Happy 2018, folks! We had an unexpected hit on our hands this time around with the Laurel Point in Studio City!  Sadly, this was a somewhat sparsely attended BEU, presumably due to it being the week of too many holiday parties. So while many of you drowned yourselves in Poinsettia Spritz Punch and Santa’s Jello Jigglers, a few of us had one of my favorite burgers of the year.

After completing my yearly holiday tradition of spitting on books about Joe Arpaio and David Clarke at Barnes & Noble, I moseyed over to Laurel Point, which is situated on the second story of a Stud City strip mall. Upon arrival, I was struck by the restaurant’s warm ambiance and nautical chic decor, which included rope curtains, rustic wire basket pendant lights and hints of fish scale mosaic tiles. Our server was graceful, flattered that we’d selected their humble seafood eatery to host our burger club. This seemed due to the fact that they only had one burger to choose from: the almighty “Point Burger”.

After putting away a couple of Figueroa Mountain beers, I ordered a burger with everything on it, which included “point” sauce (a vaguely thousand island-esque concoction), spicy pimento cheese, and the usual fixings (lettuce, pickle and tomato). Due to its size, the burger was pierced with a thin wood skewer to hold it all together. As a side note, if anything was truly impressive about the evening, it was watching Brayden consume his entire burger with the skewer still in place.

I ordered my burger medium rare, and while I’m no Jonathan Gold, I can say with the confidence that it came out just right. This beacon of flavor was juicy, a bit earthy, and had just the right amount of tenderness. The bun was firm and garnered with sesame seeds, a choice I’ll always endorse. When all was said and done, the Point Burger won my lardy heart. And a generous helping of fat crispy fries with a soft center certainly didn’t hurt. Color me impressed, Laurel Point!

After a wonderful evening, I attempted to smuggle everyone’s favorite unsavory burger hat out of the restaurant to the nearest Laundromat, but Brayden stopped me before I could make my escape. But it’s the thought that counts, right?

Out of 26 people in attendance, here’s how Laurel Point fared:

Appearance: 8.6666

Patty: 8.6111

Taste: 8.2222

Creativity: 6.5555

Bun: 8

Toppings: 7.7222

Value/Price: 6.8888

Service: 8.8333

TOTAL: 7.9374

And “Cold hard cash” beat out “Thoughtful, loving presents” in the “Who would win in a fight?” category.

Additional Comments:

Jake R.: Nice burgah!

Vince Villanueva: Burger didn’t fall apart (which I appreciate considering the number of toppings). A lot of stuff to deal with, but it was a great way to end the year!

Alex V.: This burger was fuckin bomb and juicy AF. Good choice on the dranks too, yahhh.

Michael Persh: Cooked burger. What’s to not like?

Oscar Mazzola: For one burger option…I’m satisfied. Brayden’s e-blasts are amazing.

Talia Rubino: What’s up with elves? What is their deal? Oh the burger was ok. I was hungry, and it made me not hungry after eating it. The brussel sprouts were A++.

binks: Service = A+++. Alex Valenti’s Insta-photo direction = D—. First off, everyone should order the 47 Ronan, then you should order the burger (with pimento cheese!!) and the coleslaw (raisins! Onions!). Fries are basic. You’ll be fine. Don’t need ’em.

Peter Wade: Slaw A++.

Jamin: They overcooked my burger. I asked for medium rare and it came out medium well. What’s that about??

Brayden: Genuinely think this was my favorite burger of 2017. The proportions were perfect, the bun was…well, what a bun should be, and the meat was cooked amazingly/was juicy supreme. Coming from a seafood joint, this was extremely unexpected, but not as unexpected as how good their fries were. Again, at a seafood joint.

Russell Nygaard: B.O.M.B.