The competition has begun

Choosing a place to eat today was stressful! I’m not going to sugar coat my feelings about lunch time. I love lunch because it’s right after breakfast and before dinner. There’s something absolutely essential about Lunch. It’s like the perfect time for me to eat something amazing and enjoy the peacefulness of a lunch. As you all know by now, I’m a huge burger lover and I try to eat out as much as possible, and much on as many quality burgers my stomach can handle. I will eat up to 3 burgers at a time if I can. Why not! If I’m up for it, I’ll do it.

So I wanted to go eat lunch with one of my associates Bill. Bill and I know work on a few projects together and he actually happens to believe that sushi is the greatest! I was like: “You’re Serious?” He’s convinced that his taste in food is the most amazing and it should be regarded as ‘gold’. I happen to disagree with him and I needed to show him that the hamburger is the best thing to happen since ‘sliced bread’. Him and I got into a friendly argument about the greatest lunch of all time! It was on between me and Bill.

I needed to convince him, in some way, that the hamburger is the best in the world – when it comes to lunch. Bill tried to explain to me that the burger is just an another version of a steak between two buns, made up of ground beef. I guess he was never into eating steaks. As we discussed the benefits of eating a burger, he told me that he’ll eat a burger a day for a whole week if I eat sushi every day for a whole two weeks. I made the bet with him with the condition that I can also have a burger a day either for breakfast or dinner. Has anybody ever tried a sunny side burger for breakfast? It’s the best burger for breakfast!

The competition has begun and we were on to prove who’s right and who’s wrong in this important matter. I ate sushi as promised and he ate a burger or two a day as promised. To be clear, I needed to see the places he was eating at. It was imperative that he checked-in to a burger restauranton his smart phone and post it on either facebook.com or Instagram.  

He agreed to these social media terms and the contest has begun. For seven days, he posted pics of his burgers and checked in. Honestly, I was thrilled about it. It gave me more ideas on where to eat more burgers. He had no idea how much joy I was getting from this competition.

Here’s the breakdown of the places he checked in on his social media accounts:

• Sunday: Locol
• Monday: Pono Burger
• Tuesday: Five Guys
• Wednesday: Burgerim
• Thursday: Umami Burger
• Friday: BOA
• Saturday: In-N-Out Burger

After his 7 days were up he told me that now he’s a true burger fanatic. I knew that an all-American burger would wake him up. I was thrilled with the bet and was happy to know what his thoughts were about the burgers. I ask Bill what his most favorite burgers were among the 7 burger places. Bill said that Burgerim was his most favorite because it offers options compared to the other local burger joints. He said he was able to order up to two or three burgers because they’re 2.8oz compared to a classic 8oz portion. He said it was option to have a chicken, lamb, and beef burger in one sitting. I had to agree with him on that. Having options is definitely a benefit on eating out. Variety can be the secret ingredient to making a lunch or dinner experience the best experience of your life.

Regarding my experience with eating sushi – it was fun! I enjoyed eating a new type of sushi every day. In the end of the day, I have to say, that the tuna and California rolls are my favorite. I also had to check in on my social media accounts to verify that I was eating the sushi for two weeks. Bill liked all my posts. That was nice of him. As we came to a conclusion, I still believe that burgers are by far the best for lunch and dinner – as far as taste. Bill now eats a burger regularly with me and slowly transitioned away from eating sushi.

I wonder who got him so involved in eating fish? Even though that was not an important question, I still asked him. He mentioned that his ex-girlfriend whom he dated when he was 27 years old introduced him to a sushi restaurant. He said that it was hide away for her and she absolutely loved it there to escape the pressure that life sometimes has. I thought it was an interesting story.

It seems that eating sushi was more of a sentimental attachment to Bill than actually enjoying the tastefulness that some food offers – like the burger.

Let’s Eat Some Good Food Today

Eating good food and enjoying the company of friends is what makes living fun! Who wouldn’t like to indulge in delicious bites and share in the joy with people you care about it. When planning a date with friends for the weekend, I always make note to plan with purpose. My good friend, Jack once stated that it’s hard to find a decent burger in Los Angeles. I was like, What!? You’re serious? He was serious and he was very motivated to find a place he can blast on social media as the best burgers in Los Angeles.

He seriously wanted to create a post on his Instagram page with a photo of a half-eaten burger with the hashtag #BestBurgersInLA (with a burger emoji right next to it). It was like his dream to do that. The thing with Jack is that he’s very passionate about food and being genuine with his true feelings. If he doesn’t believe that the food he eats isn’t the best, he will never promote it. If, on a rare occasion, he does eat something that will make his taste buds go crazy, he will most definitely share it to the world to see. It’s his thing to share what he’s passionate about among the social media community.

He’s a great inspiration to me because of his genuine desire to be himself and be authentic. Having a friend that keeps it real is rare and you have to cherish these friendships. I was lucky when I met Jack. I met Jack when I went on a jog around my neighborhood. It was a cold and dark night and I needed to get a work out. I almost crushed my right ankle when I ran too fast and then I fell. I was gasping for air. Jack was there smoking his cigarette and saw me fall to the ground. He rushed to pick me up and asked if I’m okay. I was shaking, but I caught my breath and in 5 minutes I was good. I was stressed for the entire week and had way too much built in energy.

Jack advised me to chill out and asked if he can help me out with anything. I told him that I appreciate his sincerity and welfare for another fellow man. He said: “It’s the least I can do.” We exchanged Instagram handles and went on our way. I started to notice that Jack is a full pledge Los Angeles foodie. His Instagram pictures were #OnPoint and it was cool. I liked a lot of his pics and we made plans to start checking out new local eateries that can crush it on the L.A. food scene. Eating burgers from really trendy restaurants was our thing. He didn’t know that I blog about burgers and places to eat. I thinking writing reviews is cool, but blogging definitely takes foodie status to the next level.

Every week or couple of weeks, we plan a day to drink beers check out local places to eat. We try to order everything that’s on their menu. We don’t spare a calorie. Eating burgers is a passion and We live for the Best Burgers in Los Angeles.

The Benefits of Local Burger Eateries

Local burger eateries have become the new trend as a destination hotspot. Quality burgers and good food is not enough for local residents in Montclaire, CA when it comes to places to eat. Burgers come with more flavors and options than any other type of food. It’s bland if it’s too ordinary, and the worst thing that can happen to a burger joint is lose its luster and shine. We’ve all experienced a great tasting burger: a delicious bite bursting with flavor from the patty, lettuce, tomatoes, and its special sauce.

The means of finding a great eatery boils down to word of mouth marketing, reviews on yelp, the yellow pages, and local media channels in Montclair, CA that showcase restaurants, places to eat and things to do. Finding reviews from local foodies that take pictures of their lunch or dinner helps a lot in making a decision on where to eat. This shows that the consumer took action and is willing to promote the local eatery to foodies everywhere. Writing a review is just the first step a local foodie would do; publishing an article comparing local restaurants is definitely the next level of passionately sharing your experiences as a foodie.

What are the benefits of a local place to eat? Feeling comfortable in an environment where you can be yourself and share in the joy with friends is what makes a quality eatery. It’s a wonderful sign if you find yourself exploring the menu, and getting excited about what you’re reading. This shows that you’re truly happy with the selection. The last thing a person wants in a restaurant is to browse the menu and feel that there’s nothing to eat. Restaurants don’t decide a quality hamburger; the consumers decide if the food is good or not!

With a sharp focus on selling hamburgers worthy of a hashtag, a restaurant needs to know what their local community wants in an eatery. Usually the owner or manager will ask key questions to hopefully gather important data to effectively deliver the needs to their local market place. People are people and the only real candidate to be considered a consumer. Consumers truly want to feel special in their decision making process. By providing quality food in an environment with the right associations can serve can create a loyalty for many years to come.

Reaching out to local consumers and offering an excellence in customer service is pivotal for a business to launch to higher levels. The factors that seems to work the most effectively is integrity, hard work and time. Driven by a commitment to distinction, a fine burger has a uniqueness compared to other rival burgers in the same game. Unique in a good way is fundamental for consumers to remember you and talk about your food and products among their peers. Consumers talk regardless, so it’s best to strive to deliver an experience so they will talk about their day in the most positive light.

Since a restaurant’s inception to their local community, gaining positive reviews from locals is beneficial to break-in as a household name. A strong reputation is an important feature is gaining new customers and earning media attention. It’s considered a success when an eatery earns the recognition from local foodies.

What’s Your Favorite Thing to Eat?

Over the years my taste buds have changed. Since I was a little boy, I always enjoyed the sweetness of candy and the saltiness in popcorn and French fries. If I were to have to choose between sweet or salty, I would choose sweet. I can honestly say that I have a real sweet tooth. Since I was a teenager, I slowly noticed that my appetite would choose comfort food like hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, soda, and chips. Both my parents would joke about how I only eat food found in a fast food restaurant.

Eating food that you enjoy has the power to make or break your day! Wouldn’t you agree? I certainly have based my life around this way of thinking. I even choose friends that enjoy the same type of foods that I enjoy eating. Of course I’m not too strict in my friend selection, but having a friend that can share in the joy of a burger and fries definitely makes me a happy person. I tend to notice that the older we get, the more we start associating with the five closest people in our lives. Who agrees?

Since I turned 17 and was a senior in high school, I would constantly go to the local hamburger restaurant with a bunch of my friends near my public school. I actually asked my first girlfriend out there. It was a day like no other; it was a crisp fall evening. I was really happy and nervous at the same time because of what I would do that day. I asked my high school crush out over burgers and fries. It was a cute situation. She had to think about it at first, but 5 seconds later, she said okay.

We created a 19-month tradition with my very first girlfriend Rebecca Ann. We would go to the local burger place and stuff our mouths with their finest burgers and French fries. We would order double cheeseburgers, onion rings, everything had to have avocados. Rebecca Ann loved avocados! She always needed to have her cheese on the side though. I remember that very well. She would never drink soda or over eat like me. She was always kept her composure and was always super classy in the way she eats.

Her favorite condiment was ketchup when we were dating. If you only knew how much she loves her ketchup, you would have bought her a box full of ketchup. Whether it was on quality steaks, fish, or on burgers, it needed to have a little bit of ketchup on the side. It was her favorite and that’s what made her unique and awesome. During our relationship, we would strive to only eat what makes us happy. We would constantly make plans to try out new eateries and write reviews on our favorite restaurants. Whether it was a fast food restaurant or a local diner, we enjoyed every minute of it.

Eating what you like is what makes the day so much better. It’s a great conversation piece as well. Do you remember your first relationship? What was their name? Did you guys create a tradition of some sort?

What makes me happy

Okay, so burgers make me happy. I love everything about the hamburger and it always makes me jubilant to share a quality burger with my best friends. Every week, I make a few phone calls to schedule a date with my friends to try the best burgers in Los Angeles. I like to go on directory sites and read all the positive and negative reviews before I make my decision. I tend to share a review with a friend so we can have realistic expectations with our order. I get undeniably joyful when it’s time to make our way to our new burger restaurant and eat their food.

Honestly, if you’re not into burgers, it’s probably wise to skip this article and find something that you’re really into. Maybe you’re a salad person. Maybe you’re only into coffee. Everyone has their passion, mine is burgers. It’s not even lunch time and I start craving a nice juicy burger. Whether it’s a big juicy burger or a few sliders, a burger is a burger and that’s what I love.

My best friend Jimmy and I have been best friends for only 2 years. We met when I walking my dog and he was walking his girlfriend’s dog. My dog’s name is Roger and his girlfriend’s dog is named Pip. It’s a cute little dog that likes to jump whenever he has the chance. It was a funny moment, because both our dogs decided to take care of business at the same time, relatively in the same place.
We randomly started to talk about sports and politics because he was wearing a shirt that said: ask me about sports and current affairs? We discussed everything from Obama’s stance to foreign policy to how the Los Angeles Lakers will dominate once they get their management under control. For many folks, talking about politics and sports can be a difficult subject because of the built in emotions that surround it. My mom actually advised me to never discuss politics because it can ruin a perfectly good friendship. I actually gained an amazing friendship because of politics. It’s rare but it happens.

As we transcended our conversation about sports and politics, we started to discuss our favorite beers, bars, and then we touched the most special subject, the perfect burger in town. He didn’t know that talking about burgers is one of my favorite thing to do, hence this blog. We discussed every burger restaurant from fast food to fast casual to high end restaurants. We must have spoken for hours about all the different type of hamburgers we can eat.

That conversation cemented our friendship for 2 years. Every week we make a plan to eat a burger at a new restaurant or at our favorite restaurant. Eating the different flavors gives us an opportunity to critique what makes the best burger in Los Angeles the greatest. We try to take on burger challenges, try new toppings, and eat new patty flavors. Eating a burger with a best friend is what makes me happy!

What makes you happy? What’s your passion product? Are you also a burger lover? Leave a comment below.

Cheers to Burgers with Best Friends

Ever wanted to try a nice big juicy burger with some friends on a Friday afternoon? How about a few juicy mini burgers. In a perfect world, every restaurant establishment should have a few options for the customer. On a personal level, options are essential when choosing a lunch or dinner. It’s almost uncomfortable just how much I ate during a recent outing at a local 5 star fast casual burger restaurant. With any meal that involves burgers and fries, eating a lot is certain to happen. It’s unavoidable to give a burger lover a few gourmet burgers and expect the person to not devour the food with some crispy potato fries and a soda pop.

With certainty, a true burger fan will tell you that gourmet burgers are the best. There are so many different type of hamburgers out there. Some prefer to go to a regular well-known fast food restaurant franchise while others prefer to go to a local mom and pop storefront establishment. It’s important to support local businesses, but if the franchises are managed by local residents of the community, that’s a benefit in my book. Friends of my community have expressed how much they enjoy eating a well prepared hamburger. It fulfills their cravings and makes them feel like a true American.

If the restaurant offers an array of flavors, a real burger lover will probably feel like he or she is in heaven. Just the other day I went out with my best friend Jillian for some burgers, fries, and onion rings. It’s been a tradition to pick a new burger joint every month since we were 20 years old. Burgers and fries have essentially cemented our friendship for many years. We discuss everything over burgers such as politics, current events, the presidential election, celebrities, and of course the best burgers in the world. 

Jillian mentioned that she is a huge fan of the lamb burger, stating “this is by far the best burger I have tried in a very long time”. She typically sticks with the classic beef burger patty, but recently tried the lamb flavor and has been hooked. We only choose places that offer lamb burgers. There aren’t too many burger joints out there in Los Angeles that offer lamb burgers, however, the one’s that do get a 5 star rating my Jillian, if it tastes good.  

We recently ate at the following burger restaurants that offer lamb: 

• Burgerim located in 5001 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. 

• Marmalade Café located in Farmers Market 

• Fusion Burger located in 5933 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042

• Larchmont Bungalow located in Windsor Square

• The Griffin located in 3000 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 

Jillian and I both agree that Burgerim was by far our favorite for the month. We both ordered their trio of mini burgers. I personally ordered their spicy beef, lamb, and a chicken with a sunny side up. My best friend Jillian ordered two lamb burgers, one with cheese and the other without, and a classic beef with bacon. Of course we indulged in their delicious house fries and onion rings. We drank ourselves silly with unlimited refills from their state-of-the-art soda machine. I can honestly say that we had the best time at Burgerim. 

This place is a must for anyone that wants to try a real burger. It’s gourmet and very flavorful. I highly recommend local Angelinos come out to Burgerim with their friends and family. I tend to come out time to time to watch some football on their awesome flat screen televisions. 

Jillian and I are eager to try new places in Los Angeles, is there any great places to go to. I love suggestions. Leave a comment below with your thoughts and I’ll be happy to read it. If there’s a place to eat that you feel I must try, leave me a comment and I’ll be sure to check them out. Cheers everyone!

Burger Perspective

Let’s take a look at what these taste savvy professionals look for in a great burger:

 

Presentation

Ever heard the term “mouthwatering?” Haven’t we all had the experience of excitedly waiting on our meal to arrive when seated at a restaurant?  First impressions can make or break a dish.  If you get served the best burger in the world on a dirty dish or with a sloppy side item, you would instantly recoil.  When looking for a great burger when you first lay your eyes on the dish it can lead you to culinary delight or disaster. Another part of the presentation is the actual structure of the burger.  This may sound very strange but when you are eating a burger with your hands it needs to stick together.  There is absolutely nothing worse than after one bite having a huge mess of ingredients on your plate.  How in the world do you finish?  Restaurants need to make sure their burgers can hold it together until the last bite. 

The Meat

To please an actual burger aficionado, the chef will have to meet high standards.  For one, the meat to topping ratio has to be in perfect harmony.  Few things are worse in the world of food than getting a mouth full of toppings and tasting no meat.  Meat is the foundation of a great burger so tasting it is essential.  Toppings are great and should stand to compliment the meat, not drown it out!  Keep in mind that the opposite is also true.  If you order a mushroom burger but only get a mouth full of meat without the slightest hint of mushroom, then the chef has failed to maintain balance.  As a foodie, critics are looking for juicy, tender meat.  Undercooked and overcooked meat are equally bad in the world of food. Restaurants like Burgerim are getting it right by offering customers a well-balanced burger in every way.  If you are a burger aficionado stop in and try some of our amazing burgers, cooked to perfection!

The Sides Tell It All

The second you lay eyes on the soggy French fries that are supposed to compliment your great burger you can quickly tell the sandwich isn’t going to rate well.  Since the all American classic burger is rarely expected to be served alone, the sides that accompany this dish can speak volumes. Whether it’s a bare side salad with little excitement or burnt French fries, this will quickly make burger aficionado’s recoil.  As a chef make sure, in order to entice your customers, that as much effort goes into you side as does your burger.  The plate as a whole will be the first impression a customer gets of your food, so make it great!