Southern California's Top Three Burgers

Not too long ago we released our first e-book, Golden State Eating. The first chapter is about the top three margaritas in Southern California. Well, to go along with that idea, we're going to tell you about our top three burgers to kick off a week dedicated to our home of Los Angeles and the surrounding area.

We've lived here all our lives and have had burgers from the borderlands of Imperial Beach all the way up to the shadows of Mt. Lassen.  Probably spent a good chunk of our meager fortune eating them, too.

At the top of the list is the best burger, bar none...price be damned...in the area.

Perched atop a dramatic cliff, overlooking the mighty Pacific Ocean is Nelson's. Nelson's is named after Lloyd Bridges' character in the old Sea Hunt tv series, which was filmed on this very spot back when it was Marineland of the Pacific, a sea-life park like Sea World.

Now, this 300 acre plot of land is the spectacular resort called Terranea in Rancho Palos Verdes.

The Nelson's burger (pictured at the top of this post), weighing in at a base price of $16 (now $24 - Ed), is no lightweight on the wallet.  1/3 pound of premium ground beef, cooked to your specific order, topped with arugula, tomatoes, red onions, sweet pickles, and a cup of black bean mayo on the side. We get ours with the addition of bleu cheese crumbles and applewood smoked bacon for the most savory, juicy, and satisfying bite of beef and bun you're likely to have. 

The cheese and bacon bump up the price to $18 and it is worth every penny and more. It also includes an order of very good fries and million dollar views of the ocean next to cozy firepits.

Our second favorite burger is a little more than half the price of the Nelson's burger. Eureka! is a new, growing chain in California with 7 locations spread out from Fresno to San Diego. Our local location is in the college town of Claremont, on the Los Angeles/San Bernardino county line.

While there are a number of great ways to have your burger here, our favorite is the Cowboy burger with a 1/2 pound patty, topped with two nice slabs of bacon, shoestring onion straws, and a house beer barbecue sauce. Also served with fries, you can upgrade to sweet potato fries, onion rings, cole slaw, or a side salad for $1.25 extra over the $10.95 (Now $14 - Ed) price.

It's juicy, a bit messy, and very tasty. Especially, when washed down with one of the excellent craft beers on tap.

Our last burger is legend. It's an absolute bargain, too, at less than $5...the best fast food burger is the well known Double-Double at In 'n Out. With locations across California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Texas, the privately held company was founded here in Baldwin Park and has never looked back

You can get it any way you like but the basic burger comes with two beef patties, two slices of American cheese, sliced onions, pickles, tomato, lettuce, and secret sauce.  Many, many variations are available beyond that...diced onions, grilled onions, patties cooked in mustard, extra patties, no buns...the only limit are the ingredients available and your imagination.

Every food item at In 'n Out is cooked fresh when you order and the company is famous for not having any freezers on the premises...everything is fresh and very delicious.

Alright, there you go, our best burgers.  Now go out there and enjoy one tonight.

Darryl
Copyright 2012 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved.