Cheeseburger In Paradise

I'm taking time off until May 25th to run the LA Marathon.

Direct From 45th Street, New York...

My friend Wes just sent me these photos...

I don't necessarily want a hamburger from a truck, but I do want a truck that says "BURGERMAN" across the front of it.

THE COUNTER

Always busy, but spacious enough to keep from being overcrowded.

The feast...
**Not pictured: Banana Split Shake (I drank while waiting for a table).
Vanilla Ice Cream, Bananas, Strawberries, Caramel & Chocolate.

The Fifty-Fifty... Fried Onions Strings and Sweet Potato Fries
With Sweet BBQ Sauce, Country Buttermilk Ranch,
& Russian Dressing (basically Thousand Island).

Burger of the Month: Moroccan Style Salmon Burger (Bowl)

Fresh Atlantic Salmon Seasoned with Shallots, Lemon and Parsley
Topped with Grilled Japanese Eggplant and Tapenade Carrot Salad,
Mixed Baby Greens and Harissa Sauce.

The Build Your Own
2/3 lbs. Patty, Lettuce, Tomato, Bermuda Red Onions,
Sharp Provolone Cheese, Honey Cured Bacon, on an English Muffin

It doesn't look massive, but it is... This is 2/3 lbs after being cooked.
Usually a patty is about 1/3 lbs prior to cooking and weighs less after.
The meat was great - My burger was cooked consistently, especially for it's size. However, the bacon was a bit too crispy.

Just couldn't finish it.
I'm glad I didn't order the 1 lb patty.

All said and done, the highlight was the BBQ Sauce and the Sweet Potato Fries. They were the perfect combination. The Fried Onion Strings were also a hit, but a little heavy in the stomach afterwards... Or it might have been the milkshake that was heavy - not exactly sure, but all was delicious.

As far as the burgers go... the Salmon Burger was "good, but not mind blowing". M Cafe has a tuna burger that is "way the hell better" (review coming soon).

I still dislike the "build your own" but it didn't bother me as much as 25 Degrees does - - The Counter is not necessarily selling anyone on fine burger dining. I was a pretty disappointed though when I asked our waitress what the ultimate combination of toppings would be and all she could do was remind me that there are over 3,000 combinations and that I should just pick something. If she was bright, she would have one secret recommendation up her sleeve for indecisive folks like myself. But she wasn't. I picked what was safe and as a result had a pretty mediocre burger experience.

2901 Ocean Park Blvd # 102, Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 399-8383

LITTLE DOM'S

Understated entrance.

Relatively hip patrons and staff peppered with a little bit
of Hollywood's "looking to be seen crowd"

Wood Grilled Hamburger
With Burratta, Speck, Lettuce & Roasted Tomato Mostarda

Myself and 2 friends (Dome & Louie) got the hamburger.

Louie and I ordered medium, Dome ordered hers well done....

Mine was cooked medium...

But Louie and Dome's were medium-rare...
Hmmm, at $15 each, the expectations were a little higher.

Aside from under cooking the burgers to our taste, i thought they were pretty good. It was a simple and specific burger. Little Dom's is an Italian Restaurant and this burger reflected some of those flavors with the wood grill and roasted tomato mostarda. It's exactly what you would hope to find when there is only one burger on the menu - the restaurant's version of a great hamburger. I would recommend grabbing a burger here, but may be best on an off night, when the kitchen is not so overwhelmed.

2128 Hillhurst Ave Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 661-0055

Eddie Murphy

Burgertown

Who knew...