Tuesday, June 30, 2009
New York and Chicago may like to battle it out for supremacy over pizza, but Southern California is well established as the birthplace of the cheeseburger, as well as the area that perfected it. After having a 2.0somethings outpost here for nearly nine months, we finally feel qualified to start declaring some winners in the ultimate battle for gooey-cheesy-moist-n-meaty perfection.
Best Cheap Burger
In-N-Out Burger
In-N-Out Burger has reached legendary status, whether it’s Tom Hanks extolling the virtues on national TV or drunk frat guys getting 100×100′s in Vegas. For what it’s worth, our preferred In-N-Out order is a double-double animal style (mustard-cooked patty, grilled onions, extra spread), hold the pickles. Throw in a neapolitan shake and you are pretty set for under five bucks.
Best Exotic Burger
Umami Burger
850 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles
Umami Burger claims to bring you the “fifth taste,” which if I remember my Captain Planet correctly, means the taste of heart. Asian flavors mix and match throughout the beef, with a toasty baked slice of parmesan and a pile of grilled veggies on top. Be warned, however, the triple-pork burger lives up to its name, and is far more pork than anyone has ever wanted or asked for in a sitting.
Best Overall Burger
Father’s Office
3229 Helms Ave, Culver City; 1018 Montana Ave, Santa Monica
The champion Office Burger features perfectly seasoned ground rib eye and chuck, fresh arugula, caramelized onions and a mix of gruyere and bleu cheeses, all resting on a sturdy French roll. No substitutions or ketchup allowed, but doing so would only desecrate a masterpiece. Throw in some thin fries and something from FO’s extensive selection of great beer, and you have a recipe for success. Culver City location recommended for ease of parking and outdoor seating.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Editor’s Note: Greg has been contributing to the site for a little while now, building up to the day when he would emerge as a beautiful butterfly…err… columnist. He will be balancing out Chris by providing us with insight as to what it is like to be young and broke in Los Angeles (apparently it is not like Entourage). That is why his first column is about New York. It will all make sense in time.
When you’re raised in and around the east coast, specifically the tri-state area (which in all fairness should be referred to as the bi-state area because Connecticut is just…), you tend to develop a very love-hate sort of relationship with your surroundings. Take, for example, the first city I ever knew, the city that I still refer to as “the city” even when I’m 3,000 miles away from it, the first place I had ever traveled to outside of New Jersey: New York.
Keep reading
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Many of us probably learned to cook from our parents, and living on your own for the first time often involves a lot of panicked phone calls home while you are cooking dinner. For me, that involved me wandering the supermarket aimlessly while on my cell phone asking, “How do I tell if a melon is fresh,” “What aisle would the hummus be in,” and “Can you send me money?” While parents are great, cooking as oral tradition can give you prejudices and practices that don’t have any basis in reality. The New York Times features six kitchen myths that need to be debunked. My favorite was:
“Never wash mushrooms; they’ll absorb the water.”
Here, it depends what you mean by “wash.” Mushrooms are made up mostly of water, and they are porous — but they’re also grown in dirt, which can stick to them, and you really don’t want to eat dirt. To clean mushrooms, rinse them – don’t soak them – and don’t worry about a little water.
link
Friday, February 15, 2008
On Saturday, February 23, AMC Theaters are featuring a pretty awesome deal to get you all caught up on Oscar madness. For 30 bucks, you not only get to see all five best picture nominees in a row, but a free large popcorn and unlimited drink refills as well. But it takes more than popcorn and soda to make it through a day, so here’s our official food recommendations for those of you taking the plunge.
11am – Michael Clayton
A whole sackful of crispy French baguettes is just the trick for your late morning naked mental breakdown (somebody tell Britney).
1:20pm – There Will Be Blood
You drink your milkshake!! You drink it up!!!
4:20pm – Atonement
Okay, fine, we still haven’t seen Atonement, but in honor of Keira Knightley’s painful skinniness, indulge in your inner anorexia for a while.
7pm – Juno
Dinner time, so pound some delicious burgers that bear a strange resemblance to telephones and wash it all down with your weight in Sunny D.
9pm – No Country for Old Men
If you’ve still got an appetite after watching Javier Bardem reset his broken arm, then do what Sheriff Tommy Lee Jones would do and hit up your local diner and wearily reflect on your day’s accomplishments. Congratulations: even though this year’s Oscars are going to be a hasty mess, you’ll be completely in the know.
Honorable mentions
Go see Diving Bell and the Butterfly and stay nourished with a feeding tube, bring along some trail mix for Into the Wild, but keep away from the meat pies from Sweeney Todd. Just take our word for it.
Awesome milkshake image above shamelessly stolen from the Vulture blog.
