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# Hamburger joints seem stylish to GQ
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/hamburger-joints-seem-stylish-to-gq/
- Published: 2005-07-07T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:23:02.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Business, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Daily Press staff*

When it comes to dining, almost nothing is more American than the hamburger. As part of its July America issue, GQ sent National Magazine Award-winning correspondent Alan Richman on a quest to find the best of the best, which he found two of in Santa Monica. ■ The “California Burger” at Houston’s in Santa Monica. “When you figure how many millions of burgers emerge from chain-restaurant kitchens, it’s not surprising that one of them gets it right. Houston’s burger has zero flaws,” Richman wrote. ■ The “Build your own burger” at the Counter in Santa Monica. “By the owner’s calculation, this spot offers more than 300,000 burger possibilities,” Richman wrote. A new jewel found on Wilshire

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 7, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/070705.pdf?ref=smdp.com)