Hey, I know that the reach of the In N Out hamburger chain extends well beyond the borders of Los Angeles. I GET that. But the company has been a victim of its own success, and the fact is it STARTED in Los Angeles.
And so that is why I have some rather large gripes about why the Double Double was NOT featured on this list from Fodor’s of five Best LA Burgers. I am biased. I live in New York now, but I still literally dream about In N Out’s Double Double, made, preferably, with grilled AND regular onions. Yes, I am salivating right now.
But I will say that the list did mention several burgers and burger joints I’ve never heard about before. The Father’s Office burger in the restaurant called Office in Santa Monica (an old haunt) took me by surprise. Never heard of either of them, but the description of savory “dry-aged beef topped with a savory mix of blue cheese, Gruyere, arugula, bacon, and caramelized onions, all stuffed into a French roll”, well, that sounds pretty fine. Add to that the fact that you can indulge yourself of this burger in a bar, and thus enjoy a fine lager while you gnaw on seared animal flesh.
One of the burgers on the list is familiar to any Los Angeleno. The Tommy’s burger gets a nod for the sloppiest burger, and indeed it is. Slathered in chile and topped with mustard and relish, the Tommy’s was a favorite among many of my high school friends. Myself, though, I never really took to it, and have long felt the Tommy burger is vastly over-rated.
Another high-ranking burger is the one served at The Counter, a downtown joint that apparently offers a vast and sprawling array of choices for toppings, styles, etc. I’ve never had one, but I have a hard time believing anything could trump the burger that, right at this very moment, dances in my head like a sugar plum. That wonderful, drippy, saliva-inducing Double Double.
http://www.fodors.com/wire/archives/002521.cfm