S & W Country Diner -- Culver City, CA

9748 Washington Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232

310-204-5136

website

I had often looked wistfully at the facade of S & W Country Diner when Happy Meal and I were eating at the El Pollo Loco across the street. Happy Meal had never been game for trying the diner, and, as usual, the youngster proved to brighter than myself. Fat Bruce Lee and I had originally set out to try City Tavern, but they were in the middle of a film shoot there, and they didn't bother to update their website to warn off potential customers. Our backup burger was at Le Saint Amour, but they had recently nixed the burger from the menu. We are not good at taking hints. So, undeterred, we walked around the corner to S & W Country Diner. They had a selection of burgers on the menu, and at this point, we were quite hungry. We had already paid for metered parking on the street. Our cheeseburgers were ready in about 10 minutes.  Note: S & W Country Diner only takes cash.

The Burger Breakdown...

The Beef: At S & W Country Diner, the beef tasted and felt like a very low grade of fatty Chuck. The burger patty was a crumbly puck of flavorless, oily, connective tissue and amazingly flavorless beef. It had all of the appeal of a scab. The 1/3 pound burger was vaguely beefy, and that was the extend of the flavor. The beef was oily to a fault. We didn't really chew the beef, we simply mechanically separated the bits of connective tissue and choked them down. 

The Seasoning: There was none.

The Sear: The sear was remarkable. This was very much like the bland but epic sear, which we saw at the Steak 'n Shake in Las Vegas in July of this year. The sear provided crunch, but there was no flavor to bring out. It was all style and no substance.

The Preparation: After one bite of the burger, I had zero interest in learning about how S & W Country Diner prepared their burgers. I deduced that the irregularly shaped patties must have been formed by hand. It was also apparent that the burgers were cooked on a very hot flat top. The burgers were only 1/3 pound, so at least they were mercifully small. The burgers were cooked to Well Done.

The Cheese: S & W Country Diner used a very mild Cheddar on their cheeseburgers. The Cheddar was also nearly completely lacking in flavor. It was nicely melted, though.

The Bun: The bun was a big, soft, seeded, sweet, hamburger roll. It was a on the dry side, and it was unevenly toasted. I would have rather eaten the bun that the burger patty.

The Meat To Bun Ratio: The bun was too much for the small, bland, oily burger patty.

The Fries/Rings: Both arrived completely unseasoned. Neither were created in-house. The fries were competently cooked. The rings were breaded in corn meal and were then cooked hard enough to become satisfyingly dark and crunchy.

The Toppings: The Romaine lettuce was fresh and crisp. The tomato slice was delicious and juicy. The tomato was the best thing on the plate. Accordingly, the tomato slice was the only thing on the plate that I was inclined to finish.

The Value: The Cheeseburger Combo (1/3 pound burger, soft drink, and fries) was $7.95. Rings were an extra 75 cents. The value would have been fine, but the burgers were so sub-standard that any price would have been too high.

The staff at S & W Country Diner was efficient and friendly, and the place, while well worn, was a nice, little diner. Sadly, the burgers were utterly bland and made with what appeared to be a very low grade of beef.  I would not subject myself to a second cheeseburger at this establishment. To this date, we have yet to find a good cheeseburger in Culver City, CA. I dutifully brought back the uneaten half of my burger to The Burger Busters world headquarters, and none of the minions could get past the first bite.

Burger Review : The burger at S & W Country Diner was a study in oily blandness. Pass.

Rating...2 Bites (Fat Bruce Lee in true "human garbage disposal-style managed to finish his cheeseburger and fries.)

The Riders Club Cafe -- San Clemente, CA

1701 N. El Camino Real
San Clemente, CA 92672
949-388-3758
website

A recent article on CBSLocal.com pronounced the burger at The Riders Club Cafe to be one of the best burgers in Los Angeles. I found this confusing, since San Clemente was in Orange County and about an hour's drive from LA. Still, a burger's a burger. It just so happened that Happy Meal and I were going to be in the area, and The Riders Club Cafe was only marginally out of our way.  Parking was free in the attached lot of the 30-seat restaurant. The behind-the-counter staff numbered 6 on the Sunday afternoon that we visited. That amounted to a bunch of guys in a very tight work space. Business was good at The Riders Club Cafe. They also had earned the award for best burger in San Clemente for 2010. Happy Meal and I ordered the standard burger with cheese. The 5.5 ounce burger was priced at $7.95, and cheese was an extra buck. So, it was 9 bucks for a five and a half ounce cheeseburger. The burger arrived in about 8 minutes. The menu board promised chips, but those did not materialize, and that was fine. I didn't want a fistful of greasy chips.

The Burger Breakdown...

The Beef: The smallish patty was made of a coarsely ground Chuck. The 100% Angus Chuck was ground 2 or 3 times each day, and it was ground in-house. Interestingly, the Chuck was seasoned before grinding--a nice touch. The fat content was around 20%, and the beef was very juicy without being greasy. The burger meat had no notes of aging, iron, but it was beefy enough to be satisfying. The coarse grind created a satisfying mouth feel.

The Seasoning: The pre-seasoned Chuck meant that the patty was lightly salted on the interior. The kitchen applied an ample amount of salt and pepper to the burger patty as it cooked, and this worked nicely to complement the interior savory note.

The Sear: The sear was fantastic. The tag team of a hot flat top and broiler generated a thorough, even, and crunchy sear on the burger patty. That strong sear perfectly complemented the seasoning.

The Preparation: The burger patties were formed in batches after grinding. The irregular, 5.5 ounce patties were loosely formed by hand. The burgers were first seared on a very hot and well-seasoned flat-top. They were finished under an adjustable, pull-out broiler. This system of cooking applied a perfect sear. While I did request Medium, my burger came out Medium-Well. Still, the sear was strong, and the slight over-cooking melted more of the collagen in the Chuck.

The Cheese: I selected the Havarti from the 6 cheese choices. Sadly, the Havarti was meek. I was hoping for a funky, salty cheese, but that was not the case on this occasion. Still, the cheese was properly melted, and it did add some creaminess to the bite.

The Bun: The bun was delivered by a local bakery, but there was talk of bringing in an oven and baking the buns in-house at The Riders Club Cafe. The fresh, moist bun was positively wispy in its character. It compressed with little resistance, and it was nearly invisible to the palate. It was a competent delivery vehicle, which contributed almost nothing in terms of texture or flavor. The bun was lightly toasted, but it brought no added crunch to the party.

The Meat To Bun Ratio: This was good.

The Toppings: The burger came with a mixed greens, which were fresh. It also came with a salty remoulade. This would have overwhelmed the burger, and I am glad that I ordered it on the side. The burger was also accompanied by a house-made ketchup. This was more like a watery marinara, and was delighted that I ordered that on the side.

The Value: $8.95 for a small cheeseburger and no fries was a weak value. It was fortunate that Happy Meal came to split a burger for review purposes. I would have been very unhappy had I spend 20 bucks on a couple of smallish burgers.

The burger was tasty at The Riders Club Cafe. It was also nicely prepared. Sadly, the toppings were relatively weak, and the value was not there.

Burger Review : A beautifully seared burger but much too expensive cheeseburger at The Riders Club Cafe in San Clemente, CA.

Rating...3 Bites (This would have been 4 Bites, but the value was very weak.)

MeSoHungry Truck -- Los Angeles, CA

http://mesohungrytruck.com/

Happy Meal and I were in need of sustenance, and the Culver City Food Truck Festival seemed like just the right place to go on a Friday evening. We found ample, free parking on the street, but we could have parked within the fenced area at no cost. Happy Meal was in the mood for cheese balls from the Cheeseball Wagon, while I made my way to the MeSoHungry truck to order up The Monster burger.  "The Monster Burger" was a misnomer for what was actually a pretty standard, 8-ounce burger with standard toppings. I could have paid $13 for a combo, which would have included fries and soft drink, but an additional 4 bucks for fries and a can of Diet Coke ($.65 worth of ingredients) was too much for me to shell out. I suppose the 9 dollar price tag for a cheeseburger from a truck was a little monstrous. The wait was about 10 minutes.

Before we get to the burger review, this was what I read on the MeSoHungry website, and this was what I was expecting to experience:

"Get ready for the bite of your life. The MeSoHungry Truck was created by a top chef and team of Westside “foodies” who are committed to bringing quality gourmet food to the masses without the gourmet price. Using only fresh high-quality ingredients, MeSoHungry serves up a fusion of world flavors that pack a monster-sized punch. Whether you’re on the hunt for the city’s best marinated short rib slider, tuna sandwich, or sweet potato fries, you’ll come to expect the unexpected from MeSoHungry.

We’re experts in delivering the “sneak attack”: bold flavors, fiery sauces, unlikely combinations, and new “foodie”specials for our dedicated followers....Our food is made to order—and you know what that means. You best bring your appetite for fresh gourmet street food… cuz our menu will make yousohungry!"

Expectations and reality were wildly far apart.

The Burger Breakdown:  

The Beef: I was informed that the burger was an 8-ounce patty of 100% Angus Sirloin. The beef presented a very mild note of aging and some mineral notes. That was about it, though. The beef was only faintly beefy. It was lacking any of the heartiness associated with Sirloin. My burger was reasonably juicy and not overly oily. The burger patty was loosely packed, which created a fine mouth feel. The grind was medium-coarse. Overall, the beef was weak in this burger.

The Seasoning: The bland patty was seasoned as it cooked. The seasoning was moderately salty, but it failed to punch up the burger's flavor.

The Sear: The sear on my MeSoHungry Monster Burger was fantastic. It was even, crisp, dark, and thick.

The Preparation: I assumed that the beef had been hand-formed into the loose, irregular patties earlier in the day. I did not discover if MeSoHungry ground their own beef. The beef's flavor was uninteresting enough that I didn't want to really dig into the nuances of the preparation. I ordered a Med-Rare burger, and they delivered a burger, which was bordering on Med-Well. This was the cost of that wonderful, griddled sear. I did not request a re-fire. The beef was so insipid that the Med-Rare treatment would have simply resulted in a bloodier version of bland. There were a few bites, which were Med-Rare at the center of the burger, and these were not discernibly better or worse than the rest of the patty.

The Cheese: The cheese was mild (boring) Cheddar. The mild Cheddar brought nothing to the party but some additional fat. It was competently melted, but it tasted of nothing.

The Bun: The top of the mild brioche-style bun was brushed with oil. I have never understood the appeal of a greasy bun. It was unpleasantly oily on the lips and in the hand. The bun itself was moist and fresh. It was very mild in flavor, and it was only moderately toasted. The mild toasting provided no crunch. The bun only truly developed any crispness at the very edges.

The Meat To Bun Ratio: This was good.

The Toppings: Both the mixed greens and the tomato slice were juicy and fresh. The Asian BBQ sauce was about as mild and uninteresting as the rest of the dish. On a sunny note, the bacon was delicious--come on, bacon is almost always delicious.

The Value: A price of 9 bucks for a 1/2 pound burger with no fries or drink made the value quite weak at the MeSoHungry truck. While it was a Sirloin burger, it was a boring, Sirloin burger.

The Monster Burger from the MeSoHungry truck was an exercise in the uninteresting. Nothing about the cheeseburger stood out. The beef, cheese, and bun were all mild to the point of being boring. That, in concert with the excessive price tag, made this burger one that I would not be inclined to try again.

Burger Review : A a very average, over-priced, and over-cooked burger made with gourmet ingredients.

Rating...2 Bites (3 Bites dragged down to 2 Bites due to over-cooking and the steep price)