THE MISFIT

Santa Monica, CA

Most of us west-siders have been to The Misfit for drinks, but you might not know that they make an awesome burger. The Canuck and I popped in to the usually-crowded Misfit for lunch on Saturday and were seated in the belly of the the restaurant, opposite the bar. The decor inside reminds me of an old-school American clubhouse. Dimly lit with dark wood and leather, the bar extends high into the second story, giving the illusion of a library wall. Since it was noon, I ordered a Bloody Mary, but the Canuck went all in and ordered the Clocktower Manhattan. [What can I say? We were in a post-holiday season funk and needed some pick-me-ups.] We started with the "shoestring" fries and of course added the Maytag bleu cheese- it's the only way to go. Since we've both had the burger twice before, we branched out. The Ahi Tuna Burger for me and the Fried Chicken Sandwich for him.  

I do have a special place in my heart for the bleu cheese fries, they're skinny and crispy, which is how I like it. However, the bleu cheese crumbles don't melt enough and its hard to get bleu cheese in every bite. Might I suggest melting it slightly, perhaps a 60 second oven blitz, or instead of serving with a honey mustard, serve with a light bleu cheese dip? I will eat my fries with a fork if it means bleu cheese in every bite, but I'd prefer to use my fingers.  

Let's start with the Ahi, because this subject requires discussion, extending beyond the Misfit's menu:

I understand that most places that offer an Ahi Burger are mimicking a beef burger as best they can, but ground Ahi is mushy, lacks texture, and its such a light clean fish, it adopts whatever flavor you add to it, which means SEASON THE GODAMN THING. Ironically, everything else on the burger has a lot of flavor to offer. They're usually topped with  avocado, daikon sprouts, lemon or wasabi aioli, teriyaki, tomato, lettuce etc- tasty ingredients! But the fish itself isn't bringing anything to the bun, if ya know what I mean.

The Misfit's ahi burger tasted fresh, clean and healthy, but it wouldn't hurt to season the tuna, and add a spicy mayo or wasabi. The other real issue is that Ahi has almost no fat, but fat is a key ingredient in burgers, besides being a flavor builder, it holds the patty together. This is why ahi burgers tend to fall apart after the first bite. Needless to say I ate the entire thing with a fork and knife. And while the Misfit beef burger is great on the sliced, grilled bread, the ahi burger needs a different kind of bookend. Something softer, that won't squish the patty when you bite it.  

Let's move on to the fried chicken sandwich. We saw one come out of the kitchen before we ordered it, and it was stacked tall with goodies. It starts with pickles and apple slices, then the fried chicken breast - very crispy but not particularly moist - then the fennel-apple slaw, and a spicy mayo. The spicy mayo was a winner here, and the breading on the chicken had a ton of heated flavor. BUT overall, the sandwich lost out to: (drumroll please) R+D Kitchen's chicken sandwich. Don't get me wrong, the Misfit's fried chicken sandwich was a solid entry in the competition. It is by no means a bad sandwich, it just wasn't as good, and it wasn't unique enough to negate the obvious comparison.

I have a lot of respect for The Misfit, there are so many tasty items on their menu: the lobster nik niks, the mac n' cheese, the beef burger... and the salted chocolate chip cookies are unbelievable, but they still have some work to do!

RECON: LIBRARY ALEHOUSE (Again)

Santa Monica, CA


The Canuck and I were down on Main Street, and being creatures of habit, when faced with where to eat, we settled on Library Alehouse.  We continued being creatures of habit by ordering our usual beers, a Bitburger for the Canuck and a Lost Coast apricot for me.  I was in a healthy mood, so I ordered the Ahi burger with wasabi coleslaw, daikon sprouts and a side salad, but the Canuck chose the Blue & Bacon (again) which as you might guess has bacon, and stilton bleu cheese with fries of course.


Burgers came out looking good as always, and we took our first bites. The ahi burger tasted very plain, so I stole the mustard off the Canuck's plate and then suddenly the ahi burger was delicious.  I don't know why something that supposedly had wasabi in it was so bland, but the mustard made the burg. Side salad tasted way too healthy and boring, it was more like a little pile of rabbit food than a salad.

This time the Blue & Bacon burg was cooked properly - medium - and the flavor combination is delicious as you'd expect for Kobe beef. The sweetness of the onions balanced the salty-ness of the bacon and cheese.  

The Canuck complained about the fries, but I like them bite size and crisp, tossed with parsley.  I concede that they were well done, but what's not to love?  Overall, the food at Library Alehouse is consistently good, but the service not so much.  I don't know if its because we are usually on the back patio, or if its the same up at the bar, but the bus-ers have better game than the servers. Let's be real though, it won't stop me from returning... 

Recon: GOTT'S ROADSIDE DINER

San Francisco, CA

"Don't let your burger be lonely."

Over Memorial Day weekend I took a little journey up to Northern California with one of my best friends, to visit one of my best friends.  We spent a day in San Francisco, perusing the Ferry Building and the surrounding farmers market and arts/crafts/jewelry fair going on across the street.  When it came time for lunch we got in line at Gott’s Roadside Diner and made some very tough decisions.  Elizabeth and I shared a cheeseburger. Beverly opted for the Ahi burger and Johanna had the cobb salad. We ordered the garlic fries and the sweet potato fries, and Elizabeth snuck in a chocolate milkshake.  While they had diet cokes, I opted for my DC/rootbeer, and watched as the cashier actually managed to punch in a “half & half” into the computer.

The place was super packed and it took a bit for our numbers to be called, but when the burger came out wrapped in paper and piping hot, I knew we waited for a reason. It was full of flavor and stacked well. They served it on an egg bun that provided a sweet contrast to the meat, which definitely had some heat in it. It was juicy and flavorful and I definitely ate every last bite. The menu had plenty of other interesting options, including a bleu cheese burger and a bacon one. (I know, its like the first time ever I didn't order the bacon burg!) I would definitely mix it up next time. Salad had fresh quality ingredients, but I would have liked a stronger dressing; it seemed watered down.  Beverly’s ahi burger was excellent, she devoured the whole thing.  

The fries were exquisite; a bigger part of the meal than I expected. The garlic fries were strong- if you don’t like garlic don’t even look at them. If you like garlic, order them immediately. The sweet potato fries were even more interesting: they had some chili powder concoction on them which kicked up their flavor value and balanced out the sweetness of the potato itself. They were my favorite sweet potato fries that I have had anywhere, ever. Ding Ding Ding! I may have just declared a “best!”  Don't get too excited, the cucumber ranch served with the sweet potato fries was way too tangy/cucumber-y for me. I can see where they were trying to go with it- to meet the spice of the fry with the tang of the dressing-but maybe hold back on the cucumber and add some dill. 

The chocolate shake was a perfect finish to the meal. It was rich and creamy and satisfying. They have the usual sodas and a small array of beers as well.  My posse is addicted to Diet Coke, so I’m afraid we didn’t branch out much here.  Ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper are available at mini condiment stands on either end of the restaurant. You can watch the whole grilling process, just on the other side of the counter:

Gott’s was packed with families and friends, and the dining area (indoor and outdoor) is huge.  A friendly staff welcomed us and refilled our drinks while we gabbed over the long lunch. The décor is simple and neat with hints of Americana. Cost was around $15 per person and definitely worth it.  I can’t wait to return and try something else!