Lab Brewing Co

I was first alerted of The Lab Brewing Co from my friend Neil that works out in the Agoura Hills area. He saw that they were offering a challenge that if their burger is not one of the 10 best burgers you have eaten in LA, then its free. I figured this was a challenge I couldn’t pass up. The restaurant has a very swanky modern décor but is not pretentious. It is very inviting and friendly. As you can tell from the name of the place, they brew their own beer on site. We got to meet with Roger, who is one of the owners and the beer master. He is very passionate about beer and can really explain the differences between the different types and flavors. He also brews some very good beer. I think our group really enjoyed the Cold Fusion Java Porter and the new IPA he just created. Since we only went for the burger we didn’t get to order any of the other food, but other items on the menu looked very good, so I may have to go back to try some other items.

Lets get to the challenge. I tried THE LAB Burger. The burger comes with a Wagyu Kobe beef patty that is ground in house. The meat was very flavorful and really showed through the rest of the flavors. This was the sign of good things to come. The bun is a La Brea Bakery bun. It was nothing special but held the ingredients together and had a nice texture. The burger is topped with caramelized onions, arugula, bacon and blue and gruyere cheeses. The onions and the arugula were very tasty and offered a sweet and peppery flavor which complemented the meaty flavor of the patty. The cheeses were well used. Blue cheese can be overpowering sometimes, but they used the right amount of cheese and it worked extremely well with the other flavors. The cheese really made the burger. The bacon is a little bit of a mystery for me. I really didn’t taste it in the burger, but to be honest, I am not sure it would have made it better. I am very happy to say that they passed the challenge. This truly was one of the 10 best burgers in LA.