So after two days of nonstop burgers (I had a burger at a birthday party I went to with Katie later in the evening after Hodad’s), I began my drive from San Diego to the Bay Area. So when I let my friend Sandy know I’d be driving through and wanted to stop for lunch, the walking-LA-food-guide herself knew just the spot – Father’s Office. I had been waiting to try out this spot – as Father’s Office is 21+, and I reached that milestone only last November.
The more well-known location of Father’s Office is in Santa Monica; however, we met at the Culver City location as it was close to 405. My first stop was the bathrooms, which are really cool, in line with the chic atmosphere of the joint. We ended up sitting outside on the deck.
Sandy ordered me the Father’s Office Burger, which came with bleu cheese, arugula, and caramelizd onions – three of my favorite things! It was on a nice bun, which judging by the picture, was some sort of French roll (that’s what I remember too).
Sandy has excellent taste; it was no surprise to me that this burger easily met my expectations. The onions were absolutely flavor-blasted – I could eat a side of those onions by themselves. I found the arugula to be a nice touch – a little bit imparts sufficient flavor, and doesn’t get in the way of that perfect bite like lettuce does. It’s never fun when you don’t quite bite hard enough on the lettuce, and you end up pulling out the whole piece in one bite. Since arugula leaves are small, you don’t run into this problem, and you get some real flavor. And how can you go wrong with bleu cheese on a burger!
I ended up having half of Sandy’s flatiron steak. It was tasty. I also shared a lot of both Sandy’s and David’s fries. They were shoestring-style, and served with a delicious aioli.
Now one thing about Father’s Office, is that all service comes from the bar (I assume this is the same practice at the Santa Monica location). They’ll clear your plates, but if you’re ordering something, you’re walking up to the bar. So needless to say I was a bit put off when a busboy refused to serve me a glass of water when I found there was a fly in the one I was currently drinking. It is a bit off-putting when you are spending $12.50 on a burger alone* (fries are extra), and the busboy won’t even bring you a fresh glass of water. Not his fault, but it seems like a weird practice. I don’t mind going to the bar to get another beer, or order some fries, but a glass of water when mine has a bug in it? Isn’t the customer always right? As it turned out, I had to wait 5+ minutes for the bartender to take the orders of a few other people (including regulars, who sat down well after I had been standing in line) before I got a new glass of water, and by the time I got back, my burger had been served.
All in all, despite the water fiasco, it was a very enjoyable experience. The meal comes at a price, but if you’re willing to shell out, you will get your money’s worth. I could find not a single flaw with the burger, and the accoutrements were nothing short of perfect. I’d go back to Father’s Office for a nice occasion when I am visiting LA, but next time I will ask for a pitcher of water – I hope they can grant that request at the bar!
The Last Bite:
Burger rating: A
Overall experience (sides, service, cleanliness, price, etc.): B+
Thanks again, Sandy! A delicious burger!
* This was Sandy’s graduation present to me, so I didn’t actually spend the money, but even so, I was quite put off by having to go wait in line while the bartenders took 8 other orders. But talk about an awesome graduation present! I was thrilled!
As a postscript, I later had two burgers at a BBQ in Fresno that evening. It added up to a total of 7 patties in three days, which rivaled my burger binge of approximately 14 burgers in the week after my high school graduation.
Never stop nomming!
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