Sipping “L.A.’s finest” out of wine glasses really sealed the deal on the ambiance. The cocktail list had some conceptual drinks with creative ingredients, one of which I had to Google. Orgeat? Seriously, spell check recognizes the word, but I don’t (great for Scrabble?). The waiters were no-nonsense, bow-tie-wearing professionals, who used their hands to help illustrate the menu items (spirit fingers). The restaurant provided us beef-eaters with no menus, only the choice of how we wanted our meat cooked. It was kind of refreshing to only have one choice, almost liberating. So my one-word order was placed: Medium.
Then came the waiting game, a game consistent with table-clothed establishments. It’s one thing to charge $18 for a burger, but another to play hard to get with a 1/2 pound of grilled beef. But they finally started trickling out of the kitchen as the waiters did juggling acts with several plates at a time. These guys are pros! And so were the chefs. The burgers had a golden brown bun, puffy and rich with flavor. I peaked under the top bun to find this crazy frisèe that looked like a green afro on top of a thick, juicy patty. Mine was perfectly cooked, though I heard some grumblings through the crowd to the contrary (sorry Lauren). There were diced tomatoes, melted gruyere cheese, and a tasty sauce. The burger wasn’t anything inventive or funky (like the delicious sushi-burger I had last month at 26 Beach), it was a classic burger with a kick in the ass. And it tasted great!
But overall my meal left me a bit south of satiated. As I observed my late-comer of a neighbor taking his first bites, I questioned how it was possible that I was finished with that large man-burger, yet still hungry. Can it be the psychology that we don’t trust gourmet meals, even burgers, to fill us? Or was it the pot brownie I ate 4 hours ago? We’ll never know. But there wasn’t a thing wrong with those fries! Debatably as good, if not better, than the burger. And though the entire meal was tasty (and noticeably overpriced), something was a bit lacking…especially if it’s going to compete in this burger-haven of Los Angeles. We are burger snobs, so STEP IT UP!
What was truly lacking was the BEU ballot, am I right? Come on, Cheapshot! Where was the “who’d win in a fight” bit??? Even your worst one of those was better than the burgers at Mo’s!
Additional Comments:
“Fries were well done & delicious. Company was superb.” -Lavelle
“This burger is good but generally salty and overpriced. If you consider that fries com with the burger, I guess the cost is more palatable. But still too salty. The meat was actually cooked properly to order, however, this does not usually happen with a group this size.” -Binks
“Frisbee = not okay! =( Boo! Not a happy burger topping. Crispy fries brought tears to my eyes!” -Kat Basolo
“Cheese was a highlight” -Joe Seiders
“I live next door so I know!” -Bleu
“I almost didn’t make it but Cheapshot saved the day and I’m very glad he did. Excellent!” -Garrett McElver
“Loved how rare my burger was!” -Cristie Munoz
“Tasty! Love the burger $ fries combo.” -Erin Fuentes
“First bite – incredible! Then as soon as I came from my hunger black out I thought, this is just an ok burger. It did the trick.” -Kristin Genovese
“Kinda like my prom date senior year of high school. Great to look at but ultimately not that satisfying.” -Adam Sellers
“Everybody gets a bun. Except Justine – she chose not to. And Jonathan. He did not get a bun, either. I also got free flan and I wasn’t even the blogger. Five thumbs up.” -Lauren Reynaldo
“Garret McElver talks too much.” -Cheapshot
“Meh” -Justine
Out of 24 total BEU members in attendance, here’s how The Larchmont fared:
Appearance: 8.15
Patty: 7.19
Taste: 7.26
Creativity: 6.30
Bun: 7.08
Toppings: 7
Price: 4.96
Service: 6.92
Overall Score: 6.86119
