Burger crew meeting called to order on Saturday, June 26th, 2021.
Members in attendance: Angela, Trev, Marty, DK, Wayne, and me (Innie)
Burger Crew’s second in-person meeting in a post-mask-mandatory world. Also, my first in-person meeting that I’ve been able to join post-baby! The adrenaline of being outside without mask and without baby was even further amplified by the thrill of seeing the crew up close and in person again! Add a burger and a beer to the mix, and we’ve basically described my current equivalent of a kid’s trip to Disneyland.
I. Ordering
DK ordered The BLVD (house-ground Angus beef patty, lettuce, tomato, pickle, fancy sauce, and cheddar; $15), and side of sea salt fries.
After a glowing recommendation from the person taking our order, Wayne and I ordered The Marquis (lamb merguez patty, roasted bell pepper, arugula and red onion salata, and harissa aioli; $14). Wayne also ordered garlic parmesan fries.
Trev, Angela, and Marty ordered The BLVD, The Melrose (pollo asado sausage patty, elote salsa, pickled onion, arugula, and jack cheese; $12), and a side of Za’atar fries. All fries were $4 for a half order, and $7 for a full order.
As a note, both The Marquis and The Melrose burgers are listed on a physical menu at their counter, but not currently listed in the online version of the menu on their website. In fact, there are also some burgers that are online, but not on the counter menu. My suggestion is to do your homework if you want to know all your options!
II. The Burgers
The BLVD is a classic, but upscaled, burger. The crew summed it up as “a nice weekend burger” – everything you expect a burger to be, but with a little something extra special. The patty had a great meaty flavor, and was juicy and tender. The only criticism seemed to be that it could have used a little more sear. The tomato was delicious. That may probably be an odd detail to highlight, but as regular burger eaters know, the mealy, flavorless tomato slice is sadly prolific. High praise without words was DK and Angela eating and enjoying their tomato slices instead of donating them to our resident tomato enthusiast, Trev. (For those interested in doing a good deed, Trev accepts tomatoes in all forms: sliced, cherry, liquified into ketchup, etc.)
As good as The BLVD was, the Marquis was the shining winner that day. It got a slew of glowing descriptions from Wayne and I: lots of flavorful spices, a little bit of heat on the backend, and super juicy. As a self-reported spice fiend, the touch of heat at the end of each bite was unexpected but really appreciated. The lamb flavor was present, but not overtly game-y (something that I was initially worried about). Each component of the burger seemed to be well thought out, and they all played together in a satisfying and balanced way. The texture of the patty was very much like a breakfast sausage with a nice “al dente” chew. The arugula and red onion salata was fresh and peppery, and the salt on top of the burger bun was a nice touch. As a side note, I had to google what merguez was during the writing of this review, and it’s a lamb or beef sausage flavored with cumin, chili, and/or harissa with origins in North Africa. For what it’s worth, my unqualified opinion is that The WeHo Sausage Co. makes some good merguez.
Going to a location called the WeHo Sausage Company predictably triggered the classic Burger Crew conversation of “burger versus sandwich”: Besides beef, does lamb meet the criteria of acceptable patty material to call it a “burger”? (Answer: Yes) What about chicken? (Answer: No) Veggie/plant based? (Answer: C’mon). Pork? (Answer: Probably not?) Anyway, as such, for the sake of being pedantic, the following review for The Melrose comes with an asterisk of “not a burger”.
Trev, Angela, and Marty really enjoyed The Melrose. The elote salsa and jack cheese created a cheesy corn mixture that was amazing and made for a “feel good” chicken sandwich. It was a little on the salty side, but still a delicious flavor bomb. The buns for all the burgers held up well and we had no complaints.
III. Fries
Between the group, we managed to order the gamut of fry flavors without coordinating (yay for subconscious burger hive mind!), and we ended up enjoying all of them to varying degrees. The fries had a nice bite to them, with a golden double fried exterior and a fluffy inside. They stayed tasty even as the meal ended and they got cold. Between the sea salt, garlic parmesan, and za’atar, the za’atar had the best flavor and stood out the most. The regular sea salt fries were still solid though, and were well seasoned. The garlic parmesan fries had the pretty standard flavor that you come to expect from garlic parm fries. The fries are prepared skin-on, and come served with ketchup and their house ranch sauce.
IV. Miscellaneous
The food did take a while to finish after we placed our orders. I think we were originally quoted a 10-15 minute wait, but we waited closer to 25. The food was well worth the wait, but it might be something to consider if you’re running on a tight schedule.
Their beer selection was limited to only canned beer, but was still impressive! Their website states that they have 100+ varietals of local, craft, domestic, and imported beer. Another plus was that the staff seemed really knowledgeable about the offerings, and gave some nice recommendations when asked.
The WeHo Sausage Co. is located inside Citizen Public Market, a food hall with six other stalls and a combination of shared indoor and outdoor seating (including a rooftop bar, a patio located adjacent to WeHo Sausage Company, and at least for now, tables with pop up tents on Culver Blvd before you enter the building.) The hall was a beautiful space, and had a cool old-school, historic downtown Culver City vibe that was a great backdrop to our food.
I had a true mind trip entering this place; after walking in, it just kept going and going… It was the real life embodiment of the “bigger on the inside” TV trope!
Their hours are 11am – 9pm on Tuesday – Thursday, and Sunday, and 11a – 11p on Fridays and Saturdays. Parking is either street parking, which seems to have a limit of 1-2 hours, or public parking structures. The public parking structure that is connected to the Trader Joes seems to be the closest one available to the food hall.
V. Value
The members were asked how much they would pay for the burger, and it ranged between $8.50 and $16, with an average of $12.70. Our burgers cost $14-15, so it was priced slightly above what we valued it at. However, for a place in a pretty trendy downtown Culver City food space, their prices seem fair for a really enjoyable burger.
VI. The Verdict
The ratings: 4.5, 3.7, 3.0, 3.9, and 4.5. We highly recommend The Marquis, and also recommend checking out this food hall for what looked like some amazing food and drinks!
Next burger crew meeting is set for Saturday, July 24th at For the Win in Hollywood.