Burger Joint Run Down

Mr. Suhr has a favorite food. 

Burgers. 

Any kind. 

Put a big, delicious steak in front of him and he'll choose a burger every time. 

We're always trying to find the next best burger. 

Some of our favorite places recently (out here on the West Coast) are: 

The Counter. Located in Irvine (there are more than one), this is a great little place 

where you get an awesome menu and get to pick your own toppings. 

And there are LOTS to choose from.

They say they are "the 21st Century's bold answer to the classic burger joint."

Here's a sample of the menu: 

And here's what a typical Counter burger looks like. 

Massive. 

With the ability to pile on the toppings, these things just keep growing.

This was Garrett's from last time we were there. It's a 3/4 pound lamb burger, corn and black bean salsa, pepperocinis, onion straws, caramelized onions, and fresh mozzarella on a soft pretzel bun. 

My favorite combo is something like the chicken, with jalapeño jack cheese, organic mixed greens, roasted corn & black bean salsa, housemade guacamole, sun dried tomatoes, 

and roasted garlic aioli sauce, all on a multi-grain bun. 

So good. 

Another burger place we recently went to with one of Garrett's RA's, Nathan, and his fiance, Jessica was a place in Santa Monica called Umami Burger. 

Their claim to fame is that they have created the fifth taste. 

The first four tastes are sweet, sour, salt and bitter. 

The fifth, Umami, can be simply described as savory. 

More information on it can be found here. :) 

Our Umami experience was definitely a repeater. We will be back. :)

Burgers, smushed potatoes, onion rings, sweet potato fries, and shoestring fries. 

Garrett and I split an Umami Burger, which had all kinds of crazy stuff on it. Apparently, the idea is that all the different flavors give it one unique taste that is super complimentary. 

We also split the Port and Stilton Burger. 

The burgers even have a U stamped on top! Neat-o!

One of Mr. Suhr's current RA's and his fiance, Nathan & Jessica. 

3 out of the 4 of us started off ordering water until the waiter told us that all proceeds from the bottled root beer went directly to an animal shelter. Jessica and I are all about saving the animals. :) 

All four of us ended up with root beer. 

Last, but most certainly not least....the burger of all time. 

I know without a doubt that I have found my perfect burger. 

I ate it one night at a teeny tiny place called Father's Office. 

(The website, unlike the burger, leaves much to be desired.)
This little establishment is in Santa Monica and holds maybe a total of 35 people inside. 

It's not big at all, and you really have to fight through the crowds 

to get to the counter where you place your order. 

There is one burger on the menu, and you can't make any substitutions. 

Luckily, you don't need to. It's seriously that good. 

It was on a soft, wheat & grain roll, it was perfectly cooked to a nice medium rare, and it had a blue cheese spread, carmelized onions, and fresh baby spinach. Sounds simple enough, but I can't tell you how good this burger was. Served with a side of garlic shoestring fries.

 I seriously could eat one of these on a very regular basis. 

And though this post may not show it, I'm not that much of a burger girl. 

I am, however, a little hungry...

This may have been the longest I have ever thought about the subject of burgers...ever. 

I'm sure Garrett could say otherwise. :)