Ketchy's II -- Santa Monica, CA

La Grange at Sawtelle
Behind Mizu 212
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Ketchy's  II Place Page

Colonel Mustard, Side Of Fries, and I decided to celebrate Rosh Hashana  by eating something non-kosher, and non-kosher beef with dairy on top seemed like the way to go.

We headed off to Ketchy's II in Little Tokyo in Santa Monica--Asian girls are hot. Yes, there was a Ketchy's (I?), but that one was run over by an old, Japanese gardener, and they couldn't get the property re-zoned, so Ketchy's II was the only option....and now you know.

Ketchy's II is a classic, hamburger stand--outside seating only (8 seats at 4 tiny tables), so small that it barely warrants its own address, and only one or two guys can fit behind the ordering counter.

For about $6.50 we got a cheeseburger, fries, and a drink.

The burger breakdown....

• The Beef: It tasted like a lean, 90:10 Chuck. It tasted strongly of aging, which was nice. It was pretty bloodless, so the only real flavor came from the aging.

• The Sear: The griddle gave the burger a decent, but not impressive sear. The thin patty would have turned to dust if it was on the heat long enough to get a thick sear.

• The Seasoning: There was only a hint of salt on the exterior, and not a taste of it within the patty itself. This was a damn shame, because they used a really nice seasoning blend on the fries, which would have been great on and in the actual meat.

• The Preparation: Griddled hard, pressed flat, Well-Done.

• The Bun: A standard, non-seeded, hamburger bun, but it was moist.  Even though it was toasted on both sides, the bun retained enough moisture to compensate for the dryness of the patty.

• The Meat to Bun Ratio: This was very nearly perfect--maybe 5% too much bun--if the patty had been juicy, the bun would have been dead on.

• The Cheese: The American cheese was perfectly melted and, when coupled with the soft bun, provided enough moisture to make for a pleasing bite that didn't require a beverage to wash down.

The fries were frozen, crinkle cuts, but they were fried hard and crispy, and the seasoning was just right--it was hard to stop eating them.

Did I mention that Asian girls are hot?  

Burger Review : Above average value for a slightly above average cheeseburger.

Rating...3 Bites