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Venice, CA
The Canuck and I were hanging with Mr. Chicken and In-Like-Flynn, debating our party plans for the night. Not in the mood for the high energy of First Fridays, we walked over to Barlo at Hotel Erwin for a boozy dinner. The hotel itself caters mostly to tourists. They're a little disorganized and understaffed but the location (and rooftop bar scene) keep them going. Barlo is a small space, with simple-industrial decor and a full bar. In-Like-Flynn and I started with the Applewood cocktail, a delicious mix of bourbon, apple butter, apple juice and lemon. The boys opted for Scrimshaw pilsners. We started with the deviled eggs (yum!) and the truffle fries (duh) and were not disappointed. Both were well-flavored, and the fries were medium crispy.
I chose the Barlo burger, while The Canuck and In-Like-Flynn opted for the Chicken Burger. Ironically, Mr. Chicken did not order the Chicken burger, but surprised us all by ordering the Barlo burger!
The Barlo Burger was the clear winner of the two. It's prepared with herbed goat cheese, tomato marmalade, arugula and bacon caramel. The bun was well-toasted and if you got a bite with everything, it tasted fantastic. But that was just the problem: un-even topping distribution, or not enough toppings. If you put caramel bacon on your burger, I want to taste it in every single bite, cut with the goat cheese and the tomato marmalade. More, more, more! Don't be so stingy!
Because we had started with the fries, I chose to have a 'wedge' salad with my burg. Do not do this. It was a lazy, half-assed salad that looked like something Denny's would serve next to an over-cooked steak. Order different appetizers (maybe the shrimp and grits?) and make sure to get the fries with your burger. (Plus this way, no sharing!)
The Chicken Burger was a disappointment. It was insanely dry (as lean meats can be) and they didn't even try to compensate for that with a marmalade, sauce or dressing. It was just really bland and The Canuck and In-Like-Flynn were not pleased! Lean meats lack fat and thus lack flavor. Most chefs will account for this by adding "fat" like bacon, cheese, sauce etc.
Overall, Barlo has a little work to do, but I would order the burg again and ask for EXTRA toppings.
Culver City, CA
Last week I popped over to downtown Culver City to celebrate a friend's birthday at Rush Street. I hadn't anticipated on reviewing the place, but after I had the Truffle Asiago French Fries, there was no way I couldn't say something. I started off simple with a Blue Moon, then took a look at the menu. Immediately, the sliders caught my eye. Then there was a very serious debate about the ground turkey sliders, which come with BBQ sauce, and the ground beef sliders, which come with Thousand Island. A few guests had already had the turkey sliders and loved them, but I personally don't think ground turkey is a fatty enough meat to have good flavor, and given the choice between BBQ and Thousand Island, I'm usually going to pick Thousand Island. Obviously I went with beef, and I have to say, without the Thousand Island, the burg's didn't have a lot of flavor, and they definitely skimped on the cheese.
Still hungry after that weak show, I turned back to the menu and zeroed in on the Truffle Asiago Fries. BAM, done. Serving size is excellently large, and in addition to the asiago and truffle oil, they had finely chopped parsley, which was a fantastic addition. Four of us girls gobbled that order up quick, just as a few more friends were arriving, and when they ordered the fries too, we couldn't help but eat a few more. I'm embarrassed (proud?) to say I could easily have eaten an entire dish of them all by myself.
There were several other things on the menu that looked good, but I got distracted with some wines after that and didn't order anything else. As an aside, I've really only been to Culver City to do something on the Sony Lot and then driven right back, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that their downtown is charming and bustling in the most attractive manner. If you haven't been, go walk around and have a nice meal there- its riddled with restaurants. Follow your nose to the truffle fries.
Los Angeles, CA
Last week a friend of mine had a show at the Comedy Union, and I jumped at the opportunity to hit up the Umami on La Brea- because each menu is a little different, and every time I have a different burg. The Canuck and I were in a rush though, and told our server we had half an hour, was it doable? And great success, more than doable.
The Canuck ordered the Triple Pork Burger which consists of pork, chorizo, and applewood smoked bacon all ground together in the patty, with manchego cheese, pimento aioli, lettuce and tomato. I opted for the Port & Stilton burg which has bleu cheese and port-caramelized onions, and nothing else. I was about to ask for skinny fries when the server told me they had truffle fries with a truffle cheese on top, I said stop, you had me at the word truffle. Now I'd like to point out that there is a truffle burger on the menu, but for some mysterious reason I hadn't ordered it, and with the truffle fries it would have been overload anyway.
Food came out quick as requested, and it was heavenly. Some of you weaklings might be saying, 'port, bleu cheese and truffles? too rich!' but no, my friends, it was fantastic and the saltiness of the truffles complimented the sweet port onions. I really enjoyed the simplicity of this burger. (Above) The Canuck's burger tasted like a spoonful of hearty chili, I kid you not. [Note to self: use pimento peppers next time you make chili.] It was the oddest thing to take a bite of burg, but then be chewing straight chili. (Below) We both liked my burg a little better so we cut them in half and shared, because we're nice people like that. What I also love about Umami is that the buns are just a little sweet, which counteracts the savory elements of the burg. Bleu cheese wasn't overwhelming, the meat is high quality- soft and filled with juicy flavor, but sog factor is still an issue. The bottom bun soaks up all the burger juice, which in theory is tasty, but a little gooey. Oh, and the branded bun was a nice, new touch.
The truffle fries with truffle cheese can only be described as rich, buttery goodness. (Served with Umami ketchup)
As far as setting goes, I liked their operation. Valet was only $2.50, and a hostess greeted us as we stepped out of the car. She sat us on the back patio which had heat lamps and lights strung above us. It was a little crowded out there, but I imagine the crowd only builds the energy on a busy night.
Every time I visit Umami, I like it a little more. Damn, I'm starving... I really need to stop writing reviews at 9am....
The Canuck and I were hanging with Mr. Chicken and In-Like-Flynn, debating our party plans for the night. Not in the mood for the high energy of First Fridays, we walked over to Barlo at Hotel Erwin for a boozy dinner. The hotel itself caters mostly to tourists. They're a little disorganized and understaffed but the location (and rooftop bar scene) keep them going. Barlo is a small space, with simple-industrial decor and a full bar. In-Like-Flynn and I started with the Applewood cocktail, a delicious mix of bourbon, apple butter, apple juice and lemon. The boys opted for Scrimshaw pilsners. We started with the deviled eggs (yum!) and the truffle fries (duh) and were not disappointed. Both were well-flavored, and the fries were medium crispy. 
