The Oinkster

Burger Week 2012

From June 4 through June 10, Andre Guerrero's retro-fied pastrami and burger shack in Eagle Rock will host round two of its popular Burger Week, which features a burger-a-day tribute to some of America's cherished cheeseburgers, re-engineered by the bun 'n' patty architects in the Oinkster kitchen.

Last year, the Oinkster took on McDonald's, Tommy's, the Grill 'Em All truck, Father's Office and Umami in a weeklong meat fest that drew surprisingly large crowds, some dedicated enough to try every one of the seven creations.

So what do they have planned for this year? Burger doppelgängers from In-N-Out, Jack in the Box, Carl's Jr. and White Castle (calling all East Coast expats) are all on the bill, as well as a special Filipino-inspired pork abodo burger, and a guest chef appearance by the guys from Grill 'Em All.

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G. Snyder

Spicy Jeju-Do Burger at Kalbi Burger

Though it may be more anecdotal than anything else, there is a popular theory that during South Korea's recession in the mid-to-late 2000's the country's young unemployed masses became especially enamored with a dish called buldak, or "fire chicken," a sauce-covered stir fry that was prepared so hot in some kitchens that too deep an inhale whilst chewing could cause a nosebleed. Apparently it served as a pseudo-stress reliever; the face-melting burn of pure capsaicin stimulates the release of feel good endorphins, buoying your mood when paired with an equally potent bottle of soju. The super-hot fad swept the country for a few years before smoldering out. (concurrent with the economy's improvement, interestingly enough).

You can find buldak in Koreatown too, including some howl-inducing versions LAPD might find useful if they were ever aerosolised them. But this food fight doesn't involve buldak, thankfully, instead focusing on a much tamer relative: the spicy hamburger, a specimen which proved to be rarer in this city that one might guess. But what could pump up a recession-addled brain with serotonin better the dual pleasures of a dank cheeseburger and a hefty dose of throat-searing gastric havoc?

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Anne Fishbein

Three milkshakes at Pier Burger

The Santa Monica Pier might be up there with Grauman's Chinese Theater on the short list of places that Angelenos know to avoid like the 101 at rush hour, especially when the withering heat of summer begins to settle in. Yet in spite of its tourist-trap idiosyncrasies -- the overpriced carnival rides, the Midwest retirees whizzing by on Segway tours, the guy wailing "Hotel California" on an out-of-tune six-string -- the Santa Monica Pier manages to capture something as essential to the Southern California lifestyle as Vin Scully's baritone melodies. On a cool blue day, when the salty tang moves lazily through the air and the breakers softly fold into the shore, a stroll along those lacquered wooden planks can feel just about perfect.

If you're the type who frequents the pier daily, like those grizzled dudes with a fishing pole permanently fused in hand, you may have noticed a pale green burger shack with a candy-striped awning that recently cropped up across from Bubba Gump's -- a place that looks like it's been there a lot longer than it actually has. This is Pier Burger, a low-entry concept from King's Seafood, a restaurant group better known for fancier places like Ocean Avenue Seafood, King's Fish House and the Water Grill downtown.

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There's skill on the grill at Shaka Shack, an island-themed burger joint on the south side of Santa Monica College. Tricked out with mismatched vintage furniture, moai figurines and a wall-sized print of a dreamy island sunset, Shaka Shack has the laid-back vibe of a beachside café -- but with far better burgers than any touristy beachside spot.

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Mac/Twitter

"Getting ready for Super Bowl Sunday"

In Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused, Matthew McConaughey's character, David Wooderson, is an aging post-grad who still hangs with the high school kids. He likes girls, reefer and football, though not necessarily in that order. A Texan and a football flick veteran, the real McConaughey isn't a long snap from the Wooderson character. Taking in this picture the actor posted on his Twitter yesterday, we can almost smell the half-time bong rips.

Robed and topped with a toque, Mac is garnishing a brace of burgers, staring through them with the kind of hollow-eyed intent that tends to arrive about two minutes after the smoke has cleared. If we could pick four people with whom to watch the Super Bowl, we would clone McConaughey and pick him four times. The burgers don't look bad, either. Mac's passion for beef was well-documented in that radio spot he did five years ago.

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D. Solomon

burger

Despite its name, The Escondite -- "hideout" in Spanish -- isn't that hard to find. It sits on the southeast corner of S. San Pedro and Boyd Streets on the border between Little Tokyo and Skid Row. (Owners Erin Carnes and Brian Traynam call the location "Skidrowkyo.") What's tricky is that the restaurant is set back behind a spacious parking lot. And you must decipher the wordless signs. At the parking lot's corner, an illuminated plastic sign displays an image of The Escondite's logo -- a single eye peering through a rustic wood door. The building is marked by a blue neon arrow pointing to the entrance.

The Escondite, a bar serving burgers, sandwiches (called "sandos"), salads and appetizers, opened in September. It replaced 410 Boyd, a spot that drew local creative types. On one visit, a gathering of L.A. noir and crime writers had conversed in the dimly lit back room well past midnight. In a recent mystery novel by Denise Hamilton, crime-fighting reporter Eve Diamond snacks on calamari at "Boyd Street Grill." She had been there before with an illustrious L.A. Times colleague who then slipped into an alley to score drugs.

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Here's another case where foreign ad agencies are handing American agencies their asses. South Africa's Wimpy Burgers has Braille menus for the blind, and to get the word out, they created some special burger buns using sesame seeds to spell out messages in Braille.

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Pasadena Restaurant Week

Perhaps cocky after the city's recent historic Rose Bowl game, Pasadena has issued a challenge for its upcoming Cheeseburger Week (January 15-20): Try them all. Then vote for your favorites in each category (lunch counter, traditional, gourmet, sliders, Kobe, etc.) online.

As we posted back in November, Pasadena claims the title of inventor of the cheeseburger. According to local lore, 17-year-old Lionel Sternberger had a "grilling error" at his father's diner, the Rite Spot, in the mid-1920s that led to the inadvertent creation of the American classic.

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Quick

Two of the three Star Wars-themed burgers.

One of Europe's bigger restaurant chains, the Belgian-based Quick is known for its mildly outlandish, limited-run sandwiches. Highlights include a burger topped with foie gras, a heart-shaped bun with two cheese-logged patties, and a salsa-topped burger. However, the latest entries really blast off into the stratosphere -- to a galaxy far, far away.

Yes, that's correct. Quick's new burgers are Star Wars-themed: The Dark Maul Burger, the Jedi Burger, and the Dark Vador Burger.

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J. Cabral

cheeseburger at Biergarten

Pasadena will be hosting a "Cheeseburger Week" starting on January 15th and going until the 20th. It will feature various renditions of the cheesy meat sandwich by a handful of popular places, even a sushi restaurant.

According to the press release (and Wikipedia), the cheeseburger was actually invented in the good 'ol North East L.A. community at "The Rite Spot," a popular sandwich shop in the mid 1920's.

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