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/

Daily Grill doubles down with Twice Daily Grinding of Beef

In this burger crazed town, there is always something new to try.  In this case, the something new is an old classic, updated.  I was recently invited to try the new line of specialty burgers at the Daily Grill.  The biggest change is that now the restaurant is buying Angus beef and grinds the beef twice daily in each location, making generous sized patties and cooking them on the eponymous Grill.  The classic cheeseburger has been updated, and now they have added a Wild Mushroom Burger with Havarti cheese, wild mushrooms and pesto aioli, and a Pepper Bacon burger with pepper, bacon and onion from the pepper steak recipe served at the Grill on the Alley.

The Classic was a nice medium loose patty on a toasted bun served with a generous side of french fries and slaw.  The burger was cooked perfectly medium rare and was juicy.  I had tried a burger at the Brentwood location several months ago and this is a large improvement.  Is this burger going to displace the Comme Ca burger as the best in LA?  No.  But its good to have another solid option.

When so many restaurants now have policies stating that they will not modify their food, the Daily Grill stands out for its philosophy of "The Answer is Yes, What is the Question?"  This customer service focus has been evident on several meals at the Daily Grill and it is commendable.  I have found the it to be a comfortable choice when dining with family as everyone can get what they want and there is no worry about whether there will be something on the menu that appeals.  For me, the classic burger will now be my default choice. 

I have been told that both meatload and Plank Steak are making a stealthy comeback on the menu.  The Plank Steak (not flank steak) is ground steak served with onions and fresh broccoli on a plank.  It is almost a burger without the bun and is made from the same twice daily ground beef.

I'm happy to see any restaurant, whether chain or independent, up their game.  In this case the new attention to the burgers from the sourcing of the meat all the way to the finished product has made the new burgers more than "twice" as good as they were before.  The Pepper Bacon burger (below) was much enjoyed and completely devoured by my dining companions.

The Daily Grill has multiple locations including Brentwood, Beverly Hills, Downtown and near the Airport.  Website: www.dailygrill.com

The Fraiche Truffle Burger: Decadent

Chef Ben Bailly knows from decadent; until a week ago he was the executive chef at Petrossian, the caviar emporium and cafe on Robertson.  Last week Chef Bailly took the helm at Fraiche, the Culver City institution that had been treading water since Chef Jason Travi left last autumn, and immediately posted a Tweet about his new truffle burger.  As soon as I saw the tweet, I knew I had to have the burger as soon as possible, so I made plans to go to Fraiche the next day.

The burger (in closeup above, shown with fries below) is $12 and is served with an onion fondue, Boschetto al Tartufo (truffle cheese) and truffle aioli on a grilled brioche bun.  French fries with the skin on were served with the burger.  The Boschetto cheese is a blend of cheese and cows milk and is studded with truffle bits.  When the cheese is melted over the burger, it infuses the truffle aroma and flavor into each bite, which is reinforced with the truffle aioli.

The brioche bun is soft yet can hold the juices from the burger without falling apart.  The grilling of the bun certainly helped.  The burger and fries is a satisfying meal and fairly priced for a burger of this quality in a comfortable restaurant environment.  An egg on top is available for $2 more, but with all the truffle and beef flavor, I passed on that.  Yes, I did enjoy the burger and the fries; I suspect I will be having them again soon. Ample ketchup was served upon request.

If you find yourself with a group, the Potted Smoked Trout is a good shared appetizer.  It is served in a jar and includes lemon, chives and creme fraiche.  The trout is a chunky pate and has a strong but not overpowering smokiness to it.  This is a rich dish that would be difficult to brave solo, although I know several people who could do it justice.  The presentation is attractive and simple, and reminiscent of the way Bouchon serves their foie gras and salmon rillettes.  This dish is only $8.

Fraiche Restaurant: 9411 Culver Blvd, Culver City.  Phone: (310) 839-6800.  Website: www.fraicherestaurantla.com

Burger Kitchen: Pat LaFrieda meat comes to LA

For burger connoisseurs, Pat LaFrieda beef is the holy grail. The mix he created for Minetta Tavern's "Black Label Burger" gained fame as perhaps the best burger in the country. So when it was announced that the Burger Kitchen would be the first and only restaurant in Los Angeles to source ground beef from LaFrieda, there was more than a little interest among the burger hounds of this city.

House blend burger on the left, "The Natural" burger on the right

A friend who is a Black Label fan and I joined forces this week to share both the Natural, the burger made Pat LaFrieda blend prime meat aged for 40 days, as well as their standard burger, made with their house blend. The Natural had been offered for $29, but is currently available for $19. The standard burger was available for $12 at lunch time, including french fries and a soda or iced tea.

We split both burgers, which had been ordered medium rare. The Natural burger had a very strong taste to it (we ordered it plain in order to taste the real flavor of the meat). Both burgers were a little overcooked and the Natural's funky taste was just not to my liking. I could not finish it, and I love aged beef. For that I recommend ordering beef from Bryan Flannery. His aged ribeye is simply outstanding. The burger was somewhat overcooked but just wasn't juicy and the bun to patty ratio was too high.



The regular burger was also somewhat overcooked but tasted much better. This burger is a fair value at lunch with the combo meal. The meat had fine flavor. The fries were fine too and were attractively served in a cone of "newsprint" with spicy ketchup. Regular ketchup was also provided when we asked for it.

Burger Kitchen offers over 20 types of burgers. For me, Burger Kitchen is a fair priced, "when in the neighborhood" option, not a destination. If you take it on those terms, you can have a nice meal, especially at lunch when the pricing is more favorable. But it does not hold a candle to the Comme Ca burger, which is $16 at lunch and $17 at dinner, and includes fries.

Burger Kitchen: 8048 W 3rd St @ Crescent Heights. Phone: (323) 944-0503.

Apple Pan: Classic Burgers

The Apple Pan has been in business since 1947 on Pico Blvd just east of Westwood Blvd, in West LA. It has a limited menu, the centerpiece of which are the two varieties of burgers - the Steakburger and the Hickoryburger (which has barbeque sauce on it). Several sandwiches, french fries and pies complete the menu.

The slogan of the Apple Pan is Quality Forever. They have maintained the same style of operation with the same limited menu in the over 60 years they have been in business. Soft drinks are served in a paper cone in a metal stand which has been refrigerated, which keeps the drink cold once poured, an old fashioned touch.

The only seating are 26 stools at a U-shaped counter, which encircles the kitchen.

The burger is served in paper bag standing up vertically. I tried the Hickoryburger, no cheese. It is described as served with mayonnaise, their own sauce, pickles, lettuce. The amount of lettuce in the burger was almost comical. I removed most of the lettuce after the first bite as it dominated the burger. The burger is served on a plain bun, which has been toasted on the griddle. They were more pickles on the burger than many places serve, which is a nice touch. The burger patty is thin and overall this reminded me of an In n Out burger, but lacking some of the salt and pepper flavor I have found typical of that chains burgers. I prefer the In n Out burger to the Apple Pan burger.

They have been doing many things the same way for 60+ years and that is how the customers like it. The waiter pours ketchup from the bottle onto a small cardboard plate in front of you soon after you order french fries. As the menu is so short and the kitchen operates efficiently, you may find yourself in an out of a stool in well under 30 minutes. The french fries came just moments after ordering, hot and crispy. These were great french fries. The sodas which don't come from a fountain and are served in the cone, the long term employees and the no tomato on the burger are all traditions at the Apple Pan.

Overall I think the nostalgia factor rather than the food is the offer at the Apple Pan. A burger, fries and a soft drink was over $11, plus tip. Not cheap for a basic burger meal.

I did not sample the pies, of which both my parents recommend the cream version. Both of my parents lived in the neighborhood near the Apple Pan before it opened, and my aunt spoke about eating there with my grandmother on a weekly basis (Tuesdays) when she was growing up, so the restaurant has been a tradition in my family for decades. I have always enjoyed it but more for the legitimate authentic old school vibe than for the food.

Where Johnny Rockets feels like the chain it is, the Apple Pan feels lived in, and that is an essential component of its charm. Surprisingly the Apple Pan is open until midnight during the week and 1 am on friday and saturday. It is closed on Sunday.

The Apple Pan: 10801 W. Pico Blvd @ Glendon, West LA. Phone: (310) 475-3585. No website.

Umami Burger - Santa Monica edition

The 4th location of Umami Burger opened last Thursday in Santa Monica, bringing new twists to the year old Umami Burger empire. The salad section on the menu is unique to Santa Monica.

The first UB opened on La Brea in February 2009, the 2nd Umami Hollywood opened in October 2009, and the 3rd - Umami Urban on Cahuenga in November 2009. Then the temporary Umami Burger truck parked at Fred Segal in Santa Monica in December, which was replaced by the 4th permanent outpost - Umami Broadway in the Fred Segal Santa Monica store at 5th and Broadway. It is amazing to see a restaurant go from one location to four in little over a year from when the first location opened.

I had only been to one Umami location, the original, last year and had the signature Umami burger, fries and a Mexican coke. I did not care for the burger as I felt the seasoning/sauce overwhelmed the burger flavor, as if it was doused in Worcestershire Sauce, and the bun was too wimpy for the burger. The fries were also less than tasty. So I had stayed away from the growing chain despite the continual buzz.

But as the new Santa Monica location was so convenient, I decided to check it out and order something different. I had the truffle burger ($11), which comes with italian truffle cheese and a truffle glaze. This was a much better hamburger. The truffle flavor was noticeable but didn't overpower the burger. A nice balance. The bun was better able to handle the burger juices this time. I also learned my lesson and ordered the thin fries ($3.50), which I don't think had been an option on my prior La Brea visit. These were crispy and came with a choice of sauce. I picked their take on ketchup. It was a nice savory ketchup they call Umami ketchup. It was portioned out in a dainty chinese style soup spoon. I was not charged for refills on the ketchup, although the menu notes that additional servings are $0.50. I am a big ketchup user for both my burger and my fries so one spoonful is not remotely going to meet my needs....

I had a root beer float, made with Margo's Bark root beer. This was a great and refreshing root beer float. Both the vanilla ice cream and Margo's are of high quality. Perfect on a hot day. The Santa Monica location has both indoor and outdoor seating and also does a bustling takeout business.

I was glad to have a significantly superior experience at this location. Service was also very pleasant. The waiter was helpful, continually refilling my water glass and making sure I had everything I needed. His positive attitude and excellent customer service made the good food an even better experience, especially considering how many restaurants & bars have poor service.

The space feels airy and open and has lots of windows.

Umami Santa Monica will be hosting a wine/beer & burger pairing with local sommelier David Haskell on April 7th with three courses of burgers/sliders and 3 paired beverages for $35, according to Feast and Eater.

Umami Burger Santa Monica is located at 500 Broadway @5th St. Phone: (310) 451-1300. Website: www.umamiburger.com