FOTB- Jake's (Pasadena)

After seeing Chelsea vs Inter Milan at the Rose Bowl, there was no question but to check out Jake's Burgers & Billiards for "Pasadena's Best Burger since 1947." It only took us about a mile to walk there, and I'm glad we did.

The Food: 4/5 StarsJake's menu is as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. It begins with a $5.99 base burger, but ends with whatever you want. Everyone was able to customize their burger however they wanted it, and because of this, everyone was thoroughly happy. I had to try the Jake's Chili Cheeseburger to get the best of everything-- their award winning burger and their famous chili. While I can't recommend eating such a burger (next time I go I want to customize my burger), it's worth it to get a sample tasting of each. The burger's ingredients were high, with no disappointment of the meat, buns, or any of the toppings. And there's something cool about being able to check off the boxes for a customized burger...

The Drinks: 5/5 Stars
How can you give anything but a perfect score? They are connected to a full service bar. While they didn't have the most options for premium beers, after drinking all evening for the soccer match, they had exactly what I wanted-- cheap beers that are both great taste and less filling! Just messing, cheap beer lacks any semblance of taste but it does allow for you to drink in excess (if you do partake in such things...)


The Atmosphere: 5/5 Stars
And excess drinking is something I do! Underneath Jake's restaurant is a full scale bar with tables of pool and (drum roll...) beer pong!?! Yes, you can order red cups and set up a small table to get in some games of beer pong. And with PBR cans at $2 a piece, you can get as drunk as you need to. If beer pong isn't your thing and there's nobody at the bar to sit next to and strike up a conversation, there are plenty of pool tables to go around. And lest I forget, the pool tables are free. You read that correctly: free pool.

Overall: 4.5/5 Stars
This place is a must go! If you aren't in Pasadena (and I commend you, because it's HOT there), you need to make a trip to check out Jake's. Bring your friends for great burgers, great drinks, and great times. There's not much more to write or you'll just read a paragraph of me continuing to praise their great burgers, great drinks, and great times (see I can't even write 2 sentences without repeating the same thing).

FOTB- Classics Malt Shop

Down in a funky shopping center, Classics Malt Shop is only visible from the road. It's located in a small food court with some other restaurants, but none look as interesting or as appetizing as Classics Malt Shop does.
The Food: 3/5 Stars
Classics offers quite a few styles of burgers, but I couldn't resist checking out their Bacon Cheeseburger. However, for $7.95, I expect a better tasting or bigger burger than what was served up. The beef patty was not of the highest quality beef, but it had excellent flavor due to the spices that were mixed in the patty. The buns were pretty plain; they could have used a light toasting to make them stand out. The bacon was tasty, but the 2 pieces were cut too thick, leaving some bites without any taste of bacon. The burger itself could be bigger. Classics served up one of the smallest burgers we've come across on our quest. They need to start shaping those patties to be a little bit larger and more filling. The burger wasn't greasy and didn't fall apart, so it scores well for staying together until the last bite is in your mouth.

The Drinks: 1/5 Stars
Classics offers up no beer whatsoever. They do offer Corona, but that's little more than water with yellow food coloring in it. Because I've mainly been scoring places on their alcohol selection, Classics gets a whopping 0 stars. BUT, because I also like to mention some other treats, Classics notches in a point due to their amazing non-alcoholic selection (if I could weight non-alcoholic drinks more, this place would be doing well). They have awesome malts, freezes, and rootbeer floats. If none of those are appealing (you must be turned off by anything that sounds good), you can order up a Mexican Coke for a refreshment.

The Atmosphere: 4/5 Stars
Classics is a tiny little shop with no seating available for parties over 4 people. However, because it is in a shared food court, you are able to pull together any number of tables to make sure that everyone is seated together. The walls of Classics are covered in lots of pictures of classic cars (oooh, now I get where it's name comes from), maps, and other nostalgic photos. The service is unbelievable, with the cook/cashier making sure that everything is perfect. One of our members had demolished half of the wrong drink when his drink came out. The person working took the drink and topped it off to make sure that everyone was happy.

Overall: 3/5 Stars
Classics Malt Shop is a nostalgic throwback to the car and diner era (source: old movies) and while its a neat little place to visit, it's not worth a trip for the burger. The burger and fries are average, but you should come to this place for their malts and freezes-- damn they are good! This is a good place to come and hang out, as the staff makes you feel like family, but don't expect to get blown away by their burger.

FOTB- Burger Lounge, La Jolla

With multiple Burger Lounge locations existing, it was impossible to pass up the La Jolla venue. Let's hope that this store serves as fair representation for the chain, but maybe a future visit to another location will be needed for confirmation.

The Food: 3.5/5 Stars
There is no doubting the quality of the Burger Lounge's beef, especially for a price of $7.95. I can tell you about it, but they do a much better job on their website as well as in their stores-- Burger Lounge is all about promoting it's grass-fed beef for the flavor and health benefits. And the beef was tasty, no denying that. But as a burger, it was very disappointing... The burger proved to be a complexity-- the burger was dripping juice, completely soaking through the buns, making it a very messy burger. Despite this, the burger tasted dry. I kept transferring grease from my burger to my pint glass (I had already eaten through a lot of napkins trying to manage the levels of grease on my hands). I think part of the issue is that Burger Lounge cooks their burgers medium, drying out the meat. I'm a believer that if you cook beef past medium-rare, you are doing a great injustice to yourself. The fries and onion rings aren't worth noting, and I probably wouldn't have a desire to order them again, except that the burger doesn't fill you up, almost forcing you to purchase the additional food. The quality of the product and it's lack of large size actually left me feeling good- I wasn't bloated or weighed down, but I was still a little hungry.

The Drinks: 2.5/5 Stars
Burger Lounge offers little choice for alcohol. And what they do offer is extremely overpriced, even for La Jolla. They have really hurt themselves with their pricing point. I can walk across the street to Karl Strauss and get more beer offerings at a better price (apparently, they are quite aware of this and not-too-politely harassed us about this). But I was able to get Boont Amber Ale on draft (I really enjoy this beer but rarely find it available on tap, so nice surprise!) There shakes are good, but nothing better than what's available at most places.

The Atmosphere: 3/5 Stars
If this wasn't located in La Jolla, the score would be way lower. The establishment itself lacks intelligent planning. Seating is extremely tough due to lack of space for groups of more than 3 people (not kidding). The ordering counter takes up most of the inside, and the burgers are still cooked in the kitchen. But they seem to be aware of this, by keeping walls to a minimum and maximizing windows-- Burger Lounge is a sterile white color, so they know to take the focus away from their blandness and direct it outwardly to La Jolla. For the most part, the staff was friendly and helpful-- they got a little bitter at the idea of us possibly going to Karl Strauss for a pre-meal drink, even though we hadn't been discussing it.

FOTB Calendar Girl June '09-->

Overall: 3/5 Stars
Burger Lounge knows how to attract its demographic-- providing an affordable high-quality beef burger at a certified green restaurant. However, it doesn't have enough going for it to make me want to go back. I know other options for better beef and drink and better atmosphere. If you want a quick and easy grass-fed burger, this place is an okay option, but you're better to go elsewhere.

FOTB- Crest Cafe

While Hillcrest has a variety of good restaurants, we are only interested in places that can serve up a good burger, so we made straight to Crest Cafe (http://crestcafe.net). While you may be tempted by all the other eateries and bars, make no mistake, Crest Cafe serves up a good burger.

The Food: 4/5 Stars
My first bite into the Butter Burger and my taste buds found Heaven. For $10.25, you get a half pound "stuffed with a Butter," "topped with a little more of the butter," then it's "topped with cheese," and finally that cheese is again topped. As you can see (once you wipe that drool off the screen), the Butter Burger is just an eruption of flavor. The burger comes out dripping and unfortunately, the buns can't hold the juices and everything begins to turn into a greasy mess; I hope you like the smell of the Butter Burger, because you can't wash it off your hands for a day or two. The burger was delicious, but the taste of the beef was lost in among all the spices and herbs that are in the butter. However, I have to duly note that the burger was too rich and heavy. While it tasted amazing, at the end of my burger I just sat in a comatose state. It wasn't from the size of the burger, but jsut the richness of the butter on the burger. It also affected my stomach the next day, quelling any desire for food (I hadn't thought about it, but that may be a plus-- not being able to eat so much the day after such a treat).

Multiple generations enjoying the onslaught of burgers.

The Drinks: 3.5/5 Stars
Crest Cafe offers a nice selection of beverages to choose from. Besides Budweiser, Stella Artois, and Bass, they offer a small selection of tasty beers that I have rarely seen elsewhere: Flying Dog "Old Scratch" and a Red Seal Ale. They also have a good wine selection and on Tuesdays, bottles are 50% off, so that's not too bad of an option.

The Atmosphere: 3.5/5 Stars
Crest Cafe is a cozy little diner. Which was bad, because they couldn't hold our entire party (hey, we tried to warn them...) and forced us to split into two groups. Other than that, it's comfortable, with slightly different paint (think pink and light blue tones) with for-sale photographs of nature. Really charming little spot, it makes you feel like you are at a local family run place.

Overall: 3.5/5 Stars
Crest Cafe is a nice place to take a date. It's small and comfortable, with a nice clientele, so she won't get weirded out. You can share a bottle of wine and split a Butter Burger and something else. You'll "wine and dine" her, impressing her with your find of a place, but best of all, you'll get to enjoy a burger in case she wants to eat something else.