Boneyard Bistro

A few years ago we found a new BBQ restaurant from a classically trained chef called Boneyard Bistro. The menu includes your typical brisket, ribs and pulled pork. It also has some interesting items like the BBQ burrito and one time had kangaroo as a special. It also has a great selection of beers and recently expanded to include a nice bar area. As a lover of good BBQ, I was excited to try it. Suffice it to say the BBQ was not great, but we discovered they make some good burgers. 

 
On the night of our visit they had a special appetizer we just had to get. It was sliders with a twist. They came with cheddar cheese, pickle, bacon, mustard and the kicker was a bun of homemade glazed donuts. I have heard of this being done with Krispy Kreme donuts at county fairs, but this was the first time I tried it. It sounds like something you would not want to eat or a dare back in elementary school. I have to say, they were actually amazing. All of the flavors worked together. I think the homemade donuts were the best part. 

On to the real burger. I ordered the classic with blue cheese. It came with bacon and a smoked onion aioli. The burger is presented very well on the plate, especially the Nic's Rant & Ranch, which is pictured below in all of its high stacked glory. When cut in half I noticed it was a little over cooked but still juicy. All in all it was a good burger but nothing spectacular. The bocan actually didn't help the burger and the rest was kind of bland. I have had the other burgers there and they were a bit better than the standard burger, this one left me unfulfilled.

Umami

I feel like Umami Burger has taken the city by storm. I had never heard about it until I saw it featured on the Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate." Now it seems as though there is a new one opening every month. I recently found out about one right by my office in Santa Monica. The location only had a few tables inside but a few large tables outside for multiple parties. 

 
Since I felt I should try to keep the tastings comparable, I ordered the Port & Stilton Burger. The burger comes with Stilton blue cheese and port-caramelized onions. The burger had good flavor. They used the right amount of blue cheese so that it didn't overpower the rest of the flavors. The sweet port-caramelized onions were sweet, and complimented the rest of the burger well. The issue I had is with the bun. They seemed to butter the bun and it came out looking good, but was really greasy. All in all it is a pretty good burger, but not the best thing I ever ate.


 
UPDATE: As Umami is the closest gourmet burger place to my work, I figure to eat there more than the others. I recently went back and tried a different burger. This time I went for the SoCal Burger. I think this is supposed to be an upgraded version of an In-N-Out burger. It comes with their homemade bun, butter lettuce, caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes, and of course spread. I ordered it without cheese because that's how I usually get my double-doubles. Unfortunately, my opinion has not changed. The burger was well constructed, all of the ingredients were fresh and the burger was perfectly cooked. The buns are still too greasy and make the burger feel like it was soaked in oil. I will probably go back again, hopefully not for a work lunch, to enjoy a burger and one of the fine beers they have. But its position on my list remains the same.

8 oz

The latest adventure came for my Dad's birthday. Upon hearing about the blog and all of the great burgers I was eating he decided that he wanted to partake. We decided to try 8 oz. Burger Bar. Originally started in Miami, 8 oz. is a perfect fit in Los Angeles. The place is unassuming and low key. There is a great selection of local beers and friendly wait staff. We even had a celebrity sighting in one Luke Wilson. The owner was also circling around and stopped to chat with us. He was very passionate about his food and the quality of his restaurant. He also mentioned there is a good chance of more locations around the country and the city.

 
Now on to the meat! I ordered the Melrose which comes with arugula, garlic roasted tomatoes and red onion marmalade. The meat was perfectly cooked and juicy. The peppery arugula worked in perfect harmony with the sweet red onion marmalade and tomatoes. The best part of the burger is the red onion marmalade. It doesn't overwhelm the burger and the rest of the condiments. When you go, and you will go, you must try the fried olives and the truffle potato skins. They are amazing.

 
I may get some flak for this but I think I liked it better than Father's Office. As stated before I think I need to go back to Father's Office but in Santa Monica for a fair comparison.