The Buggy Whip

LOCATION –

Just off the 405 freeway at 7420 La Tijera Boulevard lies the Buggy Whip. A staple in the Los Angeles community, which still boasts that it won the best steak dinner in LA almost a decade ago. This once super classy ‘fox and hound’ type restaurant has been featured in several movies and TV shows such as Superbad, Big Love, Date Night, Blow, etc. I figured since they were known for their beef this would be the place for me, so I took a seat at the bar.

ON THE MENU –

After a bit of squinting at the menu in this super dark restaurant I told the bartender that I would take the hamburger with cheese cooked medium please. It didn’t take long before my burger showed up. It looked good at first site and I was happy to see 2 pieces of cheddar melted on top of the patty. It came with onion slices, tomato, arugula lettuce and a dill pickle spear. I found out later that they normally use iceberg lettuce. This was all on your average sesame seed bun. It came dry so I grabbed some mayo, of course, and I was instantly satisfied with the first juicy bite. The simpleness of this burger was very pleasing, especially for the price.

ON DRAFT –

Nothing is on draft here, but they do have bottles of your everyday beers from Bud to Stella, served, however, in a not so average way, the bartender reached down and pulled a wine glass out of the ice and set it in front of me along with the bottle. I have never seen this before, but I must say I kind of liked drinking beer out of a wine glass.

ON THE SIDE –

Fries came with the burger. There was nothing special about them, but I did eat them all.

TIP –

They have great happy hour specials from beer to food, I even saw an $11 a la carte lobster on the menu. And remember to put your sunglasses on before you exit the restaurant.

SUMMARY –

My satisfyingly juicy burger, served with fries and an Amstel Light ended up running me a meager $11.00. This plus the fact that it was just a good burger left me with a smile on my face.

RATING – 7 out of 10

Check out their website here.

http://thebuggywhip.com/

The Apple Pan

LOCATION –

The Apple Pan is located in West LA at 10801 West Pico Blvd. It stands out as the old house on the block, as it should because it has been there since 1947. When you walk inside people are just leaning against the wall waiting for the next available spot at the U-shaped bar. There are no tables and no waiting list, you just grab an open seat and bump elbows with the person next to you. The founder of the Johnny Rockets chain, Ronn Teitleaum, actually used this place as the model for his 1940’s themed restaurants.

ON THE MENU –

There are 2 burgers on the menu; The Steak Burger and The Hickory Burger and both run about 7 dollars. As the man behind the counter squirted ketchup on a plate and slid it over to me he told me that the Hickory Burger was the popular one. “I’ll take one.” The burger arrived about 3 minutes later with a super thin patty, a ton of iceberg lettuce, and pickles. It was covered in Hickory sauce and everything was between an average white bread bun. I usually do not like anything resembling BBQ sauce to come close to my burgers, but this was okay. It was like sweet ketchup with a hickory flavor. There was one draw back; it is small, so small I actually ordered again, the Steak Burger this time. Three minutes later it came out. It was basically the same thing but instead of hickory sauce it had mayo and relish. I have to say I was not really a fan. (For those keeping score that’s 14 dollars in burgers!)

ON DRAFT –

No alcohol here, they don’t even have a soda fountain. My can of buck fifty Diet Coke came with a paper cone cup and a metal cone cup holder. I had never seen this before. I guess it was from before my time, but it was kind of neat.

ON THE SIDE –

Just fries, so I ordered some and they were about 2 dollars extra. They were exactly what I expected from an old joint like this, thicker dark golden brown delicious fries. They were heavy though, not like the skinny cut light colored fries I have been eating lately.

TIP –

They are open until midnight on weekdays and 1:00am on weekends and they are closed on Mondays. Bring cash because that is all they take.

SUMMARY –

I didn’t find anything special about this much talked about burger. I also found the burger to be overpriced. What really stands out is the history of the landmark. If I was in the area after a few drinks I might stop in for some fries, but if I wanted a burger I would go to Westside Tavern right across the street.

RATING – 3.5 out of 10

They do not have an official website.

Westside Tavern

LOCATION –

After seeing a feature at Landmark Theaters on West Pico Blvd, I went downstairs to check out the Westside Tavern (10850 W Pico Blvd, LA). Walking into this huge 300-seat restaurant I first noticed the enormous bar and comfortable yet classy atmosphere. The waiter told me, the chef tried 17 different burger recipes before he decided on his masterpiece. I was sold.

ON THE MENU –

They call it simply The Cheeseburger. For 13 dollars it comes with Tillamook cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, arugula, roasted garlic aioli on an egg bun. At first glimpse it looked amazing! I cut the burger in half and I could tell the meat was cooked perfectly. One bite and my mouth was very happy and my belly was soon to be. The Tillamook cheddar had amazing flavor and the sweetness of the caramelized onions complimented the flavors of the garlic aioli that was spread on the perfectly cooked egg bun. It almost had too much butter, but is there really such a thing?

ON DRAFT –

Everything! This place has a ginormous drink menu. They have a ton of California craft beers on tap including multiple Pale Ales and IPAs and they even have Dan’s Pick of the Week, which… you guessed it, changes every week. Along with the many beers, they had a tequila list, a single malt list and whiskey list which each had 15 plus selections as well as a good wine selection and many fresh drinks to choose from as well. The options were limitless.

ON THE SIDE –

Awesome, delicious, sea salted, skinny cut, perfectly fried French fries. Some of the best I have had in a while! And they came with the burger, not as a side. You also had a choice of a salad or seasonal soup, but trust me, go with the fries.

TIP –

Westside Tavern is the perfect place to go before or after a movie for drinks and a burger, plus they have free parking. They don’t take reservations so plan ahead. I had no problem at 2:00 on a weekday.

SUMMARY – This place is a contender for the best burger in LA. One of the only gourmet burgers in town that actually comes with a side and they have a huge drink selection. You better get one now before more people find out about this place!

RATING – 9.5 out of 10

Check out their website.

http://www.westsidetavernla.com/