A Hole in the Wall

Just off Santa Monica Blvd., on a little side street is a Hole in the Wall where the patio tables are sheltered by a triangular mainsail and jib from a sailboat and the burgers are the best I’ve ever tasted. Now these are not your typical bionic burgers from a fast food joint, no these are real honest to goodness burgers made from fresh Angus beef (which, by the way, does not describe a cut of beef but rather a breed of cattle whose origins lie in Scotland). It even tops Roni’s Pastrami Bacon Burger and Barney’s Ultimate Kobe Burger.

Now Genghis Khan’s crowd might not recognize burgers made today as theirs were flattened by saddles and flavored by horse sweet, however the history of the burger can possibly be traced back to his hoards. His grandson Khubilai Khan introduced them to the Russians who created steak tartare, Europeans made ground meat into sausages and German sailors brought Hamburg steak to NY where fresh ground meat was substituted for salted, dried beef and served between two pieces of bread. Whether the modern hamburger originates from Wisconsin or Ohio is up for debate but the fact remains that it is an all American staple here to stay.

Most people aren’t as desperate for burgers as Wimpy or as romantic about them as some vegetables but the majority of Americans have fond memories of summer barbeques eating burgers and hotdogs, toasting marshmallows and chasing fireflies after the sun goes down. Drive-in burger joints with roller skating waitresses may have gone the way of the Fonze but the all American hamburger lives on.

However much people may object to the greasy frozen burgers served at most fast food  drive throughs places can still be found that know how to make a burger worth sinking your teeth into. While it’s not a Primanti Brothers Burger with fries, fat slices of Italian bread and coleslaw stacked directly on the sandwich a Hole in the Wall is the closest to being the best burger found in Los Angeles so far.