Worth Every Penny

Sometimes there is nothing more soul satisfying than a well-seasoned patty of beef and a slice of flavorful cheese on a soft toasted bun. Throw in a heaping helping of crisp tender fries and all of my troubles melt away.

When Diana of DianaTakesABite told me that she had never had a cheeseburger before, I knew I had to be present for the momentous occasion when she enjoyed her first cheesy, meaty bite. After much debate on Twitter over where to get the best cheeseburger in Los Angeles, Diana settled on Rustic Canyon for her cheeseburger and me as her dinner date.

Rustic Canyon is an upscale restaurant and wine bar that offers an extensive menu of contemporary, market-driven comfort foods. The menu ranges from Butternut Squash soup, Crispy Polenta, Parpardelle to Roasted Jidori Chicken. A cheeseburger would hardly seem like the thing to order at a restaurant like Rustic Canyon, but the burger is definitely part of the attraction and does not fall in the shadows of the restaurant’s other dishes.

Rustic Canyon serves a Niman Ranch burger with sharp cheddar, onion fondue, bread and butter pickles and an herb remoulade on a Rockewagner brioche bun ($16). Each strata of this cheeseburger is well thought out and inspired from the beef to the bun to the pickles.

The ratio of ingredients is ideal. The thick juicy patty is coated with the right amount of sharp melted cheddar cheese. A resonant onion fondue sits atop the melted cheese. A nice slather of herb remoulade brings all the flavors together. The slightly sweet brioche bun is tender and firm and cradles all of the components. With each bite the bright and spicy notes of the arugula stand out. The cheeseburger is unfailingly juicy.

Rustic Canyon demonstrates how with the right ingredients even the most ordinary dish can be transformed. This may be one of the more expensive burgers in Los Angeles, but it is worth every penny.

Rustic Canyon

1119 Wilshire Boulevard

Santa Monica, CA 90401

(310)393-7050

A Cheeseburger Wednesday Edition-- Umami Burger Los Feliz

My friend Mike likes to eat cheeseburgers on Wednesdays. I have grown to love it too. While I enjoy a burger any day of the week there is something so special and satisfying about eating a cheeseburger on Wednesdays with Mike. Wednesdays will be henceforth known as Cheeseburger Wednesdays.

This post is dedicated to Mike and to cheeseburgers - It is the Cheeseburger Wednesday edition of LetMeEatCake.

Last Wednesday we enjoyed our cheeseburgers at the recently opened Umami Burger. Umami Burger resides in the former home of the late Cobras and Matadors in Los Feliz.

Living in Los Angeles, the burger capitol of the world, it is not hard to find a burger joint at every corner. Formerly relegated to the domain of fast food, the cheeseburger has now acquired an elevated status. Cheeseburger components now include gourmet condiments, organic greens, and artisan cheeses. Cheeseburgers are now bigger, more exotic, and even more stylish.

Umami Burger demonstrates how a seemingly ordinary dish such as a cheeseburger can be magically transformed into something magnificent with a few well-selected ingredients.

Umami Burger offers a mouthwatering selection of cheeseburgers.

The Manly Burger is a perfectly seasoned ground beef patty with gooey melted beer-cheddar cheese atop a pillowy bun, and sprinkled with smoked salt onion strings and bacon lardons. The bun was so delicate with each bite it became one with the burger. Need I say more?

R and I gave Umami another visit this week to try more of their delicious burgers. This time we chose the Port & Stilton Burger with Stilton blue cheese and Pocas port-carmelized onions, and the signature Umami Burger with a parmesan crisp, roasted tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms and carmelized onions.

Nothing beats the Manly Burger. While the eponymous Umami Burger was good, the bun got soggy too fast, the parmesan crisp lost it's crunch, and the roasted tomatoes dominated the other flavors.

The restaurant also offers a variety of fries to accompany your burger. I tried all three versions- Hand Cut Fries (triple-cooked), Sweet Potato Fries, and Thin Fries. The Hand Cut fries were thick wedges of potato reminiscent of biting into a hot mashed potato. The Sweet Potato fries were no different then any other variety of sweet potato fries at other gourmet burger spots. The Thin Fries were too salty on both occasions. My side dish recommendation is the Malt Liquour Tempura Onion Rings. They were thick, flavorful and understated. They we consumed so rapidly by the table I did not have a second to photograph their glory.

Happy Cheeseburger Wednesday!