Ever been to:
-Riders Club Cafe
-Biggie’s
-Pete’s Gourmade
I’ve been to Pete’s. They have a great burger there. My only quibble is that I think dill pickles would be better than the bread & butter pickles they use. I haven’t tried the other two. I don’t get down there a whole lot, and there are some other really good options.
Mayo on fries is awesome . Mix with ketchup . Or better yet curry ketchup . Popular in Germany .
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Good burger, fries suck.
The reason I do go more often is because of the fries.
I went once and regretted not saving the calories for Cream Pan across the 5 fwy.
My cousin is going to Germany. Maybe this time I’ll ask for curry ketchup instead of chocolate. That oughta’ throw her for a loop.
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Chocolate from Germany? Unless it’s Kinder Überraschung or Haribo Gummibärchen for the kids, yeah, definitely ask for curry instead. Now if there’s a stop in Belgium, that’s a different story…
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Haha… that’s funny. I’m not sure about the dark chocolate (husband’s fave), but I think the chocolate she brings is actually Belgium. We can get the Kinder here now and it tastes really good. But I wonder if it’s the same as Germany.
Hi!
I was trying to decide on N.S.'s or Belcampo’s blend for this weekend’s burgers. In my search I came across a Chowhound post that insisted her blend had too much fat for pan frying and must be grilled. I don’t know, yours looks pretty darn good to me! What do you think the reasoning is behind that theory?
Anyone feel free to jump in. Ahem… @nashwill, you were part of the CH conversation as well.
Thanks!
i say go for Nancy SIlverton’s. reasonably priced and they make a really good burger. It’s my Go-To. I drive from the SGV to pick up a couple of pounds when it’s burger time.
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i haven’t really noticed too fatty myself… let’s remember blends vary, especially over time as prehistoric as Chowhound. never bought belcampo for home use. my cast iron is big enough where i could leave a lot of the rendered fat in the pan
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bring me some frozen dumplings from Beijing Pie House next time! i’m across the street 
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Cost Plus World Market carries some of the German Kinder chocolates. They actually have a good selection of international candy.
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@ TheCookie – I’m too old to remember anything that happened less than twenty years ago, which apparently includes this entire thread … but I can tell you that it’s been an awfully long time since I cooked my last burger. Too many perfectly adequate (or better, or MUCH better) burgers to be had around Pasadena, and I can allow myself maybe two a month. However, I will say that flat-grilled always beats flame-grilled in my books, so if I wanted to cook one I would fire up my baby Weber and then put one of my iron skillets on it, because my exhaust fan doesn’t work anymore.
As for “too fat to pan-fry”, all I can say is that James Beard always recommended high-fat meat because cooking causes the meat to lose fat first, then moisture, and the more fat there is to lose the less moisture will be lost. I hope that’s clear enough. I once tried to make a low-fat bratwurst, and it came out tasting like pork-and-mace-flavored balsa wood, which belatedly reminded me of Beard’s warning. So I have never bought ground beef leaner that 80%, 70 if I can get it.
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Pann’s patty melt is just about the best, although it’s twice as much hamburger as I have any business consuming. I will say that when I took my (somewhat) younger brother, a fairly skinny biker, there on a visit a few years back, he sucked that monster down in about ten minutes and started asking about dessert … but I have decided that Pie’n’Burger’s little teeny but really expensive one is the best around here.
The Busy Bee Cafe in Ventura makes another monster that is also very, very good.
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your book is right… maximize that contact with the pan… get that cast iron smoking… smash it to stick in first 15 seconds only…
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Thanks!
Just the peeps I wanted burger advice from. It’s agreed… Yes to Silverton. Yes to CI (on or off grill). And ignore the prehistoric CH thread. Got it.
TBC… 
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Oh yeah… Thanks for the reminder.
One of the things I really like about the patty melt at Pann’s is you can order any of their sides. You’re not limited to fries or a salad. Their wonderful greens is an option.
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I mean burger flame broiled over smokey mesquite coals are nothing to sneeze at but it’s a different burger.
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