Posted by: Mallory
Sacks
in New York City on Jul 27, 2010
Tagged in:
spiked milkshake ,
roosevelt hotel ,
pesto ,
onion rings ,
Not Another Guide ,
gorgonzola ,
fries ,
caramelized onions ,
burrata ,
burger recon ,
burger blog ,
brioche ,
arugula ,
25 degrees
One of my best friends from high school, Laura, came up to LA last weekend for a quick last hurrah before she ducks off to grad school in DC. A dedicated burger fan, she’s kept up with Burger Recon and wanted to hit up a joint with me. We settled on 25 Degrees at the Roosevelt Hotel- which I never tire of visiting- and made the trek from the Westside to this LA hot spot.
The décor is all red/maroon from the painted tin ceiling to the bouncy booths and brocade wallpaper. They have a full bar, and then booths and tables surrounding it, looking out on to Hollywood Boulevard. I opted for the ‘Number One,’ which consists of caramelized onion, prelibato gorgonzola, crescenza, bacon, arugula, and thousand island. Laura opted for the ‘Number Two,’ with burrata, roasted tomato, crisp prosciutto, and pesto. The burgs come with your choice of a side so she went with fries, while I got rings, and we chose a garlic aioli and a parmesan aioli to dip them in.
Fries and rings came out first, on long platters, with more food than could ever be necessary. The rings were sliced thin, with a non-greasy breading that had a powerful kick. There is honest to god SPICE in that breading- you’ll want a creamy aioli to dip them in. Laura is not a huge fan of onion rings, but she was digging these. The fries were extra crispy- almost burnt, the way I like them- lightly salted and tossed in a tiny bit of chopped dill. We loved them. As we marveled at the size of the sides, our burgers came out, and there was barely enough room on the table.
These burgers are 5-6 inches in diameter, with huge, fluffy, sweet brioche buns. I was afraid to pick it up. They come loosely tucked in paper, with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle on the side. We didn’t even try to stuff these toppings into our already jam-packed burgers. We picked them up to take our first bites and it took a few bites before I finally tasted everything at once. It was fantastic- the arugula balanced out the cheeses and the caramelized onions, while delicious, were not overpowering. Laura’s burger had a great combo in the pesto and cheese but it was very rich. Decadent even. The gorgonzola on mine was strong, but if you like gorgonzola, then you’re all set. I pretty much deconstructed mine and ended up eating it with a fork- which is something I normally would not approve of- but it was so enormous and rich that it felt like a refined meal, and honestly I just couldn’t keep it together.
Having already consumed a bottle of wine before heading out, we opted for diet coke with our burgs. Our generous waiter- who clearly recognized the signs of caffeine addiction- brought out a milk jug full of diet coke for us. We were debating ordering a ‘spiked’ milkshake. Yes, they have alcoholic milkshakes for the booze hound in all of us, but we already had to box up half our meal in doggy bags so there was just no way.
Service was great the whole time: attentive, honest and helpful. I’m embarrassed to say I think we went a little too early in the evening for my taste. We were hungry for sure, but the crowd felt touristy and the place wasn’t packed. It’s open 24 hours a day and I got the impression that if we had come at 10pm or after 2am we would have met a distinctly more raucous and local crowd. The quality of food to price ratio is phenomenal. We paid less than $25 each for perfectly prepared, enormous portions of food. If anything I would say the most ‘expensive’ thing we ordered was the diet coke- at $4 each.
Come starving or share everything, because as Laura summed it up, “This is like an event, it takes time and you’ll be stuffed after.” And by stuffed she means we were in food comas for hours. I want to go back and try other things on the menu- and by try other things I mean move into the Roosevelt indefinitely until I’ve sampled the whole menu. They have a grilled cheese and an extensive breakfast menu that can’t be anything but delicious…
Posted by: Mallory
Sacks
in New York City on Apr 29, 2010
Tagged in:
Not Another Guide ,
los angeles ,
fries ,
father's office ,
culver city ,
burger recon ,
burger blog ,
burger ,
beer ,
alaskan white ,
alagash white
We went back for more drinks, and I opted for the Alaskan White, which I liked much more than the Alagash; it was more refreshing. Lala went for the Dolcetta wine by Palmina.
The bar was crowded and a nice buzz of friendly conversation and music filled the background. Everyone there was young, with groups of coworkers, friends and awkward first dates. Prices for beer and wine are consistent with similar venues. Ironically, the beer I liked best –Alaskan White- was the cheapest drink we had all night at only $6. The burger is $12.50, no substitutions/additions or anything of the sort, which is overpriced for what I received. It’s also hard to judge what to tip because the bus boys were polite, attentive and fast, but the bar isn’t since you really just stand in line and wait your turn. I realize that on a Friday or Saturday night, when it’s more drinks and less food, the service is probably better, but I wasn’t impressed.
Bottom line: I would order the burger again if I was there and hungry, BUT if someone said to me, “Let’s go get a burger tonight!” Father’s Office wouldn’t make my short list.
Posted by: Mallory
Sacks
in New York City on Apr 22, 2010
Tagged in:
the counter ,
sweet potato fries ,
onion strings ,
Not Another Guide ,
los angeles ,
fries ,
cheeseburgers ,
byob ,
burger joint ,
blue moon ,
beer
I couldn’t cut it up; that would have been sacrilegious.
Now for the sides: I loved the fries! They were skinny and crisp and seasoned. Samantha and Kunu preferred the sweet potato fries, which were good, and crisper than most sweet potato fries, but I like the saltier taste of the skinny fries. The Counter’s onion strings are light and crisp. They cut the onions super thin, and the batter is on the lighter side, making 'strings' an appropriate name. They came with ranch and barbecue sauce- excellent choices- and the sweet potato fries came with a chipotle aioli we all enjoyed.
The atmosphere is exactly what you’d want out with friends: Cheerful, fun and sociable, with attention to detail at every turn. They played classic rock and the art on the walls was all rock n roll. (The Santa Monica location has painted skateboards on the walls!) Of all the joints we’ve been so far, I would say their service was the best. They were friendly and attentive, and the manager checked in on us twice. Samantha actually bonded with our waitress over their North Carolina roots. I think good service can make or break a dining experience and The Counter made me feel valued. That location has only been open for less than a month, so it’s definitely a good sign. You can park in the back lot, and its two hours free with validation.
The other patrons ranged in age from kids to seniors, but leveled out to mostly groups of friends aged 15-40. Even though we staggered in at all different times there wasn’t a wait until around 7:30 when it started to get pretty crowded. We ended up sitting at the counter (ha!) and enjoyed our views of everyone else’s burgs. Since we were sitting at the bar and came straight from work, it was only logical to order some delicious Blue Moons served with a thick orange wedge. They also have wine, fountain soda, floats, shakes and malts, so basically everything that goes with burgers. (The Santa Monica location does a shake of the month!)
Cost is reasonable, most burgers are around $10, depending on how many fancy toppings you get, beers were $5-8 and the sides are all around $5. I have to say, I also really like the way The Counter’s menu is organized. You literally fill out your own burger paperwork, and can include special instructions if you like. I think this limits burger errors and saves time and money. The menu has a few sandwiches and more appetizers I’d like to try the next time around.
I’d like to go to 8 OZ again and order one of their burgs (as opposed to building my own) but at the moment, for my money and my taste buds, I like The Counter better.
The Counter
7919 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA, 90046
323 436 3844
