Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Great writing. Love Wizard of Oz references. Somewhere over the rainbow I'll have enough money to shop at a place like this and not feel guilty about my indulgences.

Yes, Victor's would be better, but I'd go for the (not cheap either) Rueben there.

So, for the record, I have never met or corresponded with Damon Gambuto (but, I would love to!). Also, for the record, I had Baby Blues delivered a few weeks ago, and had an extra-ordinary experience - story to follow.

To all the folks who are upset that Damon did not review the BBQ at Baby Blues, from what I can tell Damon Gambuto is a Los Angeles based burger correspondent, and he is great at what he does. Sometimes BBQ joints can offer up a good burger. In fact, Damon recently reviewed three burgers at Zeke's Smokehouse, which is directly across the street from Baby Blues. It is a great write up, and you can search for it on this site.

I went to Zeke's Smokehouse last night based on Damon's review and I loved it, and commented earlier today on that piece - thanking him, because the burger was so tasty. Damon gave baby Blues the same shot, and didn't love the burger. Oh, well. Get over it. At least he was brave enough to give that combination of flavors a fair shake.

BTW - I once had a a grilled veal chop topped with melted brie and lingonberries that was exquisite. Perhaps the burger would shine if the blue cheese and bacon stood out more and the sauce had whole berries rather than being more of a pureed sauce. It would probably require arugula to balance the sweet, salty and pungent with some peppery goodness. But, as a purist, I would still prefer a good, quality burger without all the hoopla and dressy fanfare. That's just how I roll.

I am assuming Lincolnberry is an Ebonics-esque play on lingonberry. If you are truly curious, give Baby Blues a call.

My experience at Baby Blues? My husband and I wanted beef ribs, and when I asked the gal on the phone how many came with the order she replied, "one - it's like a big steak." We decided to give it a shot, and each ordered one, which came with a choice of two sides. I opted for collards and mashed potatoes, hubby had corn and cole slaw. The sides were delish, but one of the ribs was burnt and less than half the size of the other rib.

I let my honey have the good rib and insisted he eat it while I called, because I am sweet like that (and we had just moved into our new place and he had been doing hard physical labor and desperately needed the fortification). The hostess got the manager who apologized profusely and asked if I wanted another rib. I did. Forty minutes later, the manager showed up at the door and told my hubz he cooked it himself. Maybe it was my sultry phone-sex voice, but I'd like to think it was solid dedication. Anyways, it was nice. A chuck blade, essentially. It didn't rock my socks off, but it was a good chuck rib weighing in at 16 ounces or more, and it was properly (lovingly?) cooked. The sauce was not my favorite, as it was a bit sweet and overly tart with vinegar for a tomato based sauce, and the XXX sauce was a bit salsa-like for my taste. The service, on the other hand, made a strong, favorable impression.

Thanks for the well-written review, Damon. As I left Zeke's last night, I glanced across the street and wondered if Baby Blues had a decent burger. Now I know what to expect.

Maack out.

on top of what seemed like a middling burger, it always steams me when i asks for medium rare and you take a bite and there isn't a hint of pink meat to be found. personally, i'd rather have my burger be on the rarer side when i order medium rare that for it to be slightly "overcooked"... from your picture it seemed that your burger was at least medium. maybe more over-cooked than that....

and on this side discussion on beef... i think all should agree that farm is preferred to factory and anything we can do as consumers to encourage more farm-beef, the cheaper it will become (relatively speaking) and the better burgers we will all be eating.

Great review, Damon, and spot on commentary on Redondo. I'm from the area originally, growing up there. Your observations make me miss my home terribly - my best friend, who lives in Seattle now, and I used to go to that very El Torito you mentioned for their crappy Sunday brunch, just to enjoy the view. I guess I'll have to grab a burger there the next time I'm home.

Save your money, folks. The burger at 25 Degrees is a sad affair. Today, the service was both inattentive and poorly timed. But on to the food. Great rings and tasty fries. The burger meat itself is great--one is keenly aware that it is sirloin, and that is a good thing. Sadly, both burgers were overcooked, and the bun is a disaster. The top of bun was tough and dry enough to make a "thock" sound when tapped with a fingernail. It basically overwhelmed the burger with dry joylessness. The bottom of the bun, also a shamefully overbaked puck of parched, crumbling sadness.The cheese was not melted over the burger, but simply served as an unmelted pile of gunk in the center of the burger, which had so be scraped from the bun and then spread.

The high point is that the waitress must have stuffed two angels down the back of her pants to present such a compelling view. So, the highlights---Good sides, good sights, good sirloin.

Overview: 25 Degrees is a weak suck and can be avoided.

"Kogi taco . . .a mediocre exercise in fusion cuisine"

That's putting it mildly.

Keep on reviewing these fusion burgers -- the truth needs to be told.

Food truck food can be fun, though. It's the attempts at street 'haute cuisine' that fail. In LA..head down to the garment district or the Jewelry Mart areas and try a breakfast burrito from one of the many trucks...especially Alfredo's! Huge, fresh made, incredibly delicious and totally satisfying...and all for $5.50! I've tried some of the haute cuisine trucks...no thanks. Over priced, small portions and usually tasteless.

Do ya still have the afro Damon?

Congrats on the 1 year anniversary and thanks for being my L.A. Burger Guide. I can honestly say that you've revolutionized the way I look at burgers. You also revolutionized the size of the spare tire surrounding my waist as I've become a burger addict. Your reviews are well worth the added pounds to my frame. Here's to another year of reviews!

This was so much fun to read! I'm glad you had so much fun eating the burger. I'm a cook there and was wondering if you can email the group shot you took.

About the bacon, we recieve the bacon whole, and break it down into squares before we cook it - it would be too hard to cut, it would also mean we would have to cut everything at once, which would take too long and is too hard to store correctly. As far as the taste: its everything you ever wanted from bacon, but didn't know you were allowed to ask for more.

This is the best write-up I've seen on here in weeks. Great work - and what looks like a great burger. Twice-fried fries look awesome too.