Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
Members in attendance: Trev, Angela, Wayne, Innie with guests Ellis, Marty, and Chris
I. Ordering
The menu at Hangry Belly offered 6 different burgers that can be customized in a number of different ways and be paired with up to 6 sides. This creates many different possible combinations sure to satisfy anyone’s impending HANGRY-NESS
Trev, Angela, and Chris ordered the “We Be Jammin Burger” $11- 1/2lb Beef Patty, Arugula, Prosciutto, Tomato, Onion Jam, Roasted Garilc Aioli, Swiss Cheese, Potato Bun.
Marty had the “Plain-O-Cheeseburger” with Pickles $9- All Beef Patty, American, Potato Bun
Wayne and Innie ordered the “Fire Belly Burger” $11- 1/2lb Beef Patty, Arugula, Tomato, Thai Pickled Chilies, American Cheese, Spicy Aioli, Potato Bun
II. Burgers
The initial comment about the burgers was the patty consistency. It has a spongey texture to it that’s reminiscent more of a sausage patty than it does a typical burger patty. If you’ve ever had a burger from The WEHO Sausage Company in Culver City (inside the Citizen Public Market food hall) then you know what I’m talking about. (You can also see our review of the here: https://burgercrewla.com/the-weho-sausage-co-culver-city)
Beyond the texture, the burgers were ordered medium rare and unfortunately they were all overcooked. The patties were seasoned with pepper on the outside but overall the taste was described as bland.
Specific to the We Be Jammin Burger, the proscuitto came all out in one bite. It was a very “ham” like bite and was not balanced at all. Despite the super proscuitto bite, the balance in the other ingredients worked really well between the arugula and the sweet jam and the swiss cheese.
Kudos to the Fire Belly Burger ACTUALLY being spicy. Burger crew has been let down many times in the past for the lack of advertised spicy-ness but this one delivers! Again, the burger had a good balance of ingredients that didn’t skimp on the pickled jalapeños.
Unfortunately for Innie’s burger, it was TOO JUICY. Her bottom bun got sauce-logged and no body likes a bun that falls apart. For the rest of the crew, we found the buns to be dry and soft.
III. Sides
The only side ordered was the Trufflin Waffle Fries – $9 – Truffle Oil, Parmesan Cheese, Roasted Garlic Aioli, Parsley Garnish. We all unanimously agreed that the Hangry Belly’s Fry game was very strong. The fries came out hot and crispy and the aioli was spot on.
IV. Misc
Wayne was the only member to arrive to the meeting on time. It’s highly correlated that he’s also the only member in attendance without a child. He ordered himself a breakfast sandwich while he waited. It was described as a basic egg, sausage w/ cheese biscuit and that the biscuit was VERY good. So if you’re also there early in the morning or waiting for people to show up, we can recommend getting a breakfast sandwich.
Other noteworthy… notes
It’s located in SteelCraft Long Beach so be prepared to be subject to the weather. In our case, it was a hot hot day. There’s also a Smog City bar nearby for your beer needs. There’s plenty of seating however with the popularity of SteelCraft it’s possible to have to wait for a table to open up. Lastly, there’s a tiny parking lot attached. There’s also a couple of spill-over lots that can be found across the street.
V. Value
The members were asked how much they would pay for their burgers. Our answers ranged from $9.50 to $13 which is within the range of the actual burgers.
VI. The Verdict
Overall the burger saved itself with the thoughtful use of ingredients and we gave ratings ranging from 3.0 to 3.6. If the patty was fixed these burgers have the potential to have a rating 4+.
Next Burger Crew meeting will be held at Burger Monster in the Bellflower Steel Craft on August 20, 2022