Things (burgers) to Apire to…

by Diana Takes a Bite, February 26, 2010

When I finished off the last bite of my first cheeseburger at Rustic Canyon Wine Bar last Wednesday night, I was pretty proud of myself.

Nay – not just proud – glowing like I’d just accomplished something truly heroic like completing a triple axle double toe loop with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back. (For the record: I’m no Michelle Kwan. Or even Tanya Harding for that matter.)

I wanted to shout my victory over the half-pound patty dripping with herb remoulade, sharp cheddar cheese, sweet onion fondue, butter pickles, and arugula from the rooftops. Or, barring that, shout it to the Twitterverse, and I couldn’t wait to get home to upload the pictures of my empty plate so I could show off my superior plate-to-hand-to-mouth skills.

When the post went up first thing the next morning, people cheered, my friend Ali sent me hate mail for ditching her by herself in the anti-cheeseburger crowd, and my mom called to ask if my heart was doing okay.

“Fine!” I said. “Great!” I trilled. “Never been better!” I bragged.

I haughtily thought that my positive experience at Rustic Canyon meant I was now ready to take on any burger with any fixings. Bacon? Blue cheese? A French roll that renders it more of a sandwich than a burger?

Bring it on – bring it all on!

But then I received word that Rustic Canyon is bringing back its popular Burger and Beer Mondays. In addition to the Niman Ranch burger ($16) I enjoyed last Wednesday, each Monday night Chef Evan Funke will add two specialty burgers (paired with specialty beers from artisan producers) to the menu, as well. This past week it was a Breakfast Burger with hash browns, confit bacon, sunny side-up egg and Tillamook cheddar cheese; and a Bolognese Burger made of bolognese ragu and topped with burrata mozzarella and wild arugula.

I'm not feeling so cocky any more...

This coming Monday, March 1st, the restaurant will feature the Breakfast Burger and Lobster Roll Burger pictured above.

I think I may still need a few rounds with the original (darn!) before I can take on a patty with eggs and lobster, but I’ve got this Monday night madness on my radar. One day it will happen. And when it does, I will shout it from the rooftops – even if it is the rooftop of Cedar Sinai Medical Center.

Rustic Canyon Wine Bar
1119 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 393-7050