burgercrewLA

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!

Burger crew meeting called to order on Saturday, July 24^th, 2021.

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

Original burger crew meeting was slated for For The Win. Unfortunately when we arrived the restaurant was closed due to plumbing issues. Needless to say, there was no win.

Our consolation was a place a couple miles away called Blue Burger. It is located inside Bluebird Market which resembles more a liquor store than a market. The “market” portion is easily rivaled by the “mini store” in the lobby of the local TownePlace Suites by Marriot.

I.  Ordering

There were only 4 burgers on the menu with a Fries add on for $2. The prices listed below reflect burger only.

Angela and Trevor ordered the Original Burger $9 – Raw onions, Mayo, Ketchup, Mustard, Lettuce, Tomato, American Cheese

and

Tex Mex with Fries $10 – American Cheese, Bacon, BBQ Sauce, Onion (fried)

DK ordered the Hot Cheeto Burger with Fries $12 – American Cheese, Bacon, Avocado, Lettuce, Tomato, Fried Onions, Mayo, Ketchup

Wayne and Innie ordered the Original Burger with fries.

II.  The Burgers

We all found the OG Burger was super juicy and really good. The patties had a really great sear with nice rough grind. All the burgers came with TWO patties and TWO super melty slices of cheese. The buns were also EXTRA toasted. We really don’t see enough of this around. The chef really made the burgers with care and love and it absolutely shows.

As for the Hot Cheetos burger, the first reaction after picking it up with the hands is that it was really stiff to the point it could be snapped. However, after first bite the fears were assuaged and the burger gave way predictably and nicely. The cheetos gave a crunch and felt really satisfying. Perhaps it could be described as ASMR for the mouth.

III. Fries

Fries seem single fried a-la crispy on the outside and way over done on the inside. If you’ve ever had fries at In ‘n Out “well done” then you know what I’m talking about. Plenty of seasoning salt to make that Coke taste extra good.

IV.  Miscellaneous

This is strictly to-go establishment. There’s no seating available inside the market. There’s loud thumping music playing on the speakers.

It’s simply one chef working the grill/counter and payment is done in the market portion of the store. We didn’t see mask wearing by the chef.

Parking is difficult because ktown.

Hours are Closed Tuesday

12PM-9PM all other days except Friday and Saturday they close two hours later at 11PM

V.  Value

As a group we valued the burgers between $9 and $12. The actual pricing is good for the money.

VI.  The Verdict

The ratings: 4.1, 4.2, 3.5, 4, and 4.2.  Perhaps there’s an indicator that one of the burgers wasn’t consistently made. Overall we really enjoyed the burger. Personally I would not go out of my way to come back but If I was in the area I’d definitely stop in if I were craving a hamburger.

Burger crew meeting called to order on Saturday, June 26^th, 2021.

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

Burger Crew’s second in-person meeting in a post-mask-mandatory world.  Also, my first in-person meeting that I’ve been able to join post-baby!  The adrenaline of being outside without mask and without baby was even further amplified by the thrill of seeing the crew up close and in person again!  Add a burger and a beer to the mix, and we’ve basically described my current equivalent of a kid’s trip to Disneyland.

I.  Ordering

DK ordered The BLVD (house-ground Angus beef patty, lettuce, tomato, pickle, fancy sauce, and cheddar; $15), and side of sea salt fries. 

After a glowing recommendation from the person taking our order, Wayne and I ordered The Marquis (lamb merguez patty, roasted bell pepper, arugula and red onion salata, and harissa aioli; $14).  Wayne also ordered garlic parmesan fries. 

Trev, Angela, and Marty ordered The BLVD, The Melrose (pollo asado sausage patty, elote salsa, pickled onion, arugula, and jack cheese; $12), and a side of Za’atar fries.  All fries were $4 for a half order, and $7 for a full order.

As a note, both The Marquis and The Melrose burgers are listed on a physical menu at their counter, but not currently listed in the online version of the menu on their website.  In fact, there are also some burgers that are online, but not on the counter menu.  My suggestion is to do your homework if you want to know all your options!

II.  The Burgers

The BLVD is a classic, but upscaled, burger.  The crew summed it up as “a nice weekend burger” – everything you expect a burger to be, but with a little something extra special.  The patty had a great meaty flavor, and was juicy and tender.  The only criticism seemed to be that it could have used a little more sear. The tomato was delicious.  That may probably be an odd detail to highlight, but as regular burger eaters know, the mealy, flavorless tomato slice is sadly prolific.  High praise without words was DK and Angela eating and enjoying their tomato slices instead of donating them to our resident tomato enthusiast, Trev.   (For those interested in doing a good deed, Trev accepts tomatoes in all forms: sliced, cherry, liquified into ketchup, etc.)

As good as The BLVD was, the Marquis was the shining winner that day.  It got a slew of glowing descriptions from Wayne and I:  lots of flavorful spices, a little bit of heat on the backend, and super juicy.  As a self-reported spice fiend, the touch of heat at the end of each bite was unexpected but really appreciated.  The lamb flavor was present, but not overtly game-y (something that I was initially worried about).  Each component of the burger seemed to be well thought out, and they all played together in a satisfying and balanced way.  The texture of the patty was very much like a breakfast sausage with a nice “al dente” chew.  The arugula and red onion salata was fresh and peppery, and the salt on top of the burger bun was a nice touch.  As a side note, I had to google what merguez was during the writing of this review, and it’s a lamb or beef sausage flavored with cumin, chili, and/or harissa with origins in North Africa.  For what it’s worth, my unqualified opinion is that The WeHo Sausage Co. makes some good merguez.

Going to a location called the WeHo Sausage Company predictably triggered the classic Burger Crew conversation of “burger versus sandwich”:  Besides beef, does lamb meet the criteria of acceptable patty material to call it a “burger”? (Answer: Yes)  What about chicken?  (Answer: No)  Veggie/plant based?  (Answer: C’mon).  Pork? (Answer: Probably not?)  Anyway, as such, for the sake of being pedantic, the following review for The Melrose comes with an asterisk of “not a burger”.

Trev, Angela, and Marty really enjoyed The Melrose.  The elote salsa and jack cheese created a cheesy corn mixture that was amazing and made for a “feel good” chicken sandwich.  It was a little on the salty side, but still a delicious flavor bomb.  The buns for all the burgers held up well and we had no complaints.

III. Fries

Between the group, we managed to order the gamut of fry flavors without coordinating (yay for subconscious burger hive mind!), and we ended up enjoying all of them to varying degrees.  The fries had a nice bite to them, with a golden double fried exterior and a fluffy inside.  They stayed tasty even as the meal ended and they got cold.  Between the sea salt, garlic parmesan, and za’atar, the za’atar had the best flavor and stood out the most.  The regular sea salt fries were still solid though, and were well seasoned.  The garlic parmesan fries had the pretty standard flavor that you come to expect from garlic parm fries.  The fries are prepared skin-on, and come served with ketchup and their house ranch sauce.

IV.  Miscellaneous

The food did take a while to finish after we placed our orders.  I think we were originally quoted a 10-15 minute wait, but we waited closer to 25.  The food was well worth the wait, but it might be something to consider if you’re running on a tight schedule.    

Their beer selection was limited to only canned beer, but was still impressive!  Their website states that they have 100+ varietals of local, craft, domestic, and imported beer.  Another plus was that the staff seemed really knowledgeable about the offerings, and gave some nice recommendations when asked.

The WeHo Sausage Co. is located inside Citizen Public Market, a food hall with six other stalls and a combination of shared indoor and outdoor seating (including a rooftop bar, a patio located adjacent to WeHo Sausage Company, and at least for now, tables with pop up tents on Culver Blvd before you enter the building.)  The hall was a beautiful space, and had a cool old-school, historic downtown Culver City vibe that was a great backdrop to our food.

I had a true mind trip entering this place; after walking in, it just kept going and going…  It was the real life embodiment of the “bigger on the inside” TV trope! 

Their hours are 11am – 9pm on Tuesday – Thursday, and Sunday, and 11a – 11p on Fridays and Saturdays.  Parking is either street parking, which seems to have a limit of 1-2 hours, or public parking structures.  The public parking structure that is connected to the Trader Joes seems to be the closest one available to the food hall.

V.  Value

The members were asked how much they would pay for the burger, and it ranged between $8.50 and $16, with an average of $12.70.  Our burgers cost $14-15, so it was priced slightly above what we valued it at.  However, for a place in a pretty trendy downtown Culver City food space, their prices seem fair for a really enjoyable burger.

VI.  The Verdict

The ratings: 4.5, 3.7, 3.0, 3.9, and 4.5.  We highly recommend The Marquis, and also recommend checking out this food hall for what looked like some amazing food and drinks!

Next burger crew meeting is set for Saturday, July 24^th at For the Win in Hollywood.

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

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

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

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



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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next meeting will be on June 26th @ TBD.

Burger crew meeting called to order on Sunday, November 15, 2020 at 4:30pm (Wayne’s choice).

Members in attendance: Angela d., Trevor Y., Wayne T., Innie C., and Christian Y. (guest).

Slider member: Marty d.

Absent: Dennis K.

I. Ordering
All burgers are served with lettuce, spread, tomato, onion, and pickles.
Trev and Angela split the outlaw burger ($12) – 99% flavor, 1% outlaw Angus ground beef patty with sharp dry cheddar cheese, hearty strips of smoked apple wood bacon and crispy shoestring onion rings drenched from top to bottom in our famous BBQ sauce. We also got the bacon wrapped onion rings (3 pieces for $10).

Marty got the 2 mini slider kid’s meal ($9) that included 2 sliders, fries, and gummi worms!

Wayne got the double bacon cheese burger ($10.49) with chipotle spread instead of the regular spread. He also ordered the bacon wrapped onion rings and an epic strawberry lemonade ($3).

Innie got classic (double) $11 – Classic original flavor. 100% grass-fed Angus beef topped with fresh tomato, crisp iceberg lettuce, onions, and crunchy dill pickle chips dressed with mayo and mustard. She also got some regular onion rings ($7). Chris got the Roadking burger ($12) – Smoked apple wood bacon layered on our 100% organic Angus beef with sharp cheddar cheese.

II. The burgers

The meat was dry and crumbly. Maybe meat was too lean. All the burgers were well done; not like “good job” well done, but overcooked well done. There was really no beefy flavor despite the seasoning. All the toppings were really good. The onion strings were crisp and very satisfying. You could bite clean through the burger without anything getting pulled out. There was a nice soak of the BBQ sauce into the burger. The bacon bits on top were a nice garnish. The bacon was clearly their strong suit. All the members agreed that the bacon was done perfectly, which is difficult given our differing views on bacon.

The buns held up, but were nothing special. There wasn’t any flavor in the bun and was more of a structural component. Innie’s burger had cheese on the top of the bun. Innie’s was onion forward (raw onions) and there was an abundance of mayo. Innie feels like she missed out since she had a really basic burger and Big D’s seems to be all about the toppings.

III. The fries/sides
Fries were fine. A little soggy, but seasoned. The bacon wrapped onion rings were SO GOOD! Crispy, salty, sweetness from the onion. It all melded well together. They are a bit pricey at $10 for 3 rings, but well worth it. The regular onion rings had a large portion. The coating was super soft and fell off and unfortunately Trev and I were unlucky and got one with the onion skin left on it!

IV. Miscellaneous

The pick up time was later than scheduled. It took an addition 15 to 20 minutes than when pick up time was scheduled. Wayne’s lemonade came with 3 sour belts and a large gummy shark and cotton candy! Totally unexpected. Real strawberry pulp, too so a legit strawberry lemonade. You can order on Uber eats, yelp, grub hub as the Big D’s website is non-existent.

We ended up ordering take out and driving to Palm Park, which is about 1.5 miles away. The park was really nice with lots of benches. Great for social distancing!

V. Value
I ask the members how much they would pay for the burger they ate. We would pay anywhere between $8 and $11 so value is decent.

VI. The verdict
I surprisingly enjoyed this burger very much. I usually need a good patty to rate it high, but I enjoyed all the toppings so much! I think everyone else needed better meat. The ratings: 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, and 3.5

The next burger crew meeting is scheduled for December 11, 2020 and will be remote given the state of the COVID. Stay healthy everyone!

Burger Crew meeting called to order on October 17, 2020.

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

We’re still following pandemic protocol and picking up our food and eating it elsewhere. As Trevor alluded to in the last review, he concocted a master plan to evade our insect tormentors. That plan: to eat at a higher elevation because as we all know, insects suffer from altitude sickness. We ended up setting up our chairs and eating on top of a nearby parking structure. On to the review!

I. Ordering

All of us ordered our food ahead of time through various food ordering platforms. Surprisingly, the restaurant’s own website had the incorrect link for ordering food, and depending on which platform you were ordering from, different food options were available. Most notably, onion rings were missing from some of them. Trying to place an order by phone resulted in the call going straight to voicemail, and on top of that, their voicemail inbox was full.

As far as meat burgers go, Pop’s follows the In-N-Out model of basically having only one type of burger but you choose how many patties you want. All of them have “Creekstone Farms Beef Patties dusted with House Blend Seasoning, Red Wine Sauce and Grass-fed Butter topped with Special Sauce Pickles, Caramelized Onions, and American Cheese.”

Angela and Trevor ordered a double ($8) with egg ($2.50), onion rings ($4), and fries ($4). DK ordered a single ($6) with Skittles. Innie ordered a single with iceberg lettuce. I ordered a double with Pop’s secret sauce and fried pickles ($6.50).

II. The Burgers

Everyone was in general agreement right off the bat that getting a double was better than getting a single. Trevor said that double meat was the way to go, and Innie felt that her single burger wasn’t beefy enough, nor did she think that it was seasoned enough, and even though I had a double, I still felt like it wasn’t beefy enough. DK thought the patty was like a McDonald’s patty with a slightly better sear.

Aside from the meat, the burgers had a good amount of pickle in each bite, and the cheese was melted well over the patties. The onions were nice and caramelized and the bun was sweet and gooey, but these might’ve contributed to an overall mushiness in terms of how the burgers felt in your mouth.

Angela complained that her and Trevor’s burger (which was cut in half by the restaurant) was super messy and that the burger wasn’t cut appropriately in half, with the bun not distributed evenly.

III. The Sides

The fries were thin cut, and agreed that they were overly salted/seasoned, and Trevor thought they were too peppery. However, they managed to stay crispy despite not eating them right away.

The onion rings had a soft and thick batter, and the onion inside was cooked throughout so it didn’t pull out when you bit into them. They were very good overall.

The big winner of the sides was the fried pickles. They had lots of flavor and the batter stayed crispy as well.

IV. Miscellaneous

Pop’s is located in the 3rd Street Promenade inside of the SocialEats food hall. When we picked up our food, there was only one person handling order pickups for all of the establishments inside of the food hall due to the pandemic, so during a busy time, this might be a problem (we ordered for 4:30PM pickup). Parking is also what you would expect from Santa Monica, where street parking can be hard to find.

V. Value

Most of us valued the burgers between $6-$8.50, with one outlier of $12, so the burgers were priced OK and could be a good value if they were executed better.

VI. The Verdict

The ratings were 2.5, 2.5, 2.8, 3.0, and 3.1. None of us were impressed by the burgers. If you want burgers in Santa Monica, HiHo Cheeseburger is nearby and has much better burgers.

Next meeting: Big D’s Burgers in Whittier on November 15, 2020.

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

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

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

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

I.  Ordering

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

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

Ordering was very simple at the counter or online

II.  The Burgers

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

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

III. Fries

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

IV.  Miscellaneous

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

V.  Value

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

VI.  The Verdict

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

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