3100 Washington blvd
Venice, CA 90292
(310) 823-7526
www.26beach.com/
The users of both Yelp and Chowhound were in agreement that 26 Beach made a damn fine cheeseburger. To top that, 26 Beach's staffers all wore shirts emblazoned with "The Best Burger in L.A." They even posted that on their special board--no specials--just THE BEST BURGER IN L.A. The menus boasted this: "Famous Craftsman Hamburgers on housemade buns. No chef has been making Craftsman Burgers longer!" I couldn't figure out what that meant, but it sounded fantastic. Ready...Set...Terrible!
The Burger Breakdown...
The Beef: The burger patty was Angus Chuck It had been pre-ground somewhere far away. This was an 80:20 blend, which was more like 75:25. Then again, mine had so much cartilage in it that it could have accounted for 5% of the mass. I discovered that "best" and "Craftsman" were code for "oily" and "full of gristle." After eating half of this thing, I gave up and sent it back. There was gristle in every single bite. In fairness they did take my food off of the bill. The beef tasted wet-aged, and it had almost no character in terms of flavor or texture. The coarsely ground, bland chuck was doughy and neutral.
The Sear: The grilled sear was competent and relatively thorough. WIN.
The Seasoning: The burger patty was little salty on the outside, but it was bland, bland, bland on the inside.
The Preparation: I requested Med-Rare, but I received Med-Rare...heavy on the Rare. This did not work with the insipid, soft, oily beef. It was odd, because the burger patty's cooked layer accounted for 1/3 of the depth, but the meat was still dead raw in the center.
The Cheese: This was a relatively bland Cheddar--it added no tang or saltiness to the dish.
The Bun: The bun at 26 Beach was a competently toasted but very, egg-heavy brioche. It was much too chewy. The chewiness of the egg and the sweetness from the bun completely overwhelmed the bland, loose, greasy beef.
Meat To Bun Ratio: It seemed close, but the bun was a complete mismatch to the beef, so there really was not a good way to judge this factor.
The Fries: The fries were competently cooked, but they were not seasoned. Bland.
For a price of $13, this was a very poor burger value--it was inedible. Best Burger in LA...really? Most Gristle-Filled Burger in LA would have at least been truthful. It was a great way to stay in shape, though. Gnawing on gristle burned calories, and I sent most of it back. Maybe they should have marketed this ghastly thing as a diet burger. Again, they did comp the burger after the manager was shown the impressive gristle collection that I amassed from only 50% of my burger patty.
Burger Review : The cheeseburger at 26 Beach looked great and was competently prepared, but each of the components fell completely flat. Based upon this visit and the quality of the ingredients, I would not return.
Rating...1Bite
Venice, CA 90292
(310) 823-7526
www.26beach.com/
The users of both Yelp and Chowhound were in agreement that 26 Beach made a damn fine cheeseburger. To top that, 26 Beach's staffers all wore shirts emblazoned with "The Best Burger in L.A." They even posted that on their special board--no specials--just THE BEST BURGER IN L.A. The menus boasted this: "Famous Craftsman Hamburgers on housemade buns. No chef has been making Craftsman Burgers longer!" I couldn't figure out what that meant, but it sounded fantastic. Ready...Set...Terrible!
That's one greasy burger |
The Burger Breakdown...
The Beef: The burger patty was Angus Chuck It had been pre-ground somewhere far away. This was an 80:20 blend, which was more like 75:25. Then again, mine had so much cartilage in it that it could have accounted for 5% of the mass. I discovered that "best" and "Craftsman" were code for "oily" and "full of gristle." After eating half of this thing, I gave up and sent it back. There was gristle in every single bite. In fairness they did take my food off of the bill. The beef tasted wet-aged, and it had almost no character in terms of flavor or texture. The coarsely ground, bland chuck was doughy and neutral.
That's a lot of gristle |
The Sear: The grilled sear was competent and relatively thorough. WIN.
The Seasoning: The burger patty was little salty on the outside, but it was bland, bland, bland on the inside.
The Preparation: I requested Med-Rare, but I received Med-Rare...heavy on the Rare. This did not work with the insipid, soft, oily beef. It was odd, because the burger patty's cooked layer accounted for 1/3 of the depth, but the meat was still dead raw in the center.
The Cheese: This was a relatively bland Cheddar--it added no tang or saltiness to the dish.
The Bun: The bun at 26 Beach was a competently toasted but very, egg-heavy brioche. It was much too chewy. The chewiness of the egg and the sweetness from the bun completely overwhelmed the bland, loose, greasy beef.
Meat To Bun Ratio: It seemed close, but the bun was a complete mismatch to the beef, so there really was not a good way to judge this factor.
The Fries: The fries were competently cooked, but they were not seasoned. Bland.
For a price of $13, this was a very poor burger value--it was inedible. Best Burger in LA...really? Most Gristle-Filled Burger in LA would have at least been truthful. It was a great way to stay in shape, though. Gnawing on gristle burned calories, and I sent most of it back. Maybe they should have marketed this ghastly thing as a diet burger. Again, they did comp the burger after the manager was shown the impressive gristle collection that I amassed from only 50% of my burger patty.
Burger Review : The cheeseburger at 26 Beach looked great and was competently prepared, but each of the components fell completely flat. Based upon this visit and the quality of the ingredients, I would not return.
Rating...1Bite