A Pop Fly In Flavor

Greetings, Readers.

Look, I love baseball.

If you didn't know that before from previous stadium related posts, now you know. I am admitting that I may have a problem with my love of baseball. I just can't get enough of it.

Some of it is the sport itself, the action, the fun, the skill.

Another part is the stadium food. Enjoying a hot dog in the warm sun during a three hour game. There really is something about the whole experience.

So of course while I was in Japan, I not only took in a Giants baseball game at Tokyo Dome, but I had to try some of the stadium food.

The Japanese love (seriously LOVE) baseball, so the stadium had to have excellent food to enjoy with this most beloved of sports, right?

After attending a sumo match the previous day and enjoying Yakitori, I thought that a Teriyaki chicken sandwich would be the way to go for this sandwich outing.

Boy, could I not have been more wrong.

Between innings I decided to go with this Chicken Teriyaki sandwich over some of the other overtly questionable choices. The chicken patty was glazed with Teriyaki sauce but really provided no flavor at all. In fact, the entire sandwich was fairly bland.

Oh and then there was the gristle.

Yep. Gristle.

Imagine eating a sandwich while enjoying a game at Tokyo Dome and all of a sudden you have a very noticeably chewy nugget in the middle of your sandwich.

Also imagine how hard it is to dispose of that piece of gristle without insulting or disgusting Japanese patrons next to you. It's not exactly easy, but it had to be done.

This was the only regrettable moment of my trip to Tokyo, and luckily was overshadowed by enjoying a Giants game at Tokyo Dome.

So, Readers, while I do suggest you take in a game if you happen to visit Tokyo (the fans alone are fun to watch), I'd definitely suggest you stay away from the Chicken Teriyaki sandwich. Seriously.

Until next week, Readers...


Chicken Teriyaki Sandwich
* Star
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo, Japan

The Burgers of Burbank (Part 11, Finale)

The 7 oz. Burger

Greetings, Readers!

So, here we are. The end of the burger road. We've reviewed a few more here than what I've posted about, but I feel like I've discussed all the ones worth discussing with you.

So what are your thoughts? Did you enjoy the...

Wait a second.

One. More.

That's right, for old times sake, let's just do one more, one FINAL burger review on this burger tour of Burbank.

For this final review, we visited Not A Burger Stand.

What's that you say? Wouldn't that mean there aren't any burgers at this place?

Well, not really. It's mostly not-burgers (beef brisket, crab cake and portabella sandwiches, etc.) but there is one on its menu: the 7oz. Burger.

This burger is a straightforward, minimalist affair: A little bit of mayo, a little bit of mustard, a 7 oz. all beef 80/20 patty with two slices of Swiss and lettuce. Despite being so simple, this was one of the most enjoyable burgers on the trip.

Not A Burger Stand is known for their "Deal of the Day" chalkboard signs

There wasn't an overload of flavors fighting for my taste buds' attention, just delicious beef flavor with a few supporting flavor friends. The beef itself was simple, with a prominent, yet simple, flavor. Speaking with the cook between bites, we found out that he uses simple 80/20 mix ground beef, hand shapes them himself into patties and only seasons with a little bit of salt and pepper.

Simple, yet delicious.

A great and simple burger, and a great and simple restaurant in Burbank. Seems like the best way to end this journey.

It can be a little tough looking back on so many burgers and trying to decide which one was the best or worst, but the fact is that out of the many we've tried each one had its own bright spots. Some were delicious, some were risky, but all of them had one thing in common: a love of the art form of the burger.

So if you're in Burbank in the future, and looking for a good burger, hopefully the past few weeks of reviews can lead you in the right direction. Maybe you even find one yourself that you weren't expecting to enjoy and you can share with me and the other Readers for our mutual benefit.

Many thanks to Bryan for proposing the idea and then joining me on this excellent adventure through the art of Burgering.

Which Burgers were some of your favorites, Readers?

Until next week...


The 7 oz. Burger
**** Stars
Not A Burger Stand
1221 Riverside Drive
Burbank, CA 91506

I Love You, Tokyo

Ohaiyou Gozaimasu, Readers!

I have returned from my 8 day journey to the wonderful capital city of Tokyo, Japan.

Granted, I didn't eat many sandwiches there as the numerous options of delicious sushi and various types of noodles took precedence while there, but I did happen upon a sandwich dealer while walking through the neighborhood of Ginza.

Tucked beneath the tracks for the local JR Yamanote train line, The Beat Diner can be hard to find if you're not looking for it.

Also being tucked beneath a subway, every so often during your meal the entire place rattles as the train passes overhead. It definitely adds to the atmosphere of the place.

And speaking of atmosphere, the place has it in handfuls. A rugged brick interior with walls adorned by classic American rock records, it's a tribute to 60s and 70s America, right down to the classic american food: The Hamburger.

Every burger is listed in two different sizes, essentially 1/3lb and 1/4 lb options, and for this time out I decided to go with the straight up 1/4lb Cheeseburger.

While not expecting much out of sandwiches in Tokyo, and having had so many great ones recently in Burbank, I was blown away by how delicious this sandwich was.

After being given a small paper bag to wrap the burger in (a la West Coast style) I dove right in and was hit with a delicious beef flavor and a well rounded, melted cheddar flavor. A little bit of crisp lettuce tops of the burger added a freshness as well as textural crunch.

The fries were also excellent, and I wish there had been more. Very flavorful, lightly salted, and with a bit of crispiness on the outside.

This was really a fantastic burger, not just for Tokyo, but for any burger love in general.

As I've found with many sandwiches over this journey, sometimes the best ones appear to us through accident. Here we were, hungry and looking for lunch after touring the Imperial Palace grounds and we happen to pass by a local restaurant that mostly neighborhood locals would know of. We didn't expect much, and were absolutely blown away by this find.

If you're ever in Tokyo, and you should definitely make sure you are at one point in your life, you should absolutely try to find this for a break from the country's delicious sushi and udon offerings. You will be thoroughly rewarded for doing so.

Until next week, Readers...


1/4lb Cheeseburger
**** Stars
The Beat Diner
Tokyo, Japan

The Burgers of Burbank (Part 10)

 Greetings, Readers!

Have you been waiting patiently over the past week to hear more from our exciting Burgers of Burbank tour?

A few days ago Bryan and I hit up two excellent places, starting off with Apollo Charburger.

This tiny, greasy-spoon type restaurant at the corner of Magnolia and Glenoaks Blvd. is a place I have known about for quite some time but had never tried, mainly due to its very limited hours.

During the week they close up at 4pm, so the race was one as soon as I left work at 3pm.

Arriving only 20 minutes before they closed, I was greeted by two burgers that Bryan had already ordered (and with quality decision making skills): The Pastrami Burger and a Bacon Cheeseburger.

I know what you're thinking, Readers: "We appreciate your dedication to the art of sandwiching, especially when you share two burgers at the same time just for our benefit."

It's a hard job, but someone must do it.


Both burgers were pretty straightforward offerings with cheese, lettuce and pickles topping the burger patty and their differing additions.

Speaking of the patty, it was delicious in both cases. Even though it was a fairly thin patty, it was full of delicious all beef flavor that permeated the sandwich and worked well with the condiments, never giving them a chance to even partially overpower its flavor.

For someone who enjoys pastrami as much as I do though, the Pastrami Burger was the lesser of the two burgers. Sure it was topped off with a healthy dose of pastrami, but it was a bit chewy and the flavor didn't shine through.

The Bacon Cheeseburger worked much better. The smoky bacon flavor mixed very well with the beef patty, and the crunchy lettuce and pickles broke up that flavor with their salty and fresh flavors.

Despite my love for pastrami, my love of bacon once against trumps in this burgering adventure as well. Even if you're not a bacon or pastrami fan the burgers here are pretty basic, yet solid and delicious offerings. You won't be disappointed even with a straight up cheeseburger.

Until next week, Readers.



Pastrami Burger
3 1/2 Stars
Bacon Cheeseburger
4 Stars
Apollo Restaurant
401 N. Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91502

The Burgers of Burbank (Part 9)

You have read the title of this entry correctly, Readers.

Here we are, on the 9th entry of the Burgers of Burbank Tour, and we are still far from over.

A few entries ago, I mentioned that Bryan and I had one day where we attempted to eat five different burgers in an afternoon. In today's blog, I'd like to discuss the burger we had at Granville Cafe.

I am intentionally skipping over the burger we had at a nearby location right before Granville. I'd rather not bore you with the details. Then again, if I were going to this location, I probably wouldn't be there for the food anyway.

Granville Cafe is a great little restaurant tucked away on San Fernando Blvd. Despite being full from tasting burgers all afternoon, our palates were still attracted to the idea of the server-recommended Bacon and Blue Burger, along with two beers from their delicious beer menu.

This thick, 100% all natural Angus beef patty, applewood smoked bacon, caramelized onions, arugula, blue cheese, sauteed mushrooms, and topped with Granville's homemade Port Sauce and Chipotle Aioli makes this an incredible sight to see.

This is not a burger you would want to try after four previous ones, but despite being weighed down, The Granville Bacon and Blue burger was still noted as a clear standout of the day.

The Angus beef patty was delicious, full of beef flavor, and noticeable in this sandwich, especially compared to the previous burgers we tasted with overpowering, salty condiments. Compared to those other lesser burgers, the condiments and extras on this sandwich work together and compliment each other and the meat. Their combined flavors add a more mild, smoky and less acidic flavors than other burgers crowded with condiments.

Blue cheese is an excellent choice to complement the delicious applewood smoked bacon and the smooth flavor of the Angus beef.

This burger is a clear winner so far and would rank in the top three of the Burgers of Burbank so far. Not only was the sandwich well crafted, but the favors served as perfect compliments, and even through the haze of four previous burgers, we were still able to make room for this one.

Let's just not ever do that again, okay?

Until next week, Readers...


The Granville Bacon and Blue Burger
**** 1/2 Stars
121 N. San Fernando Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91502
http://www.granvillecafe.com/

The Burgers of Burbank (Part 8)

Greetings Readers!

I know that I've taken a few weeks off from reviewing the Burgers of Burbank, but I believe now is the time to dive back into the topic, with fresh eyes and taste buds.

A few weeks ago, while continuing my journey with Bryan, we headed to a local bar that I had been to on a number of other occasions: Joe's Great American Bar and Grill.

On my previous nighttime visits, this place was packed with rowdy and dancing patrons, all moving to a live country band that played for a majority of the evening. Sounds fairly "American" doesn't it?

Sounds like the burger should also be good, right?

Despite having a food menu at this bar, I wouldn't say that it is in anyway a restaurant, or even a brewpub, and usually in situations like this the food will tend to be dissatisfying at best.

Despite this though, the Fried Egg and Bacon Cheeseburger seemed like it could be a real standout. A combination of breakfast and one of the most delicious variations on a sandwich to ever be? It seemed like the risk worth taking.

The fried egg on the sandwich was really well done. It had a mellow flavor that is a natural compliment to the flavor of beef, but this is where the enjoyment with the sandwich ends.

For the most part, this burger suffers from problems we've seen with other burgers on this journey, namely the overcondimentification (patent pending word) of the sandwich.

Too many condiments, too little meat, and the only flavor your get is mustard, ketchup, pickles, and raw onions.

In this case, a little fried egg too.

One of the worst problems here was with the bacon. Obviously this problem becomes more compounded and noticeable because, well, it's BACON.

It wasn't crispy at all. It was almost soggy. Definitely soft at best.

Even though the bacon flavor was noticeable over the condiments, it wasn't enough to help turn this sandwich around.

Some places just aren't made for burgers, and in this case I should have gone in with even lower expectations to begin with. I've had fun evenings with drinks and friends at Joe's Great American Bar and Grill before, but I definitely will not be returning to sample this burger again.

On that note though, on to new Burgers next week!

Until then, Readers...


Fried Egg Bacon Cheeseburger
1 1/2 Stars
Joe's American Bar & Grill
4311 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA

A Return To An Old Favorite

Greetings, Readers!

After taking a break from burgers for last week's blog, I felt compelled to take one more week off before returning to the Burgering Adventure.

I wanted to return to a place I hadn't been for quite some time: Sweetsalt.

It's been awhile since I've been to this little shop on Riverside, but it looks like business has been good as they've expanded the seating area inside.

I had originally planned to get the Duck Confit sandwich that I had gotten on my last visit but perusing the menu led my eye to the Short Rib sandwich.

Now I've had short rib sandwiches before (here and here) so this wasn't anything new, but would it be able to hold up to my previous experiences?

The short rib on this sandwich was delicious. Shredded, sweet and at the same time a little spicy, from the beginning it's noticeable that this is a standout.  Topped with goat cheese, braised onions, roasted garlic and a handful of wild arugula, which added a mild mustard flavor to the mix, this is a top short rib sandwich. it is definitely a contender for one of the best in the area.

Also knowing what the rest of their menu is like (especially the outstanding Lavender Duck Confit), Sweetsalt is now even more of a must-visit place in Toluca Lake.

So now, for real, I will return to reviewing the Burgers of Burbank again next week. I have so many more to tell you aout, and Bryan and I are about to take on some more again very soon.

Until next week...


Short Rib Sandwich
**** Stars
Sweetsalt Food Shop
10218 Riverside Drive
Toluca Lake, CA 91602