Photo credit: Dig Lounge
Came here with the Los Angeles chapter of The FML (Fourteen Man League), our “expert” fantasy football league, which consisted of myself, Daniel, Kenny, Kevin, and Lawrence. We decided to come on a Monday late last month because the restaurant has two specialty burgers on the menu every Monday. I had heard many great things about Rustic Canyon, especially about their burger, which is consistently ranked atop of best burger in LA lists. The burger itself isn’t cheap ($18-20), but I’m willing to pay for quality if it’s worth it. So was it?
Well, I ordered one of the specialty burgers, the Patty Melt. It was a good version of a traditional patty melt, with toasted rye bread and Swiss cheese, and I believe there was some type of aioli in the burger as well. The problem was that the patty was a bit too salty, and I’m a person with a very high sodium tolerance. Also, the burger itself was very greasy. Still, a solid burger. The fries that came with the burger was pretty good as well.
Maybe I should’ve ordered their regular burger, but I felt like I could order that version any time I wanted, as opposed to this specialty one that might never see the light of day again. And since the regular one is the one that’s frequently listed as the burger in LA, that’s the one thing I have to get next time I’m at Rustic Canyon. Amongst other things ordered at the table, the other specialty burger, the Thanksgiving Burger, was just okay. It was just a piece of turkey with some cranberry sauce and mashed potato, which really weighed the burger down. Lawrence and I split an order of the polenta, which was pretty damn good. For now, I’ll consider Rustic Canyon to be a good restaurant with a solid burger, but will reserve the right to change my mind once I’ve had the original burger.
Thanksgiving “Burger”
Patty Melt
Rustic Canyon Burger – sharp cheddar, onion fondue, housemade pickles, herb remoulade, hand-cut french fries, + farm egg
Crispy White Polenta – wild mushrooms, sunny-side farm egg, parmigiano-reggiano
Chris Hei grade: B
Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen
1119 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 393-7050
O Hei There! 
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