Recon: RUSH STREET

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.

Recon: HOLE IN THE WALL BURGER JOINT

Los Angeles, CA


The Canuck and I were starving come lunchtime Saturday, and I suggested a westside place, I'd been looking to try for a while- Hole in the Wall Burger Joint. It's tucked away off Santa Monica Blvd in a strip mall (sort of) behind the Winchell's Donuts. It looks like a junkyard dive from a cult classic movie. The front is painted to look like rusty metal sheeting and there's a neon sign that says 'BURGERS' over the door. Inside, it felt like a tiny taco shop, or a small midwestern mom & pop diner. Much like The Counter, you fill out you own menu, picking meat, bun, toppings, extras and sides. The menu looked good and the buns on the counter by the register looked tasty. I ordered a beef patty, with an original bun, onion mayo, tomato cheddar and bacon. The Canuck went for the beef patty and original bun as well, but switched it up with chipotle mayo, pepperjack cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato. We both ordered the kennebec fries (we could have easily shared one order.)

At first, we were excited. Food came out in brown paper bags, the burgs were huge, wrapped in white wax paper and the fries were in their own little sleeves. We took our first bites and kept going up to maybe five bites and then we looked at each other.  "I'm not so into this." We were so hungry initially that we weren't really assessing, but as our hunger pains abated, our more discerning pallets took charge. The burg's were hearty and homestyle, but the plain ingredients lacked flavor and the large buns were overpowering. It felt like a ground beef sandwich, not a cheeseburger.  

The pepperjack on the Canuck's burger was overpowering the bacon. I think the meat and bun were just so big and plain that you couldn't taste the condiments. On top of that, the meat was juicy/greasy and dripping out of our hands. The one quality I did appreciate however, is that the cheese was on the bottom of the burg, between meat and bottom bun. It served as a protective layer to keep that excessive juice from creating a soggy mess.  

Note the cheese barrier!

Now for a redemptive paragraph: The fries were amazing. Just absolutely delicious. Crisp, salty, excellent flavor. And they offer three dipping sauces. The first is their homemade ketchup with crushed tomatos and garlic. The second is regular boring ketchup. The third, and my favorite, is a ranch dip made with sour cream, mayo, onion, dill, parsley, lemon juice, dijon and salt and pepper. I could not stop dipping the fries in it. The Canuck has more willpower than I do and was able to stop when he got full, but I kept going.  I wanted to bottle the ranch and hoard it, and then put it on everything I eat year round.

Magical Ranch Dip

They serve soda in cans which added to its dive feel. The inside was a little claustrophobic to me so we sat out front in the sun and fought off some pigeons. For the two of us, the total was nearly $30 and after tasting the burgs its definitely overpriced and not worth the cost. Oh, and by the way, its CASH ONLY. If you are craving a proper french fry, or you have a naked salad that needs dressing, this is the place to be.  

Recon: UMAMI La Brea

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....

Recon: R & D

Santa Monica, CA


The Canuck and I popped into R&D for a quick bite to eat, and while I opted for breakfast, the Canuck went for broke with the R&D burger and a large glass of Stella.  He was nice enough to cut me a little wedge so I could get in on the action.  What I love about the R&D burger is that its all classic ingredients- nothing out of the ordinary- but the quality of ingredients is so high that it elevates the burg, giving it a clean, refreshing flavor.  I also appreciate that they shred the lettuce. The one thing both the Canuck and I didn't love was the sog factor.  The burg was cooked medium, but there wasn't any char to hold in the juice, and no topping layers between meat and bun to prevent the bun from soaking up all the juice.  

Comes with a side of fries, and by side they mean giant serving.  I was ok with their fries- a little soft for my taste, but I like that they left the peel on the potato, kept them salty and cut them skinny. Could have been crispier, and if we order them again I will ask for them to be well done.  The Canuck prefers thick cut fries, and in addition to being a Canuck he is also Dutch, and considers himself something of a fry expert, so he was a little disappointed. (But this didn't stop him from eating them...)

R&D has a great menu and bar.  The cocktail and wine lists are fantastic.  I recommend the 13th Street cocktail which has basil and crushed grapes with vodka.  They also have amazing guacamole, which I will once again attribute to the high quality ingredients.  Its usually very crowded starting around 4 on the weekends so go early, or plan on drinking at the bar while you wait for a table.  R&D is on the more expensive side for drinks and a burger so check the menu, or go for a special occasion.  Delish... 

Recon: NO NAME SALOON

Park City, UT


I flew into Park City for the Sundance Film Festival with a nicely sized posse and after our long journey and fantastically chauffeured suburban ride into town, we needed some hearty food.  We marched straight over to our old, get-drunk-in-the-afternoon-stand-by favorite, the No Name Saloon and binged on the local fare.  We started with mozzarella sticks, french fries and onion rings, which we scarfed down before they could be photographed (we were starving!) but trust me when I say they were delicious.

We ordered buffalo burgers, which are- yes- made out of buffalo meat.  Apparently the buffalo is not endangered like I thought.  Or maybe I just ate an endangered animal.  Let's go with not endangered for conscience reasons.  I opted for bleu cheese and bacon.  Murph, Court and Kate went for the classic Saloon burger- one with cheddar, and one with grilled onions.  No Name serves all their burgers with lettuce and tomato, and their home made potato chips.  (George Michael ordered a wrap, so not really worth mentioning...)

We needed so much diet coke the waitress finally just brought over a pitcher.  I went with a hefeweizen.  Hey, I was on vacation and I was going to have alcohol with every meal even if it killed me.  I thought the burger was great.  Meat was tender with great flavor, grilled to medium, with a nice char on the outside.  Bleu cheese wasn't overwhelming.  Could have used more bacon, or a better way of organizing the bacon to ensure bacon in every bite.  I made my usual spread of ketchup, mustard and mayo- which was also an excellent dip for the chips.  They serve salsa with their potato chips which must be a Utah thing, because salsa is for tortilla chips, dip is for potato chips.  Duh.

No Name is a great place to take a breather at Sundance; the food will fill you up and they have a massive bar.  Decor is all western, and vintage advertising, with plenty of tables, one long bar and good sized restrooms.  It gets crowded, so that is an important plus.  Definitely stop in here if you're in Park City, but don't try to be dainty about what you order, go for the jugular and you won't be disappointed.

Mini-Recon: Q's

Los Angeles, CA


We have all spent a night of some sort in this sports bar, but until recently I didn't know they had such adorable sliders on the menu.  A patron on the bar stool next to me ordered them, and I bothered him for a picture, so I can't attest to taste, since I thought asking for a bite of each mini burg might be inappropriate... But now they're on my radar and he is clearly giving them a thumbs up.

Recon: DADDY-O'S

San Diego, CA


The Friday after Thanksgiving, instead of eating turkey leftovers, my dad and I visited San Diego's newest burger joint, Daddy-O's, over on Point Loma Blvd.  He had recently gone with a friend, so I knew when I came down for the holiday I'd be sampling the new fare.  

The decor is red, black and white with diamond plate on the walls and rat fink pieces all around. It reminded me of that song in Grease when they build the grease lightening car. I stole this phrase from the Daddy-O's website, because its accurate and I always enjoy an excessive use of adjectives, its a "hot rod, honky tonk, rockabilly, retro diner."  Thank you for summing it up so well. They have booths, regular tables, and a few bar tables.  Various TV's had football, and Fuel TV on, while the kids section had cartoons.  Don't let the thought of a kids section scare you off. I can assure you the nosier and more crowded this place is, the better an  atmosphere it will have.


We started with a chocolate malt, because why the hell not? You could taste the malt flavor nicely, but I wish they had made it with chocolate ice cream, not vanilla with chocolate syrup. (Is that common in restaurants?)  We ordered the Frings to get started. I loved the onion rings, they were crisp with good flavor. Fries were crinkle cut, and both had a lemon pepper seasoning sprinkled on. The onion rings were definitely better than the fries due to the salt/crisp factor. They bring out dip cups, but the condiments are on the table so you get to make your own sauce, which I love. They also have a ROLL of paper towels on the table.  These people KNOW the mess a big juicy burger can cause and they are prepared.  

I ordered the Honky Tonk burger, which is angus beef, caramelized onions, fried onions, american cheese, lettuce, tomato and bacon.  The two onion textures were perfection.  The fried onions and bacon gave just enough crunch and salt to balance out the tomato and caramelized onions. It's a big patty with great flavor, and it got messy mostly because of the size of the thing, not because it fell apart. They stacked their ingredients well to minimize sog from the caramelized onions. My dad ordered The Hemi, which is two 1/4lb angus beef patties, red onion, bacon, swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato.  Appropriately named. He enjoyed it immensely. Previously he had the Gonzo, which has caramelized onions and gorgonzola cheese, but when I went to order that one he told me the cheese was a little on the strong side, so if you're not into a manly cheese on your burg, I'd go another route. I couldn't finish my burger, but I ate the rest of it when I came home from bars at 2am and it held up well.  So have part of it for lunch, the rest of it for second dinner.  

I want to try The Greaser. And then I want to build my own. Customer service was fantastic; very attentive. And I was pleased to discover they offer a 'uniform discount' which applies to military servicemen and women, among others.  So, if you have a busy morning, you're hard at work and you wear yourself out and are in desperate need of a solid meal (or you're not hungry, but you're an emotional eater and just feel like gorging) head over to Daddy-O's and fill up!