Tribute to Burger Stand Week on What's To Eat LA: The Original Marty's

10558 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 836-6944
Daily 7AM-6PM
CASH ONLY

When did LA turn into a health mecca? Why is it that Angelenos started converting to being healthy and giving up eating what they liked? Was it propaganda from movies and the stars that are made to look like perfection personified? Was it the fact that the news told them obesity would hit you no matter what you do cause America is just full of fat people? I doubt it. I think it slowly crept into people consciouses when fine dining told us to eat less and less. Thank you Californian cuisine. In LA we have a life of excess but eat less portions (and healthier) to accommodate that lifestyle. Slightly backwards, but it's just the way it is. There is still one untouched category that we Californians celebrate, and that's the burger. The burger by definition guarantees a little bit of weight gain and the bigger and greasier it is, (often) the better it is. Marty's has a burger that made them famous ("the combo") and is not for the weak of heart. It's a burger and hot dog with chili all in between one bun. You know what? It just hit me...the only people still alive are the healthy ones and they open businesses that cater to their needs. Sadly though this explains why havens like Marty's are a dying breed. Thankfully there are still plenty of people that succumb to it's goodness.

The cheeseburger that you see here is what I would define as "All American". Now I'm not talking about the dying burger joint known as All American Burger (thank you Fast Times at Ridgemont High) . I'm talking about a simple personification of chomping into a piece of cow that makes you thank God we can live in a country as great as ours where we can live and afford to eat meals like this. Where the little guy can open up this tiny little hut (some people's walk in closets are bigger) and can last a very very...very long time. The one guy I know who works there has been working there for like 20 years. How's the burger taste? Dang good. Don't you hate when food writers tell you something's good? That means nothing to you personally but what can I say...it's really darn good. The patties are grilled to perfection without any dryness whatsoever, the tomatoes are rockin and always fresh, and the buns are light but have some grip-able mass to them that doesn't fall apart after two bites. Here, they make a textbook burger that defines the word classic.

And another classic...the split grilled hot dog with diced onions, relish and mustard on a lightly grilled bun. I think the hot dog is one of the best food items you can get at stand that reflects the age and seasoned metal of an old grill. Juicy, smokey and just plain yummy.

This hut is a landmark and therefore won't be going anywhere anytime soon unless an act of God causes it to crumble. The parking is only street parking which kind of is a bummer but they're quick and worth the short wait. Honestly, this burger stand is one of the few the proud that will outlive us all probably but especially if you have too many of their combos.

Free Refills: No
Entree Price Range: Pretty darn cheap...too cheap to print...and I don't have a menu in front of me to quote it.

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

Hamburger Habit

11223 National Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 478-5000
Mon-Thurs 10AM-11PM
Fri-Sat 10AM-Midnight
Sun 11AM-11PM

Other bloggers gave Hamburger Habit a bad rap. I beg to differ from their opinions. I've gone here on several occasions and have had a good meal and have had nothing but the cheeriest service. Admittedly they do know us from going there so often but that's not why I write about going here. It's located right where the 10 and 405 meet in a small strip mall. Sure it's been there for a long freaking time (I do believe it started in 1968) and the decor seems like it never changed since then but that's part of the charm. It's all "Coke-d" out inside with red and white everything and just has the old soda fountain feel to it. A funny bit is the comedy in the bathroom. Some good cartoons and one liners are up in there (not grafitti or tagged on).

The food has been good. I'm not going to go insane and say it was the best burger cause there are certainly others that I would rate higher. I'd put this at a better done back yard Memorial day weekend burger. Nothing too fancy but the meat does taste fresh everytime I go there. As far as awards go, they have the signs that state their recognition from the likes of KABC, even though it was like 25 years ago. I have no problem with that. There are lots of reasons why a place may not get recognition anymore and we can only speculate why. I noticed they state that their burgers are fresh, not frozen chuck steak, with a fat content of 10-12%, and ground especially for them. Some other bloggers say that the burgers lack flavor compared to other burgers...the flavor difference is probably in the fat %. So a low fat burger equals different meat flavor. But I digress because it makes this burger a healthy burger in comparison so you win some and lose some. I think they taste great either way. They do have a special sauce on it which makes it oh so flavorful(kind of a cross between tangy and smoky) and they've been putting more on it since a couple of years ago when I first went there, and now they're even better since then. The fries are done nicely as well since they are chunky and just crisp enough that they still have some wiggle to them. I do love their hotdogs. They're firm skinned and full of juicy flavor(all beef). I'd place them not too far behind from Carney's. Their chili is hearty and really is tasty with the extra cheese. An odd little thing that is really yummy is their lentil soup, they say it's homemade actually(plus they top the bowl with grilled onions). I know I know, soup at a burger place...but if you're trying to decide to have something more than just a hotdog, it really is good to have and pretty dawn healthy too. I like their shakes as well (not too sweet, not to thick so you're not having a stroke trying to suck it through the straw and not frozen for a brain freeze). It's all a difference of opinion maybe from la.foodblogging (though I love their site...keep it up Jonah!)



Last I want to mention an oddity of this place. If you swing dance, yes... I said swing dance. This place will let you dance there. I know this sounds totally weird but they play old music from the 30's to the 50's and we started dancing there when we first went and they love it. I know hardly any swing dancers will see this page, but it's been good that it's been our little place to dance that no one except our close friends know about. But, if you do and you see this guy (named Alfredo who's been working here for 17 years!):

ask him if he can turn up the music a little so you can dance. He'll smile and totally oblige. Talk about hooking up a sub-class of LA.

Free Drink Refills: Yup
Average Prices: Burgers about $4.50 and hotdogs about $3