Short Order Now Open at the Farmers Market

Short Order, the burger restaurant at the Original Farmer's Market at 3rd & Fairfax recently opened after being in the planning stages for several years.  The concept is a partnership between restaurateur Bill Chait, burger maven Amy Pressman and chef Nancy Silverton.  Pressman was the driving force behind Short Order; she succumbed to cancer shortly before the restaurant opened.  Silverton and Chait moved forward with the restaurant as a tribute to Pressman.  Now the executive chef is Christian Page, formerly of Daily Dose in Downtown Los Angeles.

The heart and soul of the menu at Short Order are the burgers.  Options on offer include the eponymous Short Order Burger, which features a patty of grass-fed beef, morbier cheese, griddled mushrooms, bibb lettuce and mustardy mayo ($12), Nancy's Backyard Burger made with Nancy Silverton's beef blend, artisan bacon, comte cheese, avocado, tomato, onion, iceberg lettuce and spicy mayo ($13), and Ida's Old School Burger made with grass-fed beef, pickles, tomato, griddled onion, iceberg lettuce and secret sauce ($11).  There is a veritable Noah's ark of burger possibilities with lamb, turkey, tuna and pork available in addition to the standard beef.  The burgers are served a la carte, with sides available for an additional price.

The Ida's Burger (pictured above) was tasty when I sampled it the first week Short Order was open.  It was a little rarer than I would have preferred but as the kitchen was still getting up to speed, we didn't expect perfection.  The bun is also of high quality, which is pretty much a given, considering Silverton's involvement.  Silverton was a pastry chef at Spago and founded the La Brea Bakery, before co-founding Osteria and Pizzeria Mozza.  To say she knows bread is an understatement.

In addition to Old School Fries ($3), Short Order Spuds ($4) are also available.  These delicious little fries (above) are a cross between potato skins and tater tots.  Addictive, hot and ready to be dipped into the accompanying sauces.  The Spuds are a must order.

I sampled the Chocolate Malt Shake ($6) which was rich and chocolatey.  I split it with a friend (half portion pictured below) and it was worth every penny and calorie.  Shakes aren't the only beverages on offer.  Up a flight of stairs is a bar where Julian Cox of Rivera, Playa, Sotto and Picca created a cocktail program to complement the food.  Quality cocktails in the farmer's market?  That's all I need to know to know I will be back.

Short Order: 6333 W. 3rd Street, the Farmer's Market (adjacent to Du Par's), Mid City.  Phone: (323) 761-7970.  Website: http://www.shortorderla.com/

Short Order: Ida's Burger previewed

Nancy Silverton, the founder of the La Brea Bakery and a co-founder/owner/chef of Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza will be opening a burger restaurant at the Farmer's Market on 3rd & Fairfax in January in the old DuPar's bakery space. Her partners in the venture are chef Amy Pressman, and restaurant investor Bill Chait (Rivera, Louise's).

Last Tuesday at the Taste of the Farmer's Market, Short Order previewed Ida's Old School Burger, made from "Nancy's blend", a blend of hamburger meat that was created for Silverton byHuntington Meats at the Farmer's Market.

Ida's Old School Burger was described as grass fed beef, American organic cheese, pickle chips, lettuce, griddled onion, tomato and secret sauce. The La Brea bakery brioche buns were grilled as well and the beef was of high quality with a real beefy flavor. The hamburger was delicious and I was happy to be able to have more than one.

Pictured above are Pressman and Chait. Below a giant hamburger balloon showed the crowd where to go to sample the dish of the day, Ida's Burger. This dish was the star of the Taste of the Farmer's Market event ($25 and up per person) and despite all the buzz around Silverton and the burgers, the line was surprisingly short when I visited the Short Order booth. The burgers came out in waves, on large trays, were dished out quickly and then the line built up once again.

I look forward to early next year when I can have Short Order burgers on a regular basis.