Recon: GOOD STUFF

Los Angeles, CA


“You are what you eat, so eat good stuff!”

Samantha and I ducked out of the office at lunch to pay a visit to Good Stuff, a locals only lunch spot on Pico.  Samantha went healthy on me and ordered a California wrap with sweet potato fries, but I went straight for the jugular: the avocado bacon cheddar burger with fries and a Diet Coke-Rootbeer mix.   We took our numbered receipts and grabbed a nice table under a skylight. Our orders came up quick and I asked for ranch at the counter to dip my fries in.

My burg was delicious. They use shredded lettuce which I really enjoy, and haven’t yet encountered on my blogging journey.  The bacon was thick cut and crisp, providing great texture and the whole thing was encased in a sweet wheat bun.  It was totally satisfying without making me feel grotesquely full- because obviously I ate the whole thing.  It dripped some juices, but held together nicely and I loved it.  I have to say, Good Stuff is dependable- as evidenced by the bustling lunch crowd.  You know what to expect and they always meet those expectations.  Samantha’s wrap came with salsa and looked picture perfect.

The fries are great.  Golden and crisp with an excellent crunch- the ranch goes great with them, but there’s ketchup on every table for you die-hard ketchup folks. Samantha’s sweet potato fries were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  She said they were the best part of her meal (which is what happens when you go healthy.)  Drinks are the usual fountain sodas, Odwalla juices kept in a little fridge and then smoothies for the health-minded.

The staff is efficient and friendly and the line runs right down the center of the joint.   All their oils are trans-fat free, they use angus beef and free-range eggs.  After we ordered we noticed a small specials board tacked up behind the counter which offered a grass-fed lamb and buffalo patty. I considered trying to change my order but the line was so long, there was just no way, so check the specials board before you order!  The place also offers sandwiches and salads but even if I went there with the intention of having a salad, I think I would end up with a burger.  I can’t resist.

The crowd ranged from teenagers to seniors, but a lot of young professionals were clearly on their lunch breaks looking for that mid-day pickup.  We each paid a little less than $11 and it was absolutely worth it.  The walls are painted with murals and one of their slogans is “Fresh and Healthy since 1979,” clearly their thirty-plus years in business has given them a leg up on the competition.

Recon: APPLE PAN

        It was like eating the first hamburger ever invented. 

        It felt like the beginning.

        Walking through the double doors at Apple Pan is like stepping back in time. The street noise from Pico Boulevard gives way to the sound of sizzling meat and the excited chatter of local patrons. With wood paneling reminiscent of a lake house, and a U-shaped counter/bar with red twisting seats I felt like I’d been whisked from Los Angeles to a quaint diner overlooking Lake Tahoe during the days of John Muir and Roosevelt.

        I ordered the Hickory burger, with Tillamook cheese, fries and a rootbeer. (Rootbeer!) Samantha chose the Steakburger with Tillamook cheese and fries. Fries came out instantly; the missing evolutionary link between wedge cut and skinny fries. They were on the softer side, but looking around the diner I could tell other patrons’ were more well done. We loaded on the salt and our friendly server poured us mini-plates of ketchup to dip them in. Eating them, I felt like I was revisiting an old, familiar friend.

        Rootbeer came next, an ice-cold bottle of IBC, served next to a tin cup (kind of a cross between those little cups for hard boiled eggs that look like hour glasses and a bigger version of a bartender’s measuring cup) with a snow cone paper inside, filled with ice. Obviously, it was fantastically refreshing, and I think the tin kept it cold longer. It was the perfect compliment to the food, but even more so, to the vibe of the joint.

        After gorging on fries, our burgs came out. They were wrapped in little paper sacks with ketchup and cheese oozing out. I could taste the smoky hickory flavor with the first bite. They piled iceberg lettuce high inside of a soft white bun with a ketchup/hickory sauce and the textures contrasted well. Samantha’s Steakburger came with a special relish on it, that was good, but a little overpowering. Now pay attention: You’ve got to keep your burg in its little paper home, and just try to peel back enough paper for each bite, otherwise it will definitely slide to pieces. I ate the whole thing, quite happily, like a kid with ketchup smeared on the sides of her face.

         Aside from the burgs and fries the main thing on the menu (prices are higher than shown) is PIE: Apple, Pecan and the occasional Cream. Samantha and I chose to share a slice of Apple (our waiter cut it in half for us) and it was served so piping hot, the Thrifty ice cream was practically soup on the dish. A delectable treat.

        Service was fast and friendly. Each server had on a classic white uniform that you might see in pictures from the first carhops, and their pockets were neatly lined with Ticonderoga pencils. We arrived just before seven and only waited a minute or so for seats to open up. I spoke with one patron who had ordered take out, and he said he’d been coming to Apple Pan since he was three- basically, for forty years. It was definitely a locals-only joint, filled with friends, grandparents with grandkids and so forth. There were a few couples too and I have to say, it would be an excellent place for a date.

        They have two old fashioned cash registers at each corner of the bar, and they’re cash only. Not the cheapest old school burger, Samantha and I clocked in at $18 each, but learn from our mistake and share an order of fries. 

I felt like I wasn’t just paying for the food though; I was also paying for an hour of time travel.

Recon: UMAMI

1st bite: “It’s like a salty teriyaki?”  2nd bite: “Is that soy?” 3rd bite: “kind of a zingy tang…” 4th bite: “I give up! The only word for it is Umami.”

Umami Urban is situated in the new hipster center, Space 15twenty. {http://www.space15twenty.com} Amoeba music is right across the street, and a gigantic, brand new Urban Outfitters is there as well- the fanciest one I’ve seen.  Look for metered parking or pull into one of the many lots in the area.   

My darling friend Samantha Peacock joined me on this excursion, and being an Umami veteran, she knew exactly what she wanted: the SoCal Burger and sweet potato fries.  Being an Umami virgin, I opted for their original, a Kombu #1: Umami Burger, regular fries, and roasted garlic aioli for dipping.  We both polished off a couple Nakhon beers, which complimented the burgers well.  When our burgs came out, I have to say, they looked pretty cute.  Perfectly round, a wee bit tall and very proud. 

The Umami burg comes with mushrooms, an oven dried tomato and what I call a ‘crispy flavor wafer.’  I took off the mushrooms (sorry, mushrooms and I ain’t friends) and I enjoyed the unique flavor of something I had simply never tasted before.  The flavor wafer added excellent texture and the meat was juicy and pretty pink in the middle. (Apparently they’re always like that so if you like your burgers a little more cooked, just ask.)  The bun was buttery and soft, and it did get a little soggy, but only because it was absorbing all that juice from the meat!  While eating it, it was on the messier side, but I’ve certainly made bigger burger messes. Halfway through I was over the tomato, and replaced it with a nice spread of the roasted garlic aioli.  While meat, bun, aioli and flavor wafer might seem like an odd choice, the mix was delish!  Samantha let me steal a bite of her SoCal burg and I have to say I really enjoyed the flavor combo of the butter lettuce and the cheese. 

The regular fries came hot, extra crispy and salty- my favorite kind of fry.  The sweet potato fries weren’t quite as hot, but they had a nicely flavorful exterior and weren’t too sweet, like most sweet potato fries I’ve had.  The garlic aioli was just one of several condiments you can have- you get one condiment per fry order- and it was very well done.  Excellent flavor and texture, it contrasted well with the fries and, alternately, with the burg.  I kept remixing my bite order: burg, beer, fry, fry, fry, burg, beer, burg, fry- just because the flavors played off each other so well. 

The atmosphere was mellow with a nice buzz of conversation for background noise.  With exposed brick walls and scratched up concrete floors I definitely got an industrial vibe, but the furniture and displays were modern and pop-y.  I liked the marriage of Japanese flavors and aesthetic simplicity to a classic American meal and architecture.  The layout was open and the mostly glass walls look out on the shopping area, making the space feel bigger than it actually is.  It’s the kind of place where your server will leave you in peace until you wave him down.  You’re not constantly interrupted, which made me think it would be a good place for a date.  I looked around and sure enough there were a few couples scattered about, but the crowd was mostly young hipsters.

They have a smaller selection of beverages, but good, quality ones.  I enjoyed the Nakhon beer, but a cocktail called ‘Rocket Pop’ also caught my eye.  Beer, wine, cocktails, and the good coke from Mexico that’s made with real sugar cane all graced the menu. 

We paid about $25 each which I felt was reasonable.  I felt like we were paying for the experience of the novel concept, as well as the food and drink.  It’s important to note that the menus vary at each location -to the point that some locations have completely different fries, like Jenga logs- and not all the locations serve alcohol.  I don’t know that I would crave it, but it’s the kind of place you’ll want to bring your friends to when they come to visit La La Land. 

Umami Urban

1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028

The Mission

America is a hamburger nation. While the burger species has flourished under many names (Big Mac, Whopper, Double-Double, or even Tarantino’s famous Royal With Cheese) in a lot of the major cities it has recently split into two distinct breeds: The Classic and The Gourmet. BUT a burger always consists of the same three components: The Meat, The Bun and The Toppings. That can mean a sesame seed bun, quarter pound of beef, cheese, lettuce, onion, and ketchup; or an English muffin, with a veggie patty, sprouts and vegan pepper aioli.

In LA, many people, blogs and websites attempt to rank the burger joints and pick the BEST burger- an impossible task for even the most experienced critics. Instead of such unfair, subjective judgment, I propose a Burger Exploration Expedition. We don’t need a ranking system; we need first hand knowledge and insider tips so we can decide for ourselves what type of burger is best at the moment. (What type of bear is best? The Office, anyone?)

Over the next two months I will embark on this burger missionwith a couple good friends by my side, sampling one burger joint a week and giving you a comprehensive write up with regard to these factors:

-burger itself

-fries

-atmosphere

-clientele

-beverages

-cost

 If you have a comment or a place I simply must go- please share!  Let the recon begin…