Go Burger brings back the burger big time--review by Patti and Richard Pietschmann
Where hipsters prowl, in the heart of Hollywood at the corner of Sunset and Vine, sits a bright, airy restaurant that may represent the pinnacle of the Burger Boom that has consumed Los Angeles.
GO Burger takes the formula of upscale hamburgers (and, quite grudgingly, other comfort foods) combined with alcohol and an unmistakable cool vibe mined recently by the likes of Umami Burger and The Counter as far as it can—and probably should—reasonably go.
These days burgers—and of course fries—seem like the only food approved by the young and constantly hungry. Mac ‘n cheese is on the hipster food group list too, and here you can have it as a side ($8). But the same dudes who tool their Ninjas around town want it ON their burgers. The Mac ‘n Cheeseburger ($15 and take a deep breath) fries said gooey pasta and uses it as a patty topper. Talk about laughing in the face of a saturated fatty acid bomb.
Still, this is not just another craft beer fueled burger joint filled by guys in floppy knit hats and babes in skinny jeans and skyscraper stilletos. It means to be much better than that, and it is. Folks, here we have a genuine restaurant with not a Mac Airbook in sight. Just don’t expect white tablecloths or supercilious waitpersons.
First of all, the food is terrific, no surprise since it emanates from the same company that runs BLT Steak in L.A. and New York. So the burger meat is Black Angus and the deep fryer bubbles with genuine duck fat. That last means that the fries are just as delicious as in France (where duck fat or beef lard are the approved way to make fries) and spits on contemporary health notions the way only a nation that celebrates foie gras can.
But hey, no matter the hazard to one’s arteries, the fries are delicious. And so are the burgers. The Trio of Kobe Beef Sliders ($12) is a primer in GO hamburgers, while the “signature burgers” take the notion to the limit and slam its face into a wall. For instance, the Ultimelt ($14) tops the quarter-pound patty with caramelized onions and bacon and shoves it between the slices of grilled gruyere cheese sandwich. If you can heave aside the visual of arteries narrowing in real time, fantastic. “It’s my favorite,” said the manager through a guilt-ridden smile.
Burgers aside, the Tuna Tartare ($16) was better than many served in celebrated restaurants, and much more generous. There are even salads on the menu, though no one was observed playing with one.
Sadly, this review must close without commenting on GO’s milkshakes, another signature menu item. These may be prepared the usual way ($6) or with additional ingredients, such as the Monkey Business ($7) with chocolate ice cream, peanut butter and banana. Or “spiked” with liquor. Those hipsters!
Hungering for a burger and a shake, or just want to hang out with the hip crowd, head over to Go Bruger at 6290 Sunset Blvd. (corner of Vine) in the heart of Hollywood, tell them the LA Travel Diva Examiner sent you. Check it out here: http://www.goburger.com.
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