Author: Dennis Kim

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, May 15, 2020.

Members in attendance: Angela, Trev, Marty, Wayne, and future K-Pop star, DK
Non-synchronously remote: Innie

We would like to personally thank the fine folks at the CDC for lifting the fckn mask and distancing restrictions for vaccinated peoples. Today marked the first in-person meeting of 2021. It’s fckn good to be back, folks.

I. Ordering
There are four burgers on the menu and we tried two of them:



The FCKN Good Burger
Beef patty with American cheese and house sauce with caramelized onions; served on a potato roll bun and possibly thrown around like a baseball before serving.

– Trev and Angela ordered a double with bacon
– Marty ordered a single
– Wayne ordered a double
– Innie had a double delivered to her



The Tommy
Beef patty with American cheese, bacon, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and ketchup; served on a potato roll bun and made to look like it walked away from a bad car accident.

– I ordered a double
– Innie had a single delivered to her

All of their burgers come with a sweet & spicy pickle spear. Someone must have stolen the entire fckn jar though because none of us got one.

II. The Burgers
The potato buns were nice and squishy like “memory foam without the memory” according to Trev. They weren’t toasted but we got good texture from the patties. It felt good biting into this burger. The patties had a really nice sear and a surprisingly beefy flavor for how thin they were. The easy choice of using American cheese meant that the patties were topped with a gooey goodiness that got nooked in all the crannies. There was consensus that the meat-to-cheese-to-bun ratio was best with the doubles, but in full disclosure, none of us tried a triple so the double might just be second-best.

As for the other toppings, the bacon was mostly crunchy and very tasty. The shredduce and the off-season tomatoes in the Tommy were nothing to write home about. Those who ordered the FCKN Good Burger liked the flavor of the house sauce with caramelized onions. Innie called out the fact that there were onions layered between each patty, which is so generous of them! But you know what’s not generous? Not getting any fckn pickles.

If you’re getting this delivered, stay away from the Tommy. Between the lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, and residual steam, there’s enough moisture to make the burger look like it just ran a marathon. Innie said the even bacon was soggy!

III. The Fries/Sides
We might have spent more time talking about the sides than the burgers. The fried zucchini, tater tots, and onion rings were all so well done. Great crunch and they stayed crunchy long after cooling down. If they added a new Applebee’s style sampler platter to their menu, it would hands down be the best dish!

IV. Miscellaneous
One of the better designed physical distance markings in front of the shop. You’ll get blasted with a strong whiff of coffee once you walk in. Nice outdoor setup in the back with fake grass, string lights, fans, and heaters. The chairs are painted in a variety of bright colors which gives it a kind of Mexican aesthetic. There was a live DJ that was bumping great music during our Saturday lunch. Great vibe and super dog friendly! There may or may not be a bathroom though…

V. Value
The members were asked how much they would pay for the burger and the responses ranged between $9.00 and $13.00 which is in line with the actual prices. Good value!

VI. The Verdict
The ratings were 4.0, 3.9, 4.1, 3.8, 2.5, and 4.0. Another solid burger for West LA!

Next meeting will be on June 26th @ TBD.

Burger crew meeting called to order on Sunday, July 12, 2020.

Members in attendance: Angela, Trev, Wayne, Marty, and-a-me, DK
Absent: Innie

COVID-19 has devastated the burger world and by transitive property, us. In our respective domiciles, strategically situated throughout LA county (except the Valley because ew), Burger Crew LA has been keeping small burger businesses afloat with our hearts and wallets. Today, we eat together in solidarity (fist pump emoji) at a nearby park in sunny Long Beach, Calif.

I. Ordering
Amorcito has one burger on the menu so ordering was a cinch. The New Mexican Hatch Chile Burger has a single angus beef patty, garlic aioli, hatch green chile puree, ketchup, mustard, pickles, American cheese, on a soft potato bun. Ironically, in this era of delivery and takeout, you can order raw sushi but not get burger patties cooked medium rare, so be forewarned if that is a deciding factor.

II. The Burgers
First up, the buns. Soft and gooey, they held up and tasted great, as great as potato buns can taste. I didn’t notice any toast marks on them but I suspect they steamed in the container on the way over. Trev thought the buns tasted like Hawaiian rolls but he’s said this a few times recently and I’m convinced the man just has an itch for Hawaiian rolls. (Alexa, make Angela buy Hawaiian rolls for Trevor!)

The patties looked like they were cooked medium. Of course, we (the hive) prefer medium rare when possible but understand it’s tricky with take out. They had a nice beefy flavor (always the crowd-pleaser) and were tenderly packed. I don’t remember much of a sear and it wasn’t discussed which has me stunned in hindsight. But I just think we were all eagerly waiting to talk about the star of the burger…

Yes, the mustard. Bold yellow, the kind seen in the background of every American BBQ. It totally works with this style of burger, which to me, is a gourmet McDonald’s cheeseburger, very HiHo. None of the other toppings competed for the spotlight, so other than being mustard-forward, this was a well-balanced burger. The only “disappointment” was the hatch chile which oddly was the runt of the lot, buried by its tastier siblings. The burger was still tasty without it, so no love lost.

It’s been rumored that a double cheeseburger can be ordered. Our source believes that the double is not proportioned well, however, and possibly a conspiracy to launder beef.

III. The Fries
No fries this time, though I saw chicharrones on a menu and couldn’t resist. These were dressed with lime, salsa roja, cilantro, and red pickled jalapenos. Mostly soggy by the time I got into them, they still tasted festive and were a real treat. I’d love to try these again in person the way they were meant to be eaten!

IV. Miscellaneous
Amorcito is located inside of the Long Beach Exchange (LBX) which currently has plenty of free parking spots in its huge parking lots. Normally it’s horrible, so I’ve been told. The food was sealed in bags with napkins and utensils inside. Marty requested no chiles on her burger and it was properly labeled. From ordering to pick up, everything went about as smooth as it could go!

V. Value
The members were asked how much they would pay for the burger and it ranged between $6.00 and $9.50. The burger is priced at $6.75 which is a really decent price in 2020. It’s a little undersized for American appetites; reason enough to try their tasty sides if you’re into spicy and tangy.

VI. The Verdict
The ratings: 3.1, 3.9, 4.0, and 4.2. As the lone burger representing the LBX, we stand with you Amorcito. Please stay in business!

Next meeting will be sometime during the weekend of August 15-16. Stay tuned!

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, October 5, 2019 @ 12:30pm.

Members in attendance: Angela, Trevor, Wayne, Innie, and DK
Slider member: Marty
Guest: Chris

I. Ordering
The menu is all business: a list of 17 or so burgers and sandwiches (ingredients not listed) in descending order of carnal attractiveness, and a pair of prices–one for the burger only and another for the combo. You want to know what the fork is inside a “jumbo cubby”? You’ve come to the right place.

Trev, Angela, and Wayne ordered the main attraction, the Jumbo Cubby, which includes lettuce, grilled onions, pickles, tomato, house sauce, beef patty, a slice of cheese, two hot dogs cut length-wise, and another slice of cheese, all between sesame buns.

I ordered the Regular Cubby. Same ingredients as above but with a slimmer patty.

Innie ordered the Double Cheeseburger (double patty, double cheese) which also had the same ingredients minus the hot dogs.

II. The burgers
These are old-school grease burgers. I mean, they’re served out of a how-do-two-people-fit-into-that-little-thing of a shack in the parking lot of a gas station… look for your glamour elsewhere!

The burgers are served on toasted sesame buns, a nice call back to a time when the burger world didn’t revolve around the brioche. Unfortunately the bottom bun had to fight its own Normandy against an onslaught of sauce and wet lettuce (more on that later…) and it wasn’t pretty. To be fair, most buns would not have fared well against all that moisture.

The patty had an average sear and lacked seasoning. It became clear mid-burger that these patties were the preformed/frozen variety—i.e. weak in terms of beefiness and the texture was dense. Most of the meaty flavor came from the hot dog, naturally. Innie thought her double cheeseburger had a good balance of toppings to meat but the beef would have been lost had it not been for the second patty.

Speaking of toppings! Thoughts from the table: the tomato was fresh and juicy, pickles added the right amount of acid, but the freaking aforementioned lettuce was pulled straight out of an ice bath and gave the burger a slip-and-slide quality (which nobody has ever asked for)!

Another comment from Trev that made me laugh but I have not confirmed: they seasoned the vegetables instead of the patty! That is a high-level technique; most cooks don’t have the courage to pull that move off in front of customers.

III. The fries/sides
The combo comes with a side of fries and they were sadly not a hit. They were on the dry side, the seasoning too light, the potatoes stale. The only member who liked the fries was Trev, and in his defense, he is the resident fry connoisseur and master of the double fry. He described them as “juuuust right” with the straightest of faces.

IV. Miscellaneous
Parking is tough with only six spots, not to mention that it’s shared with a gas station so a spot may be taken by someone there for completely different reasons than getting a burger. If you’re worried about smelling gas fumes, it’s airy and clean enough that we didn’t smell any (to Angela’s disappointment). Seating is outdoors only, the ladies crank these burgers out quick (would be neat to see if you could finish a burger while filling up the tank), and it’s cash only.

V. Value
The members were asked how much they would pay for the burger they ordered. They ranged from $6.50-$8.00 so they were about or even cheaper than what we would have paid. Only in Long Beach!

VI. The verdict
The nostalgia and novelty factors are there, but the love for burgers takes a back seat to the love of profit. Cheap ingredients translates to a cheap burger, in more than one way. The scores were 2.3, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, and 3.1. Best of luck, Dave’s Burgers!

The next Burger Crew meeting will be held Nov 9 @ Goldburger (DK’s pick).

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Friday, June 28, 2019 @ 10pm.

Members in attendance: Angela d., Sumana S., Trevor Y., Wayne T., Innie C., and me! Dennis K.

Guests: Christian Y., Isabel G.

I. Ordering
There is only one burger on the menu, the self-titled Black Sands Burger, which includes two smashed patties, American cheese, shredded lettuce (which they call “shredduce”… no comment), pickles and onion, all placed inside a toasted brioche bun. As of the time of this review, the burger and a side of fries or salad was $17. Bacon and fried egg add-ons are +$2 each, and I could tell you how much extra it is to make it a veggie burger but I’m fairly certain you didn’t come here to read about that.

II. The burgers
Brioche buns are a dime a dozen these days. The reviews were mixed: some members thought the aggressively toasted buns were nice whereas others thought the buns were forgettable. I think we all agreed that the buns did their job, so to that, two lackluster thumbs up.

The two smash patties were seasoned well and had good flavor, although they didn’t have that truly meaty quality we’ve found in other burgers. The hypothesis is that they don’t grind their beef same-day (not too surprising from a beer-first establishment). It would have been nice to see a little more sear and a have little more juice, but on the plus side, we were impressed the patties were cooked to a perfect medium-rare considering they were smashies. The cheese was overpowering for most (each of the two patties had their own cheese overcoat) but I thought the ratio was awesome and the umami flavor really stood out.

Moving on to the veggies, the crew—to be precise, particular members of the crew—are shredded lettuce haters. Not a deal breaker (obviously) but it sometimes waters down the flavor of the burger when there’s too much of it, so to that end, we were happy there wasn’t much “shredduce”. It was there but most of us didn’t notice (hey, sounds like me!) The pickles were sliced so thin they were translucent and cut long ways like a hot dog. It wasn’t until we tasted them separately that we realized they were bread & butter pickles, aka the inferior pickle, but prepared this way, they weren’t bad at all. Angela thought they were surprisingly nice but Sumana thought it still would have been better with a dill pickle. Pickles can be so polarizing.

III. The sides
The number of people who chose salad over fries: 0. And good thing too because the fries were a hit! They were salty, crispy, and get ready for this: they tasted like a higher quality version of McDonald’s fries, aka the Michael Jordan of fries, the gold standard. I hope this recipe never changes.

IV. Miscellaneous
The place was crowded and loud, not surprising given our visit fell on a Friday night @ 10pm. It was a miracle we found a table that fit all of us but the burger gods were with us that night. Service was really quick too, so a big thank you to our server at Black Sands that night (forgot your name, sorry!) Beerwise, there were only six beers on tap and most of them were IPAs. This is a small shop; don’t go in expecting pages and pages.

V. Value
The members were asked how much they would pay for the burger they ordered. The range was between $5.50 and $14, the latter being an outlier by a wide margin, so the $17 price tag was higher than what we would have liked to pay.

VI. The verdict
Out of 5.0, the scores were: 2.0, 2.5, 3.2, 3.4, 3.5, 4.6.

Next Burger Crew does SF stop: Popson’s, San Francisco, CA.

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, April 6, 2019 @ noon (Angela’s pick).

Members in attendance: Angela d., Trevor Y., Wayne T., Innie C., and yours truly, Dennis K.

I. Ordering
Wayne ordered the Napoleon ($14.00) – house blend all beef patty, cooked medium-rare and topped with slow braised tri-tip steak, crispy onion gastrique (bless you) and spicy Gouda fondue. Dressed with garlic aioli and served with demi-glace for dipping.

Trev and Angela shared the Backyard Burger ($13.00) – house blend all beef patty, cooked medium-rare, melted cheddar cheese, jalapeno infused bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onions, and house made thousand island dressing.

Innie and I each had the Breakfast Burger ($12.00) – house blend all beef charbroiled patty, cooked medium-rare, fried egg, potatoes, cheddar, applewood smoked bacon. I added jalapenos to mine and neither of us opted for the $3 Jameson shot add-on, mostly out of fear that they’d pour it onto the burger instead of just having it off to the side. You never know.

II. The burgers
The buns, as with most burgers these days, were standard brioche. They were sweet-ish and held their burger contents without becoming soggy. Does it deserve high praise for barely doing its job? Probably not, but we can give it a participation trophy.

The patties, on the other hand, have potential. The meat blend was pretty tasty. Even though two of the patties came out more medium than medium-rare, the meat was both tender and had that meaty funk. The main knock–and this was across the board–was that the patties weren’t seasoned enough. They could have doubled the amount of seasoning and it would’ve been fine.

Trev and Angela had lots of good things to say about their jalapeno infused bacon: it was salty, smoky, and crispy. Everything you’d want in bacon unless you’re a heathen who thinks bacon should be pork belly.

A warning to those interested in ordering the Napoleon: the tri-tip was super dry, “almost like shredded beef jerky” said Wayne. So much for being slow braised. He also didn’t notice the cheese fondue which I’m sure was a major factor in picking that burger. I had a vision of hot gooey cheese shooting out from the top of the burger like Old Faithful but I guess the chef couldn’t make it happen. I’m not sure what s/he settled for but Wayne didn’t notice it. (To be fair, Wayne can be pretty dense when it comes to non-meaty things.)

Innie’s main gripe with her Breakfast Burger was that it initially came out without an egg. Not to sound like a brat but how does a Breakfast Burger leave the kitchen without a goddamn egg? It turned out fine and when it came out, the egg was perfect. The burger itself needed some kind of acid though. Maybe she should have gotten that shot of Jameson (does that count?).

And in other news, Trev really liked the lettuce. According to The Social List’s website, all of their ingredients are locally sourced, so f*** yeah you go California lettuce!

III. The sides
Another meeting where we did not coordinate side selection, so this review is solely for the breakfast potatoes and the garlicky shoestring fries.

The potatoes looked tastier than they tasted and the fries needed more salt and more garlic. Lack of seasoning was definitely a trend here.

IV. Miscellaneous
* Parking is tough but understandable given the area (hipster Long Beach).
* Loud environment, not ideal for a quiet get together
* Reservations are a must; this place gets packed
* Rotating taps every week

V. Value
The members were asked how much they would pay for the burger they ordered. The range was between $9.50 to $12.00 so the prices were a little above what we would have liked to pay (the prices above include fries).

VI. The verdict
Out of 5.0, the scores were: 2.9, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.2 (hello groupthink!).

Next meeting: May 25th at The Win-Dow in Venice.

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, November 17 just a shade past noon.

Members in attendance: Angela d., Sumana S., Trevor Y., Wayne T., Innie C., and me! Dennis K.

Guests: Christian Y., Will (does he even have a last name?)

I. Ordering
Eureka! is the name of the establishment, just one of 22 similarly named gastropubs across the west coast and a few less desirable states. Its got 10+ burgers on its menu in addition to a host of other modernish American cuisine, including a pretty nice selection of alcohol. We were seated in the patio which included shade and TVs.

Trev and Angela ordered the 28-day aged burger ($18.00) – carrot-fed Angus, aioli, arugula, tomatoes, finished with balsalmic glaze.

Wayne ordered the bone-marrow burger (limited availability) ($16.50) – shiitake bone marrow butter, charbroiled onion, mustard aioli, roasted Roma tomato.

Innie and DK each ordered the jalapeno egg burger ($13.00) – fried egg, cheddar, bacon, chipotle sauce, pickled jalapenos.

II. The Burgers
All of our burgers used the same buns: poppy-covered brioche. The Crew, in classic hive-mind fashion, all agreed the bottom buns got too soggy towards the end of the meal. Seriously though, it feels kind of savage to be holding the burger with your thumb holding the patty-bottom. C’mon Eureka!

The 28-day aged burger got decent reviews. The patty was cooked to a perfectly juicy medium-rare but was lacking salt while the balsamic vinegar flavor was dominant. Somewhat of a rubbery texture though – not sure if that’s due to the fine grind or the carrot-fed beef, but there’s a bit of unrealized potential here. God, what a strip or two of bacon would do for this burger.

The bone marrow burger was the best of the bunch. The patty was unfortunately more medium than medium-rare, but Wayne still described it as still juicy, super savory, very umami, but not very meaty. (He likes his meat to taste like it’s still attached to the animal.) The seasoning and sear weren’t very noticeable because the bone marrow was so front-and-center. The same goes for the onion and tomato – sliced thinly but not very noticeable.

At last, the jalapeno egg burger. Maybe we should have ordered extra jalapenos on the side because both Innie and I agreed the jalapeno flavor and acidity got lost in the mix. Most disappointing! That said, the rest of the burger was quite nice; the bacon was nice and crunchy (dat texture) and the egg was cooked really well. Dipping stuff (fries!) in egg sauce is such a tasty treat.

III. The Fries/Sides
Each of the burgers came with fries. They were nicely salted, potato-y, and had like a maple honey glaze that gave the fries a little sweetness. Innie ordered sweet potato fries that were sweet (honey and cinnamon sugar, we think) and crunchy! I don’t think a single person complained about the fries here.

IV. Miscellaneous
Parking was easy and free because Orange County. Our server was super nice, offering samples of a bunch of beer, dealing with our indecisiveness, and even dealing with us sending back one of the 28-day aged burgers because it was overcooked.

V. Value
We valued the 28-day aged burger between $10.50 and $12.00, the bone-marrow burger at around $13.00, and the jalapeno egg burger between $9.50 and $12.00.

VI. The Verdict
The ratings (out of 5) ranged from 2.8 to 3.7 with the median being 3.1. For the majority of the Crew, it’s safe to say these were average burgers with the potential to be better with a few minor changes. Not bad, Eureka!

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Sat. June 30, 2018 at 11am.

Members in attendance:

• Angela d.
• Trevor Y.
• Wayne T.
• Dennis K. (authored this review)
• Innie C.
• Marty d.

Guests:

• Christian Y.
• Jeannie K.
• Kyle C.

I. Ordering
Glee offers a nice spread of 17 burgers of which 12 are beef-based. Orders are taken at the counter and they accept cash and credit.

• Angela and Trev ordered the Bacon Double Cheeseburger ($6.00).
• Wayne and I ordered the Soft Shell Crab Burger ($11.00).
• Innie ordered the Aloha Burger ($9.25).
  
• We all got our burgers Stinkin’ Burger Style ($1.25).

Our newest member, Marty, chose not to eat for her first meeting. It’s okay (even Wayne kept his cool) because she comes from strong burger bloodlines and will have red meat flowing through her veins in no time. Please join us in welcoming her as she starts her burger journey! (As Jeb Bush said that one time, “please clap” 👏👏👏.)

II. The Burgers
These are classic mom-and-pop style burgers in a family-friendly setting. The patties are on the thin side, cooked well done over a flat top and could have used more seasoning and a better sear. For those of us who went single patty, the beef got lost in the mix (cue: world’s smallest violin). Double patty sure seems like the way to go; Trev and Angela thought theirs had great flavor.

Most of the burgers are served on brioche buns from La Jolla Bakery. The crew appreciates solid buns and these were great. Buttery and chewy (“al dente”, if you will) with the insides lightly grilled. On point!

It seems like some of their specialty burgers were more about being bold than adding interesting ingredients that complement the stuff that’s already in the burger. The bacon in the Soft Shell Crab burger, for example, during post-meal both Wayne and I forgot it was even in our burgers, and that’s the only time the two of us have ever agreed on the bacon situation (a Burger Crew first). It was either lacking in flavor or there wasn’t enough to compete with the crab and Stinkin’ sauce (which to their credit was a kickbutt combo).

Also, I don’t have a place for this, but the egg on the Aloha Burger was well done. That’s a cardinal sin!

Overall, the burgers were a good size but lacked the fundamental qualities of an amazing burger. It’s a good spot for getting your weekly burger fix but not somewhere you’d take friends for an A+ burger experience. We recommend getting Stinkin’ Burger Style for extra flavor and in hindsight, one of us should’ve taken one for the team to taste what their burgers are like without it. If there’s a next time, perhaps.

III. The Fries/Sides
Most everyone ordered Cajun fries because coordinating is hard. Wayne went rogue and ordered regular fries. The batter added a nice crunch that’s always appreciated. The fries were served with a “secret” sauce and while it didn’t stand out, it wasn’t bad either.

IV. Miscellaneous

• Good sized parking lot in a strip mall (free).
• First-timers get a free donut. Their generosity is off the charts.
• The Breakfast Burger should be cross-listed under Burgers. Angela found this disturbing and she’s still waiting for an apology.
• Plenty of of seating. Mix of booths and free standing tall tables.
• Sad to say, the Coke fountain drink tasted off. Not bad, just off.
• Ketchup and other sauces are in a self-serve mini fridge. Get the ketchup out early if you don’t like chilled sauce.
• One of the employees looked like our co-founder Sumana.

V. Value
The members were asked how much they would pay for the burger they ordered.

Bacon Double Cheeseburger + Stinkin’ Burger Style
Trev: $9.50
Angela: $10.00

Soft Shell Crab Burger + Stinkin’ Burger Style
Wayne: $14.00
DK: $15.00

Aloha Burger + Stinkin’ Burger Style
Innie: $10.50

VI. The Verdict

• Trev: 3.6
• Angela: 3.8
• Wayne: 3.8
• DK: 3.5
• Innie: 3.4

Next burger crew meeting July 22nd at noon (DK’s choice). Location: SECRET