CITYWIDE — As Rachael Ray might say, “Yum-O.”
Santa Monica, renowned for its healthy green and leafy cuisine, is also home to some of the best burg-ers this side of Los Angeles County, maybe even the nation, with such popular restaurants as Father’s Office, the Library Alehouse and newly-franchised The Counter serving up massive quantities of the quintessential American meal daily.
While theories of the origin of the modern hamburger vary — from inhabitants of Hamburg, Germany, putting pork into a round-shaped bun to Mongols flattening their mutton beneath their saddles as they rode — few can deny the sandwich’s continual lure.
Santa Monicans, whose healthy eating habits and workout routines are legendary, are no different when it comes to the carnivore cravings.
“It tastes good,” said Ian Godburn of the Father’s Office interpretation. “I don’t even know how to explain it.”
Located at 1018 Montana Ave., The Office Burger, made from angus beef, is only served in one form — with caramelized onions, blue cheese, applewood bacon compote, gruyere and arugula. The tavern offers no alternative ingredients for picky customers, yet they keep coming back in droves.
The Library Alehouse on Main Street is also a popular destination for carnivores, especially on Monday nights, when it hosts a $5.99 special.
Don’t forget the sweet potato fries or the curly fries, said manager Elaina Leibee.
“It’s the traditional American burger,” Leibee said. “People love it.”
Besides an extensive selection of domestic and international beers, the restaurant, located at 2911 Main St., is well known for the Alehouse Gourmet Angus Burger. Made from a mixture of rib eye, New York steak and filet mignon, it doesn’t come cheap at $14, but its legions of followers don’t seem to mind.
Despite the hefty price tag, the Alehouse Gourmet Angus Burger is a customer favorite, Leibee said.
The burgers at Houston’s, 202 Wilshire Blvd., top Lawrence Ospina’s list of favorite places to fulfill the burger pangs.
“It’s a hickory burger with barbecue sauce, Canadian ham, and a ton of shredded cheese,” said Ospina. “It’s exceedingly juicy and exceedingly tasteful.”
The burger is one of the dishes you never see on Houston’s menu, but can easily be made if requested, Ospina said.
Oprah Winfrey swears by The Counter, 2901 Ocean Park Blvd., which gives customers the difficult decision of choosing among more than 312,000 different burger combinations.
The process of building a burger at The Counter involves five different steps, starting with choosing the type of burger, whether it’s beef or turkey or veggie, all the way down to selecting the type of bun.
Indecisive customers also have the option of choosing among the signature burgers.
“It’s just a good burger,” said Todd Lewis, who cites Hal’s Bar and Grill in Venice as his first burger choice, and The Counter second.
The burger is by far the most popular item at Rick’s Tavern, 2907 Main St., where the patty is made from fresh ground beef and marinated in different spices, ketchup and A1 sauce. Turkey and vegetarian patties are also infused with similar spices.
“It beats everything else on the menu by 15 percent,” said Kitchen Manager Jeff Schaeffer, who has incorporated his own family recipes into the menu at the restaurant.
“Everyone comes in and says,‘give me the burger, please, please,’” Schaeffer joked.
When Jason Barker of Culver City has a craving, he drives over to either Sunset Bar & Grill at 1240 Third St. Promenade or Johnny Rockets, 1322 Third St. Promenade, to get his burger on.
The burgers are bigger than what is served in most restaurants and the service is excellent, Barker said of Sunset Bar & Grill.
One of the few places in Santa Monica that serves up a burger with the authentic smoky flavor is Big Joe’s, at Broadway and 20th Street, said Shannon Kildare, who said she likes Father’s Office, but sometimes feels its burgers are too rich.
“It’s (Joe’s) a hole in the wall, but it’s one of the few places where the burger tastes like it’s been done on the grill,” Kildare said.
“Nothing else comes even close,” Kildare said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 27, 2006. Read the original PDF.