Whitman’s

Walt Whitman once wrote “A great city is that which has the greatest men and the greatest women.” Whitman died in 1892, a good quarter of a decade before the cheeseburger reached full popularity. Therefore it is with no small irony that the relatively new burger restaurant on 1st ave. and 9th st. derives it’s namesake from the fully-bearded poet.

The Juicy Lucy at Whitmans'

Entering the small restaurant you are faced with an counter to order at, and a counter to eat at. Upon further inspection there is a small staircase that leads you to a dining room downstairs.  Buried underneath ninth street the candle-lit room has enough tables for about 20 diners. The menu isn’t loaded with options, but the quality depictions put the salivary glands to work.

The Juicy Lucy, which seems to be their signature menu item, is probably the greatest best place to start. The menu describes the sandwich as “beef short rib blend stuffed with pimento cheese, caramelized onion, bibb lettuce, tomato, spicy pickles, sauce,” and while it’s only ‘stuffed’ with cheese the other items gently sit atop the beef.  Not all food comes with warnings however this menu reads, “*caution; juicy lucy is very hot in the middle and might squirt.” In this particular sandwich’s case ooze is probably a more accurate representation of what happened. Suffice it to say, the cheeseburger is remarkable, and satiating.

Unfortunately some of the other options are less satisfying. The PB&B Burger, or “ny grass fed beef, organic peanut butter, heritage farm bacon.” Is exactly, and precisely just that. No lettuce, tomato, or onion. No mayonnaise, or ketchup.  No special sauce, and no thick, juicy, cheese-stuffed, beef patty. Peanut butter. Ground Beef. Bacon. Dry, odd,  and luckluster.

The menu also boasts the $12 “locally sourced dry-aged grass-fed beef, seared onion, bibb lettuce, tomato. Blue ribbon bun…” know as “The Walt.” Walt Whitman, considering his description of what made a great city, would be less disappointed in modern day Los Angeles, than a diner would be with this meaningless, and fruitless effort in taste.  When served a high end meat, at an increased price you expect a flavor-topia. Instead the result is a rather run of the mill burger. In the end, maybe American farmers started stuffing cows with hormones to make them better. To improve taste, as well as production.

When eating often we try to work around our plate to save the best for last, and this review is no exception. If you ever happen to eat at Whitman’s do yourself a favor, order the Bleu Cheese fries.  Since the burgers are rather small, you won’t mind having the extra food. More importantly you will never look at cheese fries the same way again. Delicately tossed in a bleu cheese crumbles and oil, these fries are simply delectable. The potato crisps themselves are delicious, but there can be no words to match the beauty of what is done in this magical bowl. Shared by the table, or as a side to your burger ,these fries are the great neutralizer and closing argument in the debate about whether this restaurant is worth a visit.

Walt Whitman once claimed “A great city is that which has the greatest men and women…” but then again, how can we trust a man who never had a cheeseburger?