There aren’t a lot of people who would attempt, or could stomach, tasting 30 burgers over the course of a few days, but that’s exactly what Mendocino Farms owner Mario Del Pero and chef Jason Travi did. The beefy marathon had a purpose: The two set out to create “the city’s most perfect burger” for Del Pero’s Blue Cow Kitchen + Bar, a new sandwich “think tank” set to open in downtown Los Angeles this coming February. But they had to see what was out there first, and in the end, they found what they thought to be the top five burgers in L.A.
“We wanted to evaluate how other restaurants were executing the elements we knew would be integral to our own burger,” says Del Pero. “The burger blend, the balance of buttery and savory taste, overall seasoning and grind; the bun; and the accoutrements, to see if they elevate or distract from the overall bite.”
You’d think Travi, who’s cooked in some of the best restaurants in the city (Spago, La Terza, Fraiche), could handle it. “Eating burgers through Los Angeles sounded like a great idea at first, and then it turned ugly,” he says. “First you get the meat sweats, then the elevated heart rate.”
But it paid off.
