19
Jan

Pulqueria – NYC

by ccwynne812   {8:46 pm}
PULQUERIA – NYC

11 Doyers Street (nr. Bowery) New York, NY

Date Dined: 1/14/12

Photo courtesy of: http://www.scoutingny.com/?p=1757

Located on one of the hardest streets to find in New York and underground in a basement accessed through an unmemorable door, Pulqueria has successfully hidden itself from the general public. Once past the bouncer and inside, the dim lighting, lively music, hipster crowd and high-end cocktails makes this the sexiest Mexican restaurant I have ever been to. I made a reservation here to spend some much needed quality catch up time with some of my friends after the craziness of the holidays and it was definitely a good choice for such an occasion. The creative cocktails (one would expect no less from Siblings Heather and Christopher Tierney of neighboring Apothéke) and fresh ingredients of our food made the meal worthwhile while the bustling bar scene in the other room and the full tables in the dining area added to the vibe.  

The service was a bit spotty. A few of us arrived ahead of the others in our group and were checked on every couple of minutes. Once the rest of the group arrived, waiters were nowhere to be found. Once we tracked one down, we ordered everything to share for the table and ended up with a bit too much food for a night out on the town but we enjoyed tasting all of the dishes nontheless.

The Meal:

Guacamole: My friends are big into anything that can be dipped so we needed a few orders of this classic-style guacamole served with baskets of warm, glistening house-made tortilla chips.

Guacamole and Chips

Esquites: Grilled corn off the cob served in a mug and seasoned with epazote, chile piquin, mayo, queso fresco and lime. The sweet corn, creamy cheese, spicy chile and tangy lime hit all the taste buds.

Esquites

Ensalada de Mango: A mixed green salad topped with cilantro, mango, jicama, avocado, queso freso and añejo dressed with a tomatillo-serrano vinaigrette was fresh but not memorable in flavor.

Mango Salad

Salsas Especiales: A selection of five different salsas from different regions of Mexico. Only two of them were worth eating in my opinion but maybe the rest are an acquired taste.

Rack of Salsas and Quesadilla

Quesadillas de Iglesia: Golden masa filled half-moon filled with Hongos (queso Oaxaca and mushrooms) or Tinga de pollo (queso oaxaca and spicy chichen). We ordered both varieties and I had a bite of the chicken. The crispy dough was much more like a puff pastry bursting with spicy pulled chicken and topped with the crumbly cheese than what you think of when you imagine a gooey flattened quesadilla. Very tasty.

Cochinita Pibil Tacos: These overstuffed little tacos were difficult to eat with all of the slow-roasted pork and avocado. They were very very tasty. Topped with beautiful bright purple pickled onions they were kind of like a Mexican-style pulled pork taco.

Cochinita Pibil Tacos

Enchiladas Suizas: I won’t call myself a connoisseur of Mexican food by any means but this was hands down the best enchilada I have ever had. The key was the sauce. The dish almost looked like a split pea soup with some onions and cheese thrown on top but but I was very thankful for the generous amount of tangy, creamy tomatillo sauce that filled the bowl. The enchilada stuffed with chicken that was incredibly tender and the combination of everything was perfection. A must order.

Enchiladas Suizas

There were a few other dishes that I didn’t have a chance to sample although they looked delicious as well. The first was the Enchiladas de Jamaica (served with sauteed hibiscus flowers, tomato-chipotle cream sauce, crema and queso fresco) and the other was the Enchiladas mole poblano (in a classic puebla recipe of “3 Days Mole” and locally farm-raised chicken).

Enchiladas

Overall, I would have to say this was one of the best Mexican meals I have had in a while. Pulqueria is the perfect place to have dinner with a group before a night out or just meet at the lively bar for a drink or two.

Filed Under: Date Spot, Drinks, Groups Tags: , , , , 1 Comment
18
Jan

Minetta Tavern – NYC

by ccwynne812   {6:40 am}

MINETTA TAVERN – NYC

113 MacDougal Street  New York, NY 10012

Date Dined: 1/13/12

Photo courtesy of: http://minettatavernny.com/

Minetta Tavern has been around for a while now. Since 1937, actually. And yet, somehow, it is still impossible to get a reservation less than a month in advance for any time other that 5:30pm or 11:30pm. Minetta is simply one of the coolest places in the city, probably partly as a result of its long history and being a regular spot for celebrated writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Eugene O’Neill, and E. E. Cummings. When it was redone by the team behind Balthazar, Pastis and Schiller’s in 2008 (Keith McNally, Lee Hanson, and Riad Nasr) it was put on the map as a culinary force to be reckoned with.

The atmosphere of Minetta as they describe it on their website is like a mix of Parisian Bistro and a steakhouse. With dim lighting, checkered floors, tin ceilings and red leather benches, you could really imagine yourself sitting at the bar musing with a writer or drinking absinthe in a dark corner of the back room.

While it is difficult to get a reservation at the restaurant, once you do the service is quite on point. You are greeted upon arriving by a bouncer at the door who lets you in if you have a reservation. This might be a little pretentious but it definitely keeps the bar from becoming overly packed. Good thing because we were seated over an hour late. We would have been very cranky except that the hostess graciously kept checking in with us and brought us a complimentary glass of champagne to ease the wait. Throughout dinner as well our waitress was friendly and informative and courses were well timed.

The Meal:

You don’t come to Minetta for a light meal. So, if you have a big event where you need to fit into a dress/suit, I would try to push that reservation out a little bit.

To start we had two orders of the bone marrow for the table which is incredibly rich and decadent. Huge bones grilled with a salty crust and served with a shallot confit and crispy toast. This must be shared unless you plan on entering a food coma immediately after being seated. 

Bone Marrow

The second appetizer we shared as a table was the special raviolo. This one giant raviolo was filled with cheese and butternut squash and encapsulated one warm, runny egg yolk which acted as a sauce.

Raviolo

Yes, the Black Label burger costs $26 but it’s really worth every penny. This is the only burger I have ever ordered at Minetta but the dry-aged prime beef really makes it special. The topping they recommend to accompany the juicy burger is just a single spoonful of carmelized onions. No cheese. No lettuce. No pickles. This burger is in my Top 10 for sure.

Black Label Burger

Perfectly Medium Rare

What could be a better end to a meal than a fresh out of the oven soufflé? Two fresh out of the oven soufflés, obviously. We ordered one each of the chocolate and the Grand Marnier soufflés for the table. Both were executed perfectly and were the right size for four of us to each have a few sweet bites to complete the gluttonous meal.

Grand Marnier Soufflé

Filed Under: Brunch, Date Spot, EPIC PICKS Tags: , , , , , 3 Comments
15
Jan

Miss Lily’s Favourite Cakes – NYC

by ccwynne812   {11:11 am}

MISS LILY’S FAVOURITE CAKES – NYC

132 W. Houston St. (nr. Sullivan St.) New York, NY 10012

Date Dined: 1.7.12

Caribbean Beverage Selection

The whole Miss Lily’s experience starts right off the bat. When calling the reservation line, a recording of a super relaxed Jamaican lady makes you feel as if you’re being welcomed off the plane onto a small tropical island. This is all very comforting in the middle of the typical freezing NYC winter.

There has been a lot of hype about this upscale Jamaican dive on Houston, perhaps because a. the food is really good, b. it is an original concept, and c. the clientele is extremely diverse. People ranged from young to old and were dressed in everything from a mini skirt to a comfy pair of jeans.

They take island thing very literally…the staff is pretty low as one might expect to find in a little island shack of a restaurant and no one seems to be in too much of a hurry at all- well, in comparison to your typical NYC restaurant – but we still got our food in a timely fashion.

We started off with a cocktail at the bar before being seated. The drink menu includes all of the typical beverages you might find in teh Carribean- coconut water, fresh lemonade, and of course, Ting. I decided on the pressure drop (sake, lime juice and Kaffir lime leaves) although I wasn’t really sure why sake was on the menu. Refreshing nontheless.

We were very excited to try many things on the menu but settled on a few appetizers and shared two entrees.

The Meal:

Jerk Grilled Corn with toasted coconut: I was a bit skeptical on the corn because I imagined it would be too sweet with the coconut but it really was so delicious that not a single kernel was left to be found. This is a must-order.

Jerk Grilled Corn

The Aftermath

Ackee Dip and Plaintain Chips: This was recommended to us by the waitress but it was probably me least favorite dish of the evening. The chips were nicely done and were the right texture for dipping. The ackee dip was kind of like a light guacamole but definitely too salty.

Ackee Dip

Jaquitos: There were three types of mini Jamaican tacos to choose from and we went with the curried lobster. A few small bites of lobster were  highlighted by a light curry seasoning in a soft taco shell.

Jaquitos

Grilled Pork Ribs: The big plate of pork ribs were deliciously glazed but could have been a bit more tender.

Pork Ribs

Jerk Chicken: The chicken was the star of the show- slow cooked and then grilled to ensure that it was tender and juicy but still had the spicy charred skin. It was served with a refreshing little side of marinated cucumber salad as well as a whole bottle of extra jerk sauce in case you’re really craving the heat.

Jerk Chicken

Despite the name the dessert menu is not actually very inspiring. They want to steer you in one direction only which is Miss Lily’s Banana Cream Pudding. The pudding was thick and delicious but you could have fooled me on the banana part. It tasted much more like plain vanilla.

Banana Pudding

Miss Lily’s is a great place to have dinner on a date or to catch up with a friend in a casual setting with a lively vibe.

Filed Under: Date Spot Tags: , , , , , 4 Comments
13
Jan

Macao Trading Co. – NYC

by ccwynne812   {6:08 am}

MACAO TRADING CO. – NYC

311 Church St. (nr. Walker St.) New York, NY 10013

Date Dined: 10.1.11

Photo courtesy of: http://ny.eater.com/tags/macao-trading-co

Macao is one of my favorite places in the city to have a big, fun group dinner.  For a larger group I believe that the atmosphere of a restaurant can sometimes be more important than the food. While I think Macao generally is quite delicious, the atmosphere is definitely my favorite part of the experience. The relatively small space has a warm bustling vibe thanks to the dim lighting, dark furniture and perpetually packed bar area at the front. There are always people waiting for tables even later into the night. A few weeks ago I had a reservation for 11 people and we were seated 45 minutes late for our 10pm reservation- luckily they also serve very good cocktails so no one seemed to mind the wait.

Chef Kevin Chun has created a menu that is a unique mix of cuisines meant to represent the eclectic style one would find in an ex-Portuguese colony of an Asian country. Since we were a group of eleven people we asked our waitress to bring out whatever she felt was appropriate for our group. With a relatively small menu that is served family style we were able to sample most of the dishes. The prices at Macao are also reasonable (with the exception of cocktails) so you can order a ton of food without having the fun surprise of a frightening bill. Here is a quick run-down of some things we had:

(Sorry no pictures for this one!!)

Chicken & Pork Belly Dumplings: These dumplings can be ordered steamed or fried and served with a light soy-based dipping sauce. I always order these and they are good both steamed and fried.

Mushroom & Truffle Croquettes: Crispy little bite sized croquettes are crunchy fired on the outside and filled with a super creamy filling.

The Grilled Romaine Salad: The salad is good but it is almost exactly like your typical caesar salad with grilled lettuce. If you are looking for something a bit lighter to start with then this might be the way to go.

Praline Crusted Bone Marrow: We actually ordered this for the table but only two of us had any intention of having any so we each got to have our own half bone. The marrow was nicely cooked so it was hot and tender throughout and had a sweet crust with the crunch of the pralines. It was served with lots of torn bread but I only needed one piece to pile the rich buttery marrow onto for a few decadent bites.

Wagyu Flank Steak: The flavor of the steak was good- sort of glazed and sweet and seasoned with szechuan peppercorn butter and king oyster mushrooms. However, I found it to be quite tough and didn’t enjoy it as much as some of the others at the table. Maybe it was just my dish.

Macanese Chili Prawns: Nicely cooked whole prawns in a slightly spicy chili sauce were a favorite of the table.

Ants Climbing the Tree: This dish was a big bowl of smooth glass noodles with minced heritage pork and spiced up a bit with some more chilies. It was a heartier dish that was necessary to ensure that everyone was full by the end of the meal.

Macao also has a late night menu which is served until 3:30am. Always nice to have a quality late-night snack option.

 

 

Filed Under: Date Spot, Drinks, Groups Tags: , , , , , , 4 Comments
12
Jan

Alta – NYC

by ccwynne812   {5:32 pm}

ALTA – NYC

 64 W. 10th St. (nr. Sixth Ave) New York, NY 10011

Date Dined: 1.10.12

Alta is a very cute West Village tapas restaurant that you might walk right by if you didn’t know what you were looking for. The subterranean entrance is masked by a wrought iron fence covered in ivy. While the food is consistently good and you always leave satisfied, nothing on the menu really pops. Maybe this is why they insist on bringing dishes out so fast that you end up feeling as if you should have ordered more before your stomach has the chance to realize it is full. This is unfortunate because the atmosphere at Alta is great and invites you to linger and get comfortable for a while. The cozy double level dining room is nestled in the back of a converted townhouse, warmed by rustic wood and fireplace in the back. In the front there is a long bar that is generally pretty full of people sipping red and white sangria as they wait for their tables. I guess the ambiance is what really keeps me coming back.

While there is an option to order “The Whole Shebang”, which is one of everything on the pretty extensive menu, (we actually whipped out a pen to keep track of what we were going to order) we ended up ordering a dozen or so of the small plates.

The Meal:

Bacon Wrapped Dates & Olives Stuffed with Almonds: I love bacon wrapped dates but I kept accidentally picking the olives which I wasn’t as much of a fan of. Guess I should have paid more attention. We ended up ordering a second round. Still no dates for me.

Bacon Wrapped Olives & Figs, Goat Cheese

Fried Goat Cheese with Lavender Infused Honey: I am not sure you can mess up a straight-up fried goat cheese ball. While delicious, this probably didn’t take much skill to make. We enjoyed it nontheless.

Whipped Deviled Egg with Vanilla Scented Tomato Coulis, Frisee, Lemon Omani, and Aleppo Pepper: This all sounds very complicated for the tiny bite of deviled egg we each ended up getting (one egg, four ways). The egg was soft and a bit tangy from the lemon but the other flavors were very subtle.

Deviled Eggs

Lamb Meatballs with Spiced Butternut Squash Foam, Toasted Sesame Seeds and Lebne: These tiny one-bite meatballs were tender and dressed in a light curried squash foam. The Lebne (strained yogurt) on top added a bit of creaminess.

Lamb Meatballs

Bruschetta of Spinach & Mascarpone, Dried Turkish Figs, Pine Nuts, Parmesan & Balsamic: This dish was surprisingly good. I find normal buschettas a bit boring but this one was served on a soft filo-type dough with just enough of the tangy spread in every bite.  

Bruschetta

Carpaccio of Black Bass Finger Lime, Kaffir Lime Infused Olive Oil, Mint & Cilantro: The bass was very fresh and presentation was nice enough but I thought this was a bit underseasoned given the amount of ingredients listed in the description.  

Black Bass

Avocado Relleno with Crabmeat & Shrimp, Dressed with Frisee, and Orange Segments: Standard. Not too much differentiated this dish from your grandmother’s country club buffet.

Avocado Relleno

Crispy Brussels Sprouts Fuji Apples, Crème Fraiche, and Pistachio Nuts: These are some very good Brussels sprouts. I guess my only real criticism here is that the trend seems a bit tired now that they have begun to pop up on just about every menu.

Brussels Sprouts

Angus Beef Slider in Turkish Yufka Pastry Mahon Cheese, Pickle Relish, Spiced Ketchup: This dish confused me a bit. It was more of a beef wonton than a slider. The yufka pastry was too greasy and chewy and after a long discussion on ketchup we decided that no one can mess with Heinz. 

Sliders

Chestnut & Mascarpone Ravioli pancetta, sage brown butter, vin cotto, preserved lemon: This was probably my favorite dish of the evening. This buttery, creamy pasta melted in your mouth with nuttiness from the chestnut.

Chestnut Ravioli

Smoked Foie Gras Mousse with Marcona Almond Butter, Cabernet Huckleberry Veil, Baby Basil: The texture of this dish was beautiful. I smooth, light cloud of fois gras mousse covered in the mildly sweet huchleberry gelatin. Bits of marcona almonds added a bit of crunch.

Fois Gras

Roasted Pork Belly with Confit Gingered Cauliflower Puree, Black Onion Seed Powder, and Shiso: The pork belly appeared so perfectly butchered that it looked like someone had created a Napoleon out of thin layers of pork with just the right amount of fat, and topped it with a crisp layer of golden glazed skin.   

Pork Belly

Mascarpone and Lebne Cheesecake with Graham Cocoa Dust, Caramel Cream, Pomegranate Molasses: A good version of a cheesecake – creamy and not too sweet.

Cheesecake

Pecan Financier: This last little bite of warm, nutty cake was a great way to end the meal.

Pecan Financier

Overall, Alta is a very cute place to go with a few friends to catch up or casual date night at any time of year. You will definitely leave satisfied.  Just remember they only take cash or American Express.

Filed Under: Brunch, Date Spot, Drinks, Outdoor Seating Tags: , , , , 2 Comments
10
Jan

La Esquina – NYC

by ccwynne812   {5:31 pm}

LA ESQUINA – NYC

114 Kenmare St. (at Lafayette St), New York, NY 10012

Date Dined: Multiple Visits

Beef and Pork Tacos

I was called for jury duty a few weeks ago, which I don’t think anyone would say is their favorite civil duty. I did get lucky on this occasion because the courthouse that I was called to just happened to be a few blocks south of my favorite taco shack- La Esquina. I must admit that in the countless times I have been, I have never actually sat down for a full meal in the much nicer restaurant down below, although I certainly intend on doing so at some point. Usually it’s more of a drive-by taco pick up from the take-out window which results in lime juice spraying the cab window and pulled pork in your shoe (very attractive, I know).

On this particular day I had a whole hour to devote to enjoying my tacos to their fullest potential. I decided on two different tacos, the classic Bistec and the Cochinita Pibil. The Bistec is my usual go-to selection, just a simple mixture of grilled skirt steak, charred onions, fresh cilantro and a salsa de chile de arbol which is a bit spicy. A spritz of lime is all you need to really bring the flavors of the steak and fresh ingredients out. The tiny tortilla is a bit crispy around the edges and somehow manages to hold everything together.

The Cochinita Pibil taco was a new order for me.  The pork was tender and juicy and topped with fresh cabbage, tart pickled onions and spicy jalapeño. After the first bite I immediately wished there was more and I think I found a new default order.

Turns out jury duty isn’t so bad after all.

Photo courtesy of: http://esquinanyc.com/

Filed Under: Cheap Eats, Groups Tags: , , , , , 1 Comment
09
Jan

Diddy Riese- L.A.

by ccwynne812   {6:18 am}

DIDDY RIESE – Los Angeles  

 926 Broxton Avenue, Westwood, CA 90024

Date Dined: 10.27.11

Chocolate Chip with Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

I love places like Diddy Riese. It’s a Bargain and it’s one-of-a-kind. It has also been there since 1983 and you have to actually go there to get the Diddy Riese expereince.

The smell of freshly baked cookies wafts down the street as you approach the glass front shop sweetly named after the owners’ grandmother. The ice cream sandwiches are made out of any combination of 10 cookie flavors and 12 flavors of ice cream that one could think of. Normally, the line wraps around the block with people from all over LA, but seeing as I we had not actually planned and checked the closing time, we ended up sprinting at 11:59 through the partially closed doors to secure the last spot of the night.

The warm cookies and the cool ice cream create a delicious, chewy texture in every bite. This is not a gourmet ice cream sandwich, however. It is the sinple freshness of the cookie and the old fashioned Dreyer’s ice cream that make this the perfect, portable, anytime treat.

The Menu

Filed Under: Cheap Eats, Travel Tags: , , , Leave a comment
07
Jan

Fatty ‘Cue – NYC

by ccwynne812   {9:57 am}

FATTY ‘CUE – NYC 

50 Carmine St. (nr. Bedford St) New York, NY, 10014

Date Dined: 11.3.11

I am already plotting my return to one of the newer additions to the Fatty Family in the West Village -Fatty ‘Cue. There were too many things on the menu that I wanted for just our two person dinner.

The décor at Fatty ‘Cue is a bit more upscale than their other locations which makes it a perfect date spot but it still has a low key vibe and moderately priced fare that is meant to be shared, making it also great for groups (6-8pp). The small bar is at the front when you walk in with a list of amazing cocktails (I had the “Foreplay”-a twist on the traditional Aperol spritz- while waiting for my friend to arrive). The small, cozy dining area is towards the back with mixed–size tables. The banquette that lines the right hand wall is very European feeling in that the only thing that really delineates your space from your neighbors’ is the centimeter–wide gap between the tiny tables.

The Meal:

Chilies and Cheese: This dish was just a small bowl of soft house made buffalo milk cheese served with fluffy, buttery warm rolls and salted red and green chilies on the side. The creaminess of the cheese and the salty spiciness of the chilies balanced each other perfectly.

Chilies & Cheese

Kale salad: The hearty texture of kale makes it a perfect fall salad green. It was dressed in a creamy green peppercorn and cincalok dressing. The cincalok, which is fermented shrimp, made it taste like a Malaysian Caesar salad. (Apologies for the dark picture)

Kale Salad

Poached chicken and smoked eggplant: This was not a dish I would typically order but we needed something lighter to balance all the cream and bread. The poached chicken was dressed up a bit by thin strips of celery, sesame, pickled jalapeño and big soft pieces of tangy smoked eggplant. I actaully ended up thinking it was pretty bland so I would only rceommend this if you’re trying to kick a cold as a subsitute for chicken noodle soup.

Poached Chicken

Smoked Lamb Shoulder: The lamb shoulder was pulled into pieces and pretty heavily smoked. Some pieces even tasted like lamb jerky and some were a bit meatier and more tender. It was served with warm house-made pita and a spiced goat yogurt (very garlicky!) that was so good you just wanted to eat it plain with a spoon. Definitely my favorite dish of the evening.

Smoked Lamb Shoulder

Galangal: The galangal dessert is a must try at Fatty ‘Cue. Galangal is a blue ginger but the flavor is much milder than your traditional spicy ginger root. The buffalo milk ice cream was a thick, heavy ice cream dressed with the galangal, walnut-pecan praline, milk cookie, thai condensed milk. Everything was topped with a tumbleweed of puffed noodles to add even more texture.

Galangal

I highly recommend ‘Cue for anything from a date to a rendezvous with friends.

Filed Under: Cheap Eats, Date Spot, Drinks, Groups Tags: , , , 2 Comments
05
Jan

Cocktails!

by ccwynne812   {7:21 pm}

COCKTAILS!

 Fatty ‘Cue: 50 Carmine St (bet. Bleeker and Bedford) New York, NY 10014

Photo courtesy of www.starchefs.com

Ok, so I know summer is long gone but for whatever reason I am having an Aperol moment. In particular with a cocktail called the Aperol spritz. The Aperol spritz is an incredibly popular cocktail originating in Veneto Italy. Its key ingredient, Aperol, is a light orange flavored liquor that only became available in the US in the last decade.  I had one of these cocktails during a recent trip to London in late August- very simple – Aperol, prosecco, splash of fresh orange juice and an orange slice. Incredibly refreshing. Recently at Fatty ‘Cue I had a creative interpretation of this classic blend they call the “foreplay”. They use the traditional Aperol and prosecco, throw in a splash of yuzu and mezcal and then give it a twist with grapefruit instead of orange. I could drink these forever, even through the winter. Bottoms up!

TIP: If youre making these at home try using N.V. Mionetto Prosecco Brut Gold Label. Very inexpensive but with an expensive taste.

Filed Under: Date Spot, Drinks Tags: , , , , 5 Comments
05
Jan

Father’s Office – L.A.

by ccwynne812   {7:12 pm}

FATHER’S OFFICE – Los Angeles

1018 Montana Ave, Santa Monica CA 90403

Date Dined: 8.28.11

Photo courtesy of: http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink

 The burger craze that took over New York a few years ago has not quite hit L.A. yet. If  you ask someone from L.A. what the best burger is, you will generally hear the same 3 or 4 names every time. Father’s Office is one of them. When I went out there for the first time in August my two requests were to have In-n-Out Burger (obviously) and the “best” burger. I don’t know about In-n-Out, maybe I’ll review that another day, but I am putting the Father’s Office burger on my Top 10 Burgers list because it was so delicious and also had some key differentiating features.

The Breakdown:

The dry-aged beef  gives the burger a much more expensive flavor than the comparative bargain $12.50 price tag would suggest. Cooked to medium-rare perfection, the meat is so succulent and juicy that it runs through your fingers when you take a bite. You always know a real burger veteran when they err on the side of rare rather than medium. You’ve won my heart right there, Sang Yoon.

The meat is draped in two different cheeses- Maytag Blue and Gruyere- giving a much stronger cheese flavor to the burger but with the stretchy, stringiness you want from your cheese. Sweet caramelized onion jam compliments the gooey combination. And then as if that weren’t enough, they go ahead and put a few slices of bacon on for a bit more salt and smokey flavor.

To freshen the whole sandwich is a good sized bunch of leafy, peppery arugula which counteracts a bit of the greasiness.

Finally the bun. My main pet peeve with burgers (besides being overcooked)  is a bun that is the wrong size. Too big and you end up having to tear a bunch off, too small and your ingredients start falling out. F.O. serves a crusty french roll which is able to stand up to all of its fillings.

There are two options for fries, regular with garlic parsley aioli or sweet potato with roasted garlic and cabrales blue cheese aioli. This is probably the only time I have ever said this but but the sweet potato fries were far superior to the regular ones. They were hotter, crispier, more substantial, well seasoned…just better all around.

Photo courtesy of: http://darindines.com/2010/05/08/fathers-office-5810/

If you are in the mood for a great burger while traveling out in L.A. definitely make the detour from wherever you are to Father’s Office.

 

Filed Under: Cheap Eats, EPIC PICKS, Travel Tags: , , , Leave a comment