The Hamburger – a classic food that nearly everyone in the world has eaten. Since we were kids, we have all tried at least one variation of the hamburger. Because it is such a basic template of bun and meat, the hamburger is a canvas upon which professional and amateur chefs can create masterpieces; the only similar food that is more of a blank canvas is the sandwich. The hamburger can be made cheaply, or it can be made fit for a king.
For now, I am here to show you hamburgers that truly are fit for a king, without you needing to be rich like a king. Below are five hamburgers in the Los Angeles area that I recommend you order this Summer, either because it is only available for a limited time, or because it is that damn good.
5. Shortstop BBQ‘s Shortstop Burger
Brothers Andrew & Alex are masters when it comes to BBQ. Perhaps one of Orange County’s most underrated and best-kept secret, Shortstop BBQ is writing their legacy one page at a time. They have pooled together their best-selling BBQ meats into one product – the Shortstop Burger. This 1/2 pound smoked angus beef patty comes topped with house-cured & smoked pork belly, grilled onions (cut whole by default), cheddar, and their signature honey BBQ sauce, and comes with a side of frites (double-fried fries). The burger sounds like a typical Western-style Burger, but with quality ingredients like these, this is no ordinary BBQ burger! The burger patty seems to absorb all of the flavors of everything on top, and the pork belly is essentially thicker and fattier bacon. And this BBQ sauce… let me tell you truthfully, your taste buds will be frolicking in this sauce. This burger is available at their food truck that roams Orange County AND their restaurant in Fullerton/Placentia. The restaurant is set up as fast-food service, but there will be beer & wine served there very soon. You definitely need to keep an eye on them for updates!
4. Red Table‘s Belly Burger
This is truly a hidden gem, if not designed on purpose. Tucked away on the backside of a shopping center behind a Trader Joe’s, Red Table combines classic comfort food with worldly cuisine and techniques. The prices are reasonable, the food is exquisite, the beers are rare, and the specials are out of this world. One burger on their menu that will leave you wondering how to start this thing is the Belly Burger. This monstrous build comes with a ground steak patty, pork belly, pickled slaw, then drenched with “not so secret” sauce, which is still a mystery to me. One would look at this thing and immediately reach for a knife and fork. No no no – a burger is NEVER meant to be eaten with a knife & fork. Forego all things conventional, acquire some napkins, and dive in with your hands and gobble this burger up. Sure you will get messy, but the experience is part of the meal. If you can manage it, use only one hand to hoist the burger up, so you have a hand free to grab your beer glass. Trust me – you do not want to be seen either 1) not enjoying your beer while you snarf down that burger, or 2) drinking your beer with a straw (god forbid). Bring your friends here too so they can gaze in amazement while you devour the burger like the mammal that you are.
3. The Factory‘s Stout Burger
When you have a burger with beer in it, you know you are heading in the right direction. Leave it to the crafty folks at The Factory to figure this one out. This gastropub located in the heart of the Bixby Knolls neighborhood of Long Beach is so far from the more popular areas of Long Beach that few have discovered this majestic burger. The Stout Burger is a 7oz grass-fed beef patty with sharp cheddar cheese, cabbage, caramelized onions, and stout sauce on a pretzel bun. The sauce uses whatever stout is on tap at The Factory, so the sauce will taste slightly different each time! At the time that I tried it, the sauce used Stone Brewery’s Imperial Russian Stout. I do not know how the onions are caramelized, because those onions were so soft they felt like Thai noodles. This burger pairs well with the many IPAs served here, as the owners are major hopheads and often feature a draft list of mostly hoppy beers. Keep in mind that on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays, all food is 50% off after 8pm. There you go – a good reason to go to The Factory!
2. Slater’s 50/50‘s The ‘Merica
I have already posted about it, but this needs to be said again – GET THIS “BURGER” BEFORE IT IS GONE. This is Slater’s 50/50 we are talking about here – they do not mess around when it comes to reinventing fire. For the month of July only, you can obtain The ‘Merica at any Slater’s 50/50 location. This aporkalyptic burger is constructed with a patty that is 100% ground bacon (remember to take a breath), thick-cut bacon, bacon cheddar, “bacon island” dressing, and a fried egg, most likely fried in bacon fat. You have not lived until you have experienced a Bacon Foursome. If you really want to go that far, consider the egg may be fried in bacon fat, thus this becomes a Bacon Fivesome, and you are at the center of it all my friend! If you think this may be too salty or too high in cholesterol, fear not – the patty is not as salty as one may believe. In fact, I am willing to wager that the patty may be the leanest part of this burger sans the fried egg. You only have less than three weeks left to slaughter a pig, so hop to it!
1. Vizzi Truck‘s Bacon + Bacon Beef Burger
If there is one burger you must try this Summer before it is gone, I have the exact answer for you. Albeit I have already covered why this burger is so good, Vizzi Truck still needs a mention on this list. This Bacon + Bacon Beef Burger borrows concepts from two locally famous burgers to form this perfect creation. The patty is 50% beef and 50% bacon, then underneath that is a marmalade with even more bacon, dijon, and onions. This gets further topped with blue cheese mornay, arugula, and another layer of the marmalade. There is not much you can do to make this burger better than it already is – modifying it is a sacrilege, and anyone who dares modify this burger should 1) get slapped, and 2) be suggested a different item. If a person cannot enjoy the burger as it should be, it is better that person not enjoy it at all so that person does not get the wrong perception of the burger and attempt to explain the wrong flavor of it to another person. Worse yet, that person can blog about it! Perhaps I got carried away, but when it comes to burgers, Vizzi Truck has a winner, and you definitely need to seek out Vizzi Truck and eat this burger. Eat it like you have never eaten before.
