But overall, it felt like a game of hide and seek looking for the crudo.

 The next item was the seared fijian albacore with lentils, pickled apple, oregano & bacon ($18). This is an incredible dish with the only bad thing that one can say about it is that there's not enough of it. It is actually an ample serving of absolutely delicious very rare albacore tuna combined with a sweet, crunchy, savory and salty mix. A must-order, in my book.

The pièce de résistance, however, was the $14 Lazy Ox cheese burger, which was produced with square cut fries and a green peppercorn mustard. The burger was cooked to perfection, exceptionally juicy with just a hint of pinkness and bursting with flavor. The fresh toppings of greens, tomato and melted cheese were kept attached to the burger through the use of a large wooden toothpick, maintaining a breathtakingly balanced burger. At first bite, both of us said "Wow! That's a good burger." Then you bite into the fries which remain quite hot for an astonishingly long time, and are amazed at how delightfully crunchy they are. The only downside of the Lazy Oxy burger and fries is the inclusion of the green peppercorn mustard. I have a strong belief tat the optimal condiment for fries is a simple ketchup and the green peppercorn mustard, although interestingly spicy, is a bit too fancy and fussy.

But, wait, there's more! For dessert we ordered the butterscotch pudding and the chocolate pâté, both of which were absolutely amazing. It's hard to choose between the two, but as a moist, very chocolatey dessert their "chocolate pate" was excellent, especially at $8.

I hope that it doesn't take another year before I return to Lazy Ox Canteen, and that they will still have these desserts on the menu, as well as the albacore and the signature burger. The service was attentive and the prices generally reasonable. Although the dining room itself is very loud when the place gets packed, a meal at Lazy Ox Canteen is one you will remember with pleasure for a long time afterwards.

Name: Lazy Ox Canteen.

Location: 1241 South San Pedro Street Los Angeles, CA 90012-3808.

Contact: 213-626-5299.

Visit: April 26, 2011 (and April 26, 2010).

AMBIANCE: B+.

SERVICE: A-.

VALUE: A. 

FOOD: A+. 

OVERALL: A (3.917/4.0). 

FOOD REVIEW: Juicy Burger (Los Feliz/Griffith Park in Los Angeles)

The exterior of Juicy Burger, at 1820 N. Vermont, Los Angeles, CA 90027

interior of Griffith Park/Los Feliz Juicy Burger

burger and fries

Not on many lists of the best burgers in Los Angeles is Juicy Burger. However, it is often mentioned in the list of good late night dining spots in the Hollywood area. MadProfessah has long been interested in exploring excellent burgers in multiple cities, and I have taken a position (in favor of the latter) in the forthcoming In-N-Out versus Five Guys burger wars.

Juicy Burger has a very similar approach to burgers as The Counter (see MadProfessah review); you get to select the size of your burger (1/3 lb. or 1/2 lb.), then select your bun (lettuce, ciabatta bread, fresh bun), select free toppings (mustard, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, red onions, mayonnaise, 1000 island dressing and dill pickles) and then add cheese (American cheese, cheddar, Monterey jack, blue cheese) for $.75 and premium toppings (caramelized onions, fried egg, sliced jalapenos, green chile, guacamole, onion strings, bacon strips, grilled pineapple, grilled spinach, sauteed mushrooms). You can also add premium sauces (buttermilk ranch, chipotle mayo, chipotle ketchup, garlic mayo, barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce) for $.50.
You can also get fries (with one free sauce) for $2.50. The place is very small, not much more than a counter, but there is whole seating section outside if you want to eat your burger right there.

Overall, I was somewhat disappointed with Juicy Burger. The fries were more remarkable than the burger. I ordered the 1/3 burger with a regular bun with the free toppings of lettuce, tomato and dill pickles, cheddar cheese and two premium toppings of bacon and caramelized onions I ordered it medium-rare but it appeared to be closer to medium-well (no pink left at all). It was also sort of dry and the bun seemed a bit excessive so I took off one half of it. The bacon was well-done (how can bacon ever be bad?) and the onions were excellent but overall the burger seemed excessive, and not well-balanced like the almost-identical burger I ordered at The Counter a few weeks before. However, unlike at The Counter, Juicy Burger's fries were excellent! Very crunchy, and not overly salty. For $2.50, the "small fries" were a decent portion. However, it is always my position that the best topping for fries is plain, simple ketchup (or catsup) and the chipotle ketchup was the closest option but this is still an inferior option (plus I had to go back to the store to pick up my sauce because I had ordered take-out and the first time they gave me my food without a sauce.

I would strongly recommend going to The Counter for their burgers but definitely check out Juicy Burger for their fries. Even though the burger at The Counter was more expensive, I felt that it was a better value and a higher quality dining experience. It's possible that some of Juicy Burger's classic burgers might be a better deal, but there a lot more burgers I want to try first before I give Juicy Burger a second chance.

Name: Juicy Burger.

Location: 1820 N. Vermont, Los Angeles, CA 90027.

Contact: 323-660-1211.

Visit: April 27, 2011.

AMBIANCE: B-.

SERVICE: A-.

VALUE: B+.

FOOD: A-.

OVERALL: A- (3.417/4.0). 

FOOD REVIEW: The Counter (Pasadena, CA)

1/3 lb burger with Tillamook cheddar, applewood smoked bacon,
dill pickle chips, lettuce and tomato, with a single order of fries and ranch dressing dip

interior of The Counter in Pasadena, showing streaming

The counter at The Counter

As readers of this blog know, I regularly check out burger joints (see my reviews of Five Guys Burgers and Ray's Hell Burger) I had heard about the burgers at The Counter for awhile but only realized recently that there was a location relatively close to me, in Pasadena just off Lake Avenue. Apparently it's been open since September 2009. Part of the reason why it may have gone unnoticed is that is on Shoppers Lane, a very small street parallel to Lake Avenue but "behind" a number of storefronts. In fact, The Counter is now occupying the space where Radhika's Indian Restaurant (which moved to South Pasadena) was for years.

The Counter's shtick is that you build your own burger (similar to Juicy Burger which I intend to check out in the near future) with fresh, tasty ingredients. At The Counter you can have your burger made out of beef, turkey, chicken, "veggie" or the "market selection." You can have it in sizes of 1/3 lb, 2/3 lb or 1 lb and have it on a bun or in a bowl. The number of options is actually pretty overwhelming. You get 1 cheese choice for free, then 4 free cheap toppings then as many premium toppings (like bacon, sauteed mushrooms, guacamole) for $1 each. The price point is clearly intended to be greater than the fast food burger joints In-n-Out and Five Guys which get a significant fraction of their customers who order the burgers to take out and eat later.

The Counter is more like a diner which specializes in burgers. I ordered a 1/3 beef burger on a hamburger bun, with Tillamook cheddar, Dill pickle chips, Bermuda red onion, tomatoes and lettuce blend. I added applewood smoked bacon as my premium topping. The helpful waiter told me that they generally cook all their burgers with pink in the center (medium rare). I also ordered a single order of fries and selected one of the sauces (Country Buttermilk Ranch) from the over two-dozen possibilities. I wasn't sure what to do with the sauce. I asked the waiter f it was for the burger or the fries and he said "both." I poured mine on the lettuce and tomato in my bun.

The burger was excellent, with all the ingredients I ordered blending to make a pretty spectacular burger. The fries were serviceable, but nothing to write home about. I'd say they were better than average, better than Five Guys but probably not as good as In-n-Out fries. Fries to me are important, because I really see the meal as "burger-n-fries." The fries at The Counter do not detract from the burger but do not overwhelm the burger either, which happens at many burger joints. At The Counter almost anyone can select a burger of their choice that they will enjoy; I intend to return several times and try out different combinations in order to discover the perfect burger for me.

Name: The Counter
Location: 140 Shoppers Lane, Pasadena, CA 91101.
Contact: 626-440-1008.
Visit: April 16, 2011.

AMBIANCE: B+.
SERVICE: A-.
VALUE: A-.
FOOD: A.

OVERALL: A- (3.667/4.0).