The Yard

LOCATION –
I hit The Yard, located at 119 Broadway in Santa Monica for dinner. This neighborhood gastropub was the creation of CJ Jacobson (Top Chef contestant). At 6:30 on a Friday night the place was packed, luckily they had an open table.

ON THE MENU –
I ordered the House Ground Yard Burger, which comes with Grafton Cheddar, grilled onions, heirloom tomatoes, shredded lettuce and 1000 island dressing. The meal arrived in about a beers time and looked beautiful. I got excited when I saw the heirloom tomatoes, because good tomatoes are something that most burgers, in my experience, lack. I just wish they were not cooked, because they would have been so much more flavorful. The 1000 island dressing scared me at first because I am generally not a fan, but I have to say, it tasted pretty good on this burger. The patty was an interesting conglomerate made of Ground Chuck, Ageel Angus, Short Rib and Pancetta. I was most excited for the short rib mix in the patty, but I couldn’t taste it. Don’t get me wrong, the meat was good, but not worth the price of each ingredient. The thick slices of melted Grafton Cheddar were awesome and possibly the best cheese I have ever had on a burger. The bun was delicious as well and I could tell the perfect amount of butter went into it. Both of these ingredients made me really want to come back to try the Thursday Grill Cheese special.

ON DRAFT –
This place has a ton of awesome beers on tap and in bottles. They also usually have a special cask of some sort. They even have “Taste the Tap” which is a taster of any 3 craft beers for 6 bucks, which was tempting, but I started with a Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA on draft. Then I had a Double Bastard on draft with my burger, which was delicious.

ON THE SIDE –
The burger comes with a small portion of triple cooked fries (boiled, baked and fried). I inquired about them and they said that this method insure that the fries were crispy. I didn’t find them very crispy, but on the other hand they were thick home-style fries.

For a starter I got the Arancini, which were crispy risotto balls in spicy marinara. They were delicious and the marinara sauce was awesome. It tasted a bit more like a vodka sauce, but that was probably why I liked it so much. No doubt about it, I will definitely be ordering this next time.

Since the deserts looked so good on paper, I had to try one. I went with warm sweet potato doughnuts with Mexican hot chocolate. These were super fresh and the Mexican hot chocolate dipping sauce was really spicy. Both of them together were fantastic. And the best part about it, the spiciness tasted great with my beer.

TIP –
They are only open nights, except for Sunday brunch, so get here early or make a reservation. The Yard is a perfect place to eat and/or grab a drink at after watching the sunset from the Santa Monica bluffs (about 150 yards away).

SUMMARY –
The burger was good, but was a little pricey for $15, however all the drink selections, the delicious appetizers and desert means I will be coming back soon to sample more menu items.

RATING – 8 out of 10

Check out their website here.
http://www.theyardsm.com/

Blue Plate

LOCATION –

Located in Santa Monica at 1415 Montana Ave, Blue Plate is a popular little joint and when I say little, I mean little. They maximized every inch of the restaurant, cramming in about 20 tiny tables. I was relieved to find both staff and patrons in friendly spirits, maybe this is due to the white painted walls and big picture windows that allowed all of the sun shine into the room. Whatever it was, Blue Plate was definitely filled with returning customers and locals.

ON THE MENU –

I went for the Hamburger with cheese. This 12-dollar burger comes served with super fresh, delicious ingredients including crunchy lettuce, long cut dill pickles, sliced onions and a flavorful juicy red tomato slices. You have an option of cheese and of course I went with cheddar. The Angus patty was about a quarter inch thick and seasoned with plenty of salt. All of this was sandwiched between a Brioche bun. I usually don’t even like pickles on mine, but these tasted good. It comes dry so you will want to order a condiment. I went with mayo. All and all this burger is pretty simple, but that is not a bad thing.

ON DRAFT –

They do not have anything on draft, however they do have about 7 bottled beers. It is not your normal collection featuring some Lost Coast brews, Blue Star, Scrimshaw, Dos Equis, Allagash White Ale and a beer of the month that all run about 6 bucks. They also have a modest wine list that features at least one of each of your basic varietals.

ON THE SIDE –

The burger came with your choice of soup, salad, fruit or fries. Of course I went with the fries, though I was mildly amused to see fruit as a burger side option. The fries were skinny cut, super lightly golden colored and appeared to be cooked to perfection, but disappointingly they were not as crunchy as they looked. The flavor was there, but it was all dulled by the slight sogginess.

TIP –

They are pretty crowded at lunch so I would go after 1:30pm. If you are cloister phobic, get your order to go unless you get one of the two tables on the sidewalk. They also have free parking in back.

SUMMARY –

The burger was very simple but the freshness of the ingredients especially the tomatoes was refreshing. And the Brioche bun was nice plus. The beer was good, but the fries were damp. Overall, I would go back. Who knows if it was, but it tasted like one of the healthiest burgers I have had in a while and that is pleasant for a change.

RATING – 5.5 out of 10

Check out their website

http://blueplatesantamonica.com/bpsm/home/

Jinky's Cafe

LOCATION –

Jinky's is located at 2nd and Broadway in Santa Monica. When you walk through the door it looks like a breakfast café with bright yellow walls. I chose to sit on the porch and soak in the sunshine.

ON THE MENU –

I perused the menu looking for what I came for and my eyes lit up when I saw it, the Kobe Burger. I ordered it, even though it was a hefty $14.00. The burger came with your choice of cheese. I opted for cheddar, which covered the sautéed mushrooms, grilled onions and awesomely draped the top of the half-inch thick patty. The cold items were on the side, such as; a tomato, lettuce, pickles, salad peppers and sliced onion. It came on a barley-toasted bun. When I took my first bite, it reminded me of a back yard bar-b-q grill burger (in a good way). The onions were perfectly grilled and the burger was tasty, however they served my burger “well” instead of “medium”. This was a problem because I was paying for Kobe!!! Kobe beef has a higher fat content than regular Angus therefore making it more flavorful and juicy thus making it more desirable driving the price up. When you cook Kobe beef at a temperature over medium it melts the fat, therefore making it almost indistinguishable from your regular Angus burger.

ON DRAFT –

Nothing. Grrrrrrrr. I just had a glass of water.

ON THE SIDE –

You have 2 options that come with the burger, mixed green salad or crinkle cut fries. I ordered the fries and with one bite I felt duped. They tasted like they came straight from the local grocery store freezer section. Note to self – whenever a restaurant says, “crinkle cut fries” this is more than likely the scenario. I also had ordered tater tots as a starter since it was not a side option and guess what… same thing.

TIP –

The place is only open from 7:30am to 3:30pm, so if you are going to go for a burger make it lunch, otherwise I have heard the breakfast is good.

SUMMARY –

Their slogan says “reasonable prices” and “superior quality cuisine”, and those were my two issues with this burger. Even though the burger tasted good, I feel that it wasn’t worth more than 8 dollars, especially when it is served with frozen bagged grocery store fries.

RATING – 4 out of 10

Check out their website.

http://www.jinkys.com/

BRAVO CUCINA

LOCATION -

Bravo Cucina in Santa Monica on the famous 3rd street Promenade (1319 3rd Street) is a small Italian restaurant with a porch out front. The outdoor seating provides a front row view of some of the best people watching in Southern California.

ON THE MENU –

I told the waiter I would take their signature burger, it took a second, but he said that would have to be the Bravo Bacon Cheeseburger, since it is most ordered. Being an Italian restaurant, I was not expecting much and was served exactly what I was expecting. The 9 oz. cheddar covered patty came with sautéed onions and mushrooms. The bun looked like it was straight out of the bag, except for the one-inch burn mark on the edge (as if they had tried to make it look toasted). The sliced red onions, tomatoes, and lettuce were served on the side. The apple wood-smoked bacon, with its permeating delicious smoky flavor, was cooked to perfection. Overall, the burger was very reminiscent of your average hotel room service burger, and equally overpriced for $13.00.

ON DRAFT –

No beers on draft, but they have about six including Stella and Peroni in bottles (for about 6 bucks). I however was in the mood for a glass of Louis M. Martini Cabernet, which came with a price of 9 bucks a glass (which was the cheapest cab on the menu). The wine selection was typical of any decent Italian restaurant.

ON THE SIDE –

There was no choice, you only get one option, just normal everyday restaurant fries. They served in a silver martini shaker (I am still trying to figure that one out). Although there was nothing really special about the fries, I did eat all of them. French fried potatoes are hard to completely ruin.

TIP –

Bravo Cucina is fine for pizza (according to Zagat), but if you want a burger, save some money, walk directly across the Promenade, and get yourself Johnny Rocket’s Burger. It doesn’t take a genius to know an Italian restaurant in one of the most notorious tourist destinations is going to serve an average overpriced burger, but I had to save you from making the same mistake. You’re welcome.

SUMMARY –

Due to the price (around 25 dollars with tax and tip), this average hotel room service burger made me want to check out.

RATING - 3 out of 10

Check out their website.

http://www.bravosantamonica.com/cucina/

Umami Burger

LOCATION -

Without any signs, Umami Burger can easily be passed by. The door simply displays the restaurant's logo, a top and bottom bun in the shape of lips. Although they have several locations in Los Angeles I decided to hit up the Santa Monica location in Fred Segal at 5th st. and Broadway.

ON THE MENU -

Of course I ordered the Umami Burger, after all they did name is after the place. This 10 dollar burger is well worth the price. The medium cooked patty is about 3 quarters of an inch thick, oozing with juices and bursting with flavor. A crunchy piece of fried cheese and a couple of perfectly cooked shitake mushrooms, caramelized onions and fire roasted tomatoes create a unique combination. The only downfall is, the awesome meat juices soak the pretzel roll (used as a bun) producing a soggy sandwich by the time you get to the end of it. On the other hand if you had any bun leftover you would dip it in those juices anyway. I have had this burger two times now and it is consistent in flavor and presentation.

ON DRAFT -

Nothing Goes better with a burger than a nice cold beer and Umami has a pretty good selection. I opted for the Deadlift IPA on draft, which hit the spot (they also have a few good wines as well).

ON THE SIDE -

For a side I got the cheesy tater tots, which are outstanding. Unlike the messy tots smothered with cheese that might come to mind, these tots are stuffed with cheese on the inside! On a previous occasion I had the tempura onion rings and cannot complain (think onion rings with a lighter delicious batter). Umami makes their own catchup in-house with an extra sweet kick, so it makes the sides even better.

TIP -

Lunch and weekends are a mad house with all of the people eating there and shopping at Fred Segal, so I would suggest hitting it up a little after lunch (around 2pm or so) then more than 1/2 od the restaurant clears up. They also have outside table for those perfect SoCal days.

RATING - 9 out of 10

Check out their website for locations etc.

http://www.umamiburger.com/