Tribute to Burger Stands Week On What's To Eat LA: Molly's Charbroiled Burger

1605 Vine St. (At Selma and Vine)
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323)462-8005
Mon-Fri 7AM-10PM
Sat 9AM-10PM
Sun Closed
CASH ONLY

Well it took me long enough to start this post. The joys of time management have turned into the curses of not enough time to do all that needs to be done. Now, let me preface this by saying that there are tons of "burger places", but few are stands. And, by "stands" I mean little hut like places that scream I ain't going nowhere anytime soon (unless I forget to pay the health inspectors off). These are places that have a food essence history on their grills that pay off with each burger or hot dog that's placed on it. We start off the week with Molly's Charbroiled Grill on Vine that's been there since 1929.

What can set apart one burger stand from another really? Good freaking meat, done well, that packs in loads of flavor. Molly's has probably changed hands more times than I don't know what, but from what older friends of mine have told me, the meat that they use has always remained the same. Thick and juicy and slightly tangy special sauce that really brings the onion on it to life. Not horribly drippy but trust me, that patty is a sponge of beefy goodness. Whatever you do...get it with onions. The onions on their burgers bring the entire thing to life.

Another item of note is their polish sausage (usually made of pork for you who might not know) . Now here's where I may throw some controversy out there. If Carney's were not around, this would be THE polish dog to beat. The dog itself is a testament to how a grill can add so much flavor to what's being cooked on it. The smokiness that gets inside of this dog is a bit of "wow". We're not talking burnt flavor were talking intense smokiness that invades the very crevices of it. It's about a 4 to 5 on the spiciness scale and is super meaty without any elasticity. A wonderful "street" dog that is good just about anytime of day especially when you wash it down with your favorite beer (or rootbeer ;) .

The stand itself is cozy with seating inside and outside the hut area. Though street parking can be hectic in Hollywood especially this close to the Pantages theatre and Hollywood Blvd. in general at least they're pretty fast and cheap to boot. If you've passed by this place and have wondered...wonder no more and go chow down on some goodness.

Refills: No, but discounted
Entree Price Range: Burgers are $2.75 to $4.60 and that killer Polish dog is $3.95

Rae's Restaurant...workingman's breakfast to soothe the soul

2901 Pico Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310)828-7937
Daily 5:30AM-10:30PM

When I was growing up on the East Coast we had (and they still do for that matter) diners that served up food that was super inexpensive and packed with people who know that diners should never cost a lot. These people weren't cheap but they knew that there's no reason to throw away hard earned money. Rae's Restaurant has been around since 1958 and has seemingly stuck to being a diner of the old school. God bless them for it.

You won't see too many places like Rae's left in LA. They're around but you have to really look hard for them. Sure you could say Norm's is like it, but they don't have the magic like Rae's. The magic isn't in the orange cushioned booths or the long counter with it's monochromatic blue chairs. It's more like the place is just a living entity that houses all the good that people have brought in with them over the years.


While they do offer lunch and dinner as well, breakfast is really what diners are all about and this one is no different. The breakfasts here shine (not just from grease) and have prices that would stun LA. Here's a snapshot of their Hobo Breakfast that has a ham steak, 2 sausage, 2 bacon, 2 eggs and a 3 stack of hot cakes...and the staggering price? $6.25. If you think it looks good, it tastes even better. Their griddle is old and all the years of use have likely added to the killer taste of the meats and the consistency of the pancakes being what they are. It's a hearty breakfast for one or a lighter breakfast for 2 that will have you thinking about when's the next available time you want to go out for breakfast.

We grabbed some of their biscuits and gravy last time we went specifically cause I wanted to show you their simplistic and yet terrifying beauty. Behold. Oh and the price...$1.85.

Though we went for breakfast, we grabbed a shake, cause dang it...lactose intolerance is for wimps (and for people who can't smell). Their shakes are smoothe and tall with lots of chocolate but not on overkill thankfully (so many shakes are ruined tasting like melted chocolate syrup soup).

Their 2+2+2 (2 eggs, 2 bacon or sausage and 2 hot cakes) goes for $4.50. They have a Bacon Tid Bit Waffle that has bacon bits in it (fresh bacon bit from the grill...waste not want not I always say). Their lunch time burgers stack up well to most burger stands in LA. They are always packing people in, and though a line is never unusual to see, the turnaround is super fast. Heck, as far as diner's go, this is one place I'm proud to eat at.

Free Drink Refills: You bet
Entree Price Ranges: Breakfasts cost from $4 to $6.50, burger plates for lunch $3.25 to $6.25, dinner specials are $8 but they have steaks that only top out at $10.50 for filet mignon.

Father's Office...that burger is definitely one for the books

1018 Montana Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310)393-2337
Mon-Wed 5PM-1PM (Kitchen 5PM-10PM)
Thurs 5PM-1PM (Kitchen 5PM-11PM)
Fri 4PM-2AM (Kitchen 4PM-11PM)
Sat 12PM-2AM (Kitchen 12PM-11PM)
Sun 12PM-12AM (Kitchen 12PM-10PM)

I had a good talk with a friend of mine who I meet with once a week at 5:45 in the morning to talk about everything. It's seriously one of the more productive times in the week that I have, as my life is filled to the brim each and every day. I rarely have a free moment and getting me to go to something often requires booking me in advance like you were booking Osteria Mozza..."Yeah I can fit you in...how's two weeks from tomorrow sound?". The topic turned to Father's Office and how European pubs don't have the stigma that American ones do. In America we have this automatic view of people going to go get wasted and pick up on people. This is only the case some of the time. In Europe you have pubs where people go to meet friends and hang out, and sure you have some beer and often food, but it's typically more than that. It's more a place to hang with like-minded people and grab a bite to eat. Father's Office has been trying to change the way we think about American pubs and take away that stigma that we have about them.

Seeing as this is still a pub you'll have to be over 21 to get in, but once you're in you're treated to one of the warmest gastropubs with some of the best burgers in America. The place has become quite the "after work" spot for unwinding. The crowd is typically a mixed bunch with some there to check out sports on the tele, some there with friends, and some just popping in for a quick bite and to shoot the breeze with the young as well as the old.

The food is some of the best you'll ever have in a pub in California and maybe even in America. There's a limited number of tables and the bar is not the biggest but it's worth the wait if you ever have to. To order just go up to the bar and yell it out. The bar keeps there are super sweet and quite the characters sometimes.

Last time through here we started off with one of their specials which was an heirloom tomato salad which have become pretty trendy lately (we had a stellar one at Sona the other night). Chunks of big red, green, and orange tomatoes were topped with basil cucumber vinaigrette and sheep's milk ricotta, and garnished with fresh herbs, cucumber slices and halved grape tomatoes. It's a great appetizer (especially if you've ordered a wine), but I'd advise sharing since that was a generous serving of creamy and almost sweet variety ricotta.

Next we of course grabbed their Father's Office burger with a basket of sweet potato frites "a la cart" (notice the cute shopping cart). The fries were just just barely soft which was wonderful. So many fries in and of themselves can be tiring on the palate and it was nice to have a side of tartar sauce to relieve you in between bites.

And here it is folks. A burger which few can truly compare to. A huge medium rare piece of dry aged beef that sits upon a fluffy French bun, topped with caramelized onions, applewood bacon compote, gruyere, maytag blue cheese and arugula.

Upon further inspection you'll notice that this may induce sleepiness or possibly hunger pangs. The meat is just together enough that it starts to fall apart in your mouth, the gruyere and maytag add complex salty flavors and the caramelized onions balance it all out with the arugula giving small hints of spice to it here and there. This burger kicks some major butt and though it may not be for everyone (I mean heck we all love an In-N-Out burger sometimes) you would be doing yourself a disservice by not having one at least once to know how burgers are being transformed from your family reunion bbq to a gourmet art form. Wash this bad boy down with a Red Seal Beer (as recommended by the barkeep) or their Cider on tap, which Celeste very much enjoyed, and you have yourself a formidable meal that can satiate many an appetite.

There is little not to like about Father's Office. Located in a great part of town that has plenty of street parking and a great mix of people this place has an incredible thing going for it. How could they be even better you ask? By opening a second location in Culver City on Helms. This my friends is how one truly spreads the love around.

Free Drink Refills: No
Entree Price Range: $5 to $12

Apple Pan...musicians(and mere mortals) unite at the counter

10801 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310)475-3585
Tue-Thu 11AM-12AM
Fri-Sat 11AM-1AM
Sun 11AM-12AM
MONDAYS CLOSED

Rarely does one find a place that can so quickly become a favorite. Apple Pan has been around since LA had orchards (1947) and not much more in the area. A business that has stood the test of time and stuck to it's guns with a straight forward menu. They make burgers (mostly), fries, and pies. That's it. I'm reminded of a scene in "Coffee and Cigarettes" (see at the end of the post) where Iggy Pop and Tom Waits are talking to each other at a diner about how back in the old days in movies that's what people ordered, "Coffee and Pie...Coffee and Pie" and how now people just have coffee and cigarettes. Times back then were simpler and yet the Apple Pan tries to keep you in that era where things are simpler. The place looks like an old restaurant you would find in the middle of nowhere on a single lane highway in old country America. Gosh I love this place.

The staff (as many have said before me) all look like they're some of the original waiters (all in their late 50's and up) and seem kind of gruff. I've heard that it seems like they're waiters who have gone to Hell and this is their sentencing, waiting on people that don't care about them till they're about 100 years old. I personally think they have this persona that they've all been trained in so that you get this slightly weird experience. That and they move so fast so they don't have time for chit chat. In all honesty though, if you engage them on a not so busy time, which can be rare, they'll crack a smile and heck even tell you a joke or two. Funny thing, last time we went there we went around 6 PM when parking in the area is scarce thanks to rush hour traffic and the smallest back parking area, sat at their counter (only place to sit), ordered two hickory burgers, one steak burger, 2 orders of fries, coffee, cream soda (they alone rock for the fact they carry cream soda) and ice tea. My friend asked for the sauce on the side for her hickory burger. The waiter brings out the fries and chugs some ketchup on a small cardboard plate and about 2 minutes later(the entire ordering process from giving your order to getting your food takes about 7 minutes... maybe a tad longer on super heavy days) brings out the burgers and says "here's the sauce on the side which is good with the fries...it has less poison then the ketchup" and grins real sly. Now me, I enjoy dark humor so this made me crack up (thankfully we all cracked up). To me, it was just great seeing him break character.

The burgers are juicy and I mean succulent pieces of meat that drip with purebred flavor. They have tillamook cheese typically on it when you ask for cheese. This cheese rocks with these burgers, but especially when you get a hickory burger as it helps balance out the rich (for some) hickory sauce. Their fries are fries. Nothing spectacular but a good way to fill up the rest of your stomach. Here's a hickory burger:

The fries and might I mention that I love the wayyyy old school cone cups they give you for the soda. It's the little things you know.

Their coffee is a solid cup that my wife no matter how many times she stops drinking coffee will always break that fast to drink some of theirs. Their pies (of which they have more than just apple) are good. Not transcendent but when you're sitting there smelling them, they're very hard to turn down.

Some nitty gritty: Apple Pan is closed on Mondays...never ever forget this. I have forgotten this well over ten times after I made the trek across town. They only take cash...again adding to their old school charm and having to go the ATM right after our meals were ordered. Though it's packed very often, the wait is usually minimal due to the super fast service and super fast wait staff. Apple Pan is one of those places you'll bring your kids to cause you were brought here when you were little. Chances are it'll be around when your kids have kids too.




Free Drink Refills: only on coffee
Entree Price Range: Burgers are about $6.50 or so

Fred 62

1850 N. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323)667-0062
Always open

Fred 62 is a 50's style diner on a corner on Vermont in Los Feliz that has miles of persona to it. Oddly enough it feels likes what would appear in the future era in a Back to the Future movie when they go to a vintage diner in the future. Lots of charm. This is definitely one of those people watching spots with lots of stars showing up randomly, as well as just a bevvy of trendy people.

The food at Fred 62 is dare I say all around good. You can go there anytime of day and grab a great meal. Some may argue that they try to hard to be something. I heartily disagree with them. They seem to just "be". No overworking to be something. They give you great food and service is usually good even when they're packed. A big hi-five as well for the awesome coffee and amazing shakes.



I remember seeing Gourmet magazine say that they have some of the best pancakes in LA. So being that I'm not that huge a fan of pancakes I had to try them out. I was so not let down. Wow, so perfect in texture and flavor. A must have when you go if you're in the mood for breakfast.

The pancakes...so sinfully good. (Silver dollars do not come with the plate but were placed there by me for posterity.)

And here's there Super Rico Sandwich which by their own admission is a "better-battered tuna patty that consists of tuna salad stuffed with passilla chile, onion, jack and cheddar cheese with ice-berg lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo on a freshly toasted bun". An amazing take on a tuna melt type of sandwich. Incredibly tasty and the fries were perfect in texture and flavor. Two thumbs up as an afterschool special.

And here's there Wimpy burger which is a solidly good burger. Very flavorful (meaty tasting) and juicy but not bloody. I would say one of my top 5 restaurant burgers easily. It's interesting cause in essence it doesn't look like anything extraordinary but inside lies all the goodness one could desire from a burger. Downright tasty.

As promised there's a roundup for the Arcade Fire show last night at Rockinsider that I wrote. Show some love if you like what you read. The show was passionate and beautiful to sum it up in short words.

Free Drink Refills: Yes
Entree Price Range: $7 to $11

3 Square Cafe...dang those burgers look good

1121 Abbot Kinney Rd.
Venice, CA 90291
(310)399-6504
Breakfast and Lunch: Mon-Fri 8AM-3PM
Sat-Sun 9AM-4PM
Dinner: Tues-Sat 5PM-10PM
Brunch: Sat-Sun 9AM-4PM
Cafe hours: Everyday 7AM-6PM


After seeing Bree over at Triple Creme's post about 3 Square Cafe I put it down immediately on my places to eat at. Soooo glad we went. I guess the best way to put is that it's a treat for your eyes as well as your mouth. It's basically a little bakery cafe that serves up hearty/tasty bits of German inspired goodness.
We started our dinner experience with the avocado fries:

Okay now here's where I'll take personal license and tell you to also order the corn crepe stuffed with Black Forest Ham, roasted bell peppers and fontina cheese.

First off the avocado fries were an interesting idea and awesome if you love avocado. The breading on the body of them really brings out the flavor. But the amazing thing is that if you order the second dish mentioned you will have the most amazing dipping sauce for the avocado fries. The crepes in and of themselves were stellar. I would go back and have these alone cause they were that good. Kind of smooth dairy based in flavoring and just melted in your mouth... dang soooo incredibly good. The ham played wonderfully against the cream and corn.

The next course consisted of meat mostly. It's a German inspired place so we figured you can't go wrong with the meat not to mention the pics of the Rockenwagner classic pretzel burger that we've seen... it was kind of a no brainer. We ordered one pretzel burger with fries and the 3 mini burgers with pickles (pickled veggies was a pleasant surprise for us when we looked underneath our burger cups!) and fries. The mini burgers consisted of a small pretzel burger, a mushroom burger on brioche and a salmon burger on brioche.


Okay so just like going to a hoffbrau or other meat restaurant you get the full flavor of beef in your mouth. We got ours medium rare and it came out just a tad juicier than medium rare but it was all good. The bread was great on all the burgers and and a fun surprise was the mushroom burger with the ketchup they provided. Something new for me and gave me something else to also dip in that amazing sauce from the crepes as well (that stuff works with almost everything!). Might I recommend the Sam Smith Organic ale they have by the bottle. Went great with all the meat despite it being an English beer.

For desert, we had an amazing chocolate souffle that was recommended by our waitress. Before we get to that let me say that their coffee IS something write home about...wow a very full flavored light roast. Like Kenyan minus the berry qualities. The souflee came with a dab of sweet cream, a pretzel (that I do believe had some lime on it as well as drizzled with chocolate), and a small dark chocolate that had smooth peanut butter in it. What can I say more than dang. It was a perfect desert. The chocolate was what you imagine when you crave chocolate except the craving is satisfied after each bite. I need this stuff on tap somewhere. Just one of those well crafted pieces of "chefsmanship".

The place itself is not too big but has a patio and considering it's Abbot Kinney you can always hang outside and enjoy the view!

Free Drink Refills: Yes
Entree Price Range: Breakfast about $11 Lunch about $12 and Dinner was about $15 to $18ish (a step above the rest for what you get)

As a reminder and speaking of burgers...good ones tonight at The Mint where you can meet me after my set (I'll be playing at 9PM). Come on down and maybe I'll buy you there burger sampler plate which is darn good and a drink. You say I wouldn't but actually I'm sweet like that and would love to see your darling faces...

PS.I'll be the one with the upright bass ;)

Meet me with the burgers

Tomorrow I'll be eating and playing at The Mint in LA over on Pico and Crescent Heights. They have fantastic burgers (honest they do...get the burger sampler thing for the good choices to peruse) and the music will be good...if you like good music. This is not me getting people in to a show, it's catching me when I'm cheeriest making music and amongst friends, so come out cause if you read my blog you must be a friend with good taste ;) Come out and meet me, heck I might even buy you a drink or a burger (I'm cool like that).



(And yes that is the sheer force of the rocking that will commence...but don't worry...it won't be loud).