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••••THE HORROR!! IT SEEMS CHARCOAL IS GONE! CLOSED FOR GOOD! SO SAD, THE BEST BURGER IN LOS ANGELES GONE AFTER SUCH A SHORT TIME!!!!!••••

Located at the South East Corner of Sunset and Ivar, with parking in the Arclight parking garage (remember to validate) for some reason I had a much different impression of this place than what it was really like. And with the quality of the food, I am so surprised that there weren’t more people there at 7:30 on a friday night, because the food is damn good, like maybe better than Houston’s good. And the menu is very reminiscent of Houstons. This burger and steak place is well worth checking out. ••• Not only that but right now they have a 1/2 price deal, Monday through Saturday, 3 PM to 6 PM, and it is about half the menu. What a great deal! •••

I course I went for the standard burger, with no cheese, because I am allergic to cheese and I think it covers the taste of meat a bit. And I order it medium rare, and this was as medium rare as can be, obviously cooked on a flame, and absolutely delicious, especially for $8.99! That is a deal, this is one of the best burgers in LA.

My only complaint is the kitchen screwed up out fries so the sweet potato fries were on my plate (blech) and my fries were on Kelly’s place, but that was easily remedied.

Kelly got the $11.99 steak and frites Medium, and it too was excellent. A great price and quite tasty.

For dessert we tries the chocolate lava cake with ice cream, with a hint of raspberry, which was just like a smaller version of the excellent chocolate dessert at French 75, but only $7 and a much more normal sized portion.

The strangest thing is their wine menu, they only have 4 bottles, 2 white and 2 red, and the bottle we got was $32, way out of price for the meal. So wine with dinner is strange. It does look like they have a nice full bar though.

The service was also very good, though it did break down a little at getting the check.

••••

This place is fantastic, with really good prices. Why isn’t this place packed all the time? Is it because it looks too expensive, because it is really reasonably priced. Why not give it a try?

The half price deal has to be because they don’t have enough customers, which I can’t figure out, because this place is totally awesome!

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This is kind of a hip version of a diner, at least food wise, that plays some decent music, though the place is as dark as could be in there. There is a parking lot just east on Franklin, but it is usually full, so Kelly and I walked over there. The service is decent enough, and the food is decent as well.

I had the Hamburger and fries which unfortunately for me come with a mix of sweet potatoes and regular potatoes (as I don’t like sweet potatoes, but delighted Kelly who doesn’t like regular potatoes). THe burger itself was decent, not bad, but not amazing. A pretty good griddle burger, and would be worth eating again.

Kelly got a cheeseburger, and enjoyed it as well. The dressing is pretty good too, though I prefer Ketchup and a little mustard, which they had at the table.

•••

A decent Diner in Hollywood, not amazing, but pretty good.

1650 N. Highland Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 465-2111
Sun-Thur 6:30 AM- 3AM
Fri-Sat 24 Hours

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I actually didn’t realize this was a chain until I looked at the web site, I had just passed this 50′s style diner so many times, that Kelly and I finally decided to go. The service was decent, and so was the food. The place is kind of fun, and their is a little museum attached even, and there are jukeboxes at each table, but they are 25¢ instead of the 5¢ at Johnny Rockets. Still this place was not bad.

I had a Famous Melburger with Fries, a 1/3 lb groudn chuck with a sesame seed bun, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo and pickle chips. A decent griddle burger, and tasty fries, though neither was amazing.

Kelly got the Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pancakes with an egg and ham. And look at that slab of ham! Wow, that was some thick and tasty ham. And the pancakes were good and fluffy. Not amazing, but decent.

••••

Decent enough, though nothing too special.

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I really wanted a burger today so I googled best burger’s in Los Angeles and came up with the Citysearch Best Hamburgers 2007. The Audience winner was Father’s Office which I hated, but the Editorial winner was Pie n’ Burger, and Kelly was interested in the pie, so we took Chelsea and went. The place is a little East of Lake Avenue in Pasadena on the North side and has a few parking spots in back, but you will probably have to find street parking. It is a tiny, funky little place with a long counter and a few tables in the back, and a menu on the wall that has only had the prices change since this place opened.

The burgers are top notch for a burger on a frialator, it is still pretty juicy, but that might be the thousand island dressing and the amazing grilled onions, and the heaps of pickles and lettuce all wrapped in wax paper, but as messy as can be. And even worse once you put the ketchup it needs on it. Quite tasty. Sure, not my favorite medium rare, but still quite delicious. I would certainly have one of these tasty burgers again.

We also got an order of fries, which were OK though a little overdone.

And of course we had to try the pie, so we had one piece A La Mode, though they saved me half since I was out of Lactose pills. We had a boysenberry pie, and it was delicious. Tasty and fantastic, and freshly made. And they make tons of kinds. In fact I will certainly have this again once I lose some weight.

The service is good and they give you heaps of napkins and quickly replenish your drinks. This place is a trippy looking old place, one of those really funky LA dives that are so wonderful and so make Los Angeles. This is a must try for lovers of burgers and pie. Delicious!!!

4211 Riverside Drive
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 843-9334

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The earliest still standing Bob’s in the country, and one that still has it’s 50′s look, and even has 50′s style drive up one night a week. The place is always packed, and there is usually a wait, but it is cheap. The burgers are OK, but again are not juicy, but fried, so not that great, just decent, as are the fries.

I usually get the Big Boy Combination, which 5 ounces of beef in 2 patties, with lettuce and special sauce on a bun with fries and a side salad. It is cheap and decent, but pretty damn dry as all fast food burgers are.

Cheap and not bad, though not too good either. I do want to try the drive up sometime though.

Worth it in a pinch, but not something to seek out.

52 Hugus Aly
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 793-6570

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A decent fast food burger place set up as a 50′s diner (though started in the 80′s) and even including a nickel juke box at every table with a whole slew of 50′s music. Sure the burger is a bit dry, but it is tasty, and you get to put on your own ketchup.

What I really love are the lemon coke’s with real lemon, and real cherry cokes as well. And if I ate shakes, I am sure I would love their ones with real ice cream, as they look delicious.

This place is pretty tasty for once in a while, though it doesn’t satisfy the need for a real juicy burger. Still one of the better fast food burger places.

Well, unfortunately I won’t be having any Fatburgers again any time soon, or anything but salads and veggies, as I am now almost 50 pounds overweight, youch, but this was a pretty damn good way to kick start me into a diet. I have always enjoyed Fatburger, sure they aren’t juicy burgers, as they are on the griddle, but with all the toppings, they still seam juicy, and I love the addition of the choice of thin or fat fries. These are damn good fast burgers, and the Kingburger is just plain impressive. Still it cost over 10 for a Kingburger, fat fries and a large soda.

The Kingburger is a 1/2 pound of fresh never frozen lean beef, with mustard, relish, onions, pickles, tomato, lettuce and mayo, which I usually get no tomato, and then slop some ketchup on it, and chow this thing down. For fast food it is pretty damn good. The normal fatburger is the same, though with 1/3 pounds of meat.

And they also have Boca burgers which are pretty good, turkeyburgers and even a baby fat. Tony had a BBQ Burger, which he was not too impressed with. This has Bull’s Eye BBQ sauce, four strips of bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, two homemade onion rings and swiss cheese, which just sounds wrong to me.

You also get really sick and add bacon, egg, chili and cheese.

I always get their delicious fat fries. Awesome.

They serve Coke, and have real hand scooped ice cream shakes, which Ia m sure are evil, and even a root beer float.

I have loved Fatburger for some time, but I think they need to go back to their amazing GET FAT ad campaign which had to have been around 97 or 98, which had me laughing around town, and dyeing for a fatburger.

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Kelly and I decided to get a nice meal in Burbank, which isn’t always an easy task, as Burbank seems to have more fast food than it does good food, but right near her house are 2 places that are both expensive and good, both Morton’s and right next door to it French 75. You have to park valet, for $5.50 (youch), but the place is really amazing. It looks straight out of Moulon Rouge. The bar is amazing, and the whole place is dark with red velvet and old French posters around the place. Our waiter was a bit strange, but the food was pretty great, and the people next to us got a chocolate soufflé which we quickly ordered, so we could get it after the meal. Wow.

•••

Amazingly we went back not a month later. I signed up for their mailing list and got a $25 gift certificate, so we went back. I had the same, but Kelly didn’t.

We both started with appetizers. I got the Oysters on a half shell, which were only OK. A little too fishy. The sauce was tasty, but it needed a lot of it, because of the slightly fishing taste. Kelly got the French Onion Soup, which was tasty, but a bit on the sweet side.

And for dinner. I have to say, it was not what I though I would get. I though tI would get steak, but something else on the menu drew my attention. Lately I have been looking for a good juicy hamburger, and have not been able to find one of late. Well I decided on their Bistro Burger and it was fantastic. It was an 8 oz Ground Angus sirloin on a toasted brioche bun with a french secret sauce, and I got it without cheese or bacon. It came with some amazing thin pommes frites (or you can get potato chips or a green salad) and it is a huge order of fries, and comes with a large tub of ketchup, some lettuce and an onion. This was medium rare, juicy and fantastic. I will have this again!!!!

And I had it again and was equally impressed. That is a damn good burger all the way around.

Kelly had the sliders, also with Pommes Frites. She got French Sliders, which are 3 small burgers, with ground sirloin, roquefort sauce and fried onion beignets, and another big thing of ketchup. She really seemed to enjoy this, and am sure she too will have this again.

And the lovely desert, oh the desert. Damn was it was good. It was the hot Callebaut Chocolate Souffle, which they pour chocolate on, and then break the middle and put some nice cool Cointreau Cream in it, and then pour the rest of the chocolate, and oh my god is it to die for! Damn this is good! The other items sound good, but I don’t know how you could ever get past this! Wow!

Of course we had the soufle again, and it is amazing. Just an evil evil desert!

This place place was great, and I would certainly go back again.

••••

On our second visit Kelly had the Seared Scallops with Corn Mushrooms and Bacon Saute with a brown sugar vinaigrette. I can’t speak for the corn and rice, as I skipped it because of the bacon, but the scallops were huge and perfect, they just melted in your mouth. Fantastic.

Kelly also had a butternut squash soup with shrimp, which literally has little shrimp in almost every bite, and was also quite good.

The wine list is extensive, but pretty pricey, so we got wine in carafe’s which are 1 and a half glasses of wine for $15-30. The first time we have a Rosé that was OK, but the second time we had an Australian Penfolds “Thomas Hyland” Shiraz which was delicious. Not an expensive wine, but tasty, better than Yellowtail.

•••••

I am sure we will return and bring more people! Not hungry cat good, but a cool looking place and pretty damn tasty.

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The famous only on the West Coast fast food Hamburgers, has the shortest menu you will ever see in a burger joint, and they do make damn good burgers, though still fast food (IE thin and dry). Still they are pretty dan good, though don’t come with ketchup on them (you must add it), but do have Coke and Dr. Pepper on fountain. And if you like milk shakes, there’s are amazing with real ice cream. If you are an east coaster you must check this place out, though this one is not my favorite as different from the others the fries (which I always thought took some getting used to) are exceptionally dry and overcooked here, giving even more of a stale Cape Cod Potato Chips flavor. Decent burgers though.

Now the normal fries at In-N-Out already taste like stale potato chips, but they are fresh from potatoes made on location, and they grow on you, but this one makes them extra crisp, which is just plane nasty. Too dry and crispy, I like my fries to have some give, though Kelly (who hates potatoes loves them).

Their standard is the double double, with 2 patties, tomato, lettuce, spread, buns and I get it without the American cheese. I must say they taste pretty damn good, and when I worked in commercial production were a favorite for second meal, though the spread kind of scares me.

A Package of Spread which I have never seen before this visit.

A pretty good fast food burger, though I am looking for something better now days (better than any fast food), and this is certainly one of the better fast food burgers.

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At the Marriott Hotel near the Burbank Airport, this place is fairly expensive, and has OK food, though actually they have pretty incredible hamburgers. I used to love the Daily Grill, when we used to pick up Nicoise salad’s with rare Ahi Tuna, and it was fantastic. Unfortunately the menu seems to have changed, and everything on it is incredibly expensive. The service is decent, and fast, but the menu is pretty pricey, and there was not too much I wanted on it.

Kelly had specifically wanted not to have a burger, but we both agreed on the hamburgers this time, and I have to say they were pretty good, though they really needed pickles. The Burger is a huge 12 oz angus beef burger, and comes with chedar cheese, 2 onion rings on it, served with tasty as can and a huge thing of cole slaw (which I am never a fan of). The burger was huge and juicy, and actually very very tasty.

To drink I had a lemonade, which was also tasty, though not as good as Paul Newman’s Lemonade.

I was impressed by the burger, but I have to say I am not sure I would return to this place again, especially because it is so pricy.