burgercrewLA

Burger crew meeting called to order on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 8:30pm.

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

Guests: Isabel G., Christian Y., Todd W., Cindy W.

I. Ordering

There was only one burger on the menu: ($16) The Comstock Burger – secret sauce, fontiamerican, pickle, shallot, malt vinegar chips. You can have extra add-ons $5 Double (3/4lb) + $3 Seared Pork Belly + $3 Head to Tail Pork Jus

II. The burger

I admit I had to look up “Comstock” in the dictionary and it has something to do with a reformist (as in person who makes changes to something in order to make it better). I hope that means this burger will get better because it has a lot of areas to improve. Based on the collective feedback, the burger was deemed very meaty with a good sear with lots of juices. That would imply that it’s a good burger, HOWEVER we found that even though it looked to be cooked properly the meat was found to be CHEWY to the point one burger felt like it had tendons in it. The pickles were deemed too thin and ranged from noticeable to the only saving grace of the burger. Along with the chewiness came crunchiness from the chips…. sometimes. Some of the chips got soggy which gave a very inconsistent bite to bite experience. Some bites had a good crunch and others led to a messy plate since everything fell out. Two burgers were ordered as doubles and had the pork belly option. The consensus was one patty is enough and don’t bother with the pork belly. It didn’t taste like much and was more ham-like than the eye-rolling pork belly we come to expect.

Bottom line, the burger needs to be less chewy and more flavorful. The burger feels like it’s trying to hard. I really really wanted to like this burger but it just didn’t live up to any hype.

III. The Sides and Drinks

What lacked in the burger was probably made up in the delicious sides and drinks. As a saloon they make some top notch cocktails. We had sazeracs made with Dickel, Rittenhouse, and Michters and all were excellent! It’s pretty rare to find a bar that can make a decent sazerac. I also sampled the manhattan which was also excellent. And if rye whisky isn’t you’re thing, all the other cocktails ordered were yummy as well.

ORDER the TATER TOTS and WHITE CHEDDAR CHEXX. You will not disappointed if you enjoy fried potatoes and or cheese.

IV. Miscellaneous 

Live Jazz music played upstairs. It was pretty loud so it made having conversations somewhat challenging. They played typical 40s jazz that I would expect to hear at a jazz concert. However I don’t think that played well in this environment. I would have preferred either a more mellow background or upbeat big band. The jazz played is jazz to be experienced actively. I wasn’t there to listen to jazz. I was there to hangout with friends and eat delicious burgers. At one point in the night someone from the Jazz band came downstair asking for tips so have your small bills ready.

The bar itself felt pretty intimate with the small nook type spaces and darker settings. It’s definitely not ideal for large groups and the fact they were able to fit 10 of us in the restaurant was very impressive.

V. Value

The members would pay between $8 and $10.50 so the $16 price tag on the burger before add-ons makes this a low value burger.

VI. The verdict

On a scale from 1-5 the burger averaged 2.8 with a high of 3.3 and a low of 1.8. Come for the drinks and sides and perhaps stay for the company but don’t get the burger.

Next Burger Crew stop: Wes Burger ‘N’ More

Minutes of a Meeting of the Members of Burger Crew LA

Date:                                   Saturday, June 29, 2019
Time:                                  4:15 p.m. Pacific Time
Location:                          Burger Shack, 2237 Powell Street, SF, CA 94133
Members Present:     Angela, Trevor, Wayne, DK, Innie, Sumana
Members Absent:      None
Guests Present:          Christian, Isabel

I. Call to Order

Meeting was called to order around 4:15 p.m.

II. Discussion

	Angela	Trevor	Wayne	DK (& Isa)	Innie (& Chris)	Sumana
Ordering	(Shared) Combo: ½ lb. shack burger (added: grilled onions, bacon, jalapenos, American cheese), curly fries	(Shared) Combo: ½ lb. shack burger (added: grilled onions, bacon, jalapenos, American cheese), curly fries	Combo: ¼ lb. shack burger (added: American cheese, pickles, onions), regular fries, substituted drink for a Nutella milkshake	½ lb. shack burger (requested medium rare patty, added: American cheese, bacon, pickles on the side), sweet potato fries, root beer float	½ lb. shack burger (added: jalapenos, pickles and onions), onion rings	½ lb. shack burger (added: Cheddar cheese, jalapenos, pickles), Oreo milkshake
Burgers	It was good. The patties were smashed, had a great sear, and were seasoned; however, it didn’t taste like meat.  The buns were flimsy and fell apart.  Picking the ½ pound was a good choice, and also the toppings were worked well for the burger. Probably would not like burger without the toppings. Need acid notes (i.e. pickles or jalapenos) for sure or else the burger would fall flat.	Technically sound burger, but is missing the umami flavor. Wished it tasted better.	The burger looked good, had a sear and was not dry, but the meat didn’t taste beefy enough.  The taste did not match the visual. Patty was cooked medium-well, but the doneness level was not specified when ordered. American cheese wasn’t melted. Pickles added a nice contrast.	Bun was thin, falling apart. The sear on the patty was nice and crispy; however the meat was flavorless and bland. Did not think the ingredients were fresh. Pickles: “wtf yo?” (still eats it) “It has an ocean quality to them.”  If there were some changes, like better ingredients or a better patty grind, that would make it a really good burger.	Really liked the burger: it was meaty and very satisfying. Recommends getting the double (½ lb.) for sure. Ration of bun to meat may be a little off, but not bad. Jalapenos made a (good) difference; it gave it an acidic kick. This was a good, no frills burger. Bun was gooey. Asked for medium rare, but only got pink here and there.	Enjoyed the burger a lot. Asked the lady at the register what kind of cheese she would recommend and she recommended the Cheddar cheese.  Glad to go with her recommendation because the Cheddar cheese was melted and gooey on the patties.  Probably would have preferred to pick either the jalapenos or the pickles (not both). Patties were juicy, and the buns held up well to all the cargo.
Fries/Sides	[Curly fries] Really good, standard, nice and crispy. Solid fries.	[Curly fries] They are awesome.	[Regular fries] Very good, super crispy, and really hot. Everything came out very fresh.	[Sweet potato fries] Wished they were salted a little bit more.	[Onion rings] Solid. Onions cooked through and were nicely fried.	n/a
Misc	Pepsi/no coke. Full bar. (Unusually) Fast service at 4pm on a Saturday afternoon.	“Question: Are we Chinatown adjacent?”	Shake came out way later. Nutella shake was not as nutella-y as it could be.	The root beer float took a long time coming out.	The bathroom is in the back. There’s room for big groups.	Already finished the meal for a while before the Oreo shake came out. Really liked the shake though.
Value	$8	$8	$6	$6.50	$8	n/a
Verdict	3.2	3.1	3.3	3.3	3.7	3.9

Overall Value:                     $7.30/burger
Overall Verdict:                  3.4 of 5.0

III. Future Agenda

Next meeting is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. at Comstock Saloon, 155 Columbus Ave., San Francisco, CA 94133.

IV. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 5:05 p.m.

Submitted By:                    Sumana, Secretary of the Meeting

Burger crew meeting called to order on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 11am.

Members in attendance: Angela d., Sumana S., Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis K., and myself (Innie C.)

Guests: Isabel G., Christian Y., and Marty d. (Apprentice member)

I. Ordering

Wayne, Angela/Trev, and Chris/I all ordered the Double Savory burger (mushroom, truffle cheese, caramelized onion, lettuce, aioli – $11.20).  Wayne added bacon to his, and Chris and I added jalapenos to ours.  Sumana and DK/Isa ordered the special item not on the regular menu, the La Hambuguesa (queso fresco, guacamole, roasted jalapenos, caramelized onions, and Yucateco mayo – $12.20), with double patties.

There are 5 regular burger offerings on the menu, plus a veggie option.  All (excluding the veggie option) are given the option of single or double patty. 

II. The burgers

Those who ordered the Savory burger were none too impressed.  The patties were intended to be smashburgers, but the necessary sear for a good smash-style just wasn’t there.  Wayne’s patties had a moderate sear on just one side.  Angela speculated that since we were the first guests of the day, the grill didn’t have a chance to heat up properly before some of the patties were placed.   The most common complaint of the Savory crowd was that there was no truffle flavor.  We all agreed that if truffle was not advertised in the ingredient list, we would have thought this was just a mushroom burger.  The cheese didn’t have a stand-out flavor, but nicely settled into the crevices of the patty, and added to the savoriness and gooey-ness of the burger.  Wayne thought his added bacon was just okay.  It was neither a thick cut nor a thin slice, and it was neither chewy nor crispy.  A true purgatory state of bacon.  The jalapenos that Chris and I added were of the pickled variety, and would have been a nice acidic addition to the cheesiness if there were more of them. 

The La Hambuguesa was a much bigger hit.  DK said the patties themselves didn’t have too much seasoning, but the queso fresco and guacamole really made up for it.  The queso fresco was thick cut and on point. Isa compared the taste to a torta (she clarified that this was high praise).  The ingredients all together made the burger very flavorful and enjoyable.  The patties for these burgers had a much better sear.

The beef seemed to be of good quality, and all members thought they had a nice meaty flavor.  The patties were very loosely packed.  So much so that the burgers tended to fall apart toward the end.  Most of the crew noted that while the burgers were tender, they would have appreciated more juiciness.

Buns were buttery and held up well for the most part (except when the patties fell apart at the end).  The double patties seemed to be the best choice in terms of satisfying ratio of meat to bread.

III. The Fries/Sides

Between the group, we ordered the garlic fries, the chili cheese fries, and the spicy garlic fries.  The chili cheese fries is one of the offerings on the regular menu, but the garlic fries (garlic butter, grama padano, parsley – $4) and the spicy garlic fries (sambal garlic, butter, grama Padano – $4.50) were specials advertised by the register.  The fries were thin cut, crispy, and seemed to be double fried.  Wayne commented that they were “airy” on the inside.  The chili cheese fries were solid – cheesy and satisfying.  Trev compared the chili style to be of the Weinerschnitzel kind (not in a bad way).  Between the garlic and the spicy garlic fries, everyone preferred the spicy garlic.  The garlic fries were flavorful, but the spicy garlic fries had an extra kick that everyone enjoyed.

IV. Miscellaneous 

Service was very friendly, and the eating area was clean.  The fountain drinks were self-fill and consisted of Coke products.  Ketchup and mustard were “Sir Kensington” brand.  Trevor, the reigning ketchup expert on crew, declared them to be “the most okay” of the non-Heinz/Hunt brands. 

Cups/straws look and feel very much like plastic, but are made of compostable plant material.  Definite win in terms of satisfying both environmental friendliness and straw usability (wimpy paper straws are the Edmure Tully of the straw world – well-meaning but incompetent).

If you want to use the bathroom at this establishment, be prepared for a bit of a walk.  To use them, you’ll have to go over to a nearby building, take the elevator to the basement, and access them via key cards.

V. Value

The members were asked how much they would pay for the burger they ordered.  The range was between $9 and $12 for the double burgers, so most of us considered the burgers to be more expensive than what we would have liked to pay.

VI. The verdict

The Savory burger had ratings of 3.3, 2.7, 2.7, and 3.0. The La Hambuguesa had ratings of 4.0 and 4.4.

Next Burger Crew stop: Burger Shack, San Francisco, CA.

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.

As a burger crew, we take our responsibility to eat as many burgers as possible very seriously. So we take a trip every year to a new city to sample their best burgers. Here’s where we’ve been in previous years:

2018 – San Diego – The year of red onions

2017 – Austin – The year of meaty meat

2016 – Las Vegas – The year of bacon and perfectly cooked eggs

This year, we’re going to San Francisco. The feast starts tomorrow. Here’s our schedule:

Friday: 4505 and Black Sands

Saturday: Popson’s, Burger shack, and Comstock Saloon

Sunday: WesBurger

Get ready San Francisco! We’re coming for you!

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, Feb 16, 2019 at 11:30am (Trevor’s pick).

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

I. Ordering

Trangela: Big Hunk O’ Love with fries

Innie: Ha’bull’nero with onion rings

DK: el Diablo with baked beans

Wayne: Big Hunk O’ Love with sweet potato fries

II. The burgers

No one really enjoyed the burger buns. DK and Wayne both thought the buns were really dry, although Innie’s was soaking in burger juices by the end. In terms of spiciness, both spicy burgers delivered the right amount of heat. DK really liked the spicy relish in his burger. Innie’s egg was cooked the way that she and Wayne like, which is just starting to congeal. The patties had a good sear and seasoning, but Wayne’s was overdone to the point that he sent his back to the kitchen. His replacement burger was much better. The maple bacon in the burgers was thick and crispy. The peanut butter in the Big Hunk O’ Love was smooth, probably overly smooth, to the point where it felt like it was just coating your mouth; chunky would’ve been better for texture. The burger also came with lettuce, which was a strange combination with peanut butter.

III. The sides

The onion rings had a nice and crispy batter, and the onions were cooked through so that you can actually take bites out of them without pulling out the whole onion. The sauce that came with them was very good. DK’s baked beans were a mix of black and kidney. It was very light on meat and could’ve used more sugar; he thought it was just ok. Innie thought that the sweet potato fries, which were coated in a sweet and salty seasoning, were too sweet, but on the plus side they were cooked all the way through despite being pretty thick.

IV. Miscellaneous

The service was slow and it was hard to get the attention of our server(s). The restaurant also identifies as a whiskey bar but their selection is nothing special, although this is partially offset by their great hot sauce selection. It was pretty busy on a Saturday afternoon and it can be a little loud inside. Street parking is fairly easy to find. Innie and Wayne also had their burgers delivered to the wrong person.

V. Value

The prices that people would pay for their burgers ranged from $9 to $12, making their burgers on the pricey/overpriced side.

VI. The verdict

The ratings out of 5 ranged between 3.3 and 3.7, so the burgers weren’t bad but they definitely could’ve been executed better. Better buns and medium rare patties would go a long way.

Burger crew meeting notes Oh My Burger Innie’s choice

Burger crew meeting called to order on Saturday Jan 19, 2019 (Innie’s Pick).

Member in attendance: Trevor Y., Innie C., Dennis K., Angela D., Wayne T., Guest member Anuj. Guest member Anella

I. Ordering
Wayne – The Big Homie – #1 burger year after year. Double bacon cheddar burger, OMG signature sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onion. Opted for grilled cheese buns
$13 + 3

Dennis – Lil homie with jalapeños
$10.50 + $.75

Innie – lil homie with jalapeños.
$10.50 + $.75

Trevor/Angela – big homie no cheese swapped with wheat buns instead of brioche
$13

Anuj – grilled cheese with fried egg

Anella – Lil Homie, no onion
$10.50

II. The Burgers
Burgers were over done. A little chewy/tough. We asked for medium and it was more well done than anything else. Super highly seasoned especially with pepper. Every bite of bacon was really good.

Grilled cheese bun was very gooey. Nice and crispy and buttery However, Anuj felt it was too greasy.

Signature aioli OMB sauce was liked by Innie

Wheat bun was better than brioche

Brioche was a little thick and made it a bad meat to bun ratio – dk

Jalapeños not that spicy. Not noticeable by innie. Can taste the roastedness but much prefer the acidity (like from pickled jalapeños) no tang

Wayne didn’t have the beefy flavor but Angela disagreed. Perhaps the grilled cheese got in the way

Dk is over spring mix lettuce on burgers. Shouldn’t be a thing anymore but doesn’t want any other lettuce either.

Tomato was nice and thin even Angela didn’t take it out

Wayne felt the red onion wasn’t over powering so that’s a good thing

Dk thought patty could have been more salty and seared. Everyone else disagreed.

III. The Fries/Sides
Seasoned fries are good. Salty and well seasoned. A little thicker but great chew and mouth feel.

Onion rings were so good. Fried chicken style batter not beer batter. It was made with a butter milk wash. Nice and sweet batter.

Innie like the chipotle aioli. Super flavorful sometimes it tastes just like mayo but not here.

Taco fries are shrug… Inconsistent seasoning some bites had more than other.

IV. Miscellaneous
They don’t cook the patties medium rare.

Orders take a little longer to come out but it shows in the care of the presentation.

Soda machine on the side

Parking in the back. Limited with restrictions. They will tow you. We saw two tow trucks.

They do online ordering and post mates

Indoor and out door seating. Really loud on el segundo Blvd people seem to be in a rush.

Anuj – snarky

V. Value/rating

We found the value of the burger anywhere from $9 to $12 but if the burgers were done to our liking we’d be okay in the $16 range.

VI Verdict.

Innie said there was like no wow. Except it has like bacon. Our ratings ranged from 2.3 to 3.2 making it more of a ho-hum burger experience instead of the oh-my burger experience.