Pono Burger--Santa Monica, CA

829 Broadway Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-584-7005
website

I was heading up Broadway after a particularly unpleasant workout on the Santa Monica stairs. There was some sort of organized running thing going on, which messed up my drive home, and it was because of that detour that I came to notice Pono Burger. I assembled Happy Meal and The Marinater. The Marinater was able to take some time off from juggling manhole covers on Venice Beach to join us.


From the Pono Burger site, "...Chef Makani's philosophy is simple: use organic and farm fresh ingredients for a handcrafted burger made with integrity that above all, tastes great..."  Pono means "doing things the right way." Pono Burger was the sister restaurant of Ultimate Burger in Kona, HI. Pono Burger's thing was to serve high-quality ingredients with a minimum of fussing. We noted that the new kitchen was an immaculate an gleaming study in stainless steel.

Now, if you visit the Pono Burger site, you will note that they tout free parking. We couldn't find it, but there was plenty of metered parking on the street.

We ordered the $7.00 Pono Burgers and added the paper-thin slice of Hook's Cheddar for an extra buck. We waited about 10 minutes for our burgers to arrive.

The Burger Breakdown...

The Beef: This was the star of the show. The beef arrived pre-ground and pre-pattied from Hamilton Meats, and it was derived from cattle from SunFed Ranch. The beef was organic, grass-fed, and grass-finished. The cuts were a bit of a mystery to the staff. We got "Chuck" and "Premium" in terms of description. The burgers tasted of premium cuts. The flavor was strongly beefy, with generous amounts of iron from the blood, a mild bit of funk from some aging, and some complexity that may have been due to some Sirloin or Short Rib. The fat content was close to 25%. The mouth feel was firm and satisfying.

The Seasoning: I watched the kitchen apply a copious amount of seasoning to the burger patties prior to placing them on the grill, but the savory notes were all but lost by the time the burgers arrived.

The Sear: Meh. What sear?  The wood-fired grill was way too cool to even get grill marks onto the 1/3 pound patties. A hearty sear would have really hit the spot with this burger.

The Preparation: There wasn't much for the kitchen to do but fire burger patties and assemble cheeseburgers at Pono Burger. The patties arrived pre-made. The kitchen nailed my request for Med-Rare. What was confusing was the oddball claim that the burgers were both dry rubbed and basted. This made no sense, and it did not happen. The raw burger  patties were liberally sprinkled with seasoning (dry rub), but they were not basted on the oak-fired grill

The Cheese: The Hook's One Year Aged Cheddar was great when sampled alone, but the slice was so thin that it was lost in the overly sweet bun. Without the bun, the cheese was still barely noticeable. This burger warranted a thicker slice of cheese.

The Bun: The brioche at Pono Burger was a bespoke recipe, which was baked and delivered by Ragusa's Bakery (I couldn't find such an establishment, so perhaps I misunderstood.). The bun was cross between a brioche and a King's Hawaiian Roll. The bun by itself was fine. It was a little flaky, strongly sweet, pleasantly moist. However, it was the exact opposite of the burger and cheese. The bun was kryponite to the burger. The flavors of the bun utterly cancelled out the beef. It was nearly unsettling. I removed the top bun to diminish its beef-neutralizing effects. Again, the bun, on it's own, was fine, but it was poor match for the flavors of the burger and cheese. Beyond that, the bun was only slightly toasted--it provided no crunch.

The Meat To Bun Ratio: Notwithstanding the foregoing, this was spot on.

The Toppings: The Romaine lettuce and the tomato slice were clean, fresh, and ripe.

The Fries: The fries were peel-on, cut in-house, par-cooked, and fried in rice bran oil. They were seasoned with herbs--mostly thyme. The fries were properly crisped. The skimpy portion of fries went for 3 bucks. Spuds were cheap..there was no point in holding back on the fries.

The Value: 8 bucks for a 1/3 pound cheeseburger was a little steep considering the stingy cheese, the lacking sear, and the flavor-zapping bun. The ingredients were great, but much tuning was required to deliver on the value.

Pono Burger was only a few weeks old when I stopped in. I hoped that it would hit its stride and reach the potential of the ingredients. At the time of my visit the whole was far less than the sum of its parts.

Burger Review : Great potential in terms on concept and ingredients. Hopefully the execution will catch up with the vision. Beyond that, it would be nice if the portioning caught up with the pricing.

Rating...3 Bites (rounded down from 3.5 for substandard value)

Boca Burger--Claremont, CA

425 W Foothill Blvd
Claremont, CA 91711
909-625-8992

Claremont?  Yep, Happy Meal and I made the trek to Mount Baldy. He really liked riding the chairlift, and I figured I could sneak in a burger review along the way. Boca Burger had taken over the long since closed Burger Bar location. Burger Bar had garnered weak reviews, but the Yelp crowd had taken a liking to Boca Burger. Parking was free and abundant in the strip mall lot that Boca Burger shared with Trader Joe's. The twist at Boca Burger was that the burgers had some Argentinian flare. I forgot to get the chimichurri sauce on the side. Lucky accident...the sauce was really good, and it was a welcome addition to the burger. The menu also featured empanadas and  hand-dipped shakes...next time.

We ordered at the counter, marveled at the spotless, cramped kitchen, and waited about 7 minutes for our cheeseburgers to arrive. A single, 4.5 ounce cheeseburger (Boca Burger) was $3.39--$6.09 with fries and a drink. That was a heck of a deal.

Keep in mind that phone service was non-existent on Mount Baldy, and my phone/camera went dead trying to communicate with the world. Fortunately, Happy Meal's Nintendo DS had a pretty good camera on board. But...it seemed that I could not edit those photos...so it goes.

The Burger Breakdown...

The Beef: Not bad, not bad at all. The beef at Boca Burger was 100% Certified Angus Chuck, and it came in at 20% fat. The Chuck was beefy and juicy. The flavor was simple, but the complex chimichurri sauce filled in the gaps. The bite was firm. I noted some grill flare ups as my burger patty cooked, but there was no more than a trace of carbon. As a result, the burger had a nice "backyard" flavor to it.

The Seasoning: Boca Burger hit the burger patties with Gary's Seasoning Salt as the beef was on the grill. The tart and peppery chimichurri sauce was a perfect complement to the beef.

The Sear:  The sear was spotty. It would have been a miracle had they gotten a solid sear on a burger patty that small by using a grill.

The Preparation: My cheeseburger arrived a juicy Medium-Well.  The irregular burger patties were formed during the prep cycle. The beef arrived pre-ground (medium grind), and it had not been frozen. The burgers were turned once as they cooked.on the gas-fired grill.

The Cheese: The cheeseburger at Boca Burger came with a slice of unmelted American cheese. The cheese sat atop the chimichurri sauce. This was a mistake. The sauce should have gone under the burger patty or on top of the cheese.

The Bun: Boca Burger used a soft, fresh, buttered, and moderately toasted, potato bun. The bun was savory and just a little yeasty. The bun provided no crunch, but that did not deter from the dish.

The Meat To Bun Ratio: This was perfect.

The Toppings: The tomato slice was ripe and fresh. The Romaine lettuce was fresh and crisp.

The Fries: The fries at Boca Burger came in frozen, peeled, and par-cooked. However, the fries were excellent. They were battered and cooked to a perfect crispness with creamy centers. The seasoning was light.

The Value: Hell yes! The value was strong with this one. 6 bucks for a cheeseburger, fries, and a drink was very fair.

Boca Burger served up a really fine variant of a cheeseburger and at a great price. Great care and pride went into the preparation of the burgers. The fries were great, too.

Burger Review : A good burger at a really good price.

Rating...4 Bites (3.5 Bites with a .5 boost due to the superior value) 

Eureka! Tasting Kitchen -- Hawthorne, CA

12101 S. Crenshaw Blvd.
# 200
Hawthorne, CA 90250
310-331-8233

It had been a few years since I had ventured in a Eureka Restaurant Group establishment. A previous experience at a Eureka! Burger in Redlands, CA left much to be desired. Still, when Happy Meal and I were invited to the soft opening of the Eureka! Tasting Kitchen in Hawthorne, CA, we had to give them a second chance to serve up a great cheeseburger. 

 

The restaurant was located at the Hawthorne Airport, so Happy Meal and I enjoyed watching helicopters take off and land as we waited for our meal. While we were there, we learned that the Redlands, CA location was the first, and that the enterprise had grown to 9 locations since 2009. Eureka! Burger was family owned and operated with sons, daughters, and spouses all taking key roles throughout the organization. Eureka! Tasting Kitchen featured a tasting kitchen in an upstairs space, while the downstairs area housed the 88-seat restaurant. This was the first new full-service restaurant to open in Hawthorne in the past 15 years.

 

Here's more from Eureka! "...Each Plate, Each Guest

Triumph the benefits of handmade food, locally sourced produce and fresh baked breads found throughout our chef driven menu. You'll find an authentic, one-of-a-kind experience serving a wide selection of hand packed, 100% vegetarian fed, hormone & antibiotic free, all natural beef burgers, our signature handcut fries, gourmet salads, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts. We strive to treat each guest as an important individual and prepare each plate with the pursuit of perfection in mind..."

We ordered a couple of the Original Eureka! Burgers with cheese--$9.50 (and $1.00 extra for cheese).

The Burger Breakdown...

The Beef: The burger meat at Eureka! Tasting Kitchen was 100% Certified Angus Beef. The beef was fresh, and it had been delivered pre-ground by the supplier. The cut was Chuck, and the fat content was at about 20%. The flavor was strongly beefy with a hint of funk from aging. The flavor was not complex, but it was satisfying, and Happy Meal gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up. The burger meat was juicy, and the bite was loose to the point of being crumbly. The beef in The Original Eureka! Burger was above average.

The Seasoning: The exterior of the burger patty was liberally seasoned with salt. The seasoning nicely enhanced the beefiness of the 7-ounce cheeseburger.

The Sear: The sear on the bottom of the burger patty was unremarkable. The sear on the side of the patty that was covered in cheese was better. The burgers would have benefited from a strong, dark sear, but this was a soft opening, and the kitchen was slammed.

The Preparation: The ground beef was formed into loose patties during the prep cycle. I requested that my cheeseburger arrive cooked to Medium, and that was what I received. The burgers were cooked on a gas-fired grill. The burgers were turned once as they cooked, and that was appropriate. Too much fussing with a burger as it cooks leads to a dry burger.

 The Cheese: There were 5 cheese choices, and I went with the American. The cheese was nicely melted, and it contributed just enough iron and creaminess to round out the flavor and texture of the burger meat.

The Bun: The locally-sourced bun was  big, soft, seeded, and relatively neutral. The burger bun was moist, fresh, as buttery as a croissant, and mildly savory. The bun compressed perfectly, and it contained all of the juices from the cheeseburger.

The Meat To Bun Ratio: The was perfect.

The Toppings: The Iceberg lettuce was just fine, and the tomato slice was flavorful and ripe.

The Fries: The peel-on fries were sourced from Kennebec potatoes. The fries were hand-cut (in-house), par-cooked, and finished with salt and parsley. The seasoning was spot on. The fries were dark and crisp. They were creamy on the inside, and they delivered a strong, earthy, potato flavor.

Dessert: Get the Chocolate Espresso Souffle Coffee Cup Cake!  This was a treat. Trust me on this.

Eureka! Tasting Kitchen was ambitious in terms of location. They certainly delivered when it came to the cuisine;. The cheeseburgers were well above average.

Burger Review : Darn fine cheeseburger at Eureka! Tasting Kitchen. Quality ingredients were prepared with great skill.

Rating...4 Bites

The Peppercorner -- Long Beach, CA

601 E Broadway
Long Beach, CA 90802
562-435-4030

The Peppercorner was close and convenient when it was time to catch up with a friend in Long Beach, CA.  The Yelp reviews were solid enough, and everything else in the area was a chain. Metered parking was easy enough to find. I ordered a $7.50 Peppercorner Burger...cheese was 50 cents extra. The wait was about 10 minutes.

The Burger Breakdown...

The Beef: The burger at The Peppercorner was generous. The server suggested that it was 11 ounces, but I think it was closer to 8, and that was plenty. The patty was 100% Certified Angus Chuck from an unknown distributor. The fat content was right at 20%. The burger patty was beefy enough, but it was a little on the dry side from over-cooking. There was no iron or funk to properly complicate the flavors. All told, the beef in the thick patty was a hair better than average.

The Seasoning: The burger at The Peppercorner got the right amount of salt and pepper to maximize the beef flavor.

The Sear: The sear on my cheeseburger was just fine. The sear was deep enough to positively impact the texture to impart a little crispness to the beef. This sear worked nicely with the salt and pepper to delivery a bacony note to the bite.

The Preparation: I ordered my burger Medium to Med-Well, but I received a Well-Done burger. While this did ensure that the burger was as beefy as possible, it did result in a slightly dry burger. The medium ground Chuck arrived in a pre-ground state, and it was hand-formed into patties by the prep crew. The patties were not rubbery, and this meant that the burger meat was not over-manipulated.

The Cheese: There were multiple cheese choices at The Peppercorner. I chose the reliable standby, American cheese. The American cheese slice was dwarfed by the large patty. Even though it was properly melted, the cheese simply did not register on the palate. This cheeseburger required more cheese.

The Bun: The bun was a standard, seeded, and properly toasted burger bun. The bun was crisped just enough to deliver a little crunch to the peripheral bites. 

The Meat To Bun Ratio: This was just fine.

The Toppings: The Romaine lettuce was fresh and crisp. The tomato slice was a bit green, but that was better than being mealy.

The Fries: The steak fries were thick, satisfying, crisp, and well-salted. The fries arrived at The Peppercorner peeled, par-cooked, frozen, and bagged. Still, they were just fine.

The Value: The Peppercorner served up a big cheeseburger and a generous side of steak fries for $8.00. The value was good.

The Peppercorner took perfectly average ingredients and got them to a place that was a little better than average. I wouldn't return to Long Beach to seek out this burger, but I wouldn't try to dissuade anyone from eating it.

Burger Review : Fine, just fine.

Rating...3 Bites