Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

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.

You finally found a good burger. Next time you go there just ask for half the cheese, just rings, and kill the shake, and I bet it will be 100% perfect!

*living vicariously*

I'd been pining over whether to spend the coin on 25 Degrees for months and months now. Friends have often raved about it but they're the same friends who rave about lots of high-priced mediocre food so until now I've been in the dark. Thanks for hitting the light switch, man. I think your comment about the shake is mucho hilarious!

Damon
this article is amazing....at your convenience could you please contact me privately at chris@domainerestaurants.com...i work for the management company that owns and operates 25 Degrees...thanks!
-Chris Engler

nice review. I always tell people 25 degrees is my favorite 'luxe" burger in LA and I think you've proved it. The meat there is fantastic.

We adopted my brother in 1971 when he was six weeks old. He was 1/2 Greek and 1/2 Black. We were a white family from a small town in Michigan. It was the greatest way to grow up in that we learned quickly what we were made of and what was important in this world.

We gave up many family members and "friends" during this journey but they were worth losing! I moved to Phoenix about 4 years ago and it's very different even than Michigan in terms of race relations! I was so excited to support Obama in McCain territory!

My husband and I love burgers. We have not gone to Delux even though we've been told by others that their burger is the "best." It justs seems so contrived. My favorite burger is at a little restaurant called Ticoz. I get the #3 with some very cool toppings including a lime mayo that is wonderful. They come 2 burgers to a plate and I always have a midnight snack left!

I've never enjoyed reading a burger review quite as much as this one. You are an amazing insightful person! Thank you for sharing your story.

Really rich post, Damon. Kudos for adding even more meaning to a subject you already relate so passionately. It truly enhances the experience. (I'm talking about life and burger-blog-reading here, dude.) I wept a little myself. Also, I'm pretty sure your second patty mooed at me from the depths of cyberspace. Dang, that's some rare meat.

Belonging to a particularly discriminating burger lover, I understand more and more the unabashed appeal of your offerings-- this is a wonderfully multi-layered post!

Um... I've been in therapy for weeks because of my AHT addiction. Just when my therapist and I thought we had it figured out (reference A-AHT in the DSM-IV) this new review comes along and messes everything up! I thought I loved your burger blog because I love hamburgers but now I realize it's because you're writing is like nothing else I've seen in the food world. Seriously, Damon, I read a TON of food blogs and articles and I'll say it: you are officially my favorite now. I feel awful for Jonathan Gold. Not only will you soon be putting him out of work but his chances of another Pulitzer now that you're in the mix is nil. Thanks for what you do here!

Nice post. Wish I'd known about that place when I first went out there and the streets were still dirt....wait, I'm not really that old...but it was a long time ago :) Look forward to your future posts.

God I love burgers, we have something here in the UK called burger sauce - do you have it there? It tastes like a mix of mayo, mustard (heaven forfend!) and ketchup, quite nice actually!

if you could have only one burger in LA, where would you go?

not a bad post. though i had nominated another person to fill the LA burger correspondent position at hamburger today (a legendary burger reviewer from another blog/social site), and wished that he had been selected, i can't deny that the person chosen posted a rock-solid entry that was both whimsical and near-scientific in its approach and execution. living in the part of the country where the burger as we know it today exploded as a part of american pop culture (southern california), i'm glad that hamburger today finally has a designated correspondent (albeit one raised in... horror of horrors!!! new york city). best of luck with your future postings...