Author: Trevor

7454 1/2 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Members in attendance: Trevor Y., Angela d. Wayne T., DK, and Innie C.

What an absolute gem of a burger stand in the heart of the Fairfax District in LA. Burger She Wrote was created by pro skater Don Nguyen and friend Steve Arroyo. The namesake would imply a play on words to the hit TV show Murder She Wrote helmed by Angela Lansbury in the 80s. The real mystery to me is how this restaurant only has 3.5 stars on yelp. It is criminally underrated and deserves a stop by anyone seeking a top tier burger in LA.

I. Ordering

Trevor and Angela – Oklahoma Burger Double, Smash Burger Double, Hand Cut Fries
Wayne – Oklahoma Burger Double, Hand Cut Fries
DK – Oklahoma Burger Double, dessert Smash Burger Single
Innie – Oklahoma Burger Double

Oklahoma Burger

Smash Burger

II. The Burger
The burgers are made fresh and fast and come out HOT. Absolute perfect smash patty. It brought me back to the days of my first time at Burgers Never Say Die. The sear is what all smash burger joints should aspire to. As a one-two punch to the perfect sear the seasoning was spot on. It’s like they found the maximum amount of allowable seasoning and backed it off a smidge.

“’Give me the ‘maximum-strength.’‘Give me the maximum allowable human dosage.’ ‘Figure out what will kill me and then back it off a little bit.’”—Jerry Seinfeld,”

Pickles were pickley, thick and plentiful and the buns where Kings Hawaiian Rolls which were soft but held up and gave a subtle sweetness that was welcomed. We found the that the double burger is an ideal ratio for bun to meat however a Single burger also holds it’s own and is a great option as a dessert burger as our member DK opted in in.

As for the Oklahoma Burger vs Smash Burger? It’s purely subjective. Pick whichever one speaks to you more. My previous oklahoma buger experience at Tripp’s Burgers did sour my perception on oklahoma style. However, Burger She Wrote has completely restored my faith. You can’t go wrong with either burger.

III. The Sides
Shoestring? Our official fry width measuring device must be stuck in a shipping container in china due to the tariffs. In general the fries felt over fried and had more of potato-chippy exterior instead of the satisfying cripness you may find at a McDonald’s.

IV. Miscellaneous
The space is VERY small. There’s a standup style counter inside that can probably fit 4 people comfortably. The rest of the seating is on the sidewalk in front with makeshift tables and benches. It’s in a residential neighborhood with decent amount of foot traffic. Feel free to explore the local shops. Lastly, no bathroom.

V. Value
We rated how much we’d pay for our burgers and it ranged from $11-$13 which is quite possibly the closest price distribution in burger crew history.

VI. The Verdict
Absolute elite burger in Los Angeles. High quality meat with high level of execution and worth a visit especially if you’re in the area. The crew concurred with ratings of: 4.8, 4.5, 4.6, 4.5, 4.7.

Next burger crew meeting: Sunday, May 18 – Simmzy’s – Long Beach

Yelp
701 Lincoln Blvd Venice, CA 90291

Members in attendance: Trevor Y., Angela d. Wayne T., DK, and Innie C.
Special Guests: Marissa

I. Ordering

Trevor – Banh Mi Burger (med. rare)
Angela – Lincoln
Wayne – Banh Mi Burger + Fries
DK – Banh Mi Burger
Innie – Banh Mi Burger

Banh Mi Burger Description
Angus beef, mozzarella, pork pate, fried onion, jalapeno, cilantro, pickled daikon and carrots

Lincoln Description
Angus beef, American Cheese, lettuce, tomato & onion

II. The Burger
Walking in everyone was clearly excited about the Banh Mi Burger and I’m sad to report it didn’t live up to expectations. Not necessarily because it wasn’t good but perhaps more because we had high hopes.

With that said, as a group we found the meat to have a good beefy flavor however poorly seared it may be. The most enjoyable bites of the burger were when it had a right mix of the patty, pickled veggies and jalapenos. The least enjoyable bites were the ones that had too much of the over-powering sweet sauce that was drizzled? on the burger. We could have gone without the sauce or much less of it and much much more pickled veggies. If we ever come back I would ask for those modification if getting the banh mi burger. I also need to mention this last since it was so forgettable, the mozzarella cheese really didn’t add anything flavor wise to the burger. I imagine a havarti could have elevated this to a new level.

Angela being the lone purist with the Lincoln burger found it be a solid yummy burger. She described it as:
-good patty
-melty cheese
-Pickle-y pickles
-good grilled onions

So if find yourself at Lokal Sandwich Shop and not feeling adventurous, the Lincoln is a very safe burger to order.

III. The Sides
I feel like this burger crew is about to have it’s spin-off mini crew for fries. I will submit to the readers of this blog post a template to judge fries moving forward.
– Method Cooked: Double fried
– Moisture Content: too high, soggy
– Category: >5mm, <10mm therefore not shoestring and not steak fries….sooo regular?
-Flavor: too potatoe-y (read: outer crisps to fluffy center ratio is off)
-Seasoning: salt

IV. Miscellaneous
They have both indoor and outdoor seating so if you have that pup you want to bring along they are welcomed in the outdoor benches. It’s the corner tenant of a small parking lot however the parking spaces in the lot are huge. I would recommend carpooling in the biggest car you can find.

The service is very fast and very good and friendly and the menu is very diverse. I ended up getting an actual banh mi sandwich to go and it was delicious!

V. Value
We rated how much we’d pay for our burgers and it ranged from $10-$13 which is a nice tight distribution.

VI. The Verdict
If compared to the elite burgers of southern california it would get a “good-ish” rating and not something worth going out of your way to get. But if I were in the area I wouldn’t be opposed to getting another burger with the modifications I had mentioned above. Most of the crew concurred with ratings of: 3.7, 3.9, 3.6, 3.8, 4.2.

Next burger crew meeting: Saturday, Dec 14 – allikaphiy – Long Beach

meansandwich.com
@meanseattle
15th Ave @ Leary Way in Ballard
(206) 789-9999
(Burger Crew Does Seattle)

Members in attendance: Trevor Y., Angela d. Wayne T., and Innie C.
Slider members in attendance: Marty d.-Y. and Lucy Y.
Special Guests: Chris Y.

I. Ordering

Everyone ordered the DAM Burger.

Trevor and Angela added Bacon and Egg to theirs.
Innie added jalapenos to hers.

II. The Burger
While waiting for the burger we hung out in the back patio area and there was a great meaty aroma in the air. Think what it smells like outside of In’n Out but just beef. We got our order and I was not disappointed. After my first bite my initial thought was “I love this mustard.” There is a super tasty yellow grain mustard that perfectly compliments everything else in the burger. I do not regret at all adding egg or bacon to the burger. (Disclaimer: I love my burgers with everything on it).

The food came out really fresh/hot but it was wrapped up pretty well which has it’s pros and cons. Pro: it kept a potentially really messy burger very clean. Con: the wrapping does create like a little steam oven for the burger. If there were any lace on the edges of the patties, they were long gone by the time it got to us. The patties were described as “smashed.” We generally agreed that these were not properly smashed burgers but more accurately described as “pressed” burgers. With that said, the loose pack and course grind was very appreciated and the double meat patties provided a great meat/bun/toppings ratio.

If looking to improve the burger, I would have liked more raw onions and have a runny egg.

III. The Sides
Seattle is quickly becoming the sad fries capitol. Mean Sandwich didn’t offer fries. Instead they have “Skin n Ins”

Definitely not fries, but the best alternative we’ve found yet. Fried up to be super crunchy “skins” and really potatoey “Ins”. I still prefer our sub 5mm thick shoestring fries common found pretty everywhere outside of Seattle.

IV. Miscellaneous
Located in Ballard with plenty of local bars in the area. There’s even a service window directly to the bar attached to it in the rear patio. If you’re in the area, seems like a fun place to come hang out with friends and get some good food. There is seating available inside and outside.
No onsite parking available but plenty street parking options nearby. If you’re brining the little ones, the kids menu only has grilled cheese. But if you ask nicely they’ll make a simple burger.

V. Value
We rated how much we’d pay for our burgers and it ranged from $12-$18. The menu price is $18. My bacon and egg add on brought the total up to $23. So we don’t think this is a bargain play.

VI. The Verdict
So not a bargain but it’s a dang good burger. I (Trevor) thought this was the second best official burger we had on the trip. Most of the crew concurred with ratings of: 3.5, 3.8, 4.2, 4.3.

If in the area, it’s worth getting. Despite the name “Mean Sandwich” we found the owner is quite nice.

Next burger crew meeting: Saturday, June 22 at 6pm – Smash that Burger Co –North Queen Anne

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Sunday, May 5th, 2024 at noon (Innie’s pick)

Members in attendance: Angela, Trevor, DK, Wayne, and Innie.

I. Ordering

Ban Ban Burger is from the folks that brought us Tuk Tuk Thai. This is your place to get thai-influenced smashburgers. If you’ve ever been to Thailand or anywhere in southeast asia you know they’re very generous with flavors and Ban Ban Burger delivers.

Between the entire group we ordered

Grapow Smash – free range beef, onions with house-made grapow paste. Served a fried egg, house Thai pickle, American cheese, and wild garlic aioli on a potato roll

Wagyu Laab Smash – Wagyu beef, onions, seasoned with zesty laab powder, with house Thai pickle, mint, and herb sauce with American cheese on a potato roll

II. The Burgers

This burger is all about the flavor and not so much the meat because

True to Thai influence the burgers were spicy. As someone who’s pretty sensitive to spicy (but still loves it) would rate it as a medium spicy but I really appreciate the heat doesn’t linger. Our resident spice experts said they were not disappointed with spicyness if it were advertised as a “spicy burger.” The meat itself was a bit plain but all the crazy flavors made it not noticeable. The patty had a good (not great) sear and tasted like pepper was mixed into the beef.

The wagyu patty was also very nice and DK described it as a “deep tissue and shiatsu” flavor and appreciated the mint chutney. It seemed it was better balanced than the Grapow burger.

Both patties were loose pack and thus very messy. I absolutely love the sunny side egg with the large (GMO?!) yolk.

I realize there’s so much flavor but I haven’t described it. The reason is it’s very difficult to describe if you’ve never had spiced thai food. They completely captured the essence and it felt like a party in my mouth and all the spices were invited. <insert some spice girl meme>

The potato bun was super squishy and eggy and the pickles were PERFECT. It’s like partial pickled texture but full pickled flavor. Wayne felt it could been more pickled for his taste but appreciated the crunch. PICK A LANE WAYNE!

The closest comparison to this burger experience to Ban Ban Burger would have to be Chego’s (which is now Amboys… see previous review).

III. The Sides

So now that the bacon debate has been fully settled, the new hot topic is what is considered a “shoe string” fry? We’ve decided to take it upon ourselves and measure. 5mm thick. Is that shoe string? absolutely! Although thinner than McDonalds they’re still fluffy and crunchy. Cooked perfectly and served hot with some sort of lime salt.

Sweet potato fries (measured > 5mm) were also fried nicely with crunch and fluff. No soggy potato fries here.. which seems to be a challenge for most establishments out there.

Ketchup… yes this is a side. I’m usually the first to poopoo any artisanal or homemade ketchup. When I want ketchup I want heinz, del monte, hunts, store house brand, or even fancy castup. Enter Ban Ban and their fancier ketchup that has some sort of lemon grass or curry oil in it. It has a very light touch and it’s good! Trevor approved.

Last note, if you get the Pandan Shake, make sure it’s not frozen solid. Wayne some how got one that was impossible to eat. He had another one made and said it wasn’t as sweet as he expected and had an earthy/grassy flavor (read: dirt). And if you ever happen to be in Singapore the pandan shakes there are superior.

IV. Miscellaneous

Located on Sawtelle south of Santa Monica Blvd. It’s at the end closest to Santa Monica Blvd so parking was not too difficult. YMMV as you get closer to Tsujita etc. Go on a Sunday because parking will be free at the meters. They open at 11:30 or 12 and be the first ones there if you can. As we were waiting for our orders it got quite busy there.

There’s a small refrigerator display case with some unique beers, mexican coke and a water station for those that need/want it.

Lastly, please go to 10 Speed Coffee down the street (walking distance). EXCELLENT cappuccinos, mochas, and espresso.

V. Value

The members were asked how much they would pay for their burgers.  These were the ratings and value given by the crew:

Trev: 4.4, $15

Wayne: 4.5, $11

Angela: 4.2, $16

DK. 4.8, $17.50

Innie: 4.1, $13.50

VI. Verdict

Another winner of a burger spot! If you’re in the area please pop in and get a burger and afterwards take a coffee break and head over to Plan Check for one LA’s best burgers.

Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Saturday, Dec 9, 2023 at noon (Innie’s Pick)

Members in attendance: Trev, Angela, Innie, Wayne
Member(s) not in attendance: DK

Special Guest: Chris Y.

I. Ordering
Trev and Angela
PS Burger – Double patty with cheese, griddle onions, pickles, special sauce
The Founder – Double patty with cheese, raw onions, pickles, YELLOW MUSTARD, ketchup

Innie and Chris
The Founder + Jalapenos
Pastrami Burger – Double patty with swiss cheese, pickles, special sauce and smoked brisket pastrami
Chilli Cheese Fries

Wayne
PS Burger + Jalapenos
Plain Fries

II. The Burgers
The burgers were very beefy/meaty with a good sear and good smash. For each smashed patty there was a super melty slice of cheese. Personally I felt it was too much cheese but I’m generally in the minority when it comes to any matter that involves “processed milk products”

The PS Burger has direct comparisons to Pier Burger, Shake Shack, and Win-dow in that it has an ooey gooey bun in a good way. It was also connected to one side similar to Easy Street Burger. And if you’re lucky enough to get the half of the burgers with the pickles it’s an excellent burger. What I’m saying is the distribution of the condiments could have been better. Construction may be suspect, everything was cooked perfectly including the grilled/carmelized onions. Overall it’s very filling and hefty and punches above it’s weight by looking at it.

The Founder burger was also very good. It reminded me of a really great version of the classic McDonald’s cheeseburger. Maybe it was named after the movie The Founder?

Pastrami burger was forgettable. It was good-ish and definitely not great. The pastrami was slice a-la Johnny’s Pastrami style

III. The Sides
Tots were very crunchy! As we sat down at our bench, the previous people had left us an entire boat of tater tots. Score! Waiting tots are almost as good as bag fries. They were super crunchy.

Fries were also excellent, they were thicker than shoestring but still had a very satisfying crunch and seasoned nicely.

IV. Miscellaneous
We ate in this little cozy patio towards the back. The space was pretty small and had 3 picnic style benches. You can also opt to eat on the side walk on tiny tables. It’s located in the quiet part of a beachy town and feels like a locals favorite spot. It didn’t feel TOO busy when we were there.

Water is self service with cups and water tank dispenser. There’s also a small but nice selection of wine and beer.

The bathroom is very small, you can’t even open the door all the way.

Like most beach towns, parking is mostly metered.

V. Value
I ask the members how much they would pay for their burgers. We would pay anywhere from $8 to $13. So we thought the pricing was pretty spot on.

VI. The Verdict
Everyone loved their burgers except me. I didn’t find the “IT” factor but on paper there really wasn’t anything wrong.

Trev – 3.0
Angela – 4.1
Wayne – 4.2
Innie – 4.2

Next burger crew meeting: Saturday, Jan 20 – Villains Brewery in Anaheim

Members in attendance: Angela, Wayne, DK, Sumana, and Trev
Special guest: Marissa and Will

I.  Ordering

Little Bad Wolf was our third stop for burgers in Chicago. Fortunately or unfortunately, it was a late night burger after an amazing night of drinks/snacks and Magic at the Chicago Magic lounge less than a mile south. I (Trevor) was about 5 cocktails deep by time we left the lounge so my memory can be hazy. Little Bad Wolf was dark inside and had the vibe of a bar/nightclub where the floors felt like they’re still sticky from the night before from all the spilled drinks. Even though we didn’t have reservations, they were able accommodate our large-ish group quickly in a spacious oversized corner booth where we proceeded to order.

Wayne, Sumana and Will split the Bad Burger and the Wolf Burger with fries

Angela and Trevor split the Wolf Burger with the house side salad with house dressing

DK and Marissa split the Bad Burger with fried onions, fries and side salad

II. Burgers

The crew noticed that it’s common for burgers in Chicago to have some sort of horseradish based sauce on the burger. We were pretty split if this is a good or not. So depending on your tastebuds, I’m happy/sad to report that this burger does NOT have horseradish. However I’m very happy to report that the burger was very rich (similar to Au Cheval) which usually leads to a very messy burger. I felt the burger was too salty but the crew had agreed that the beefy patty was nicely seasoned and seared. As can be seen in the picture above the fried onions were a huge hit. The mountain of fried onion smashed down nicely and gave a very satisfying crunch to each burger bite. Lastly and sadly the bacon in the Wolf Burger was too chewy even to our resident “chewy bacon” lover Wayne.

III. Sides

The fries were hot hot hot and fresh! Again I felt it was too heavy handed with the salt.

The side salad was just fine… if you’re there get the fries over the salad.

IV. Miscellaneous

As mentioned in the intro, the restaurant had night club feel which means it was dark and very loud but also open late. The servers were very friendly and the food came out quickly.

No labels on the bathroom doors! This is not the only establishment in Chicago that did this. We’re sensing a trend.

V. Value

The members were asked how much they would pay for their burgers. Our answers ranged from $13 to $21 so the burgers were priced on the higher side.

VI. Verdict

Our scores were 3.9, 4.3, 3.6, 3.9, and 3.8.  Very respectable rating with an average rating of 3.9. Surprisingly, this is the second lowest ranked burger of our trip. If visiting Chicago and you have less than 7 meals, we can recommend 7 burgers that is better than this place. However, if there’s room for an 8th meal or more and that burger itch just needs to itched one more time, perhaps come to Little Bad Wolf… or repeat something else.

Next Burger Crew meeting will be held on Friday, July 7 at Gretel which is a restaurant that shares the same owners as Little Bad Wolf.

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 12pm (Innie’s Pick).

Members in attendance: Angela, Innie, Wayne, DK, and Trev
D-League Members: Marty, Ellis
Special guest: Marissa

I.  Ordering

Trophies is an unassuming burger shop off of Fairfax sandwiched between an Israeli Market and a Ice Cream Shop that happens to sell sneakers. It’s the kind of shop where you walk in and the person taking your order is also likely the same person that’s making your burgers. Speaking of burgers, they have a very simple menu. Angela and Innie ordered the single Trophies burger and Wayne opted for the double meat version of the same. Dennis ordered the Spicy BBQ and I got the classic burger. And lastly, Marty got the hot dog.

II. Burgers

My classic burger was a spot on clone of the McDouble from the golden arches with better (and probably fresher) ingredients. Although the classic burger had regular onions (which were excellent) instead of dehyrdated onions. This is both a blessing and curse since the burger was delicious, I can also get something that’s 80% same for a fraction of the price.

On theme with cloning, the Trophies burger was described as a In’N’Out double double clone. It has a nicely toasted bun, two finished patties, shreddice, and a dijonnaise sauce.

The pickles on the burger were house made and very good. Our Korean contingent self proclaimed experts of anything pickled said Trophies Burger Club “nailed it” with the pickles as Angela exclaimed “Just PICKLE IT!” *for more than 15minutes.

Lastly the Spicy BBQ burger was the only burger that comes with bacon. The bacon was pressed and thick. It was cooked to not be chewy but also not shatter on bites. The chopped chillis are reminiscent of the ones In’N’Out serves when asked. Overall, the spicy bbq was great! In the past most bbq burgers are slathered with so much sauce that all other flavors are lost. Trophies burger club seemed to have found the right balance of bbq sauce to enhance the burger instead of hide. Well done!

III. Sides

Fries and Shakes.

Fries are excellent, well seasoned and both crunchy and fluffy. Served pipping hot and stay crunchy through to the end of the meal.

I ordered a strawberry shake and this one hit the spot! There are giants chunks of strawberry at the bottom of the cup that was the perfect end to the drink.

If hungry, I highly recommend both sides.

IV. Miscellaneous

The shop is fairly small and narrow. An entire wall has cushioned seats with a few tables that accommodate larger groups and the opposite walls has a few high tables for people eating solo or with one other person. They seem to cater to both folks that dine in and take out. The food is ready shockingly quick which is great especially if you don’t have 15m to wait around for a burger. Beware if you need to use a restroom. They don’t have one and will direct you across the street to the Dave’s Hot Chicken. Your conscious will let you decide if you need to buy anything from Dave’s for using the restroom (i.e. a bottle of water). And per usual, this part of Los Angeles has difficult parking. There are limited spots on Fairfax and good luck hunting for a parking spot in the neighborhoods without requiring a parking permit.

After binging on salty goodness, I highly recommend walking a block north on Fairfax and grabbing a coffee at Brain Dead Studios. It’s a single movie theater with a coffee shop in the back. There’s a great outdoor patio to just relax and unwind.

V. Value

The members were asked how much they would pay for their burgers. Our answers ranged from $5.50 to $12 so the burgers were priced fairly especially being in LA.

VI. Verdict

Our scores were 4.1, 3.8, 4.4, 3.6, and 4.1.  Very high ratings with an average rating of 4.0. In the sea of participation trophies this one stands a bit taller than most.

Trophies Burger Club serves up very thoughtful burgers. They’re cooked with a great sear and just walking into the club the smell is perfect and unforgettable. Ratios are great opting for either single or double versions of each burger. If I’m ever in the area, I’m definitely stopping in and grabbing a burger.

Next Burger Crew meeting will be held on Sunday, June 4 at the pop up Breakfast Dreams.

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, Dec 10, 2022 at 11:30am (Innie pick).

Members in attendance: Trev, Innie, Wayne, and DK. Angela was unfortunately unable to make it
Special guests: Chris and Lucy

Stand-Up burger is a vegan burger shop in a little strip mall mall off of Sepulveda in Culver City. It’s next to the infamous Blaze Pizza that LeBron James famously never showed up to right before joining the lakers.

For the curious https://la.eater.com/2018/7/10/17556808/blaze-pizza-free-lebron-basketball-mob-crowd-line-news

If you’re a fan of Veggie Grill then this might be the place for you. Stand-Up burger is the sister restaurant of Veggie Grill.

I . Ordering

Trev – BBQ Bacon $13.75 and fries

Wayne – The Stand-Up $14 (if a place has a burger with it’s name in it, there’s a 99% I’m going to get it) and fries

DK – The O.G. w/ bacon $10.25 +$2.75 and loaded tots

Innie – The O.G. $10.25

Chris – Save-The-Animal-Style Fires $6.25

Lucy – edamame and blueberries hand prepared by her personal chef

II. Burgers

I realized getting a bbq burger is not the right choice when the patty is from impossible burger. A great bbq burger relies on the meat to be front and center and to be delicious. Although there’s been many strides in the meatless burger patties, I can say we’re not quite there yet with real beef. Thus, the bbq burger suffered and I mostly tasted the flaws of a vegan burger instead of the strengths

 For those that didn’t order the BBQ Bacon Burger (which is everyone else) the reviews were more mixed.

“Meatier than I was expecting”  -Wayne

“Texture is not the same, not meaty” – Innie

“Tastes like a chicken sandwich” – DK

Angela had her burger later in the day so it was cold and not fresh. She found it was really good especially since it was eaten so late.  The chick pea patty was excellent like a really good falafel in the best way.  But it didn’t taste like a burger but a really good sandwich.

Onions were caramelized but not soft enough.  It would come out in strands which is annoying. Pretty good sauces and the gluten free bun was amazing. 

DK said his burger tasted kind of different… then halfway through he realized it tasted like a chicken sandwich… then it was pretty good.

The bacon was described as crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside however reality was chewy all around.  If I were making fake chicharonnes then this would be it.  Definitely was not worth $2.75 extra.

We all agreed the buns were good, sweet, good chew.  It was the best part according to DK.

III. Sides

Fries – Yukon golds “golden fries” thick cut fluffy salty crispy.
Tots – fell short. They weren’t the crispy barrels that I like.  Cheese was good, bacon bits just  “okay” “chewy”. Crispy is preferred.

IV. Miscellaneous
They opened in June of 2022 and it felt pretty quiet and empty inside. Perhaps that was due to the fact that there’s a World Cup Semifinal game on TV at the time. Although I’m not sure how much overlap there is over vegan burger enthusiasts and futbol fans. There was plenty of seating inside and it was eerily quiet. Some background music would have gone a lone way.

Sticky sticky floors like a “cheap college bar.” I just realized why some bars put saw dust on the floors.

Madelyn did EVERYTHING. Huge kudos to Madelyn, it looked it was a one woman shop. She took our orders and was very patient about my food restrictions for Angela. She did all the cooking and packaging.

NO KIDS MEALS

V. Value
Trev – 2.9 – $10.50

Innie – 2.7 – $9

Wayne – 3.6 – $9

DK – 2.2 – $11.50

Angela – 4.1 – $16  *based on enjoyment not burgerness

VI. Verdict
The value is “OKAY.” Basically if you want a burger that either tastes like a really good something else (chicken sandwich or falafel sandwich) you can’t miss going here. They’re in the uncanny valley of vegan burgers. Everything is there in terms of quality ingredients but the execution is just a bit off enough to tickle our spidey senses that something’s not right. But I will give them credit for moving the needle on more meat alternative burger joints. It’s all in the name of progress.

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

“FOR 100 WE TRY HARDER”
Burger crew meeting called to order on Saturday, September 12^th, 2020.

Members in attendance:  Angela, Trev, Wayne, Innie
Missing member at large: DK
Guest: Christian

We Tripped up and had a last minute change of venue to Burgers 99, the same proprietors as Badmaash.

We are still navigating the format for burger crew meetings in person. The last three meetings (including this one) has taking place in a park and the most recent two has resulted in multiple insect bites! I will need to brainstorm the locale for the next meeting.

I.  Ordering

Burgers99 had a very similar feel to our burger pick last week (Uncool Burgers). The space looks about the same size and they’re both on somewhat trendy streets just in a different part of trendy Los Angeles.

The menu is simple and essentially only has 4 burgers on it

Ordering was very simple at the counter or online

II.  The Burgers

The group collectively agreed that the patties had great seasoning. Even though the patties were ordered medium rare we found it was cooked medium and Wayne’s was overcooked but the meat flavor was still plentiful which could be attributed to quality and freshness in the meat. The tasty patty was accompanied by a great bun. It was soft but firm or firm but soft … basically near perfect.
The cheese was ooey gooey perfect.
Unfortunately not all was great. The onions still had the thin layer on them which prevented clean bites of onions. Given how great everything else was this is a small item to gripe yet still legitimate as it has a direct effect on the joy factor on a per bite basis.

If you find yourself deciding between the single or the double, opt for the double. We found that it had a good meat to bun ratio and lettuce, tomato, and pickles did their job in a supporting “roll” to create a wonderfully messy tasty burger. If you want a less meat forward experience, the single patty does still hold it’s own.

III. Fries

The fries were somewhat crispy. This is by no fault of Burger99. We had ordered to take out and by the time we got to the fries they were okay. No strong feelings one way or another.

IV.  Miscellaneous

As in all things Los Angeles related, the parking can be very tricky especially on a busy street like La Brea. In front of the store there were two small tables on the sidewalk if you opt to eat there. Burger Crew decided to eat nearby at a park and the writer of this review quickly was bit on the legs by insects (probably mosquitos). I spent the rest of the meeting walking laps around the tables to stay moving in an attempt to avoid being bitten any more.

V.  Value

We valued the burgers between $8 and $12 depending on the number of patties and at the time of writing this review, every burger was sub $10 (exception is the triple cheeseburger) which makes this place a great value.

VI.  The Verdict

The ratings were 3.7, 4.0, 4.1, and 4.3 out of 5 which makes also this place an excellent burger. We hope this place has much success and to come back one day post-pandemic.

Next meeting: 10/17/20 at Pop’s Burger in Santa Monica