801 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-951-0030
website
Fat Bruce Lee, myself, and special guests set our sights on The Fat Dog. This was based on a recommendation by one of our foodie friends. The Fat Dog was the second gastropub of the same name, which had been opened by Chef John Gladish. The other location was in Montrose, CA. The menu consisted of tricked out comfort foods including mac and cheese and some sort of enormous hot dog. We were greeted with some very tasty olive oil toasted almonds with salt and rosemary...I could have filled up on these. We ordered a lot of burgers (The Burger $12 with fries). We settled in for a 25-minute wait, and the kitchen thoughtfully sent out an order of hummus while our burgers were being prepared.
The Burger Breakdown...
The Beef: The beef in The Burger at The Fat Dog was 80% Sirloin and 20% Chuck. The wet-aged beef arrived pre-ground from the meat purveyor. Surprisingly, the beef did not come from the butcher shop, Lindy & Grundy, which was located one storefront away from the restaurant. The burger patty was a 9-ounce monster. It was juicy, beefy, and it had a firm taste of iron. No aged notes came through, however. The beef was relatively raw in the center of the very thick patty, and this would have bee desirable had the Sirloin behaved as it should have. The beef was merely satisfying--I wanted the Sirloin to carry the dish a little more strongly with deep and complex steak flavors.
The Seasoning: The interior of the patty was unseasoned, and a patty of this thickness really would have benefited from some salt to punch up the flavors. The exterior of the patty was given an even treatment of salt and pepper. The pepper added a nice bite to the beef-heavy dish, and the salt lent some pop to the beefiness.
The Sear: The sear from the gas-fired grill was competent. It provided a little crunch, but in the case of a very thick burger, it would have been quite a trick to get a good sear on the exterior while warming up the interior. A hot griddle would have done the job, but since the bun was also grilled, it appeared that there was no griddle available to the kitchen staff.
The Preparation: The pre-ground beef was formed into thick, loose patties in the morning. The beef was handled with care, and it was tender. It was not in the least bit chewy or rubbery. My cheeseburger arrived Med-Rare as requested.
The Cheese: The Fat Dog had a single cheese choice, and that was Shaved Manchego. The firm, sheep's milk cheese was a poor choice to be paired with a burger. The cheese had the texture of a waxy Swiss Cheese, and it did not melt. It offered nothing in terms of savory or umami notes. It was bland and leathery. It also did not make itself noticed on the palate. This would have been better had they simply used American Cheese. It worked at Wolfgang's Steakhouse on a similar burger.
The Bun: The La Brea Bakery-sourced brioche was a good match for the massive burger patty. The bready, neutral, toasted bun stood up to the very thick and juicy puck of ground beef. The bun was buttered and sprinkled with red pepper flakes prior to being heavily toasted on the grill. This created a sturdy and satisfying crunch.
The Meat To Bun Ratio: This was spot on.
The Fries: I was informed that the origin of the fries was "top secret." That meant that they showed up frozen in a bag. The fries were just fine. They were peel-off, shoestring fries, which had been perfectly crisped in canola oil. They were seasoned with sea salt. The fries were just right.
The Toppings: The baby arugula was a misnomer. The arugula had matured well past infancy, and it was at retirement age by the time it hit the plate. It was largely waxy, leathery, and browned in spots. It was pleasantly nutty, though.
The Value: It was $12 for a huge and better-than-average burger with a generous portion of delicious fries. The value was good at The Fat Dog.
The Fat Dog prepared a good burger. The quality of the ingredients was strong, and the preparation was sound. Some dry-aged beef and a little seasoning in those huge burger patties would have brought the burger up a notch. Still, this was a better-than-average burger for a fair price.
Burger Review : A generous portion of quality beef and tasty fries can be found at The Fat Dog.
Rating: 4 Bites (rounded up from 3.5 Bites)
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-951-0030
website
The Burger Breakdown...
The Beef: The beef in The Burger at The Fat Dog was 80% Sirloin and 20% Chuck. The wet-aged beef arrived pre-ground from the meat purveyor. Surprisingly, the beef did not come from the butcher shop, Lindy & Grundy, which was located one storefront away from the restaurant. The burger patty was a 9-ounce monster. It was juicy, beefy, and it had a firm taste of iron. No aged notes came through, however. The beef was relatively raw in the center of the very thick patty, and this would have bee desirable had the Sirloin behaved as it should have. The beef was merely satisfying--I wanted the Sirloin to carry the dish a little more strongly with deep and complex steak flavors.The Seasoning: The interior of the patty was unseasoned, and a patty of this thickness really would have benefited from some salt to punch up the flavors. The exterior of the patty was given an even treatment of salt and pepper. The pepper added a nice bite to the beef-heavy dish, and the salt lent some pop to the beefiness.
The Sear: The sear from the gas-fired grill was competent. It provided a little crunch, but in the case of a very thick burger, it would have been quite a trick to get a good sear on the exterior while warming up the interior. A hot griddle would have done the job, but since the bun was also grilled, it appeared that there was no griddle available to the kitchen staff.
The Preparation: The pre-ground beef was formed into thick, loose patties in the morning. The beef was handled with care, and it was tender. It was not in the least bit chewy or rubbery. My cheeseburger arrived Med-Rare as requested.
The Cheese: The Fat Dog had a single cheese choice, and that was Shaved Manchego. The firm, sheep's milk cheese was a poor choice to be paired with a burger. The cheese had the texture of a waxy Swiss Cheese, and it did not melt. It offered nothing in terms of savory or umami notes. It was bland and leathery. It also did not make itself noticed on the palate. This would have been better had they simply used American Cheese. It worked at Wolfgang's Steakhouse on a similar burger.
The Bun: The La Brea Bakery-sourced brioche was a good match for the massive burger patty. The bready, neutral, toasted bun stood up to the very thick and juicy puck of ground beef. The bun was buttered and sprinkled with red pepper flakes prior to being heavily toasted on the grill. This created a sturdy and satisfying crunch.
The Meat To Bun Ratio: This was spot on.
The Fries: I was informed that the origin of the fries was "top secret." That meant that they showed up frozen in a bag. The fries were just fine. They were peel-off, shoestring fries, which had been perfectly crisped in canola oil. They were seasoned with sea salt. The fries were just right.The Toppings: The baby arugula was a misnomer. The arugula had matured well past infancy, and it was at retirement age by the time it hit the plate. It was largely waxy, leathery, and browned in spots. It was pleasantly nutty, though.
The Value: It was $12 for a huge and better-than-average burger with a generous portion of delicious fries. The value was good at The Fat Dog.
The Fat Dog prepared a good burger. The quality of the ingredients was strong, and the preparation was sound. Some dry-aged beef and a little seasoning in those huge burger patties would have brought the burger up a notch. Still, this was a better-than-average burger for a fair price.
Burger Review : A generous portion of quality beef and tasty fries can be found at The Fat Dog.Rating: 4 Bites (rounded up from 3.5 Bites)
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