burgercrewLA

Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Sunday, September 26, 2021, 9am (Stop #7 in Burger Crew Does the Best of LA) at Pier Burger in Santa Monica, CA

Members in attendance: Angela d. (hey, that’s me!), Sumana S., Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis K., and Innie C.

Guest: Will G.

I. Ordering

What a better way to start a day than with some burgers! This is one of the few burger places open for breakfast! Sumana and Will ordered a breakfast burger (a Pier burger topped with bacon and a fried egg – $6.96).

DK and Wayne decided to double down with a double breakfast burger ($10.95).

Innie decided to opt for a traditional choice for this location: a double pier burger ($8.95).

Trev and I got the double pier burger ($8.95), but we added bacon ($1) and got a hot dog with chili and bacon for good measure ($8.75). Because, what’s breakfast without a side of a chili bacon dog?

A note for when you’re ordering, the burgers come with lettuce, tomato and a homemade sauce. If you want pickles and onions (which, of course you do), you’ll have to request it. Onions can either be raw or grilled. No one remembered except Trev and I (we pass the “do you actually read the menu” test). Innie requested pickles and onions on the side after she had put her order it. They happily obliged and gave her the toppings in 2 little condiment cups.

II. The Burgers

As we’ve experienced many times over the years, the patties were loose packed with a great char, and were cooked medium rare to medium. The meat to bun ratio was not too good in the single, so as the standard burger crew rule goes “always double”. 

The buns were very top bun forward (burger crew translator: the top bun was too big and the bottom bun was too small). Maybe it was too early in the morning and the person doing the slicing wasn’t quite awake yet. Some of us felt that the bun was drier than usual and used to be denser. This is not the first issue we’ve had with buns on this trip (maybe COVID is to blame). 

Overall, toppings were just ooookay. According to Trevor it was a “standard tomato” (read: no yummy sauce all over the tomato). According to Innie, the lettuce is just for show, but it does make for a pretty burger picture! The cheese is good and melty. The pickles are nice and thick cut! In the breakfast burgers the egg was fried and cooked throughout (no runny yolk). It kind of looked like a giant slice of mozzarella! Though most of burger crew enjoys a runny yolk, this egg was less messy and didn’t have to worry about losing the yolk. The bacon was chewy (very Wayne friendly) and not as flavorful as we wanted it to be.

III. The Sides

Given that it was 9am, we had already eaten at 7 other burger places earlier in the weekend, and we still had 2 more burger places to go for the day, no one got fries. But how could I say no to a bacon chili dog for breakfast? This was our first time getting it and, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it would have been good without the bacon! The chili was really good and the dog came with pickles and onions on top by default. I find it ironic that those are standard for a hot dog, but you have to request it for your burger.

This dog was definitely a knife and fork hot dog, and it came with a little wooden knife and fork. 

IV. Miscellaneous

As the name suggests, Pier burger resides on the famous Santa Monica Pier. They have plentiful outdoor seating with heaters and umbrellas for your comfort. For your whimsy there are some fun murals!

The bathrooms are right across the way, which could be good or bad depending on how you look at it. Pier burger seems to try and be more eco friendly. They had the wooden utensils and paper straws, but their drink cups and condiment cups were still plastic. The strawberry lemonade is good. 

It’s good to note that they open early so you can get your burger fix if you find yourself in Santa Monica jonesing for a breakfast burger. They have other things on their breakfast menu as well. 

If you so happen not to enjoy burgers (which, you’re probably in the wrong place), they have a lot of other delicious sounding things on the menu: hot dogs (which are bomb), chicken sandwich, fish sandwich, and concretes.

V. Value

I ask the members how much they would pay for the burger they ate. We said we’d pay between $10 and $12 for these burgers so they are nicely priced! 

VI. The Verdict

Great, meaty burger with a beautiful view that you can have for breakfast. What more can you ask for? Maybe a side of chili bacon dog 

The ratings: 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 4.2, 4.5, and 4.6

On to Grill ‘Em All or as we so affectionately call it – Gorilla Mall

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, September 25, 2021.

Members in attendance: Angela, DK, Sumana, Trevor, and Wayne, with special guest Will.

After way too much procrastination on my part, I’m finally resuming the Best of LA reviews. Plan Check has always been in the upper tier of Burger Crew favorites, and we were happy in the past to see them expand to multiple locations, but all of the other locations have now closed and their original location on Sawtelle is the only one that remains.

I. Ordering

Plan Check’s menu hadn’t really changed all that much until relatively recently, where they added a lot of new items. Most of the Crew stuck with tried and true mainstays while Sumana and I decided to try something new. All burgers came with regular fries, except for DK substituting sweet potato fries.

Angela: PCB (Plan Check Burger; beef patty, Americanized dashi cheese, ketchup leather, shmaltz onions, mixed pickles, crunch bun)

Trevor: Chef’s Favorite Burger (beef patty, cheese two ways, bacon two ways, ketchup leather, sunny fried egg, hot sauce, crunch bun)

DK: Chef’s Favorite Burger with sweet potato fries

Sumana/Will: Machismo Burger (beef patty, habanero cheese, bacon, fried onions, spicy mayo, jalapeños, crunch bun)

Wayne: So Cal Dbl Cheeseburger (two smash patties, Americanized dashi cheese, lettuce, tomato, bacon 1000 island, crunch bun)

II. The Burgers

As mentioned above, more than half the Crew ordered burgers that they had already had and enjoyed before. However, Angela was very quick to say that she didn’t enjoy her PCB as much as she had in the past and said that while the burger was very well-composed, the meat didn’t taste as meaty and didn’t come with as good of a sear as she had come to expect from Plan Check. A part of her patty also had what she assumed was a piece of tendon and to her it’s a sign that the quality of their meat isn’t as high as it used to be.

For the Chef’s Favorite burgers, Trevor said that he thoroughly enjoyed everything about it, and DK likened his experience eating the Chef’s Favorite to the scene in Ratatouille where the food critic takes a bite and the food causes him to experience a flashback to a happier time, saying that he’s not sure that he’ll ever get another burger at Plan Check because it’s so consistently good.

One thing that the group noticed though was that the fried eggs weren’t as runny was they used to be; whereas before your hands would end up completely covered in egg yolk, the eating experience was far cleaner this time.

Moving on to the new burgers, Sumana really enjoyed her Machismo burger, specifically mentioning the nice differences in texture between the pickled jalapenos and the crispy fried onion strings. She thought that it was just spicy enough and thought that all of the various flavors came together really well.

As for my So Cal Dbl Cheeseburger, I thought it was huge miss, which I never thought I would say about a burger from Plan Check. The patties were advertised as smash patties, and while they were thinner and smaller than their standard patties that they use in all of their other burgers, they weren’t smashed at all, so they lacked both the caramelization that you would expect from a true smash patty and the juiciness and beefiness that you would expect from a larger patty. I also thought that the patties were overly seasoned with salt. All in all, I would be very hesitant in the future to try new burgers from Plan Check that didn’t use their standard patties.

III. The Sides

Having fries included with the burgers is fairly new for Plan Check; in the past, everything was a la carte. Everyone thought that both the regular fries and ketchup were better than in the past, especially the ketchup, which nobody really cared for before. The fries used to be soggy, but this time they were crispy. DK thought that his sweet potato fries were overly salted but otherwise they were pretty standard.

IV. Miscellaneous

We had reservations for 8:45pm but we were able to be seated at 7:45pm. We sat outside on their patio, but they have heaters to keep everyone nice and toasty. Every table had a bottle of hand sanitizer on it, which was great considering the ongoing pandemic. Finding street parking on Sawtelle can be a challenge.

V. Value

Most of the Crew would pay between $15-$17 for their burgers, with one outlier of $9. Based on the individual reviews above, you might be able to figure out who said $9.

VI. The Verdict

The ratings came out to 2.8, 3.8, 4.5, 4.9, and 5.0, so most of us liked Plan Check just as much as we had in the past, but they’re not as consistently good as they used to be with all of their menu items.

The next re-visit in the Burger Crew does Los Angeles staycation is Pier Burger.

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, September 25, 2021 at 6:00PM

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

Mini History:

Electric Owl is a gastropub and a cocktail bar. More importantly, it was created by Ernesto Uchimura. Name sound familiar? This is the original chef that started Umami Burger and BurgerCrewLA favorite Plan Check. Needless to say, Electric Owl has a pedigree of amazing burgers and (spoiler alert) it does not disappoint.

I. Ordering

They keep it real simple here. The burgers available are either a single or a double

Smash style patties, double american cheese, grilled shallots, 1001 sauce on a frico bun. Applewood smoked bacon available.

Add tots for $3 (ranch tots or hot tots)

II The Burgers

When you order the burger be ready! It comes out quickly and it comes out hot! The burgers are on the medium to small size. If you have a big appetite you may want to consider ordering two of them.

Sumana exclaimed “It was SOO good!” and felt that it was perfect as a single patty. Meat monger Wayne followed up that his was also perfect with a double patty. Double perfection? I think yes!

The patties were very beefy and although cooked beyond medium rare it still retained juiciness. The patties were definitely smashed but not enough to get the lace edge a-la Burgers Never Say Die but enough to get a great sear. The seasoning was on point and melty cheese filled all the nooks and crannies. The onions were nicely caramelized and the 1001 sauce had a bit of sweetness to round out all the umami flavor. The combination of everything is so well thought out and balanced everyone (except DK) didn’t miss having pickles. If it’s not clear, this burger is a perfect symphony that I will be humming in my head for a very long time.

II. The Sides

Tots were executed perfectly. Super crunchy and super potato-y. It comes with a side of ketchup and ranchy ranch. I personally didn’t care for the sprig of dill. Good thing it was easy to move it off to the side. The hot tots tasted like spicy pork rinds and the heat tasted like cayenne.

III. Miscellaneous

Happy hour menu is daily 3:00-6:30 where you can get cheeseburgers for $6 (single) and $9 (double) and tots for $4.50

Order from the table using a QR code (covid friendly) and everyone can pay separately (group friendly especially for that one person that orders only the salad and a water)

With the online/QR ordering it does make getting an off menu cocktail a bit of a challenge. Reservations are HIGHLY recommended and parking can be difficult to find. We also found it a bit noisy.

IV. Value

The group would pay anywhere from $10 to $13 dollars for the burger here which makes the happy hour deal SMOKING HOT.

V. The Verdict

The scores out of 5 for this burger were 4.2, 4.6, 4.7, 4.7, 4.8. This burger was highly rated the first time we dined here and it delivered again even better!

The restaurant is located at an old train station. Don’t let any an opportunity to dine here pass you by!

Next stop, Plan Check Kitchen + Bar

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, September 25, 2021 at 12pm PT (4th stop in Burger Crew Does the Best of LA).

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

I. Ordering
• Cash ($12): 1/2 lb. beef patty, bacon, shishito peppers, peppered onion ring, american, cheddar, korean aioli, hoisin bbq [ordered by Angela/Trevor, Wayne/DK, Sumana]
• Chance ($12): 1/2 lb. beef patty, jalapeño, sautéed chili onion, habanero cream coleslaw, american, cheddar (extra spicy available $1) [ordered by Innie]
• Truffle parmesan fries ($7) [ordered by Angela/Trevor]
• Brussels sprouts with habanero cream ($6) [ordered by Angela/Trevor]
• Regular fries ($5) [ordered by Innie]

II. The Burgers
• Patty: Cooked to medium unless specified by the customer; thick patty; not the beefiest, but Angela/Trevor and Wayne/DK had perfectly cooked patties. I had my burger split in two by the kitchen and forgot to specify the doneness of my patty… sadly it came out well-done.
• Cash burger: The creativity of the burger was appreciated; variety of textures from the bun and crispy, peppered onion ring were fantastic; bacon was not noticeable; shishito peppers were mild
• Chance burger: Liked the spread; the coleslaw made the burger a little runny; could have preferred the burger to be more spicy

TIPS: Request the patty to be cooked medium rare; do not ask for it to be split; if ordering the Chance burger, upgrade to make it extra spicy

III. The Sides
• Regular fries: Thicker fries than in the past; not seasoned well, but they were crispy
• Truffle fries: Same fries as the regular fries, but unfortunately were soggy; the crew was disappointed since the last time we were here, the fries were thin and AMAZING
• Brussels sprouts: Deep-fried and very delicious

TIPS: Get the Brussels sprouts!

IV. Miscellaneous
• Order online or inside the liquor store
• Buy drinks from the liquor store side
• Pick up your order outside the whale’s mouth
• Outdoor seating includes 3 picnic tables and 2 mini tables; 2 of the picnic tables have umbrellas for shade
• Parking lot includes 5 regular spots and 2 handicap spots
• No restroom

TIPS: Bring a sweater if you’re planning to eat outside since it’s near the beach; be in earshot of the whale’s mouth to know when your food is ready

V. Value
$11, $12, $12, $13, $16, and I abstained
Average value = $12.80

VI. The Verdict
2.9, 3.3, 3.4, 3.8, 4.0, 4.5
Average verdict= 3.7

Maybe they had an off day and our experience did not live up to our past experience. Our initial visit to Standing Room blew us away, so this place is definitely worth another shot!

Next stop, Electric Owl!

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, September 25, 2021 at 9:30am (3rd stop in Burger Crew Does the Best of LA).

Members in attendance: Angela, Sumana, Trev, Wayne, me (Innie), and the first appearance of DK’s alter ego, Decay.

I. Ordering

Ah, The Window (The Win-Dow? The Win~Dow?), our first breakfast burgers of the Best of LA weekend!  The morning offerings at The Window consist of their regular burger menu (cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, and their impossible “burger” – the Beauty burger), as well as additional breakfast burger options (their single or double cheeseburger topped with an egg).

DK, Trev/Angela, and I went with the breakfast burger options, with DK and Trangela going for doubles ($7.25), and me getting a single ($4.95).  Wayne and Sumana opted to keep their double cheeseburgers undiluted with anything non-bovine, and ordered theirs sans huevos ($6.25).  Sumana decided to round out her balanced breakfast with a side of steak and egg breakfast burrito ($9.50).

II. The Burgers

As seems to be a developing theme on this Best of LA tour, opinions were split amongst the group, this time on the topic of the egg in the breakfast burgers.  Angela and DK were not fans, while Trev and I really enjoyed the addition of the egg to our cheeseburgers.  DK initially had high hopes, because he normally loves a fried egg on a burger, but thought this one took away from the star of the show, the beef patty.  While both Angela and DK appreciated the crispy laciness of the edges of the egg, they felt it was a cardinal burger sin to not serve the egg with a runny yolk.  Although a nicely runny yolk is always appreciated, Trev and I didn’t mind the doneness of the egg, and thought the flavor was a complement to the beef patty rather than a detriment.  One thing we did agree on, however, was that using the additional ketchup packet that came provided on the side really upped the enjoyment factor of our breakfast burgers.

The cheese on everyone’s burgers was nice and gooey and melty.  As Wayne so succinctly put it, American cheese is the safe choice and the best choice.  The beef patties were just as good as we remembered them, flavorful and meaty, seasoned well with a great char.  Wayne’s patties were a perfect medium rare, while the rest of us ended up with more of a medium, but none of us seemed to mind too much.  The umaminess of the burger was the biggest impression of our first visit, and they’ve definitely still got it!  The buns were soft and slightly sweet.  The bottom bun had a bit of a structure problem with the double pattied breakfast burger, but everyone else fared fine.

Some of the crew’s onions were in an odd no-man’s land of doneness, neither caramelized nor crunchy, with some onion pieces pulling out with each bite. Sumana’s chief critique was in regard to the construction of the burger; the pickles were on top of the patty, and the onions were below.  The agreed-upon burger crew consensus is that for optimal mouthfeel, those ingredients should be in opposite positions.

II. The Sides

Since stomach real estate is at a premium during the annual burger crew weekend, the crew did not opt for sides of fries. However, Sumana powered through and ordered a steak and egg breakfast burrito to split with Wayne, and they both thoroughly enjoyed it.  The description provided by the menu was nice and succinct: House brisket, fries inside.

The steak pieces were large and had a braised quality, pulling apart like a slow cooked brisket.  Wayne compared it to barbacoa, since he thought the steak tasted as if it were marinated.  The tortilla was satisfyingly chewy, and the whole burrito was grilled on top of the flattop, resulting in nicely charred bits.

III. Miscellaneous

The area in front of the ordering window (win-dow? win~dow?) had changed quite a bit since our last visit in 2019!  Gone is the parking lot with scattered plastic stools.  The lot is now beautifully landscaped, complete with plenty of tables, umbrellas, and heatlamps.  If you’re looking for an instagrammable spot, you’ll be very happy here! There was plenty of seating and parking available when we came in at 9:30a on a Saturday.

There were quite a number of flies on the morning we decided to dine there, but hopefully that isn’t a regular occurrence.

The breakfast menu is available from 8a to 11a, and they do not offer the “classics” part of their menu (fried chicken sandwich, grain bowl, shaved kale salad) until afterwards.  Hot coffee is also available, only during breakfast hours ($2).

DK’s order came with the best interpretation of his name ever.  Starbucks baristas, eat your heart out.

IV. Value

The members were asked how much they’d pay for the burger they ate.  The prices ranged from $7.50 to $14 for the doubles, and $6 for the single.  The majority of us were willing to pay quite a bit more than the advertised price for our respective burgers!  Even after a couple of years since our last burger crew visit, we still think it’s an amazing deal for a solid burger in LA!

V. The Verdict

The scores for our burgers were 4.0, 4.3, 4.6, 4.5, 4.4, and 4.3.  Winning scores all around.

Next stop, Standing Room in Redondo Beach!

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Friday, September 24, 2021 at 9:00pm (2nd stop in Burger Crew Does the Best of LA).

Members in attendance: Angela, Sumana, Trev, Wayne, and forever yours, DK
Excused for hardship: Innie

I. Ordering

There are two burgers on the menu: the Single Burger and the Grilled Pork Chorizo Burger. The latter, due to its piggy patty, is not recognized as an official burger by high-ranking members of Burger Crew LA (but is still delicious).

After settling into our table, under the mellow incandescent light bulbs crisscrossed above, our matriarch ordered Single Burgers for the entire table. Wayne asked for his to be made a double. The waitress did not bat an eye.

The menu says the Single Burger ($10) is made with prime beef chuck, Tillamook cheddar, and dill pickle, all inside an egg brioche bun. The pickle was a spear and on the side, and their burger sauce (slathered across the bottom bun) was not listed.

II. The Burgers

The buns were slightly controversial. Half of the group thought the buns used to be gooier, toastier, and breadier, while the sensible ones (me and Trev) insisted they were fine. A few of us ended up with soggy bottom buns, however no one cared because…

These patties, man! First off, big props to ERB for delivering them medium-rare without having to ask. Heavy-handed with the seasoning, these patties popped with every bite. There was nice texture from the sear and it had great chuck flavor. It was a real treat!

And as if the burger couldn’t get any better, enter the burger sauce. Generously spread, it had a slightly tangy, black peppery flavor that was just… *chef’s kiss*. Literally perfect.

Here are some minor gripes:

The meat-to-cheese ratio seemed a little skewed to the meat side. Their choice of Tillamook cheddar is interesting because it seems deliberate. American is the no-brainer, so why go astray? If you know, leave us a comment!

Angela was vocal about wanting the pickle in the burger. She did not like the fact that she had to burn extra calories and manage her own acid.

III. Sides

We ordered a few sides of fries ($5). They came nice and crunchy with a healthy amount of seasoning, accompanied by little cups of ketchup and aioli. You’ll want these to munch on while basking in the afterglow of the Single Burger.

IV. Miscellaneous

Is this a bar with a great kitchen? Or a restaurant with great drinks? Whatever it is, it can get loud whether you’re indoors or out on the patio because the word’s gotten out: ERB is a great place to hang. The inside has swanky booths and their spacious back patio has great ambiance.

Street parking is free, though if you want a little security, there is a lot next to the bar. Look for the BAR sign over the bright orange door. If you know, you know…

V. Value

I asked the members how much they’d pay for the burger they ate. They ranged between $10 and $14 with the majority of us willing to pay more than the asking price. Great effin’ value for one of the best burgers in LA.

VI. The Verdict

The individual scores were 3.8, 4.7, 4.8, 5.0, 5.0. Go get this burger!

Next up… The Window at American Beauty!

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Friday, September 24, 2021 at 1:00pm (1st stop in Burger Crew Does the Best of LA).

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

I. Ordering

There’s only 1 burger on the menu: Regular. (ground in-house every day) – Cheese, ketchup, mustard, pickle, onion ($7.85). The regular is a double. Everyone got one, but Trev and I split one. We also got fries ($4) and a cheese sauce 4 ounce cup ($2). Everyone also got a variety of beverages; Mexican Coke, root beer, etc. And Sumana got herself a sweet BNSD t-shirt ($18).

II. The burgers

These burgers are the quintessential smash burger. It had some beautiful lacy edges with a crunch we’ve never experienced with any other burger. Since they were so smashed, we felt we needed a little bit more meat. The BNSD double pretty much equated a standard single. So since I always opt for a double, perhaps a quadruple would give me the meat I desired from this burger. And Sumana reminded me not to forget that a quadruple patty would need quadruple cheese to accompany it! 

The toppings on the burger were really good. The cheese was nice and melty. The mustard was very good. It reminded Trevor of a grown up version of a McDonald’s burger. There was a good mix of acid with the pickles and onions. 

The buns were fine. Nothing to write home about. We took them to the Silver Lake Meadow since there wasn’t any seating there so the burgers were a bit cold. But not their fault!

III. Sides

The fries were soggy. They kinda looked like McDonalds fries, but sadly, not as seasoned. They definitely needed a better fry. The cheese sauce was really good though! It was made in-house and stayed nice and gooey.

IV. Miscellaneous

They have an awesome mural outside. They are one of those rare places in this area that has its own parking, but the spots were pretty tight. There is no seating during the pandemic. The seating is only for the adjacent coffee shop. So the result is there were a lot of people eating in their cars or trunks. 

As we’ve been here before, we noticed the change due to COVID. In the pre-COVID times, you went inside to order, but now, they have a little window that you order at. Service was really friendly! They don’t take cash. There is no restroom available. They also sell t-shirts ($18) and buttons. There’s a large variety of different drinks to accompany your burgers. Mexican Coke. Root beer. La croix. 

V. Value

I ask the members how much they would pay for the burger they ate. We would pay any where from $5 (that’s an outlier) to $10. So the burgers are nicely priced!

VI. The Verdict

This burger is undoubtedly the epitome of the smash burger scene in LA. Enjoy those crispy, crunchy edges! The ratings: 3.9, 4.0, 4.1, 4.4, 4.5, 5.0!

See you all at the next location: Everson Royce Bar (my favorite!!!)

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Friday, September 24, 2021.

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

Welcome to the beginning of Burger Crew does Los Angeles! Despite the fact that the main goal of our staycation was to revisit and re-review our favorite burger places in the LA area, we decided to visit Bill’s Burgers for the first time because we were going to be swinging by the Burbank Airport anyway, and Bill’s is only open Tuesday through Friday, so we decided to take advantage of this opportunity to eat burgers in a new area.

I. Ordering

Bill’s Burgers has a very basic menu as far their burgers go, offering single and double hamburgers and cheeseburgers, as well as a chili burger.

Innie: Cheeseburger with jalapenos on the side

Trangela: Double cheeseburger

DK: Cheeseburger

Will: Cheeseburger

Sumana: Double cheeseburger

Wayne: Double cheeseburger with a bag of chips

II. The Burgers

The burgers were definitely on the smaller side. The patties were very well-seasoned, with a peppery taste and good sear. Most of us agreed that the patties were very dense with a sausage patty-like texture, which wasn’t unpleasant, but just different from a standard ground beef patty. As can be seen from the picture above, the American cheese was melted over the patties, coating them in cheesy goodness. The buns were very simple and gooey. Despite having shredded lettuce, Angela didn’t hate the lettuce since it wasn’t falling out of her burger, and she felt that the double cheeseburger had the perfect ratio of meat to bun; if she had gotten a single cheeseburger, she would not have been satisfied. The tomatoes were thinly sliced, which was a plus because it kept the burger from getting too wet. The jalapenos that Innie got on the side were very generous in portion size, with more than enough to cover two burgers.

III. The Sides

I was the only one to order a side, which was a small bag of Lay’s potato chips, and I didn’t even eat them while we were at Bill’s, so I’ll go out on a limb and say that they probably taste like standard Lay’s potato chips. For $0.50, they were actually quite cheap for a small bag.

IV. Miscellaneous

Bill’s has a nice and big parking lot. They have a small counter in front of the ordering area, but unfortunately because of the current pandemic, they don’t currently have seats for the counter. They’re cash-only, and the hours and days that they’re open are very limited right now (8:30/9am-4pm, Tuesday-Friday).

V. Value

The prices that we were willing to pay were in a pretty narrow window, between $5 and $6.50, which isn’t bad for a small single or double cheeseburger. As I mentioned earlier, I thought that the small bag of chips was a pretty great value as well for $0.50.

VI. The Verdict

The ratings came out to 3.0, 3.8, 3.9, 3.9, 4.4, and 4.9, so most of us were generally satisfied with the burgers, with the outliers ranging from meh to amazing.

Up next is the first re-visit of Burger Crew does Los Angeles with Burgers Never Say Die.

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, August 21st, 2021.

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

This was Burger Crew’s first foray into the city of Paramount, a city so well-hidden that some of the members had never even heard of it before. Will it become the hidden city burger-equivalent of Shangri-La? Read on and find out.

I. Ordering

The ordering started off in a confusing manner because the restaurant’s full menu is split between two opposing walls, one above and behind the cashier and one on the wall on the other side of the room. If you weren’t aware of it, you could easily miss half the menu because it’s behind you when you face the cashier.

DK: Stockberger ($19.99) (Created by Tommy Stockberger himself. A Texas toast burger build that starts with our smash burger and all its fixins’, adds brisket and is of course topped off with mac n cheese) and street corn ($4.99).

Innie: Smash burger ($8.99), mac & cheese ($4.99), street corn, and waffle fries ($4.99)

Chris: Nashville hot chicken sandwich ($12.99)

Trangela: Smash burger and Texas style brisket fries ($13.99) (Battered waffle fries, covered in creamy cheese sauce and topped with our smoked Texas style beef brisket, and handcrafted BBQ sauce. Add some bread and butter pickles and fresh cut cilantro)

Wayne: The Mac Rib ($30) (A full smash burger with all the fixings, smoked brisket sautéed in our house bbq sauce, and topped with a full dino short rib. Put together with 3 pieces of Texas toast to hold things down) and no sides because The Mac Rib was ridiculous enough on its own

II. The Burgers

Almost everyone had great things to say about the burgers. The beef had good texture and there was excellent meat to bun coverage. Since it was smashed, it had a lot of the crispy caramelized bits that are associated with smashed patties. Angela thought that the beef could taste meatier, but everyone else was generally satisfied. The cheese was nice and melty, coating everything else in the burger, contributing to an overall feeling of a nice and gooey burger. For the burgers that included Texas toast, there was ample butter applied to the toast, giving it a very rich mouthfeel. The short rib in The Mac Rib was really tender and tasted good as far as short rib goes, but as far as smoked short rib goes, it definitely could’ve used more smoke. Angela hated the bread and butter pickles that were in the smash burger, but she hates bread and butter pickles so this was very much a personal choice because Trevor loved them.

III. The Sides

The mac & cheese was super gooey. The Stockberger included it inside the burger, and DK likened it to a velvety cheese sauce, although he felt that the macaroni shells themselves weren’t al dente enough. The street corn was overly roasted to the point of being burnt, and the overall consensus was that it lacked flavor, and it notably didn’t include cotija cheese, which is standard in Mexican street corn. The waffle fries were pretty standard in a good way. The Texas style brisket fries were very good, so good that Trangela ordered a second portion to take home. The only notable complaint about them (aside from Angela’s hatred of the bread and butter pickles) was that the cheese was underneath the fries instead off drizzled on top.

Chris’s Nashville hot chicken sandwich was great as a chicken sandwich, but as far as being a Nashville hot chicken sandwich went, it was lacking in heat. However, the chicken was juicy and the portion was large.

IV. Miscellaneous

Towards the end of our meal, the cashier asked us if we wanted dessert, and since only monsters turn down dessert, we said yes. A few minutes later, she brought out an awesome platter with two slices of their mud pie ($6.99 each) and a cup of smokey cookies and cream ice cream ($4). The desserts were very good (especially if you like chocolate), if a bit hard to finish due to everyone being so full already.

The restaurant has multiple seating areas that encompass every level of comfort that people might consider during a pandemic: fully indoors, fully outdoors, and semi-indoors (with one wall open to the outside). Service was excellent, there are lots of beers on tap, and parking was easy.

V. Value

Ignoring The Mac Rib as an outlier since it’s significantly more expensive than the other burgers, the value proposition of the burgers was pretty average, with the total prices that we’d be willing to pay trending pretty closely to the actual total prices of the burgers. The actual range was between $7.50 to $16.

As far as The Mac Rib goes, I thought that it was a good value for what it offered. The short rib on its own on the menu is $25, so for $5 more, you also get a pretty great burger.

VI. The Verdict

The ratings came out to 3.8, 4.2, 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4, and it’s somewhat rare for a location to get this many ratings for 4+ from the Crew, so overall, Smoke & Fire gets pretty high marks. Big thanks to the hostess for the delicious dessert platter.

Since I’m a huge procrastinator and waited until the last minute to get this review out, the next Burger Crew meeting is later today for our annual trip!

We do our burger crew trip every year (with the exception of last year due to a little thing called COVID).

In past years, we’ve done Las Vegas, Austin, San Diego, and San Francisco.

This year, we’re staying on our home turf and revisiting the best places in LA. Sadly, some of our favorites have closed. But here are the one’s that made the list!

Burgers Never Say Die

Everson Royce Bar

The Window

Standing Room

Electric Owl

Plan Check

Pier Burger

Grill ‘Em All

Lock & Key 

Great ready LA! We’re coming for you this weekend!