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(excerpts from) Burger blueprint Restaurants have juicy tips on creating hamburgers with a tasteful flair BY NATALIE HAUGHTON, Food Editor The all-beef patty and special sauce concept that made one fast-food chain famous decades ago has been taken to a new level. Now that all-beef patty may be made of Kobe beef, or New York or sirloin cuts ground and cooked to perfection, topped with a garlic aioli sauce and served on the brioche bun - giving the longtime favorite a first-class upgrade. At 25 Degrees, the popular 24-hour restaurant in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, the burger bar offers numerous options and serves 400 to 500 burgers on a busy day. "In my market research, I found out the No. 1 thing male Americans eat is a hamburger followed by french fries," says chef Tim Goodell, an owner/founder of Newport-Beach-based Domaine Restaurants (Dakota, Red Pearl). For females, the order is reversed. Goodell keeps it simple. "I didn't want 20 different high-end burgers of truffles and foie gras on the menu, so I simplified the selection to three composed burgers and a build-your-own burger"(with a selection of artisan cheeses, toppings and sauces on a ground sirloin, turkey or veggie patty). Among the cheese choices are Red Hawk, Point Reyes blue, smoked mozzarella and Farm House Cheddar. Extra ingredients offered include shiitaki mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes, sauerkraut, chili and prosciutto. Sauce choices (terrific on the fries and onion rings) range from garlic aioli, chipotle and lemon dill to tarragon remoulade, Dijon and more. The most popular is a beef burger, topped with caramelized onions, gorgonzola and crescenza cheeses, bacon, arugula and Thousand island dressing. USDA choice beef sirloin and chuck ground to the restaurant's specs (2/3 sirloin to 1/3 chuck) are used to make the 9-ounce patties. "The chuck gives moisture to the burger," adds Goodell, noting that they are cooked on a flat top (a griddle) five to six minutes per side for medium. "I'm not a huge fan of grilling (at the restaurant) because you lose lots of fat and it tends to burn the burgers. The flavor is not the same." Goodell claims the high-end burgers have become popular because they are familiar."Everybody loves a good burger. It's always been a part of our history and our American food culture. We have tried to build the adult burger experience."
25 Degrees Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel 7000 Hollywood Blvd. (323) 785-7244 The 24-hour menu features three different set burgers on brioche buns or you can create your own from a list of various toppings, cheeses and sauces. Beef, turkey and veggie burgers, $12 to $18.
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