Pasadena Burgers: Rick's Drive-in

Rick's Drive-In in Pasadena has found a special place in our hearts thanks to the Amazing Spuderito. But in addition to that tortilla-swaddled wonder, Rick's serves up some pretty good burgers.



The beef is never frozen and the lettuce and tomatoes are fresh. All of the sauces are made in-house. The patties are flavorful and nicely charred, but they are pretty thin so you probably want to order the 1/2 pounder over the 1/4 pounder. And you probably want grilled onions. Yes, you definitely want grilled onions.



The "French Burger" is like a grilled sourdough burger but served on grilled French bread, and the "Taco on a bun" is exactly that, taco fixings on a burger bun with unexpected addition of mustard -- strange, but it works.



This little mom and pop stand, which has occupied this location since 1964, was recently in danger of being torn down for condos. According to owner Ralph Fonzo, the housing slump has earned them a temporary reprieve. Ralph, proudly (and charmingly) adds that people come from all over the world to visit Rick's and that original customers are now bringing in their grandchildren.

Rising Stars: Adam Fleischman's Umami Burger

I wandered around the back of Umami checking out the burgers. When I met the Adam Fleischman, I noticed him shaking a special seasoning on the burgers (I also noticed he bore more than a slight resemblancs to Jon Favreau). Hoping to start up a conversation on the general concept of umami, I said, "So it's like soy sauce..."

He cut me off, saying "Oh, it's definitely not soy sauce." I saw the wheels turning. I realized he thought I was guessing the recipe and he was deciding whether or not to tell me what was in his magic sprinkles (it was Tamari, by the way, not soy sauce. The recipe was in the booklet). I knew I had to change tactics. This was not someone who wanted to while away the afternoon chatting about flavor profiles. This was a serious businessman.



So I asked, "Are you planning on marketing it?"

He came alive, "We have a whole line planned - spice mixes, sauces, and [he paused to think] what else?" He seemed to have better things to do than give me the pitch at the moment, so I gave him my card and continued on my way.

Fleischman definitely is a businessman. Fleischman started out in Journalism, which led to wine journalism, which led to some very prestigious jobs in the wine field where he honed his palate. He subsequently founded Bottlerock and Vonoteque. He opened the first Umami Burger on La Brea and is poised to take over the world.



Later in the evening, the longest line was snaking around to Umami. When I finally got myself a burger, I told the other cook, "Wow. I had no idea. I'm impressed."

He said, "yeah, it's not all hype." Embarassed that he had read my mind, I wandered off to enjoy the fantastically meaty burger with a giant Parmesan crisp. True love.



Adam Fleischman receiving his award for Best Restaurant Concept from Will Blunt, Managing Editor of StarChefs.com and Antoinette Bruno, StarChefs.com CEO and Editor-in-Chief.



So, yeah, the basic recipe is in the program. Do I dare leak it? I'll just give you a taste.

Umami Seasonings:
2 salted anchovies, cleaned
Tamari
Worcestershire sauce
Marmite
Truffle salt
Harissa

Now if you're really good, maybe I'll tell you about the ketchup.

Pasadena Burgers: Lucky Boy

Lucky Boy in Pasadena is a Landmark. It even says so on the menu. Local families and students have been coming to the outdoor stand for over 30 years. The charred burgers come with mild onions, grilled upon request, lettuce, and the biggest tomato you have ever seen. The buns are toasted on the grill, a nice old-school touch. The chili is meaty and not too spicy, a perfect addition to the burger.

The fries are thick-cut, crispy outside and like a baked potato inside. Unfortunately the shakes aren't made out of real ice cream, but come out of one of those weird powdered emulsifier abominations.





The main draw at Lucky Boy isn't the burger though. The teenage boys come in for the humongous breakfast burrito, stuffed with hash browns, eggs, cheese and loads of bacon. The breakfast of champions.

The Monster Dog vs. the Colossal Burger

Papoo's Hot Dog Show is often overshadowed by the popular and iconic Bob's Big Boy across the street in Toluca Lake. And to be honest, well, Hot Dog Show is kind of weird. Decorated like an old-fashioned ice cream parlour and populated with bar flies, the restaurant has a strange air of desperation. The servers are friendly, but somehow you get the feeling that everyone has kind of given up.

In contrast to the general weirdness, the food at The Hot Dog Show is amazing. As old-school chili sizes and onion rings go, this is the place. It helps if you think of it as a bar that happens to sell food as opposed to a restaurant that happens to sell beer.

One thing they love here is extreme food with extreme names. So we decided to pit the hyperbolic Monster Dog against the Colossal Burger. As the names would suggest, they are both gigantic. The burger is topped with delicious pastrami that has been cooked on the grill. The monster dog is split and grilled, and bursting with fat. Topped with a delicious truck stop-style chili, it is a force to be reckoned with.

The contest was neck and neck until we stripped away all of the bells and whistles and judged the two solely on the meat. The patty, although moist, is pressed flat and could not be described as juicy. The hot dog on the other hand, bursts with fat and flavor. So in the end, the Monster Dog emerges victorious. Now pour me another beer and let's try to ignore the drunk guy babbling about politics at the end of the ice cream counter.

OK, remember when Homer Simpson was the voice of Poochie the Dog on the Itchy and Scratchy Show? This is the exact character. Coincidence?



All dogs go to heaven ...but how is he holding the harp without any arms?



Who doesn't want a barbecue beef-ham fountain? I had one at my wedding

Vancouver: The Elbow Room

The last time I was in Vancouver, I had so much fun with the Elbow Room's wacky waitstaff I had to go back. Plus, my nephew is a burger fan and they make what is known as the best burger in Van.



The elbow room is a local institution at 560 Davie Street, a cute little cafe that is sparse but comfy. The real attraction, besides the food is the amazing staff that you can't help but love.

The Elbow Room was started in 1983 by Patrick Savoie, an ex-teacher and Brian Searle, an insurance adjuster. It's original location, at 720 Jervis Street, was located in the first mayor of Vancouver's house, and was declared a heritage building. At first Bryan did dishes and Patrick cooked. We had one employee, Vera McKee, who waited tables...We now have 52 seats, a staff of 10-12 and abusing customers from all over Canada, the US and the world.

They do have some crazy-ass burgers. Check these out

Tom Select Burger
Topped with bacon, pineapple, peach slices and camembert cheese.

Trucker Burger
Mushroom, baby shrimp, bacon avocado, a fried egg and cheddar cheese

The Chad Lowe
(For the meat lover, a.k.a. ' The F ' ing Kidding Burger ' )
Two 8 oz patties, sautéed mushrooms and red onions, bacon, pepperoni, B.B.Q. and HP sauce.

But being the princess I am, I ordered

Princess Burger
Bacon, sliced avocado, feta and camembert cheese.



Thick, juicy, feta-y...truly a great burger. We also split an amazing fresh banana-blueberry shake



We had room to split one more thing. Now, if you don't finish your food at The Elbow Room you get a spanking. You can sometimes talk them into accepting a donation to A Loving Spoonful, but they really do try for that spanking. One way to avoid a spanking is to bring a college boy because 1. They can finish any plate of food 2. They are more tempting spanking bait 3. They are probably used to that kind of thing what with the hazing and such. OK here is a sample of the menu. Guess which treat we ordered?

A. Savoury Pancake
Bacon, Cheese, Sausage or a Combination

B. Banana Walnut French Toast (No Jenny Craig here)
Made with pound cake. It's delicious and very rich.
Add Bacon, Sausage or Ham? $2.75
Add Blackberries,Blueberries,Strawberries,Banana,or Raspberries $2.00

C. Evelyn Hilderbrant
A large cinnamon bun, grilled as French toast.

D. Administrative Assistant
Banana, green apple slices, and orange wedges, with a blueberry yogurt and Muffin (cranberry bran or Blueberry Peach). No eggs. No meat. Nothing to clog your precious arteries.

That is correct, sir! C - a French-toasted cinnamon bun. Woohoo! Halfway through our burger, we were confronted by our wild-haired waitress, "What's the matter with your french toast?"

"Nothing. We're eating in courses."

"Yeah, that's our dessert."

"Ohhh dessert! Well, dessert!" She ran off and returned with a giant can of Reddi-whip. "Now it's dessert!"