8 oz. Burger Bar

I've brought out the inner foodie in my co-workers at Milk, a great boutique on 3rd St. where I work at part time in the summers, but mostly just hang out. Recently some of us got together for dinner at 8 oz. Burger Bar after work, after debating long and hard from a list of restaurants I had compiled all day. We made the right choice.

I had peeked at the menu online and was really curious about the short rib grilled cheese--I looooove grilled cheese. But once I sat down and saw the burgers surrounding me I changed my mind. Their signature burger consists of house blend patty, pickle, iceberg, tomato, white onion, and "special sauce," but being not so much a fan of iceberg lettuce and also a fiend for grilled or soft juicy onions I settled on the "Melrose," with house blend, wild baby arugula, garlic roasted tomatoes, and red onion marmalade. And then I added Humbolt Fog cheese. Their house blend patties are a mix of sirloin, tri-tip, short rib, and chuck cured in their "himalayan salt-tiled locker." Yuummm.

You can also build your own burger, as an entire portion of the menu consists of lists of classic burger condiments and some other unconventional items like charred escarole or roasted green tomatoes or 7 different kinds of amazing cheeses. And the sauces! I love sauce, and there are so many choices. The only problem with this is that I was too overwhelmed with the choices to build my own burger, and the Melrose looked so good already. The waitress said Humbolt Fog goes best with it, and I didnt need to order a side sauce because the cheese was so creamy. But of course I found an excuse to order a side of roasted garlic aioli---for my fries! But not just ordinary fries--truffled potato skins. Anything with truffle has my name on it. Soon after everyone followed suit and we had a display of various (free) side sauces for dipping experimentations.

The only apprehension I have about burgers are their size--usually I cant finish one because all the ingredients for a towering pile of (delicious) stomach fillers. (The picture of the burger in my previous post was not mine, but just an example of the possibilities if you choose to go all out). One of the main factors of a filling burger is the bun--too thick, and I just dump it half way through so that I can enjoy my meat. But this bun was surprisingly light and fluffy, and didn't interfere with what was in between it at all. The humbolt fog cheese, as my waitress had recommended, went perfectly with the marmalade and juicy tomatoes, and I occasionally dabbed it in my aioli for an extra kick. And the potato skins---sooo delicious---were possibly the highlight of my meal. There was truffle-y goodness on every crisp bite. I could have just had an order of that and been happy. But of course I ate everything on my plate, and still didnt have to unbutton the top button of my jeans.

And a perk--my burger was $9 and the truffled potato skins were a steal at $4. I'd say a pretty good deal for what I just described above.

Here are some links:
8 oz Website
LA Times Review

Later! Nosher

(Note to Self: will start taking pictures of food soon)


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