I'm Hook'd On You

Greetings, Readers!

This past week, I was able to get out to one place that I've always wanted to get to in southern California. It didn't have sandwiches, but it did have some of my favorite beers on record. This magical land of science was The Bruery.

The beer was magical, but the sandwich that Bryan (@818NewGuy) and I had between brewery tour tastings and our taster flights was nearly forgettable. So let's not talk about it and allow it to sully the delicious beer we tasted.

If you'v never tried their beer, you should. I had this amazing one named Windowsill which had raspberry, rhubarb and biscuit notes, made to emulate a raspberry rhubarb pie. Delicious.

The following day though, I visited Hook Burger in Burbank. I had previously visited Hook Burger with Bryan while touring Burbank for burgers. It had come on a day where we had done 3 prior to arriving at Hook, so I didn't actually have a burger then, but just had a beer and tried to digest.

This time around I changed that.

Feeling the need for bacon, I ordered the Hickory Burger, a patty of lean beef is topped with thick cut bacon, Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, homemade crispy onion strips, lettuce, tomato, onions and my choice of blue cheese.

As you can see in the photo, the burger is fairly tall, and required pressing it down in order to get your first bite. Despite this though, the burger patty itself is relatively small. It tastes great, but I would definitely have preferred something thicker.

The funky blue cheese and smoky bacon worked very well together, and I can highly recommend this combination. The added smoke and tang of the BBQ sauce only adds to the flavor sensations. The lettuce and grilled onions added a crispness to contrast the burger and the soft bun.

Speaking of the bun though, while it did have a nice light flavor to contribute to the sandwich, it fell apart fairly quickly. Halfway through this sandwich and I was mostly gripping lettuce shreds and bacon.

Combined with a pint of Green Flash IPA, this was definitely an enjoyable burger for a cool Sunday afternoon. While not my favorite burger in Burbank, it definitely has its plus side. If you happen to be around a Hook Burger, you wouldn't be disappointed with this quality go-to.

Until next week, Readers!

P.S. - I'll be tweeting progress on my National Novel Writing Month experience throughout November, but you can get a quick glance of my progress off in the right hand column here on the blog. Here's to my first novel!

Hickory Burger
*** 1/2 Stars
Hook Burger
1731 N. Victory Place
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 5)

Greetings, Readers!

One of the most surprising things of this run of burgers is the sheer number of places in Burbank that are known for a particular burger.

Not counting diners or major chains, this town has an impressive lineup of this particular type of sandwich.

Not surprising on this outing was that we would find a burger worth trying at the world famous Bob's Big Boy.

Teeming with history, this location of Bob's has been around since 1949 and it's quickly noticed how much of an effect this restaurant has had on fast food and burger culture from that point on.

Take for example our choice for this visit, the Super Big Boy. Similar looking to a particular major chain's marquee burger, this sandwich quickly shows off why it's the superior option.

A double-decker burger with medium-sized patties, topped with fresh lettuce, melted American cheese, a special relish and a sesame seed bun, this burger was very enjoyable.

The burger patties have a great beef flavor that is still noticeable over the other ingredients. The lettuce adds a great crispy crunch, the American cheese was thoroughly melted and the relish adds an excellent tangy flavor to complement the delicious beef patties.

Overall delicious and so simple, the Super Big Boy shows you how it is the perfect template for a double-decker burger. Something that particular chains should take note of.

The Super Big Boy also is noted for having 50% more meat and double the cheese of the regular Big Boy, so if you're going to order a burger here I'm going to have to suggest the Super Big Boy over the original just to get more bang for your buck.

So the next time you're in Burbank, make sure to get a window booth at Bob's Big Boy, order up a super Big Boy and revel in the history of one of the oldest burger joints in the area.

Until next time, Readers...


Super Big Boy
**** Stars
4211 Riverside Drive
Burbank, CA 91505
www.bobs.net

Federal-ly Mandated Burgers

Greetings, Readers!

I hope that in the last week you've put my burger recipe to use, or at least pondered what your own special concoction would be.

This week, I continued my summer burger run by visiting a bar/restaurant in my own neighborhood: The Federal.

Now I've visited The Federal a few times before, but only for drinks. This swank throwback-style bar on Lankershim in the NoHo arts district has become quite the hotspot since it opened.

From looking at the burger menu (and beer menu as well) it's obvious the Federal has a great selection for you to choose from. I settled on the Greco burger as I have yet to have a lamb burger for the blog.

This thick lamb patty came topped with a heathy dose of feta cheese, a handful of parsley, sliced tomato, olives and covered with tzatziki sauce.

The lamp patty was delicious. Cooked through nicely, but still thick, juicy and flavorful. The pungent feta cheese and tzatziki sauce added their contrasting flavors or pungent cheese and cucumber yogurt to the mix. In such a heavy sandwich, the refreshing cucumber tzatziki was an excellent, yet expected, addition.

Despite this burger being absolutely delicious, there were two problems that held this burger back from greatness.

The first problem was the parsley. Now the idea of adding parsley to the sandwich, I totally agree with. But in this sandwich, the stalks of the parsley were just too thick. So thick in fact that it usually took more than one bite, or gnawing, to get through them, not allowing for quick and clean bites of the burger.

The second problem was the bun: it did not hold together. I made it about two-thirds of the way through the sandwich before the bun was just in tatters. Part of it came from the fact that the sandwich is fairly large, but also that the tzatziki sauce had caused it to break down after a few bites.

Both of these problems should not deter you from trying the Greco burger, but they both had their part in holding back this burger from getting closer to five stars.

Until next week, Readers...


The Greco Burger
*** 1/2 Stars
The Federal Bar
5303 Lankershim Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 91601

Burger Time!

Greetings, Readers!

I've lived in the Toluca Lake/Noho Arts District area for a little bit and I have consistently been pleased by the number of great eateries that are available in this fun little pocket of the Valley. One place I have always been interested in trying, yet have somehow avoided for months, is Jack's Classic Hamburgers.

Even more odd is that we share a name and I somehow didn't jump on going there.

Jack's is a tiny burger stand crammed onto the corner of Tujunga and Camarillo/Riverside right up against the 170 freeway (sounds like a lot of directions if you're not from LA). Even though the shop may be small, the servings are quite large.

I've tried a lot of burgers in my time, so this place had a lot to live up to, but I was quite satisfied with what Jack's had to offer.

Now let's get something out there first: Jack's is not reinventing the hamburger. You won't find ostrich meat or alligator bacon with some obscure cheese on top. What they do is present to you the stripped down original version of this sandwich. They just happen to do it very well.


The cheeseburger combo that I ordered had a large patty topped with cheddar cheese, lettuce, onions and tomatoes with a side of fries. The one thing that caught me off guard at first was the deceptive thickness of the entire sandwich. I thought the patty took up more room than I originally though, but it's actually the large stack of vegetables they pile on. There is a ton of lettuce and onions (which you can ask them to leave off) that make each bite a mouthful.


This doesn't take away from the sandwich though, as it adds a nice crisp and fresh contrast to the greasy burger underneath.

 Greasy and delicious.

The cheddar was perfectly melted on top of the delicious beef patty, completing the classic cheeseburger taste.

So if you find yourself in the W. Toluca Lake/Noho Arts district area, whether it be by visiting our local park, or by stumbling out of a bar late one Saturday night, Jack's is definitely a stop you should make.

Cheeseburger Combo
*** 1/2 Stars
Jack's Classic Hamburgers
11375 Riverside Drive
W. Toluca Lake, CA 91602