Plan Check -- Los Angeles, CA

1800 Sawtelle Boulevard
West LA, CA 90025
310-288-6500
Website 


This from the Plan Check website:
"...The Plan Check name and brand stem from its location, adjacent to the Building and Safety Department, where hundreds of Architects, Developers, Designers and Engineers flock daily to get plans reviewed for permitting. It embodies the architectural/creative lifestyle and the culture that surrounds it, effortlessly blending vintage architectural office elements with industrial pieces, rich materials and a warm atmosphere.."

Street parking or valet service in the evenings were both convenient. 

The Marinater and I sought out the cheeseburgers at Plan Check, because this was the new project of chef Ernesto Uchimura. Chef Unchimura was the former Executive Chef at Umami Burger...back before it expanded beyond its ability to maintain standards and went from amazing to merely good. We had high hopes for the Plan Check burger offerings, since the chef had created a world-class burger once before. We ordered both the eponymous PC Burger and the Chef's Favorite Burger.

The PC (Plan Check) Burger ($10) was an assemblage of akaushi red Wagyu beef, Americanized dashi cheese, ketchup leather, schmaltz onions, mixed pickles, and a crunch bun.

The Chefs Favorite Burger ($12) came with the same beef, cheese two ways, bacon two ways, ketchup leather, sunny fried egg, hot sauce, on a crunch bun.

Our wait was less than 15 minutes until our order arrived at the table.


The Burger Breakdown...

The Beef: Plan Check used a 50/50 blend of wet-aged, Waygu Chuck and Short Rib. The beef was delivered by Newport Meats. The 6-ounce patties were intensely flavorful. The beefiness was what one noticed first.  From there, a mild funk from the aging settled in. As the bite progressed, I noted mineral notes from the blood and Short Rib. The fat content was at about 30%, but the burger was not greasy. It was perfectly juicy, though. The bite was tender and the grind was coarse enough to allow one to savor each bite long enough to really savor the complex flavors of both the beef and the assorted toppings. The beef was really just fantastic. It tasted like Umami Burger used to taste but without the obvious trickery of the addition of umami flavorings. This was honest, excellent, high-quality, burger meat.

The Seasoning: On the PC Burger, I picked up a tight blend of salt and pepper. There really is nothing better than simple salt and pepper to make beef pop. The seasoning blend at Plan Check truly made the beef pop. In the case of the Chefs Favorite Burger, there was something oppressively salty already on the burger. The additional salt from the seasoning was not a blessing. 


The Sear: Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes. The griddled sear was dark and crisp. The high fat content and intense cooking temperature both lent themselves nicely to the generation of that perfect sear.


The Preparation: We ordered Med-Rare, and Med-Rare is what arrived at the table. The burger patties at Plan Check were hand-formed during the prep cycle. The beef was ground in-house to a medium-coarse setting. The patties were formed with gentle and appropriate pressure to create a perfect burger patty. 


The Cheese: The Americanized Dashi cheese was reminiscent of the cheese on the Umami SoCal burger. It was dairy treated with sodium citrate. The reaction caused the dairy to firm up. The addition of dashinomoto (bonito flakes/powder) provided the umami component of the flavor profile. The cheese was creamy and flavorful. 


The Bun: On the night that we tried the burgers, Plan Check was experimenting with a bespoke cheese and truffle bun from a local bakery. The pillowy, moist, fresh bun was mildly yeasty and barely sweet. The exterior of the bun was peppered with crunchy bits of cheese. This, combined with the thorough toasting of the bun, created a pleasing crunchiness in every bite.


The Meat To Bun Ratio: Perfect.


The Toppings: Honestly, it was a blur. The PC Burger was so damn good that the ketchup leather, schmaltz onions, and mixed pickles sort of got lost in the background. These ingredients did contribute some sweet and sour notes, but they were quiet notes. The ketchup leather was particularly smart. It provided the flavors of ketchup without the unwanted additional moisture.

One of the toppings, presumably the bacon, was far too salty for the dish. As a result, we had to take the Chefs Favorite Burger apart to enjoy it. The sunny side up egg on this burger was fun. The runny yolk provided a creaminess, which was very enjoyable.

The Fries: Hooray! The fries were cooked in a combination of vegetable oil and beef tallow. Beef tallow is what made MacDonalds fries taste so darned good. After the uproar over cooking with beef fat, MacDonalds shifted to using a beef extract. Finally, the threw in the towel and stopped adding any sort of beef to the fries....sadness. Happily, Plan Check picked up the baton. The fries were simple better than regular fries. The hand-cut fries were crisp, properly seasoned, and very flavorful. I don't ordinarily sing the praises of ketchup, but Plan Check made their own ketchup, and it was a revelation. The ketchup was light on the acid and very heavy on the fresh tomato flavors. The ketchup resembled a pureed gazpacho. It tasted like a garden--it was fantastic.


The Value: Two cheeseburgers, two soft drinks, and a side of fries came out to about $43 bucks at Plan Check. The food was absolutely exceptional. The value was average. Again, the food was exceptional.

Plan Check had a nice menu apart from the burgers, but when I return, it will be with more friends, and it will be to have the PC Burger again.

Burger Review : If you liked Umami Burger back when it was good, you will absolutely love Plan Check. Plan Check cheeseburgers were better, because they were simply more honest than Umami's burgers.

Rating...5 Bites

The Galley -- Santa Monica, CA

2442 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
310-452-1934
website

This was excerpted from The Galley's website: "...Opened in 1934, The Galley remains Santa Monica’s oldest restaurant & bar and a beautifully preserved California landmark. ... The Galley customers enjoy the best that Santa Monica has to offer from its oldest hidden treasure!

The Galley will satisfy your every culinary desire while you dine in the warm, candle-lit ambiance and enjoy the entertaining charm of Captain Ron..."

How could one go wrong with an establishment that talked itself up like that?  Plus, The Galley was within walking distance from The Marinater's opulent Santa Monica pad. Happy Meal and I tipped The Marinater's valet staff with an embarrassingly large sum, and we all wandered to The Galley. We were pleased to enjoy Happy Hour prices. This meant that the $13 burgers ($1 extra for cheese) were 1/2 off. We were promptly seated on the back patio, and we ordered 3 Galley Burgers with cheese. Our meals arrived in about 10 minutes.


The Burger Breakdown...

The Beef: Meh. The pre-formed, previously-frozen, 8-ounce, Chuck pucks were sourced from Avalon Meats. The beef tasted only mildly of....beef. There were no traces of aging, iron, other minerals, or any sort of flavors that would lead one to believe that they were eating a burger. The Galley Burger was also a little rubbery. This was to be expected, since the burger meat was previously frozen. The burger was neither juicy not greasy.

The Seasoning: There was none. That was a shame...this burger patty was in dire need of seasoning.

The Sear: The sear on the burger patties at The Galley was competent, but it added nothing to the burger. The bland, unseasoned beef was unimproved by the griddled sear.

The Preparation: The burger patties were cooked on a properly hot flat-top. The burgers were mass produced in a factory far away. The patties were mechanically formed. This was evidenced by the densly packed texture and the uniform shape. While we all ordered Medium, the burgers came out Well-Done. In spite of that, they still failed to develop any substantial beefy flavors.

The Cheese: This was a waste of $1. The thin slice of bland Tillamook Cheddar brought NOTHING to the party but extra calories.

The Bun: The burger bun at The Galley was a standard, floppy, bland, barely toasted (grilled), seeded, burger bun. The bun was completely average and uninteresting.

The Meat To Bun Ratio: This was fine, but it did not matter.

The Fries: The peel-on steak fries were the highlight of the meal at The Galley. The fries were earthy, properly salted, and just crisp enough.

The Toppings: The tomato slice was fresh and juicy. The shredded Iceberg lettuce was shredded Iceberg lettuce.

The Value: The Marinater put it best when he quipped, "I don't see how they get away with charging 13 bucks." He was right. At half price the bland burger at The Galley was a weak value. At $13, I would have felt violated.

While The Galley remained Santa Monica's oldest restaurant, it was certainly not a good choice as a burger spot. The Galley served up an over-priced, bland burger of average quality.

Burger Review : Pass on The Galley Burger at The Galley in Santa Monica. It was not worth it.

Rating...3 Bites

Burger Battles : Stadium Version

This is the sizzle reel for a Tailgating version of the Burger Battles cooking competition show produced by Thaler Films.  We are actively seeking TV networks and corporate sponsors. Please feel free to pass this along!

This is a rough cut, but we think you'll get the idea.

The HD version can be viewed here.  http://youtu.be/U-xa-vF5FAU

Sizzle Reel for a Burger Review Program

This was shot and produced by Thaler Films. We are actively pitching this to TV networks and corporate sponsors. Please feel free to pass this along.

Thanks to The Brindle Room for opening up early to let us capture some great footage of the best burger in NYC.

The HD version can be viewed here. http://youtu.be/oEoM0Ew8r9Q

Brick + Mortar -- Santa Monica, Ca

2435 Main St
Santa Monica, CA 90405
310-450-3434

Brick + Mortar had taken over the space formerly occupied by Salute, the wine bar. It was located in the Edgemar complex behind Peet's coffee.  Peet's coffee has always been my go-to coffee spot in Santa Monica.  Note to Peet's: please open a spot in Culver City or Century City. Street parking was a snap, and our party of three was seated immediately on  a Monday evening. The burger at Brick + Mortar ordinarily goes for $15, but we lucked out and qualified for the happy hour price of $10. Brick + Mortar sported a full bar and an extensive selection on beers on tap (20ish) along with a couple of ciders. Sous Chef Jessica Cabo was running the brigade on the evening that The Marinater and I stopped by. Our burgers were delivered to the table within about 15 minutes.

The Burger Breakdown...

The Beef: The burger meat at Brick + Mortar was a custom blend of 2 parts brisket and 1 part dry-aged Short Rib. The beef was delivered pre-ground from Rocker Brothers Meats. The fat content was 20%, but the beef seemed far oilier. In terms of flavor, I really expected more of this burger. The beef had only the faintest taste of funk from the dry aging process. The mineral notes were almost entirely lacking, but the cheese did fill in this void with iron. The burger was only moderately beefy. It was more flavorful near the fully cooked edges, but the center was bordering on timid. Looking back, I should have ordered this one Medium rather than Med-Rare. The grind was too fine, so the graininess that I have come to love from Brisket was completely lost. Brisket is a cut best ground coarsely to take advantage of its texture. The mouth feel of this burger was generally loose. The burger was properly juicy. However, it was on the oily side. Overall, the beef was above average but not spectacular.

The Seasoning: The exterior of the burger at Brick + Mortar was lightly dusted with salt. The interior of the thick burger was unseasoned.

The Sear: The sear on my cheeseburger was nominal. The sear was achieved with a gas-fired grill. the grill was hot enough to scorch the buns, but the burgers were fussed with too much to develop a decent sear. The burgers were turned 3 times, and I found it puzzling that the kitchen chose to flip a Med-Rare burger patty 3 times. They should have left it alone and just turned it once. This would have allowed a proper sear to develop.

The Preparation: The beef at Brick + Mortar came pre-ground from Rocker Brothers Meats. The burgers were formed into 1/2 pound patties during the prep shift and allowed to rest. The loose bite suggested that a gentle hand formed the patties.

The Cheese: The cheese at Brick + Mortar was the superstar. This was a tangy, salty, iron-heavy, beast of a yellow Cheddar. The Cheddar filled in everywhere that the beef was lacking. The Cheddar saved the dish from being boring and insipid. I would have preferred that the Cheddar have been more thoroughly melted on my cheeseburger, but this was a minor nit.

The Bun: The Brick + Mortar was a big, oily brioche from Rockenwagner. Why restaurants EVER brush the top of a bun with oil just prior to serving it to a customer is a complete mystery to me. Oily in the hand and oily on the palate....these are both unpleasant things to experience. The high-domed bun was fresh, moderately yeasty, and completely competent. The leathery skin created a nice texture. The bun was not properly toasted, rather it was grilled and somewhat blackened on both sides.

The Meat To Bun Ratio: The bun was a little too much for the hefty burger patty at Brick + Mortar. I found it far more enjoyable to eat the burger without the top bun.

The Toppings: The shredded Iceberg lettuce was fine. The Roma tomato slices were shockingly tough and rubbery. I was unable to choke down any of mine. Whoever cut those tomatoes in the kitchen should have known better. The balsamic onions were equally disappointing. The onions had only the faintest note of balsamic tang. The onions had also failed to take up the characteristic black/purple color of the vinegar. Finally, the texture of the onions was uncharacteristic of what I have come to expect of properly marinated onions. These balsamic onions were clearly prepared in a hurry.

The Fries: The shoe string fries were hand cut, in-house. The Parmesan fries at Brick + Mortar were cooked to a golden finish in canola oil. The Parmesan fries were so light on the Parmesan that I had trouble locating any of it. The fries were also under-salted. 

The Value: At happy hour prices ($10), the burger at Brick + Mortar was a tolerable value. I would have been upset had I paid the full boat price of $15. It simply was not worth it.  I only ate 1/2 of my burger as it was.

Brick + Mortar served up a burger with a great pedigree. However, potential and reality are often miles apart. In the case of Brick + Mortar the potential of the burger was stifled by some easily corrected blunders. Hopefully, as the kitchen matures, the burger will improve.

Burger Review : Great ingredients were held back by lackluster preparation at Brick + Mortar. The cheese on this cheeseburger elevated this dish to an above average rating.

Rating...4 Bites (4 grudging bites)

City Tavern -- Culver City, CA

9739 Culver Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
310-838-9739
website 

The City Tavern Brew Burger

City Tavern, a gastropub in Culver City, CA, had been getting positive attention on both UrbanSpoon and Yelp. It was time to confirm or deny the quality of the burgers at this spot. So far, our visits to Culver City had resulted in a series of burger-related disappointments. The Marinater and I hoped that City Tavern would reverse the trend or, at least, provide an outlier.  Public parking was free in the nearby structure. We were seating immediately by the friendly and enthusiastic staff. The establishment offered a full bar. City Tavern also had beer taps at the tables. We ordered a CT Burger and a Brew Burger at $10 and $11, respectively. 

We passed on the fries, since the fries arrived frozen in bags on the Cisco Foods truck, and City Tavern still felt it was appropriate to charge $5 for fries. I did not feel it was appropriate to pay $5 for fries of that quality. The cheeseburgers arrived in about 10 minutes.

The Burger Breakdown...

The Beef: City Tavern used Creekstone Farms, grass-fed, 100% Angus Chuck for the 8-ounce burger patties. The beef arrived pre-ground from Rocker Brothers Meats. The beef was bland to the point of tasting watery. The sole flavor that the Chuck yielded was a mild note of beefiness. The beef had a fat content of 20%, but in the case of the Brew Burger, there was under-cooked chorizo in the blend. The chorizo contained unpleasant chunks of raw pork fat. While we ordered the burgers cooked to Medium, they arrived dead Rare. The Rare Chuck was insipid, because almost none of the collagen melted. The texture of the beef was slick and raw. The beef was completely without character.

The City Tavern CT Burger

The Seasoning: The exterior of the burger patties at City Tavern were dusted with only a very faint hint of salt. The seasoning was completely inadequate to compensate for the painfully bland beef.

The Sear: The sear on the hand-formed, under-cooked patties was unremarkable, and it offered little in terms of improvement in either flavor or texture.


The Preparation: The 8-ounce patties were hand-formed during morning prep. The burgers at City Tavern were under-cooked to a limp and watery Rare on a gas-fired grill. The burger patties were turned three times, and this was two times too many.


The Cheese: The cheese on the CT Burger was bland, Tillamook Cheddar. It brought nothing to the party but fat. The cheese on the Brew Burger was the same bland Tillamook Cheddar, but this was Pub Cheese. This meant that City Tavern added IPA to the cheese. This resulted in a very bitter cheese, which lent an unpleasant undertone to every bite. At first I thought that the burger was charred, but the sear was too weak. It took a few moments to determine that the culprit was the bitter Pub Cheese.


The Bun: The CT Burger arrived on a neutral, fresh, moist, seeded, burger bun. The Brew Burger was served on a mildly salty, pretzel bun. Both buns were sourced from Rockenwagner Bakery. Both buns were adequate, but not especially interesting. Both buns were grilled rather than properly toasted on a flat-top. 


The Meat To Bun Ratio: This was fine with both the CT Burger and the Brew Burger.


The Toppings: The shredded Iceberg lettuce and tomato slice that accompanied the CT Burger at City Tavern were fresh and fine. The watercress and onion ring, which were served with the Brew Burger were odd and awful, respectively. The watercress tasted very green, and this did not work with the chorizo-laden, bitter cheese-covered burger. The onion ring was a greasy, bland offense to the palate. It was bland, dense, hard, and incredibly oily. The Brew Burger was also served with an aoli, and I was grateful that I had this on the side. The aoli was, presumably a play on mustard, but it lacked acid and/or bite--it was yellow mayonnaise. 


The Value: Two burgers, and...that was it...just two burgers (no beverages or fries) with tax and tip came to just under $27 at City Tavern. The value was great for City Tavern. The value was exceptionally poor for the diner.


City Tavern took quality ingredients and put them to waste via a combination of undercooking, mismatching flavors, and underseasoning. The prices were too high when compared to the flavors and quality of preparation.


Burger Review : City Tavern is probably best visited for its fine selection of beers and cocktails. At the time of this review, the burgers could be safely avoided.


Rating...2 Bites (2 Bites for the bitter, fatty Brew Burger...2.5 Bites for the CT Burger)