1018 Montana Ave. Santa Monica, CA 90403
Santa Monica, CA... known for it's healthy lifestyle, home of the Governator's alma mater, neighbor to Venice beach, place of the farmers market drive thru... ouch.
When I think of Californian cuisine, I think traditional turned tofu... just look at what California Pizza Kitchen did to good 'ole pizza! Bastards! So when the few west coast chapter fans the club has, told me about the best burger invented, I thought, what did they do now to ruin a simple food item. Blue Cheese cooked in the meat? Arugula and French bread?! This is not right. What happened to pickles, buns, ketchup?
Well, there are no substitutions with Chef Yoon's signature blue cheese burgers. When did the Soup Nazi move out west? If you like ketchup, bring your own, you say you can't eat blue cheese the doctor says it's bad for the bambino, no soup for you!
So much for first impressions. This place is the shiz-nit! As long as you get there on an off hour like we did, Monday at 5pm. Fathers Office was the last place on my 5 burgers 4 day tour of California... a perfect end and a great way to prepare for the red-eye back home. The clean woodsy room greats you like an Ivy League bar... a bar with many beers. All ill feelings towards how I would be treated were checked at the door when I saw the 30-something draft beers on tap... and the bar mate was courteous and knowledgeable. Horny Devil or Delirium... so many choices.
We started our visit with some casual Trivial Pursuit and a cheese plate to go with our first round. I felt like I was in the modern day Regal Beagle... rest in peace Jack Tripper. I have no ide what cheeses I ate, but they were tasty... and accompanied like a real cheese plate with bread, walnuts, and a honey and basil oil sauce. Good choice guys! We all fared average on the trivia, but I think we were all thinking of something else.
Well, the time to eat the meat arrived. I was excited, just look at this beast! it was already revealing it's sweet and juicy side by its' ooze... a thick charred on the outside pink in the middle cake of love topped with with a generous portion of caramelized onions and arugula... the lightly toasted French bread asking to be held. No cheese on this burger cause like I mentioned before, it's mixed and cooked in the meat... blue cheese, which I'm a big fan of but felt after my first blue cheese burger experience almost a year ago, that it's too overwhelming. Well, not this guy. A zen-like experience. sweet and bitter, savory and just plain good. I didn't miss any of the usual condiments... Chef Yoon has created a masterpiece of flavor. No wonder they don't take any substitutions, it's perfect just the way it is.
I'm looking forward to my next trip back to the west. I'll still go to In-N-Out as it's the best burger $1.85 can buy, and Apple Pan for it's crisp, hickory, cheddar masterpiece. And, even though F.O. charges over $10 for their unique blue baby, I would spend twice that to experience it again in the east... well, maybe not twice, but I had no problem spending more for this than the wax paper guys Cali is known for. I just wish we remebered to order the sweet potato fries... I hear those are the bomb too.
Now I'm off to the Shake Shack.
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