During the holidays, I suspect you might do as I do, adapting a diet that has nothing to do with the way you live the other 11 months of your year.
For me, it’s too much eggnog, too many creamy gravies, rich holiday appetizers that I would never eat any other time of the year (who can pass up anything wrapped in phyllo dough?), and one sugary thing after another.
The Bridge Back to Diet Normalcy
For some reason – and invariably as the holiday season winds down – my rather warped brain begins to crave a good old-fashioned hamburger. I consider it my Bridge Back to Normalcy, a mental coup of sorts against roasted turkey, baked ham and prime rib roast.
Of course, a handful of our great chefs in town think an “old fashioned burger” should be more of a decadent celebration, too. And, for some reason, I don’t argue this … my eggnog-addled brain simply accepts this as a gentler descent across that bridge before I’m faced with detoxifying juices on the other side.
So, I’m updating my list of Best Burgers in Laguna Beach this week just in case you, dear reader, feel the tug of one more culinary venture before the New Year tolls, making sensible eaters of us all.
An Editorial Note:
Permit a few caveats before we begin this slippery slope of a review:
- I wasn’t able to try every hamburger in town.
- The list below is ranked by price, from lowest to highest.
- Yes, we have a number of great vegetarian and vegan burgers in town that are worthy of their own column.
- You might have a favorite burger in one of our fine dining establishments that’s not mentioned here. We welcome your vote and commentary on this terribly serious subject at my FB page: https://www.facebook.com/BestofLagunaBeach
Towering Edifices of Wonder
Even as Laguna Beach sports a number of great burger-centric restaurants, the chefs at our finer dining restaurants bow to the burger, too.
These chefs, though … they don’t make normal food, and they certainly don’t make normal hamburgers. I discovered towering edifices of wonder with unique combinations of ingredients and detailed preparation steps that would leave the ordinary backyard grill guy agog.
Grab your dinner napkins and let’s get started.
Reunion Kitchen Classic Cheeseburger
Probably the highest tower of them all, Scott McIntosh’s Classic Cheeseburger is more like a national monument. Add optional avocado, bacon or fried egg, and you have a replica of The Leaning Tower of Pisa on your hands.
Creation Date: At his first Reunion Kitchen in Anaheim, Dec. 2013
Sold per week: 75-100
What makes the Reunion Classic Cheeseburger memorable: A half-pound patty of ground chuck serves as the base to sliced tomato, thick house-made pickle slices, crisp lettuce, melted cheese (type of cheese is your option), and crispy fried onion strips with house sauce (a house-made, spicier version of Thousand Island dressing with the restaurant’s own secret pickle relish combo), slathered on both halves of the potato bun. Avocado, fried egg and bacon are optional add-ons (2 of the 3 are pictured in my photo).
Scott McIntosh’s Secrets: After selling many burgers at many different restaurants over the years, McIntosh learned a “French technique” while working with Restaurateur David Wilhelm at French 75.
“We served a ‘Butter Burger’ at French 75, which was actually stuffed with about a tablespoon of butter,” says McIntosh. “I carried that idea over with about a half tablespoon in our Reunion burger. It’s just enough that, when the patty hits the grill, the butter bubbles out and over and gives it that rich flavor.
Price: $13.95 Served with: Seasoned fries
Skyloft’s “The Cheeseburger”
A devoted fan of In-N- Out in his growing up, formative years, Chef Arthur Ortiz has created an insanely popular burger “that harkens back to that nostalgic taste,” he says.
“Cheeseburgers are a go-to for a lot of guests,” says Chef Arthur. “Sometimes you just want a classic burger that’s just messy enough but can still be held in your hand without falling apart everywhere. I created it for people who have that ‘classic burger’ heart.”
Aside from weekly sales of 1,000 pounds of smoked ribs, brisket and house-made maple-basted bacon, Chef Arthur’s Cheeseburger is the most popular item on the menu.
Creation Date: May 2016, when he first came on board at Skyloft.
Sold per week: 300+
What makes the Skyloft Cheeseburger memorable: Two tenderized 4-ounce patties hard-seared on the griddle, two “just melty” slices of white American cheese, a rabble of small-diced fresh tomato, red onion and pickles, and crisp iceberg lettuce. It’s finished with a healthy slather of top-secret black peppercorn aioli on a cushy bun.
Price: $15 Served with: Hand-cut fries with sea salt seasoning and Cajun aioli dipping sauce
Added bonus: Every Monday, The Skyloft Cheeseburger is just $10. And, any day it rains in Laguna Beach, you can order it for $10, too.
The Lumberyard’s Signature Burger
Waddling due east on Forest Avenue from Skyloft, I find my way to the Lumberyard. At my request, Owner Cary Redfearn and Chef Armando Ortega whip up their Signature Burger, a half-pound Angus ground chuck that is probably the prettiest burger I’ve seen.
Creation date: Day 1, 2008 when the restaurant opened.
Sold per week: 200+
What makes the Lumberyard Signature memorable: Bleu cheese, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, mushroom chips, Bibb lettuce and fresh slices of tomato on a lightly toasted, freshly baked wheat bun.
Chef Armando’s Secrets: Chef Armando’s unusual mix of Bleu and Swiss cheeses creates a union happier than any past, present or future détente between France and Switzerland.
He also flash fries fresh mushrooms into “chips,” which provide an “earthier, mellower balance to the cheeses.” The caramelized onions are Sweet Vidalia, to add yet another nuance of mellow, nutty sweetness to the cheeses. And, the star of the show – Nueske Bacon from Wisconsin – drapes the burger in glory. “There’s nothing like Nueske,” says Redfearn. “It’s double-thick Applewood smoked bacon and it goes with everything. It’s magical stuff.”
Price: $16 Served with: Steak fries
Sapphire Pantry & Restaurant’s Kobe Beef Cheeseburger
This burger began quietly at Sapphire Restaurant’s shop next door, The Pantry. Its popularity exploded to such an extent that Chef Azmin Ghahreman was quick to add it to the restaurant’s lunch menu, too.
The real love here starts with the beef itself. This is Snake River Farms Kobe beef, where cows are given daily neck massages and guzzle beer. The Japanese culture “invented” Kobe beef on the belief that happy cows made for stellar meat. Having tried this burger, I’m all for happy cows.
Creation Date: Day 1, 2007 when the restaurant opened.
Sold per week: 200-250
What makes the Kobe Cheeseburger memorable: Havarti cheese, caramelized onion, fresh arugula, Heirloom tomato on a brioche bun.
Chef Azmin’s Secrets: Azmin tops his happy beef with a thick slice of Havarti cheese “because its mild creaminess melds so nicely with the bite of the arugula,” says Azmin.
Azmin is all about contrast. Sweet caramelized onions champion the mild Heirloom tomato slices, while the buttery, sweet Brioche bun is brushed with a house-made Dijon aioli.
Price: $12 at the Pantry, $18.50 on the Lunch menu Served with: Thin-cut garlic fries
Three Seventy Common Kitchen’s 10-Napkin Burger
If you’ve ever wondered why Three Seventy Common gives you a cloth dinner napkin the size of a dishtowel, it’s because of this burger. Chef Ryan wasn’t kidding when he named this signature dish, as it’s heavenly drippiness for all the right reasons.
The burger itself is an all-natural blend of ground chuck, skirt steak, short ribs and hanger steak. It’s ground fresh daily in the restaurant, and they will never tell you the percentages of meats used, so don’t even ask.
Creation Date: Shortly after re-opening as Three Seventy Common, Chef Ryan Adams added this burger to the foodie-famous menu as “it was the burger I was always prepping for myself at the end of a shift,” he says.
Sold per week: 100-150
What makes the 370 10-Napkin Burger memorable: White cheddar, arugula, fried egg, smoked bacon, mushrooms, roasted chile, caramelized onions, and Chef’s secret aioli sauce on a freshly baked potato bun.
Chef Ryan’s Secrets: For starters, if you’re definitely not a fan of eggs, you can ask to have it omitted. If, however, you haven’t ever tried a fried egg on your hamburger, it’s time to take the leap.
The chile is an authentic Hatch, New Mexico fire-roasted chile, and this is no dinky chile. Its smoky goodness blends perfectly with the sautéed mushrooms and all-natural Applewood bacon. The 2-year-aged white cheddar comes from the Grafton village of Vermont, chosen specifically for its high butterfat and mellow smoothness.
Price: $19 Served with: Hand-cut fries.
Where’s Your Next Cheeseburger in Paradise?
Any time you venture into a finer dining establishment, I know it can be a struggle to order something as mundane as a hamburger when there’s all that other glory on the menu to be had. Remember, though – if this Chef has foodie talent, you can bet his house burger is a far cry from a snoozer. Really … it’s your New Year’s duty to give these burgers a try. Let me know what you decide to try at: https://www.facebook.com/BestofLagunaBeach