This will be a quick one – nearly all burger. The gang and I had planned our long awaited Eating LA Day (which proved to be bust, but more on that after burger talk) for a Sunday afternoon – lots of food, lots of booze, lots of LA. But first, two-fifths of our team (including the one-fifth scheduled to drive) had a conflict and had to back out (flake?) the day before; and then my oldest kid/babysitter decided to celebrate another one of my kid’s 21st birthday with her on some party bus in San Diego (odd decision on her part, right?!), so I had to bring along my 11-year old.
Problem: No kids allowed at Father’s Office. We didn’t find that out until we got there. But we’re a dogged crew, ordering their famous burgers to-go.
I’ve been wanting to try this burger for months now – perhaps longer. It was a “must try” on my Burger Quest list simply because of the hype; because it’s on just about every LA burger list. Despite it being a beef burger, besides the lack of ketchup, besides chef Sang Yoon’s strict no substitutions policy, I was down.
So finally! On Eating LA Day, it was scheduled to happen whether I had a seat inside and a beer in hand or not. And I was pretty dang glad I did. This burger was full-bodied and savory – a rich experience made full by the burger’s tangy blue and Gruyere cheeses and caramelized onions. And there was plenty of it – I shared mine with my work son to make sure I had plenty of room for the rest of Eating LA Day (a decision I came to regret).
And so I missed a chance to eat inside of Father’s Office, but the outdoors proved just as good an accompaniment to my delectable sandwich, our group grubbing in the courtyard of the Helm’s Bakery District in Mid-Town, a snappy spot for food and furniture. With an unimpressive fried chicken, a regular dessert spot of mine, and a motley collection of food stands that I knew little about making up the remainder of Eating LA Day*, Father’s Office – despite not really eating at Father’s Office – was my highlight.
But the big question is, how did the burger stack up to the rest of my list? Read on… because this post is already much longer than I hinted it would be.
Official Dianderthal Burger Quest Burger List:
1. Hawkins House of Burgers turkey burger with everything (mayo, mustard, pickles, tomato, red onion, lettuce), cheese added
2. PCB (Plan Check Burger) at Plan Check with americanized dashi cheese, ketchup leather, schmaltz onions, mixed pickles, crunch bun
3. 25 Degrees Number One Burger (turkey subbed for beef) with caramelized onions, crescenza, prelibato gorgonzola, bacon, arugula, thousand island
4. Father’s Office Burger with arugula, caramelized onions, Gruyere, applewood bacon, and maytag blue cheese
5. Island’s California Flyer turkey burger (BBQ sauce, “Island Reds” – fried onion straws, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato & mayo)
6.Golden State turkey burger with provolone, lettuce, tomato, red onion, aioli, and ketchup, (added grilled onions)
7. Yeah! Burger (Make It Your Own – turkey patty, whole wheat bun, pepper jack cheese, sriracha mayo, ketchup, grilled onions, honey mustard)
8. The Habit (Veggie burger made like a Charburger, with mayo, pickle, tomato, lettuce, caramelized onions, cucumber, and sprouts)
9. The Counter (Build Your Own – turkey patty, grilled onions, cheddar cheese, chipotle aioli, ketchup)
10. Burger City Grill (The BCG, turkey patty, pickles, grilled onions)
Fry Factor
1. Island’s fries with ranch dressing
2. Golden State fried sweet potato wedges with garlic aioli (and a few with curry ketchup)
3. 25 Degrees Half & Half (sweet potato and regular fries)
4. Father’s Office sweet potato fries with blue cheese aioli
5. The Counter 50-50 fries (half regular, half sweet Ps)
6. The Habit french fries
7. Plan Check sweet potato waffle fries and regular fries
8. Burger City Grill fries
9. Yeah! Burger sweet potato fries
10. Hawkins House of Burgers fries
Father’s Office
3229 Helms Avenue in Los Angeles
and a Santa Monica location
*We also stopped at Honey’s Kettle Chicken in Culver City, oft-blogged Milk, and LA’s Grand Central Market.
Sounds good! Makes me wanna try it!