burgercrewLA

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, June 11, 2022 at 11am.

Members in attendance: Trev, Angela, Wayne, DK, and me, Innie.

Special guests: Marty, and the newest member of the Burger Crew Junior League, Ellis!

I. Ordering

The menu at Bixby has all the classics, with hamburgers, cheeseburgers, double cheeseburgers (dubbed the Bixby Double), a variety of hot dogs, and french fries.  They also offer chili cheese fries and dogs.  A nice surprise was an additional seasonal menu of Texas style barbeque, with a special menu item for every Saturday of the summer.

Angela and Trev shared a Bixby Double for $5, a Long Beach hot dog (chili, mustard, onion) for $4.25, and a smoked sausage sandwich.  Marty, DK, and I all ordered a cheeseburger for $3.75, and Wayne ordered a Bixby Double and a smoked sausage sandwich.  DK also had an order of chili cheese fries.

II. Ordering

The burgers had a very classic backyard-burger vibe.  The patties tasted fresh, but were fairly thin, and looked to be the standard pre-formed patty seen in most fast food joints.  Also, even though they were cooked on a griddle, none of us really noticed the kind of good sear we love from flat top-cooked burgers.  The cheese was the quintessential gooey American, and tasted great with the spread and raw onions.  The buns held together well, although the group all agreed they were on the dry side.  Resident tomato aficionado, Trev, approved of the tomatoes, and said that they reminded him of In-n-out.  In fact, Trev thought the whole burger made a good In-n-out clone, but he was the solo member with that opinion.  

As for the non-burger items ordered by the crew, the hot dogs were a huge hit.  The sausage had an impressive snap and flavor, if just a bit too salty.  Angela and Trev noted that the hot dogs were split and grilled on the flat top, and thought the chili, onion, and mustard were great additions.  The buns for the hot dogs also shared the same dryness as the burger buns.

On the other end of the moistness spectrum was the BBQ sausage sandwich, which was the specialty BBQ item of that weekend.  The sausage itself was delicious, but was unfortunately drowned in a volume of BBQ sauce that turned the sandwich into a pretty wet mess.   (To be fair, our order had to survive a 15 minute drive to our final destination, so that probably did not help with the sogginess.)  The BBQ sauce was good, so our suggestion would be to just order it on the side to add a little more control over the moistness (wetness?) of your sandwich.

III. Sides

The fries in the chili cheese fries were a little on the thick cut side.  While they were nice and fluffy on the inside, the outside could have benefited from being crispier.  DK even tried some fresh after he received his order and noticed they weren’t particularly crispy.  The cheese was nicely melty and the chili had pieces of very tender beef that reminded DK of Chipotle’s steak.

IV. Misc

Bixby Classic Burgers is a little stand in the corner of a lot shared with a 99 cent store.  Apparently, the area is called Bixby Knolls, hence its name.  The exterior is very charming and inviting, and has a great old school retro vibe.  There are a couple of outdoor tables and benches available if you’d like to eat your burgers fresh.  We think we may have had our orders taken by the owner and/or manager, and he was super friendly.  I also noticed that he really took care while packing our orders and he seemed to take a lot of pride in the food.

The parking was plentiful, at least around the time we went (11a on a Saturday).  According to their signage, they are open Monday through Saturday, from 10a to 6p, and are closed Sundays.

V. Value

The members were asked how much they would pay for their burgers.  Our answers ranged from $3 to $10, with an average of $6.20.

VI. The Verdict

Overall, a cool neighborhood burger place for our members who live in the area!  Our ratings for Bixby were 2.8, 2.1, 4.0, 3.2, and 3.3.

Next Burger Crew meeting will be held at Hangry Belly in Long Beach on July 16th.

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, May 28, 2022 at 11am (Angela’s Pick).

Members in attendance: Angela d., Trev Y., Wayne T., Innie C., and yours truly, DK
Sliders in attendance: Marty, Lucy
Special guest: Christian Y.
Introducing the latest member of our growing family, Baby Ellis. Welcome!

I. Ordering

Burgers are made with 100% fresh ground beef, smashed to order. They offer pickles, onions, tomato, and lettuce – the typical accoutrements; but if you’re a one-percenter you can add on things like MORE cheese, bacon, avocado, etc. for a shiny buckaroo.

• Trev and Angela ordered the Mamba Burger ($8.24), a double cheeseburger with bacon, grilled onions, mustard, and avocado; and a side of tots
• Marty ordered a cheeseburger ($5.00) with extra pickles
• Wayne ordered a double cheeseburger ($7.00) with grilled onions, mustard, and a side of garlic tots
• Innie ordered a cheeseburger ($5.00) and a side of onion rings
• I ordered a Mamba Burger ($8.24)

II. The Burgers

I’ll preface this by saying we probably should have eaten there. But one of our members, I won’t mention names, birthed a newborn just days prior. The food was ordered to go, the drive to the house was about 15 min, and we ate outside on the picnic table.

And just to be clear, it wasn’t me.

The buns were all over the place. Some said theirs were dry and bready; for others they were over steamed and almost congealed with their upstairs/downstairs neighbors. They didn’t fall apart though, and maybe in the end that’s all we can ask of our buns.

The American cheese on the cheeseburgers was very melty. They used Colby cheese on the Mambas and that was an understandable choice, but since 1776, there hasn’t been a better cheese to use on a burger than American. The patties had good sear but lacked pop in the seasoning. We all ordered our patties medium-rare but they came out looking more medium to well done, except Wayne who like a lucky dog got some pink meat.

As for the rest of the burgers, Wayne was a fan of the bacon, noting its high chew rating. Coming from a bacon enthusiast, that’s noteworthy praise! The biggest distractor for Innie was the shredduce. Whoever cooked her burger must have had the hands of Russel Wilson – she got too much shredduce! Ratios, man.

III. The Sides

Pretty good fried sides, considering they traveled in a bag for some time. The garlic tots suffered the worst fate. The garlic flavor was great but they were soggy from the oil. Wayne noted that had we had them fresh, they would have been crispy.

The standard tots fared better and stayed crispy through the end of our meal. Fried but not overly fried with a nice fluffy inside. They were great!

Same can be said of the onion rings. Innie mentioned she would have preferred beer battered (these were cornmeal onion rings). But they stayed crunchy until the last bite as well.

IV. Miscellaneous

This is a chain! If you’re in the El Segundo or Pasadena areas, look them up. The Long Beach location, even at 11:00am, was packed with cars. And with many restaurants these days, they looked understaffed. There was only one cashier and one cook holding it down on a Saturday!

V. Value

I asked the members how much they would pay for the burger they ate. Their responses ranged from $10 to $15.

VI. The Verdict

This place deserves another visit in person. The ratings for the at home edition: 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.2, 3.3.

Next Burger Crew meeting: Saturday, June 11th at 11am – Classic Bixby Burger – Long Beach.

Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Saturday, April 20, 2022 at 11am (Wayne’s Pick)

Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Wayne T., Dennis K., Innie C. Absent member: Trevor Y. (finally broke that perfect attendance). Thanks for staying home to take care of our sick slider member 🙏

I. Ordering
Burgers come with fresh ground beef (they grind their own meat), grilled onions, American cheese, scratch pickles (they make their own pickles) and mustard.

I ordered a single ($6.50), crinkle cut fries ($3), and a Mexican Coke ($4).

Chris and Innie ordered a single ($6.50) a double ($8), and lightly salted crinkle cut fries ($3).

Wayne and DK each got a double ($8) with banana peppers (25 cents), crinkle cut fries ($3). DK also ordered some ranch ($1.50).

I got Trev a single ($6.50) to go, which got to him about an hour later so I’m sure that colored his opinion. Just keep that in mind.

II. The Burgers
The burgers were pretty good. The patties were loose packed with a good beef flavor. It fell apart a little bit, which meant “bonus meat” (kind of like bonus fries at the bottom of your bag)!

There was a great sear on these patties because they really work that flat top. We asked about this set of timers they had and they smash the first side with 2 spatulas for 3 minutes. Then, they sear the other side for 1.5 minutes. The patties were super juicy. These are traditional Oklahoma style burgers with grilled onions smashed into the patty.

We weren’t really big fans of the onions. they were a bit stringy and we didn’t really notice the flavor of the onions. Maybe they needed to be a bit more caramelized?

The cheese was melty and gooey. They used bread and butter pickles, which DK and I are not big fans of, but Trevor loves! Trevor loved the plentiful pickles on his burger. We also enjoyed the mustard on the burgers.

The buns were Martin’s famous potato rolls. They were nice and gooey. The top buns were nicely toasted on the flat top. They held up to the juiciness of the burger patty. The single was okay, but the double is a better meat to bun ratio.

III. The Fries
They were crispy, but oddly dry on the outside. I wanted just a little bit more salt on the fries. Could have been because we had the batch from Chris and Innie’s “lightly salted” batch.

IV. Miscellaneous
There is limited seating for larger groups. They only have a counter, a couple of tables, and a little bar on the opposite side of the counter. They have an open kitchen so it’s fun to watch them grilling the burgers on the flat top. The staff was super friendly.

They have tubs of ice for the drinks, which is fine for the cans of soda, but my Mexican Coke was warm on the top.

They play the music pretty loud and Wayne said they had “Filipino R&B vibe” music. The bathrooms are fine. It’s located in a strip mall so there is parking in the strip mall.

The workers were wearing these shirts that had a menu on the back of the shirt. Is it a secret menu? There’s some good sounding stuff on that shirt!

They also have chili burgers and fries (which sound good). They also have a grilled cheese, an option for impossible meat patty (+$3) and a gluten free bun (+$3).

V. Value
I ask the members how much they would pay for the burger they ate. We would pay anywhere from $4.50 (that’s an outlier) to $13.50. There is a lot of variance!

VI. The Verdict
Cool vibe at this shop. They clearly care about making quality burgers! And yay kababayan! The ratings: 3.4, 3.5, 3.7, 3.8, and 4.2.

Next burger crew meeting: Saturday, May 28th at 11am – Eat Fantastic – Long Beach

Burger Crew meeting called to order on February 26, 2022.

Members in attendance: Angela, DK, Innie, Trevor, and Wayne, with special guest Marissa.

I. Ordering

Crack doesn’t have a very extensive menu, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it also means that almost everybody ordered the same thing, which was the Bacon Jam burger. The only deviants were DK, who ordered The Dirty, and Marissa, who ordered the Ortega Burger. Most of us also added a side of fries.

II. The Burgers

The seasoning on the patties was very inconsistent. Trevor thought that his patty was very bland, and DK thought that some bites were OK while others were way too salty. The owner had told us that he had just hired a new cook, and it sounded like he was still learning how to cook, so that may have been a big reason for the inconsistency. Most of us had also ordered our burgers medium rare (except Angela), but they all came out pretty much well-done. The meat had strange chewy bits that indicated that some cheaper cuts were probably used for the beef grind. The buns were what everyone described as “classic” burger buns, not too gooey and not too dry. The bacon jam was sweet and had a little bit of heat on it, and everybody enjoyed it that had the Bacon Jam burger. Innie noted that it was unusual for a burger to have plain mayonnaise as a condiment; usually it’s mixed with something else to become a “burger sauce” of some kind or an aioli. It wasn’t necessarily bad, just unusual. DK thought that his Dirty burger was overly saucy in a messy way. Marissa and DK both thought that the Ortega burger was incredibly bland despite all of the components. The chilis and salsa tasted canned, and all of the flavors ended up cancelling each other out.

III. The Sides

For $4, the portion of fries was disappointing. DK said that they reminded him of little seasoned potato wedges in terms of taste and texture. Trevor saw that they were air frying them, which explained the lack of crispiness. They reminded us of fries that you get from the freezer section of a supermarket, and not in a good way.

IV. Miscellaneous

The owner was a character, to say the least. He was very judgemental about any changes that we wanted to make while ordering. The changes were things like side of pickles or for a burger to be cut in half, so not anything out of ordinary, but they were all met with snide comments. He made his political leanings very apparent when speaking with us, and when he brought out the burgers, he was strangely misogynistic, assuming that the women all wanted their burgers to be cut in half. Angela described him as home cook burger enthusiast, someone who enjoys making burgers but might not necessarily have the experience or quality of ingredients to be running a restaurant. He had a hard time keeping everyone’s orders straight, including different levels of doneness and who had their burger cut in half. The food took forever to come out, so the owner brought out different samples of white bean chicken chili and macaroni salad to try to hold us over.

V. Value

The Crew was largely in agreement regarding the value of the burgers we had. Everyone said they would pay between $7.50 and $8.50, perhaps the narrowest range we’ve ever had for value.

VI. The Verdict

The ratings came out to 2.3, 2.7, 3.1, 3.1, and 3.2, so clearly nobody was impressed with what we had. Crack has overwhelmingly positive reviews on Yelp, and we hypothesized that maybe it’s because it’s in a golf course, and everybody expects mediocre food at a golf course, so when the food is slightly above average, it’s met with tons of praise.

Our next meeting will be at Nilly’s Neighborhood Burger Shop in Artesia.

Burger crew meeting called to order on Saturday, Jan 30th, 2022.

Members in attendance: Angela, Trev, Marty, DK, Wayne, and Innie,

Guest appearances: Marissa and Marty

This is the second attempt for this burger crew to eat at For The Win. The previous attempt resulted in a fail when we arrived to find the restaurant had unexpected plumbing issues and had to close for the day. We had to settle for Blue Bird Burgers. There was no settling on this perfect “winter” day in socal. We were able to order ahead and enjoy the burgers at a park nearby

I. Ordering
Angela, Trev – Double Cheese Burger
Marty – Single Cheese burger
Innie – Single cheeseburger jalapenos
Wayne -double cheeseburger with bacon and fries
DK – Single with cheese jalapenos and bacon
Marissa – single with cheese with bacon, lettuce tomato

II. The Burgers

First reaction from the group was “good good.” We found the pepper forward patty nicely seasoned and the course grind gave a mouth feel that was very popular with the group. The cooking of the patty was a tad inconsistent. There were some excellent bits and other parts could have been seared more but to make up for that un-evenness, EVERYTHING was gooey. (Side note: Innie found her burger on the border of too salty. We determined her salt tolerance is lower than genpop)

The onions were very onion-y and carmelized. DK and Marissa didn’t notice the onions at all. I personally think this is good thing. I think carmelized onions is one of those ingredients that’s only noticed when not present. It does a thankless job in elevating the burger taste profile.

Pickles on the other hand had good acid and were plentiful. Lastly, don’t upgrade to add tomatos and lettuce. Simply not worth it. If you like spicy, the jalapenos are worth it. (the Koreans agreed). You also can’t go wrong adding bacon.

The bun was squishy and gooey keeping in the theme of gooey for the entire burger. We suspect it was a bit extra goo since we got the burgers to go. We suspect the experience will be different if we were able to enjoy the burgers fresher at the restaurant.

Overall we found the meat to bun ratio really great in both the double and the single burger. You can’t go wrong with either and can choose based on whatever mood you’re in.

III. Fries/Brussels Sprouts
Fries weren’t that great. They felt over fried and a bit cold. This seems to be a victim of taking food to go versus enjoying fresh right away. If eating there I would recommend the fries, if taking to go it’s worth considering passing on this option and opting for the brussels sprouts!

These brussels sprouts were DELICIOUS. They were roasted to perfection then tossed in a super tangy vinegrette. They were a huge hit with the group and the bonus of feeling “healthy” by eating something green.

IV. Miscellaneous
FTW is in the corner of a tiny strip lot. Parking is very limited. We were the first ones there and it still took awhile to get our orders.

While waiting for your food you can check out the liquor store nearby.

It was nice and clean inside, tables were planks on cinder blocks, wine and beer available.

V. Value

The members were asked how much they would pay for their burgers. The answers ranged from $10 to $11.50

VI. The Verdict
The ratings from the crew were 3.9, 4.1, 4.1, 4.2, and 3.7. The burger was pretty good but not a unanimous GREAT. The “Win” is like the win a sports team gets over a weak divisional rival. (I.e. the Dodger’s beating the Padres or the Diamondbacks) 

Next meeting Feb 26 – Crack Burger in Long Beach

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Sunday, December 12th, 2021 at 12p.

Members in attendance: Angela, Trevor, Wayne, Decay, and me (Innie).

Special guest appearance by Marty, burger scion.

Burger Crew has a few ongoing burger hot topics.  Dill versus bread and butter pickles. The optimal bacon doneness. Tomatoes… friend or foe?  However, there are other subjects that have historically been hive-mind gospel.  American cheese is best cheese. Griddle > grill.  And of course, plant-based patties do not compute as acceptable burger material. 

But… times are changing, and the crew is game for the ride!  Burger Crew is officially reviewing its first vegan establishment!

I. Ordering

Nomoo’s entirely vegan menu includes 2 burger options: the nomoo and the BBQ ‘Facon’.  Both have the choice of being ordered as a single or a double patty.  The nomoo consists of a brioche bun, ‘nomoo x Beyond’ patty, American Cheeze, pickles, onion, tomato, and lettuce (single: $7.95, double: $9.95).  The BBQ ‘Facon’ has a brioche bun, housemade bacon, secret BBQ sauce, fried onion strings, ‘nomoo x Beyond’ patty, and American Cheeze (single: $8.45, double: $10.75).  The menu also includes a hot chicken burger, “wings” (fried mushrooms), handspun shakes, and sides of fries ($4.25) or salad.

Wayne, Trev, and Angela all ordered a double BBQ ‘Facon’ with fries.  Trev also ordered an Oreo milkshake.

DK and I both ordered the double nomoo, with DK adding bacon to his burger for an extra $3.

II. The Burgers

Let’s get right to the meat of the matter and talk turkey about the Beyond patty.  For the members of the crew who have tried Impossible patties, the consensus was strong that the Beyond patty didn’t quite measure up.  Angela commented that the Beyond patty has a distinct “pea protein” taste that the Impossible burger doesn’t have.  The texture for the Beyond meat was softer and was comparatively more mushy as well, but no one had any real beef with that.  The sear was pretty impressive, with Wayne comparing his to a smash patty, and with mine having some distinctly crispy bits.  Angela, Trev, and Wayne all thought the BBQ Facon was too salty, perhaps due to the barbeque sauce.  DK and I thought the nomoo burgers were seasoned the right amount.

The American Cheeze was unexpectedly close to the flavor and gooeyness of the real stuff.  Vegan cheese has a pretty bad rap, but the texture of this cheeze was melty and melded nicely into the burger patty.  The taste was not quite as savory as real American cheese, but it was overall a surprisingly good substitute.

The ‘facon’ was far less impressive. It was somehow neither crispy nor chewy, and while it didn’t detract from the burgers, it didn’t add anything either.  It was basically a non-ingredient.  Save the $3 add-on if your burger doesn’t already come with it, and spend it elsewhere. (Spoiler alert: don’t spend your savings on a milkshake.)

The real MVP of the burgers was the nomoo sauce.  At first glance, it seemed like a standard thousand-island-style sauce, but the nomoo sauce was just better. I don’t know what they put in it, but it was flavorful and tangy, and easily my favorite part of the burger.

The veggie accouterments were all very fresh. The tomatoes were thinly sliced, sweet, and not at all mealy.  The chopped red onions provided a nice crunch, as did the pickles. The butter lettuce made for a pretty picture, but didn’t bring much else to the game.

The buns were toasted and held up to the job. Not quite the gooey buns we tend to love, but still soft and blended well with the rest of the burger.

III. Sides

I always respect a burger establishment that can deliver a good fry, and this place did not disappoint.  The fries here were delicious; double fried and well seasoned.  They stayed crispy throughout the whole meal, and were still tasty when cold.  The cute copper baskets they were served in didn’t hurt either.

On the other end of the spectrum, Trev’s handspun Oreo cookie milkshake was all sizzle and no steak.  Trev thought that it tasted as if the person who made it didn’t know what an Oreo shake was, and then made that concoction into a Diet version.  Between the alternative milk, and the freeze-dried texture of the oreo cookie bits, Trev rated his experience a negative 2 out of 5.

IV. Miscellaneous

There was both outdoor and indoor counter seating available, and space heaters were set up in the outdoor patio area.  The crew met up at the start of their business hours and noticed that it was fairly busy the whole time we were there.  Bathrooms are for customers only and were pretty clean.  The fountain drinks are of the fancy sort (“Tractor Organic” brand), and according to their menu, can have CBD added for a $2 upcharge.  Free parking wasn’t too hard to find in the neighborhood, with a 2 hr limit on the weekend.

V. Value

The members were asked how much they would pay for their burgers. The answers ranged from $8.50 to $12.50, with an average of $11.

VI. The Verdict

The ratings from the crew were 3.4, 2.3, 3.0, and 3.3.  

Next Burger Crew meeting scheduled for Sunday, January 30th at For the Win.

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, November 20th at 1:00pm.

Members in attendance: Angela, Trev, Wayne, Innie, and Decay
Special Guests: Chris and Slider Lucy

I. Ordering

Gotta love a lightweight menu. They only make one burger made of ground short rib, grilled onions, American cheese, house made bread & butter pickles, and heavy sauce on a potato roll. Single ($9), double ($11), and triple ($13) options are available.

Trev and Angela ordered a double with fries and heavy sauce on the side.
Wayne ordered a triple with fries and heavy sauce on the side.
I ordered a double with fries and heavy sauce on the side.
Innie ordered a double.

The fries ($4) are fried in beef tallow and the heavy sauce ($0.75) is Thousand Island-y.

II. The Burgers

Potato buns were great. Nicely steamed and gooey with just the right amount of chew. (Let it be known that brioche ain’t the only good bun…) More shops should consider potato buns.

At the heart of every good burger is a good patty and the patties here stand out. Great meaty flavor, perfect amount of seasoning, and good ratio with the buns. None of us got a single though, so your mileage may vary. Of course, draped over each patty is the Lord’s cheese, aka American cheese, melted into all of the nooks and crannies, melding flavors into a crescendo of mouthful lust.

Bread and butter pickles are always an interesting choice for burgers. The non-pickle snobs liked them, the pickle snobs shrugged their shoulders — what can you do? The onions were super caramelized, almost like jam.

Overall, the burgers had a warm, gooey mouthfeel that feels very familiar. Like something your grandma would cook for you when your parents weren’t around.

III. The Fries

And as good as the burgers were, the fries were just as good. They were very textured, crispy (and it held throughout the meal without sogging), and we were given a good serving size. Must be the tallow!

IV. Miscellaneous

If you haven’t figured it out by now, Heavy Handed is a food truck. They’re a bit slow posting their whereabouts on their website, which should be fine unless you’re planning a meeting of friends a month out. If you’re craving a great burger, these guys are worth going out of your way for!

V. Value

The members were asked how much they would pay for the burger and the responses ranged between $7.95 and $14.00 — so much for groupthink!

VI. The Verdict

The ratings were 3.9, 4.1, 4.4, 4.4, and 5.0. Another solid burger in LA!

Next meeting will be Sunday, Dec 12 @ nomoo.

Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Saturday, October 9, 2021 at 11am (Wayne’s Pick)

Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Trevor Y., Dennis, K., and Innie C.

Slider member: Marty d.

I. Ordering

Trev and I ordered the Bacon Love #9 and Fries ($10.99) – Applewood smoked bacon, American cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomato & secret sauce #9. And we couldn’t resist ordering mac and cheese with bacon ($5.75)

We got Marty the Kid Burger with fries and applesauce ($5.99)

DK ordered the Wagyu Burger + Onion Rings medium rare ($15.99) – Hand formed Wagyu patty, roasted garlic A1 aioli, marinated grilled tomato, arugula, swiss, french fried onions.

Innie got the Scorpion Pepper ($9.50) – Pepper jack cheese, Trinidad Moruga scorpion sauce, grilled jalapenos, lettuce & tomato. Topped with a grilled jalapeno.

Wayne ordered the Golden Gate Sourdough + onion rings ($13.25) – Avocado, bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato & housemade thousand island relish on toasted sourdough.

II. The Burgers

There was a lot of variance among the burgers. Trev and I didn’t love the Bacon Love #9. Maybe our expectations were too high with a name like Bacon Love. The balance was way off. It was too bready, super salty, and we could barely taste the meat. It ended up soggy on the bottom because of the pickles and the much loathed shreddece 🤨. Any burger with shreddece ends up messy, slippery, and falling apart.

Marty’s burger was big but didn’t come with anything on it. Thankfully, they were super nice and gave us a slice of cheese and some pickles when our threenager was having a fit because she wanted a cheeseburger.

Wayne said the sourdough on his burger was fine, and it didn’t fall apart like our bun did. He said the meatiness was okay; nothing to write home about, but it was well seasoned. He asked for his burger to be cooked medium rare, but it came out more medium. The avocado gave a nice creaminess to the burger.

Innie’s burger had a decent amount of heat. “Good white people heat”. She could taste the smokiness of the burger because these burgers were cooked on the grill (which if you know me, you know I don’t care for. Griddle all the way, baby). There was a good amount of grilled jalapenos and there were crispy bites until the end. 

DK was the winner of this burger crew meeting. He liked the crunchiness of the burger. The Wagyu patty was nice and salty, peppery, and the beefiness was above and beyond expectations. DK hit the jackpot and got arugula instead of shreddece. It came with A1 sauce that was really good. The bacon was Wayne style (read: chewy). 

III. The Sides

The fries were good, crispy, skinny, well seasoned. There was some debate regarding what constitutes an above average onion ring. Wayne thought the onion rings were standard, but DK argued that they were great! They were crispy, the onion didn’t fall out when you bit into it, and they stayed crispy the whole time. The mac and cheese was like stove top Velveeta. It was kinda plain, kinda mushy. The bacon on mac and cheese was the best part. 

IV. Miscellaneous

Parking is not bad since they have a dedicated parking lot. They have a lot of seating options: indoor seating, outdoor seating with heaters, fans, and TVs, and outdoor seating in the parking lot under a tent. The traffic can be loud when you’re sitting outside. When you get there, you order at the counter and they have self-serve sauces. Wayne commented that the jalapeno ranch does not have any jalapenos in it and there was only a vague taste of jalapenos. They had paper towel rolls, ketchup, and mustard on the tables. They had some cool looking shakes, but none of us ordered any. They had a great playlist!

V. Value

I ask the members how much they would pay for the burger they ate. We would pay anywhere from $7 (that’s an outlier) to $17 (because it was the wagyu burger). So there was a lot of variance in our burger prices. 

VI. The Verdict

Fun place to hang out and I think if you’re going to grab a burger here, splurge for the Wagyu burger. The other burgers were just okay. The ratings: 2.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.8, and 4.5

Next burger crew meeting, Saturday, November 21, 2021 at noon.

Heavy Handed LA Food Truck

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Sunday, September 26, 2021 at 5pm PT (9th stop in Burger Crew Does the Best of LA).

Members in attendance: Angela, Trevor, Wayne, DK, and me (Sumana); missing Innie

I. Ordering
• The Manimal ($18, +$3 for side of fries): beef patty, bacon candy, american cheese, secret sauce, brioche buns [ordered by Angela/Trevor, Wayne/DK, Sumana]
• Kids meal cheeseburger with fries ($12) [ordered by Angela/Trevor]

II. The Burgers
• The Manimal: a sweet, savory and satisfying burger
— Patty: peppery and nicely seasoned, meaty, juicy, not pink but delicious
— Bun: buttery, gooey buns; the bottom bun soaked in the juices but it held up
— Cheese: melty
— Bacon candy: sweet, chewy, thick-cut bacon
— A bit messy and oily but definitely worth it
— No pickles or acid on the burger but the burger is amazing by itself
• Kids cheeseburger: patty cooked to medium; buttery buns; plain burger but very good- mom-approved!

TIPS: Live without regrets! Get the Manimal!

III. The Sides
• Side of regular fries: comes with spicy ketchup; french fry anatomy = nice and fluffy inside, crispy on the outside; good amount of fries for 1 person; delicious!
• Kids meal fries: comes with regular ketchup; same fries as the regular fries; good amount for a kid

TIPS: Get the fries and then add spicy ketchup to your burger.

IV. Miscellaneous
• Reservations were limited to a max of 5 in a party, so we made two reservations initially. It was not a problem when we arrived. We were able to all sit together at a spacious table outside.
• The restaurant has strict reservation policies, so be sure to arrive within 15 mins or they’ll give your table away.
• Free parking structure nearby
• A lot of outdoor and indoor seating; outdoor seating has heat lamps and umbrellas or an awning for shade
• Restrooms available and the sinks are in a separate area right outside the restrooms
• Menu is available via QR code
• No beer on tap currently
• Our food came out very fast
• The servers very nice and friendly. They refill our water and asked many times if we needed anything.

TIPS: make reservations; don’t have AT&T as your cell service provider because reception sucks and you won’t be able to pull up the menu

V. Value
$14, $15, $17, $17, and I abstained
Average value = $15.75

VI. The Verdict
4.5, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8
Average = 4.6

Great place, great experience, and great burger!
A delicious, last stop in our Best of LA trip.
‘Til next time crew!

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Sunday, September 26, 2021 at 12:30pm (8th stop in Burger Crew Does the Best of LA).

Members in attendance: Angela, Sumana, Trev, Wayne, Innie, and your boy, DK
Special guests: Will, Chris, and baby Lucy

I. Ordering

Lord, please do not judge us. We know Grill ‘Em All has an expansive menu of burgers and each one would be a star anywhere else, but the group has jelled into a hive and these bees fucking love peanut butter, jelly, and sriracha. And we also happen to know that it hits the spot every time.

Sumana, Trev, Angela, Wayne, and I had the Dee Snider: peanut butter, strawberry jam, bacon, sriracha.

Innie ordered the Samoa Joe: cheddar, bacon, fresh pineapple, grilled onion, BBQ sauce.

II. The Burgers

The buns were fine. Standard brioche, good toast, ain’t nobody here for the buns. What makes Grill ‘Em All a must-have in your burger rotation are the patties. The half-pound patties are cooked medium-rare nearly every time. They’re seasoned well with a great sear, juicy as fuck, and meaty in taste. Wayne and Angela thought they had a few bites that were a bit chewy but nobody else seemed to mind. They may need to see their dentists.

For the Dee Snider, what a treat. It was a little messy like a burger should be. All of the flavors together with the added texture from the toasted buns, thicc cut bacon that was both chewy and crunchy, and bits of peanuts produced an unrivaled combination of mouth sensations. Tchaikovsky’s 1812 of burgers. Order it every time.

As for the Samoa Joe, the review was less enthusiastic. It was the first time I’ve heard a burger needed more friction, but when the contents are slippin’ and slidin’, that impacts the eating experience. The burger was also too sweet — on top of the generous slather of BBQ sauce and grilled onions, there were three whole slices of pineapple. Innie said the burger needed something spicy and something crunchy.

III. Sides

The fries were very enjoyable. Crunchy and salty, the kind everybody likes. The portion was very generous as well, enough for 2-3 normal sized people.

IV. Miscellaneous

One of the best things about this place is the free parking garage. God bless Alhambra. The place pre-pandemic was mostly indoor seating but they’ve since put a few outdoor tables out. They’ve got awesome heavy metal decor and the music to back it up, a good selection of beers, and unlimited refills from the fountain machine.

V. Value

I asked the members how much they’d pay for the burger they ate. They ranged between $12 and $16 which is just a bit over the asking price. Great value for one of the best burger shops in Los Angeles.

VI. The Verdict

The individual scores were 3.4, 4.1, 4.7, 4.7, 4.8, 5.0. Don’t be scared to try this spot!

Next up… the final destination for the weekend: Lock & Key Social Drinkery + Kitchen.