Plan Check Kitchen + Bar

Los Angeles, CA
www.plancheck.com



The Order:  Chefs Favorite Burger, medium rare.  With cheese two ways, bacon two ways, ketchup leather, sunny fried egg, and hot sauce.
Side Order:  Sweet Potato Waffle Fries cooked in with Peach Ketchup.
$13 + $6 = $19
Drink Order:  Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
Burger Menu Rating:  14/15




I've finally done it!  After a year of trying and waiting and not having time to go.  After all of the times I've been in LA this year alone (three times!!).  After hoping and wanting to try this burger since April and not being able to try it.  I finally got to go on Monday night, and it was all kinds of delicious.

If you've read my review of Umami Burger then you know I was never too impressed with the burgers there.  They were solid burgers, but not worth all the hype that surrounded the then LA-based establishment.  But there was definitely something there that was worth building upon and as soon as I'd heard in April 2012 that Ernesto Uchimura had split with Umami and opened a new place touting an amazing burger, I was optimistic.  Then the reviews started coming out and friends started going to eat the burgers.  I knew I had to go there.

To be clear, there are two burgers that are worth trying here.  There's the Plan Check Burger, which is Uchimura's unique take on a regular diner-style burger.  The ingredients are all the same, but they're all jazzed up in a way with new textures and tangy flavors to excite your taste buds.  This is all from a few friends that have been there as repeat customers to get their burger fix.

The second burger to try is the Chefs Favorite Burger, which is something new and amazing alltogether.  The ingredients aren't anything new here either, but the flavor combinations all work in tandem creating something rich and amazing.  A perfect mashup of salty and sweet ingredients work to make this burger one you're sure to remember.


Well plated, this is a good looking burger meal.

First the salty:  The meat was cooked perfectly and was extremely juicy, with a perfect fat distribution.  Not over-handled, the meat was crumbly and a great slightly less than medium grind.  In the first bite, there were so many flavors, but the thing that really stood out was the meat taste.  Even with all the other toppings competing with the burger patty, the patty was seasoned in such a way that the slightly coppery beefy flavor was still the focus.

Then there were the bacons and the cheeses.  You'll have noticed that there were two cheeses AND two bacons on this burger.  The bartender was kind enough to describe the differences between the two cheeses and the two bacons for me.  The fried cheese crisp was a custom hand-mixed Americanized Dashi Cheese recalling both the sweetness of cheddar and the savory flavors of seaweed and mushrooms (the Umami for which Uchimura has made his burger name).  The other cheese was a soft bacon cheese, more akin to a spread than anything else.  Then there was a strip of regular bacon on the burger, and one strip of candied bacon.  These were laid out in the standard fast-casual X configuration on the burger so that at times I was tasting either the salty bacon or the sweet bacon, or the one or two amazing bites from the middle in which I got both.  Not only did these ingredients provide their own balanced and exciting tastes to the mix, but they offered a substantial amount of texture as well.  Not too hard or too soft, but just the right amount of resistance, snap and crunch in every bite.

Then there was the sweet counterpart: the ketchup leather and the bun.  The ketchup leather was sweet and tangy, a bright red sauce lathered onto the bottom of the burger so the flavors were able to contend with the myriad salty ingredients.  It hit my tongue like a hurricane, enveloping it in rich flavor before mingling with it's compatriots.  Then there was the bun.  Perfect for sopping up all the juices and dense enough to hold it all together, all with a little bit of sweetness to the bun.  And top top the sweet flavors off, the candied bacon's sugary coating would pop through every once in a while and give my taste buds the old razzledazzle.

All of these ingredients worked together magically, but let's not forget about the fried egg.  How many times have I reviewed burgers that looked promising and had a fried egg on top, only to discover that the egg has negligently been overcooked and thrown on top of a burger to which it added almost nothing?  A lot!  But this egg was cooked over easy so the yolk oozed and dripped out onto the rest of the burger as I ate it.


The waffle fries.  A good portion, but lackluster.

As for the side I got, the Sweet Potato Waffle Fries were tasty, but a little underwhelming.  The beef tallow doesn't add as much flavor to the dish, which is unfortunate.  They were a little under-salted or under-seasoned, which is probably because of the beef tallow's inclusion, but especially when dipped in the pear ketchup, the overall flavor was just too sweet.  The pear ketchup, as the bartender put it, was 'like crack' and tasted fantastic, but it would be better served on a fried chicken biscuit sandwich, or something that is inherently salty.

Overall the service was fast and very friendly.  From ordering to eating, the burger was only about 10 minutes, if that much.  The bartender was extremely helpful and personable, and pointed out Uchimura to me when I asked.  Uchimura is in the restaurant most nights of the week, unless he's out working on the other two soon-to-open locations in Los Angeles.  I have to say that I was a bit of a fanboy and totally clammed up when I introduced myself to Uchimura.  Burger Blogger Fail.  The same happened to me when I met Kenji Lopez-Alt.  To his credit, Uchimura was super nice, and very appreciative of my stammering compliments.  One day I won't make a fool of myself!  One day.  Until that day, I hope Uchimura knows he's created a fantastic burger.  Watchout there Stout.  This is definitely a contender for my LA #1.




Cooked Correctly:  5/5
Design/Ingredients:  3.5/4 - Waffle Fries were lackluster
Plating:  3/3
Value:  2.5/3

Walker's Bar

Manhattan, NY
www.walkersnyc.com



The Order:  8oz sirloin burger, medium rare on a sesame seed roll.  Add swiss ($1.25), add mushroom ($1.25), add bacon ($1.25), add sauteed onions ($1.25)
Side Order:  comes with fries
$10.75 + $1.25 + $1.25 + $1.25 + $1.25 = $15.75
Drink Order:  Lagunitas IPA
Burger Menu Rating:  7.5/15




First, I must apologize!  I totally dropped the ball on posting this on time.  Now it's almost a week later, but I'm determined to get this post in before Wednesday's next post.  And I especially failed, because this was my first invited review, although hilariously there was some miscommunication, and they didn't actually know I was coming (oh well).  But still, you have to hand it to a restaurant that invites a review.  That takes balls.  I like balls.

Walker's has been around for about 26 years, in a space that has been a restaurant or pub since the 1880s.  It's a spot all the locals know about, and is praised for being an unpretentious mainstay of Tribeca.  Upon entering, you walk into a spacious bar and seating area with high ceilings, and brick walls, and this looks like all the place has to offer, but it turns out there are two dining rooms nestled in the back behind the bar.  The staff greets you as you enter, and they're generally friendly and helpful amidst the bustle of the lunch hour.

 
The build your own burger menu.

I checked out the menu, and there was only one burger on the menu.  What I hadn't known, before I went in to write the review, was that this is basically a design-your-own-burger.  I immediately asked my server what her recommendation was, and she came out swinging.  Swiss, mushrooms, bacon and sauteed onions.  Okay server lady.

After a short wait (the place wasn't quite busy yet), the burger arrived, piled high with toppings and fries.  Word must have spread around all the waitstaff because when the burger was brought out, there was a lot of cooing over the burger, telling it how nice it looked, while simultaneously looking, and winking, at me.  Seeing other patron's burger brought out, however, made it clear that the cooing was done for me, but the burger was prepared the same as all the others:  a hand-formed patty, piled high with toppings of your choice, and a healthy portion of fries.

 
An uneven patty formation leads to uneven cooking.

This burger had a good medium rare, in the parts where it was medium rare.  The patty itself was a bit lopsided, which explains the uneven cooking, and it was dryer than a lot of the burgers I've had recently, which is probably because of their use of sirloin, as opposed to chuck, or other less lean cuts of beef.  Still, they managed a good sear on the burger.  The problem was that the meat wasn't very well seasoned, and there wasn't very much actual meat taste on this burger.  With the uneven cooking skewing from well done to medium rare, and the grind on the finer side, this burger began with quite a few problems.

 
Close up of the bacon.  Soft, and without very much taste.

The massive amount of toppings on the burger was the standout here.  There was no way to keep it all piled on the burger.  No matter how much I tried, it all just kept gooping out all over the place.  The onions were perfectly cooked, the Swiss was amazingly melty and the mushrooms were cooked JUST enough so they were soft with a good mouthfeel, and added a fine earthy flavor to the burger.  The bacon, however, was a bit of a let down.  I don't mind soft bacon on my burger, but these bacons only had a little bit of flavor to add to the burger.  When the bacon can only add a little in terms of texture and taste, it's time to skip the bacon.

In a time when Brioche dominates the burger bun scene, a classic sesame seed roll is nice to see.  It brings the eater back to backyard BBQs, reminding us that we too can make burgers delicious, and that the everyday Joe need only have the makings of a burger (a bun and a patty) to make a burger.  The bun was well suited to this particular burger, and held up well, absorbing the small amount of juice coming out of the patty.  It was nicely toasted on the inside, but not charred to a crisp.

As I mentioned before, there was a healthy portion of fries as a side to this burger.  I couldn't come close to finishing them.  They were a good medium cut, skin-on, and nicely cooked, but they could've used an extra shake or two, or a roll in a paper towel.  They were EXTREMELY oily, and weren't effectively seasoned.  Some fries had a decent amount of salt, but others had almost none, or had none.

When it comes down to it, and keeping in mind the detriments I pointed out about, this is still a good burger.  It falls into the category of a Pub Burger, the kind that you go out to get for your lunch break from work.  There's a ton of the toppings, there's a lot of fries, and with a beer, it's not all that bad.  Skip the bacon, save yourself $1.25, and suddenly, $14.50 isn't too bad.  Oh, and ask for extra salt on the fries.  Would I go here again?  If I'm in the area, sure.  Walker's has been around for 26 years, it's doing something right.




Cooked Correctly:  3/5
Design:  1.5/4
Plating:  2/3
Value:  1/3

Bully Ranch

Vail, CO
www.bullyranchrestaurant.com



The Order:  The Definitive, medium rare.  Angus beef topped with candied bacon, blue cheese butter, and crispy onions, on a challah bread bun.
Side Order:  Comes with fries.
$17.50
Drink Order:  Water
Burger Menu Rating:  8.5/15




This past weekend, some friends and I took a trip to Vail to go to the Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival and to go snowboarding/skiing (of course).  The festival was at the Vail Cascade Resort Hotel on two floors with a bunch of delicious beer to try, and they weren't lying about being big beers; most of the beers I tried were above 8% ABV.  Having tried something like twenty-five beers, and feeling a little buzzed, I decided (for both myself and my friends) that it was time for a burger dinner (this also should explain why I had water with dinner).

Vail resort is full of restaurants, from pubs, to upscale dining and everywhere in between.  I, of course, was looking for the best burger, and spent some time looking for the top rated burgers in the area.  There were a few honorable mentions, but the one place that stood out was Steve Topple's Bully Ranch because another reviewer said it had "easily the best line-up of burgers" including burgers with buffalo and elk.  Steve Topple is the Executive Head Chef at all four of the restaurants at the Sonnenalp Resort at Vail (as well as the casual lounge King's Club).

The first thing you notice when you look at Bully Ranch's menu is the huge list of sides available for $3, and that at the top of the list are the Truffle Tots.  Truffle Tots?  Sign me up!  Or wait, no, everybody else at the table noticed that as well, so I'll have the fries.  But seriously, all of these sides are probably pretty delicious (ignoring the Caesar Salad, the House Salad, and the non-descript 'Fruit') and the fact that you can swap any of them out for your fries is amazing.  I asked our server what the recommended burger was and where the hell the elk and buffalo burgers were, and, to our unfortunate surprise, they no longer serve burgers made with anything except for ground beef (the buffalo meat is still listed on the website for some reason, but then again, the prices on their website are wrong as well).  For Shame!  According to our server, the Definitive burger (that's quite the statement there isn't it) is the most popular on the menu.  Ok, easy decision.




The Definitive arrived open faced.

When the burger arrived, I was apprehensive.  A pre-formed patty that appears to have been cut from a hamburger log, in my experience, isn't a good sign, and definitely not a sign of the highest quality ingredients.  Notice, also, that the bacon is merely draped over the top of the burger, and not arranged in a way to have delicious bacon in every bite (this will be important later!).


The Definitive burger, looking pretty after some prep.

I placed all the appropriate ingredients onto the burger (there was a piece of lettuce, a tomato, a slice of red onion and a pickle, as well, that did not make it on there) and took a look.  Now this looked more like it.  And what kind of bread is this?  Challah bread?  Delicious, I hope.

A pretty good medium rare.

Cutting the burger in half reveals a pretty good medium rare, and a slightly less than medium-coarse grind.  The bun is light and airy with a fair amount of compression, great for absorbing juices.  But enough with looking at the burger.  Unfortunately, in the first few bites, this burger already does not stand up to the glowing reviews mentioned on various forums and in previous reviews.  The meat was under-salted and lacking in flavor.  The blue cheese butter only made a brief appearance.  It was tasty, buttery sweet with just a slight bit of that blue cheese tang, but I could only taste it in a bite or two.  Perhaps there wasn't enough of it, or it wasn't spread out over the burger, but it needed to play a bigger part.  Or perhaps because they were adjacent to the crispy onions, which also lacked in flavor, the butter was lost amidst the oiliness of the onions.

The first few bites, however, were the prologue.  Suddenly I bit into the candied bacon, and my eyes lit up like a little schoolboy's when he sees a brand new toy.  How could I have forgotten that this burger had this magical ingredient?  Not only candied, but also spiced with a little bit of cayenne (similar to, but not as good as, the bacon on the burger at Hamilton Tavern) the bacon is definitely the star of this burger.  Without the bacon, this burger is nothing.  It shapes both the taste and the mouthfeel around its magnificence.  I could eat a plate of just this bacon for dinner.  So I recommend, when you order it, get extra bacon.  Or make your own burger, as my friends all did, but keep in mind that the candied bacon is not on the build-your-own list and must be asked for specifically.  Maybe think about candied bacon, and a fried egg on your burger for the ultimate in decadence and deliciousness.

The fries were delicious, and plentiful.  Spiced with Rosemary and Thyme, with a great small-medium cut, they were delicious on their own, or with ketchup.  They weren't overly salty, or else they would have been more of a balance to the burger, but still a solid side.  The Truffle Tots were also delicious (having stolen some from nearby plates).  This was one of the few instances where you could really taste the truffle oil, and there was a hint of spiciness as well.  Overall, they were good, but I think a bit overwhelming in taste.  They might be good to split (nobody finished their sides of Truffle Tots).

Other items on the menu looked good, but the general consensus at the table was that the food was affordable, average fare.  I would try something other than the burger here, or make my own next time.  Unfortunately, the Definitive is not the answer to the question of burgers.




Cooked Correctly:  4.5/5
Plating: 1/3
Design: 1.5/4
Value:  1.5/3

Custom Burgers by Pat La Frieda and 67 Burger Redux

Queens, NY
www.lafrieda.com
www.yelp.com(reviews)



The Order: Single, with lettuce, tomato, pickle, grilled onions ($1), cheddar ($1), bacon ($1.5), and spicy garlic aioli.
Side Order: None
$4.75 + $1 + $1 + $1.5 = $8.25
Drink Order: Coke
Burger Menu Rating: 10.5/15




Who could be more excited than me to find out that Custom Burgers by Pat La Frieda happens to be in the same terminal from which I was flying out of NY?! Nobody. That's who. I mean, come on, Pat La Frieda provides the meat for some of the best burgers in the city, and the butcher/meat wholesaler is renowned for his custom blends and high quality meats. So a 'Fast Casual' burger place where you can customize your own burger, and the meat is guaranteed to be great quality? I'm sold. They had a few pre-designed burgers (Americana, Fat Cat, Southern Style, etc.), but the name of the place is CUSTOM Burgers... so I built my own.



So! The burger: tasty for a fast food type burger, but you can't get it cooked to order! For a place that cares about the quality of the meat, don't you think they would care that you could only get it medium/medium-well?! What a waste! They meat was on the dry side because of it. Also, the patty was strangely flat, though, with how it was put together, it had a fantastic texture, and extremely coarse grind. The spicy garlic aioli wasn't spicy at all, but added enough garlic flavor to at least be interesting. The bacon was a little soft, and undercooked, tough and not very flavorful. The bun was greasy, the same flavor and color as the bun at Shake Shack, but also added flavor and a texture that improved the overall mouthfeel. The other toppings were fresh, crisp and crunchy. They didn't split the bun, which made for awkward handling of the burger, and the presentation really left something to be desired. In such a swank terminal (and the entire Delta terminal at La Guardia is super nice), and in an eatery with such a good idea, you'd think it would be presented a little better. Actually, there was a HUGE lack of any employee presence in this place. You walk up to the counter and you order on a touch-screen terminal, then stand and wait for your burger, which is brought out from the back kitchen by.. someone. I mean, I know we're pretty technologically advanced and all, but it felt very standoffish and was a bit perturbing. I'd still come here again, despite the Overall, the burger was salty, pretty tasty, but not completely satisfying. Next time I'd go with the 'American' which is cheaper, and probably more worth it. Or I'd build my own American, and add the garlic aioli. Build your own single burgers start at $4.75.

The sides and shakes were a little pricy for me and I was looking for a light lunch, so I passed on them. They did look tasty though. Also, notice that this is the entrance to the kitchen, which is behind a wall of cows.




Not cooked to order: -1
Cooked correctly: 5
Design/Ingredients: 3
Plating: 1.5
Value: 2





So! Last Tuesday, 67 Burger in Park Slope offered a slider and beer pairing dinner orchestrated by head chef Jeff Maslanka. $20 for 20 ounces of beer (4 beers), and 20 ounces of burger (4 sliders - 3 meat, 1 veggie). That's a pretty sweet deal, and having already been to their Fort Greene location, I was eager to get a second opinion, and let me tell you, they did not disappoint. Joined once again by Mike and Vanessa, we snagged an 8pm seating, and were served within 10 minutes of sitting. Two of the managers each came by to see how we were doing, and explain the whole evening, plus give us a pairing menu.





But get this. Two representatives from Sixpoint Brewery were there serving us our beer, and explaining the notes about each beer, and why they were chosen to pair with each of the sliders. And then, Maslanka himself came by the table to explain the burgers and toppings, and to make sure we were all doing alright. Well, let me tell you, these burgers were delicious. The Italian Veggie burger, in fact, was fantastic (gasp!). I know! I know! What?! It's not a burger! It's a Veggie Patty Sandwich! Then there was their Greek burger, with feta, olive tapenade, and artichoke. It was perhaps my favorite of the bunch. 3rd was their 67 burger, with bacon and bleu cheese, but in slider form of course, and last was their Southwestern burger, which had roasted peppers, tomatoes, scallions, Chipotle mayo and pepperjack cheese.

They were seriously all delicious, AND, cooked a PERFECT medium rare. Maslanka, you get bonus points. But I think the best pairing was actually the 67 Burger and the Sixpoint Righteous Rye. The salty, sour and bitter tastes provided across the board really worked together to make it a difficult burger and beer to consume slowly. Enjoy the foodporn below!




The Greek Burger, cooked a pefect medium rare.


The quartet of burgers, face us is the Southwestern, to the left is the Italian Veggie and
to the right is the 67 burger.


Vanessa enjoys some fries, burgers and beers!


The Italian Veggie. Surprisingly delicious. I'm no convert, but I'd eat it again. Are you
happy, all you vegetarians out there?


Mike enjoying three burgers at once!

The Ginger Man

South Norwalk, CT
www.gingermannorwalk.com

The Order: Three Way Sliders w/ caramelized onion and cheddar; chili and cheese; bacon and blue cheese
Side Order: Sweet Potato Fries ($4 extra)
$11 + $4 = $15
Drink Order: Great Divide Titan IPA


The sliders were good, but really small and they all had a persistent smoky taste. Unfortunately, the sliders are best dipped in ketchup, which pairs wonderfully with the smoke you'll be tasting with every bite.

The thick cut sweet potato fries were slightly burned but that did not distract from how tasty they were. What was strange, though, was the fact that the same smoky taste permeated each bite of the fries as well. The difference was that it was a better taste for the fries than for the sliders.

The menu here is enough to bring you back. They have an excellent, if slightly intimidating beer selection and the rest of the menu sounds delicious (Stout Burger?!). The staff are knowledgeable about their beers as well as the food on their menu, and they are very friendly, easily sliding into casual conversation about their beers, and eager to help with a sampling of their draught beers.

Some readers have made it clear that they would appreciate photos of the delicious burgers that I have eaten to accompany each post. Unfortunately, the first few posts will not have a picture with them because they have already been consumed. However, in a few weeks, you will all start seeing pictures of savory and mouth-watering burgers. Get excited.

Flatbush Farm

Brooklyn, NY
www.flatbushfarm.com

The Order: Farm Burger (brunch only), medium rare. Add cheddar. Add bacon.
Side Order: Comes with regular fries.
Price: $16
Drink Order: Sixpoint "Brownstone"


The price of this burger gives you more hope than its worth. While a decent burger, it was nothing special, and definitely not worth paying $16 for. A dollar for each addition is fine, but this burger lacked any real taste, even after adding cheddar and bacon. It just needed something more. Some kind of sauce, or aioli. Adding ketchup made the burger just another regular burger.

The fries were great; sprinkled with sea salt, and thick cut. Plain and simple fries are always a good choice.