Funny how one blog post can instantly change your evening plans. Via the food-wire, if you hear there’s a one-night event involving one of LA’s finest chefs themed around burgers — recession be damned, you go. At least, that’s how my mind works.
Nancy Silverton while famous through her La Brea Bakery and her collaborative Mozza-venture with Joe Bastianich and Mario Batali, is not unfamiliar with the burger world. Few chefs can champion a specific butcher item named after them, but those who have frequented Huntington Meats at the Grove can attest to the glories of the “Nancy Silverton blend,” a specific burger mixture of prime chuck and sirloin fat, combining to a juicy total of about 20~28% fat.
This event was said to be a preview of a possible burger restaurant and joint project with Amy Pressman of Old Town Bakery. Oh yes, we knew two things coming in — the bun and burger patty would and should be delicious. But before we could attain carnivorous gratification, came course 1 in a 3-plate prix fixe.
A clean enjoyable plate of ripe honey dew and cantaloupe pieces topped with Cowgirl Creamery cottage cheese, a light chiffonade of mint, and the smallest pinch of chili flakes. Tart and sweet with the most minimal undertones of spicy. The dish was an unexpected starter, awakening the palate and preparing us for the rich burger to come.
Two burger options were available for the evening. The first that was tried was the grassfed cheeseburger, which came topped with Grafton cheddar and pickled green tomatoes. Accompaniments for the dish were some shoestring fries and a small slaw of red cabbage and corn. In regards to bun and patty expectations — they were instantly met upon first bite. The brioche bun was rich, buttery, soft but thoroughly firm enough to hold up to the meat. The patty itself came perfectly rare though not nearly as juicy as I had expected, the overall beefy flavor was quite good. While I tend to be a fan of most things pickled, the green tomatoes had an overwhelming flavor of cinnamon that led us to eventually take them off midway through the meal. The side of slaw went well with the burger and the mini shoestring fries were sublime, some of the best I’ve ever had. In fact, I think the small set of sides were our favorite part of the dish.
The bacon lardon burger came sans top-bun, meant to be eaten with a fork and knife. It was topped with dressed frisee and a fried egg. Delectable smoky bits of bacon lardons were scattered about. What hit us first was the aggressive use of black pepper for this burger iteration. In conjunction with the richness of egg and smoky lardons, it worked harmoniously. If living in Los Angeles has taught me anything, it’s that Angelenos all seem to have their own preferred flavor profiles when it comes to burgers. Admittedly, this was far and above much more to my liking. I’d eat this breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Again, to my delight the patty came rare. It occurs to me that the server never took our desired temperature for this order, but the meat was fortunately cooked the way I would usually order it. Taken into consideration that these patties are made from grassfed beef which typically has a lower fat content, I wouldn’t be surprise to see that the default cooking for the rest of that evening (and for the future restaurant) stayed at rare, no more than medium-rare. The patty while fairly flavorful, did lack that rich and fatty juicy “punch.” However in this case, it was compensated by the bacon lardons.
Dessert was comprised of bourbon ice cream topped with a sliced fig and salted cashew cookies. My dinner companion really loved the cookie, while I was fairly pleased with the not-too-sweet bourbon ice cream. Dessert usually being an afterthought for me, I’ll say was an enjoyable end note to the meal, but didn’t wow either of us by any means.
What does this glimpse offer us? A future burger joint with strong and varied flavor profiles that’ll also offer seasonally-inspired plates governed by that same philosophy. If Tuesday night was a sneak peek of things to come, count me pleasantly intrigued for the feature showing.
