The Hidden Burger Gem That is The Market Grill in Monrovia

Today, I was in the mood for a burger and all the burger options in Duarte were basically all about fast food and that wasn't going to do. In-n-Out was also a possibility since it was just a 10-15 minute drive, but my picky palate said no because it was craving a new burger experience.  In the back of  mind, I remembered hearing about a restaurant in Monrovia called The Market Grill that is supposed to be known for their burgers so off I went.

The Market Grill is actually not a stand-alone restaurant. You'll find it inside the Monrovia Market, but as you pass the restaurant window, take note of the housemade burger buns that are on cooling trays. Once you walk inside, go down a few steps to your left to the restaurant itself where you'll see a counter in front of you where you can place your order and tables to your right that will seat about 12 people total. Yes, it's a small place, but there's also additional counter seating by the window for a few more people.

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Inside the restaurant, there's are vintage food signs on the wall and also a shelf of really fun salt and pepper shakers like kissing pigs, frogs and more. Apparently, owner Alex Ramirez, would put these character salt and pepper shakers on the table and customers caught on and started donating some of their old ones to the restaurant.  Currently, the customer donated shakers are just for display, but as one of the table ones are broken, they're replaced by a display one. I thought that was a cute side story.

So now it's burger time and for lunch that day, I went with a 1/3 lb. Bacon Burger with with whole leaf lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles and a swipe of housemade Thousand Island. I had a choice of Provolone, cheddar or Swiss and decided to keep it classic with cheddar cheese.  For a side, I opted out of the French fry route and instead went for their Minted Lemon Potato Salad.  One thing that I liked about their side choices is that you could also choose Fresh fruit instead of the fries or potato salad for those of you trying to lessen your carb load. Another plus is that they actually ask you how you want your meat cooked and Medium was the answer from me.

Before I talk about the burger, I just want to mention a couple of other things.  First, they make a Minted Lemonade, which I absolutely loved.  Not that I don't mind tart lemonade, but some places take it overboard.  With their Minted Lemonade, I still get the tart, but it's softened and rounded with the mint flavors.  Mint-lemon must be their thing since they also have Minted Lemon Potato Salad, but it is awesome. I liked the fact that the lemon wasn't overwhelming, that the salad had a smooth texture plus the addition of fresh mint added a nice hit of freshness to the salad.

As for the burger, it hit the spot and then some. The burger meat was cooked perfectly and perfectly pink and it was deliciously juicy. One thing to add is that they also grind their own meats.  Kudos to them! Generous with their bacon, you got two thick slices of smoky goodness and I think that more burgers should use red onions as opposed to white or yellow onion. It added a nice little hit of sweetness that I enjoyed,

The market freshness of all the vegetables really reinforced to me that the Market Grill cares about what they feed their customers.  Although the housemade burger bun was soft and even a bit fluffy, it held its own considering the amount of food between the two buns.  One little nitpit is that burger meat itself needed a bit more seasoning, a dash more salt and/or pepper, but still it was pretty darn good.

The Market Grill also has daily desserts, which are all baked by Tracy Ramirez's Mother. Tracy is the wife of Alex's Ramirez and the co-owner of The Market Grill. I certainly enjoyed my Butterscotch Cookies after my burger main event.  Apparently, on Wednesday, they have bacon cookies. Guess where I'm going to be next Wednesday?

Overall, I really, really enjoyed my meal at The Market Grill and I look forward to returning and trying more items from their menu, especially their New England Hot Dogs, which I read about on the foodies:  a southern california food blog. Be sure to click that link because it's definitely unlike a classic American hot dog that you're used to seeing.

The Market Grill
525 South Shamrock Avenue
Monrovia, California 91016
(626) 303-4314
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"The Great Burger Quest" at The Counter

Time for the next outing for "The Great Burger Quest" and this time, I found myself at The Counter in Santa Monica. Having heard how busy this restaurant gets, I had my dining group meet me at least half an hour before they opened. While waiting, a couple of us started chatting with two other customers who actually drove from Bakersfield just because they had a burger craving specifically at The Counter. After hearing that, my expectations shot through the roof. That's long drive just for a meat patty in a bun. Those burgers must be stellar.

Finally, the doors opened and we swarmed in. Before we were even seated, we were given a "Build a Burger Sheet" to help us customize our burger. So what was the first choice? Simply, burger or Burger in a Bowl? Craving carbs, I pooh-poohed the whole bowl thing and went for those carbohydrates. Of course, my hips and the rest of my body weren't too happy, but I decided to appease them with choosing lots of healthy toppings. The key word being "lots." You'll get what I mean later.

Now that I settled on a hamburger with an actual bun, I had 10 different cheeses to choose from. Cheesehead that I was, I had to restrain myself and finally settled on the Gruyere and Horseradish Cheddar. Then came the plethora of choices for toppings, about 24 that were listed. My eyes glazed over and my head started pounding. What to get, what to get. Of course, self-restraint wasn't in my vocabulary, so I went for the lettuce blend, the roasted corn and black bean salsa, an avocado and shhhhh....don't tell anyone, but topping that all off was a fried egg.

Ok, toppings done and jeeze, now I have to pick a sauce, too? All right, the winner was the ginger soy glaze and to complete my burger, my choice of bread was a honey wheat bun. Of course, you can't have a burger without deep fried dill pickles or sweet potato fries and how can you resist a peanut butter shake?

After we turned in our orders, we sat down to chit chat before our meal arrived and let me tell you, that early meet time paid off, because within a half an hour after opening, almost every booth and chair were taken. First to arrive were the sweet potato fries, regular fries and deep fried dill pickles and we happily nibbled on those until our burgers arrived. I definitely liked the sweet potato fries. I found them light and crunchy and but still prefer the sweet potato fries at Father's Office, which I felt had really good seasoning.

As for the deep fried dill pickles, well, it just wasn't my thing. Pickles to me should be cold and crunchy and somehow, hot battered pickle chips just seemed wrong, very wrong, in fact. My peanut butter shake arrived soon after and I have to say that it was the most disappointing shake I've ever had. I hardly tasted any peanut butter at all. Even when you look at the picture, it actually looks like a vanilla shake.

Finally, the burgers arrived. When my plate was placed before me, I felt sorry for my burger. The poor thing was stuffed to the gills with all the toppings I ordered and when I put the top bun on top, it looked like the "Leaning Tower of Burger." Thar she blows...over, that is. So I took my knife, cut it in half and finally took a bite.

As I was chewing away, the words "Less is More" came to mind. While all the ingredients separately were tasty, I don't think my choices in ingredients had flavors that complemented each other as well as they could have. Plus there was just too much. I went overboard and then some. The beef patty itself was fine. I found the quality to be good. The meat could have been a bit juicier, but still I was more than happy with that part of my burger. In general, I think it would have been a better burger for me if I focused on just one or two toppings and one cheese as opposed to the hodgepodge I had.

Upon reflection, it's difficult to include The Counter Burger in a side-by-side burger comparison. Whereas, other restaurants have burgers with specific ingredients each and every time, your burger at The Counter will change with your mood. There's never really going to be a complete consistency in the flavors of your ingredients. Given that, I feel that The Counter should just be judged on its own merits.

On that note, restraint, people restraint! What's cool about "Building Your Own Burger" is simply that you can build your own burger. Whatever foodie whims you have at the moment, you're free to indulge in. That's definitely the Counter's appeal. Choose whatever interesting combination of ingredients you like, but remember, 8 ingredients won't necessarily make your burger better. After all, what you don't try today, you can certainly try at your next visit.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157603346022085/

The Counter
2901 Ocean Park Blvd # 102
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 399-8383
www.thecounterburger.com

"The Great Burger Quest" at Pete's Cafe

As part of "The Great Burger Quest" for my dining group, our next visit took us to Pete's Café for the Hellman Burger, named after the founder of a historic building across the street from Pete's. The month before we took a bite out of the Office Burger at Father's Office and I think for many of us, it was a bite worthy of many return visits.

Having never been to Pete's Café before, I was really excited to having a new restaurant experience. Walking in, I immediately took a liking to the high ceilings as well as the photographs of old downtown LA that were hung throughout the restaurant. With it being a Saturday and close to noon, we were presented with the brunch menu.

When placing our orders, the majority of us ordered the Hellman Burger, while others opted for the Bacon Cheddar Mushroom Burger instead. But what really enthralled us were the various French fry options that we could choose to come with our burgers or order a la carte. There were three different kinds to choose from: chipotle French fries, garlic and basil French fries and bleu cheese French cries. The fries were so irresistible; we actually ordered all three of them as appetizers.

Before the fries arrived, my Spinach and Pear Salad was placed before me. The ingredients consisted of baby spinach, Bartlett pears, Maytag blue cheese, candied walnuts, dried cherries with basil balsamic vinaigrette. Having previously worked for a salad company, I'm really picky about my salads and I have to say this one was a great balance of pungent, nutty, sweet and tart flavors. My only complaint was I would have preferred the pears diced for easier eating.

Soon, the fries came our way and we dove in. Light and crispy, I liked how they were cooked. Cheese head that I am, surprisingly, my favorite was the chipotle fries. The sauce had a real nice smokiness to it, with just the right amount of heat. Of course, the blue cheese fries came a very close second. As for the garlic and basil fries, they were a bit disappointing. The strong, pungent flavors I was expecting just wasn't there.

After all the fry eating, you'd think we wouldn't have room for our burgers once they hit the table, but somehow we managed. When I took my first look at the Hellman Burger I ordered, I initially was pleased. With the burger being a ½ pound, it looked substantial. I liked that my bun was toasted or maybe grilled. The veggies were fresh and I was happy to see red onions, instead of white onions. Then I put it all together, cut it in half and took a bite and it was just okay.

There wasn't anything wrong with it, but when you pay $11 for a hamburger, you expect more of a "Wow!" which was missing. The burger meat itself was fine, but it wasn't as juicy as I would have liked. A Fontina cheese was used, but didn't contribute much in terms of flavor. Also, while part of the ingredients was supposed to include smoked tomato aioli, either they didn't add enough or didn't add any at all, because I certainly don't remember that sauce hitting any part of my taste buds.

Would I pay $11 for the Hellman Burger again? No. Would I pay $12 for the Bacon Cheddar Mushroom Burger that a couple of other people in our group ordered? Actually, I just might, especially after hearing the on the spot rave reviews, but then, the maxim that everything tastes good with bacon could also apply to this case as well.

Overall, for this "Great Burger Quest", the Office Burger still reigns supreme, but who knows? There still may be burger greatness that's still untapped.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157603215584409/

Pete's Café
400 S Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 617-1000
http://www.petescafe.com/

The Great Burger Quest" at Father's Office

Last May, a friend and I decided to host a series of outings where we would take my dining group for a different "burger" experience every month until the end of the year. For the first "Great Burger Quest", we went to Father's Office in Santa Monica for the famous Office Burger.

Hearing about its small space and how crowds line up to get in, we got there about 45 minutes before it opened and thank goodness we did. Half hour before the doors opened, there was already a long line behind us, even though it was a holiday weekend and it was for lunch. Amazing. What people will do for good beer and goof food.

Finally, the hallowed portals opened and we streamed in towards the counter to place our orders. Everyone in my group went for the burgers and fries, either sweet potato or regular. I did the same, but ordered a starter of spicy olives and almonds, which were quite yummy by the way. Now the thing about the Office Burger is that substitions are not allowed nor can you ask them to remove and/or add additional ingredients. What you get is what they give you.

The only choice you had was how you wanted your burger cooked and even then, those in our group who ordered differently still got their burgers medium (and a couple of instances more medium rare). From what I've heard in the past, the restaurant preference for their Office Burger is medium. Asking otherwise is apparently ineffectual, so you might as well just accept that and move on.

Before the burgers made their appearance, out came the french fries. The majority of the group ordered the sweet potato "frites" a la carte and wouldn't you know it, the lightest, crispiest, most flavorful sweet potato fries I've ever had showed up in a mini metal shopping cart What was sad was I didn't understand at first what the deal was with the shopping cart, but then the lightbulb went on. Shopping cart for "frites" a la carte. Get it? Hopefully, you the reader, caught on much faster than I did. By the way, can you tell by my waxing so poetically about the sweet potato fries that I adored them? Oh my gosh, truly the best I've had so far.

Finally, the famous Office Burger arrives and I have to admit to being a bit puzzled when it was first put before me. In fact, I had to take a peek at everyone else's Office Burgers to make sure that I didn't get the wrong item. What surprised me was the bread. Instead of a bun, it reminded me more of a bread or French roll that would be used for a submarine sandwich. The Merriam-Webster dictionary has two definitions for a hamburger:

1 a: ground beef b: a patty of ground beef

2: a sandwich consisting of a patty of hamburger in a split typically round bun

Hmmm...by using the word "typical", what defines a burger becomes more open to interpretation. Although, when you look at the patty melt, perhaps not. Hamburger meat is used, but between two slices of bread; hence, the different name. Maybe, the Office Burger is more of a Burger Sub or Burger Roll. Oh well, it's amazing how easy it is to question things when the "order of the universe" is somehow shifted, even in something as simple as the lowly hamburger.

Anyway, putting the contemplation aside, the Office Burger was tremendous. The combination of the spicy arugula, the sweetly caramelized onions, the pungent bleu cheese, along with a burger patty that was moist and cooked just right made me a happy burger girl. After my first couple of bites, that whole adage of a "rose by any other name" came to play.

Burger bun or roll, this is a truly excellent hamburger. To be honest, this was my first real experience with a "gourmet" burger and I'm hooked. Not that having a basic burger still won't hit the spot, but when you use ingredients that take food to another level, you look at it with new eyes and simply want more.

Although it's been a few months since my first visit, I can still remember each and every bite of that burger and the sweet potato fries and I am more than ready to take the drive all the way from the Eastside down Santa Monica way very soon. Maybe, I'll even see some of you there as well.

To see pics, go to:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600993539020/

Father’s Office
1018 Montana Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90403
http://www.fathersoffice.com/

Tom's Drive-In No. 19

One day, I was really longing for a burger, but didn't want to visit the usual suspects like McDonald's, Burger King, Carl's Jr, etc. You get the picture. So I decided to visit this burger joint on Foothill Boulevard that I've been driving by for over 20 years, but have never stopped in.

I walked into a space with fake leather and wooden booths, a tiled floor that has seen better days and an eclectic menu that included everything from a variety of burger and sandwich choices to Mexican offerings like burritos and tacos to steak and shrimp dinner plates. There was something for everyone, but I just wanted a burger.

So I went ahead and ordered a burger with chili cheese fries. Soon my plate arrived. I found it interesting that the cheese on my fries wasn't already melted, but later on I actually appreciated it. But first, the burger. Looking at it, it seemed like a good size, but that was mainly because of the big hunk of lettuce that was in that bun.

Sometimes I wonder if burger places think that by making the burger look bigger that it somehow adds value or gives more of a wow factor to this simple food. Personally, less lettuce and more burger would be more up my alley. Anyway, I took a bite. Was it burger bliss? Nope. But it's a classic burger with no pretensions and no fancy trimmings and sometimes that's all you really want.

I have to say that I really, really enjoyed the chili cheese fries. As mentioned earlier, I was surprised that the cheese wasn't already melted, but as I mixed that cheese with the chili, stringy gooey goodness happened. What was even better was that the fries still retained most of its crispness. The temperature of the chili itself melted the cheese and that's why the fries didn't turn to mush. I also really liked the chili itself. It had good flavor and even a little bit of heat, which was quite appealing.

Tom's is definitely not a destination burger joint, but if you need a break from fast food and you're in the neighborhood, check Tom's out, if nothing else, for their yummy chili cheese fries.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157602204855390/

Tom's Drive-In No 19

880 W Foothill Blvd
Monrovia, CA 91016
(626) 303-0533

Wolfe Burgers

Having driven by Wolfe Burgers for a number of years now, I finally decided to check it out for lunch. Once inside, it took me awhile to order just because the menu had a good bit of variety. Finally, just because I love avocado, I settled for the avocado burger and chili cheese fries.

When my food arrived, I dug into the chili cheese fries first. There were two things I was disappointed in. First, the fries themselves were too mushy. Granted, fries topped with hot chili may lose some of its crispness, but even the fries that were to the outer side of the paper tray were softer than I would have liked. Second, the chili was bland. Not that was I expecting it to be fiery, but some oomph would have been nice.

Now on to the burger. At first glance, it looked impressive. It was served open faced and right away, you can see that they weren't shy about giving you enough avocado. It looked like a whole half of an avocado resting on the cheese.

So than I put it all together, cut it in half to make eating easier and took my first bite. I was very underwhelmed. The burger itself was dry, but what really bugged me was how the avocado kept sliding out of the bun.

The cheese on the burger was a little bit greasy and the avocado was resting on that oil slick. I'd take a bite and some part of the avocado would come out. It was really annoying. Finally, I just removed the avocado and just ate it on its own. As for the burger, I only finished half of it. I didn't like it enough to even finish it all.

To be fair, I've only been there once, so maybe, a different order would make for a tastier meal. But with so many other really great burger joints out there, a repeat visit to Wolfe Burgers won't be happening anytime soon.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157602024633353/

Wolfe Burgers
46 N Lake Ave
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 792-7292