8 oz. Burger (Melrose)

I've spent the past week eating that hearty miso soup I talked about earlier. It's my new diet of sorts. But with any tasty broth you're good for an hour until your stomach begs for more. "Meat!" it screamed tonight. That's what led me and Mikey to 8 oz. Burger, the new joint on Melrose Avenue by chef Govind Armstrong. Three days have passed since its opening and Armstrong just so happened to be enjoying a drink at the table next to us. With his chair facing the door, he undoubtedly had an eye on people walking in.

Mikey was the one to notice him but only later put a name to the face. If only I had known, I would've been more discreet about doing away with the top of my grass-fed burger -- eating the rest with a fork and knife.

Don't get me wrong, Armstrong has a good thing going here. As he envisioned, it's a great meal without the pretense. The patty was juicy, the onion rings, though scarce, were nicely battered, and the Kennebec fries were amazing. (Go ahead and splurge on the homemade ketchup for $1. It's worth it.). It's just that darn bun, over-sized and over-toasted, was trying to steal everyone's thunder. Mikey didn't mind, though. He rather liked it.

The burger comes medium-rare, i.e., pretty darn red, so be sure to request that it be cooked longer if you're like me with raw-meat issues. For the more faint-hearted, they also have a turkey and veggie burger options. All burgers are between $9-$11 but are fairly basic. Extra toppings — red onion marmalade, garlic roasted tomatoes, avocado, wild baby arugula and more — are $2 each.

I'd second the motion with CH-ers in speculating that as unpolished as things may seem here in these first few weeks, they'll eventually work things out. I'm rooting for them.

Onion rings; crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.

Grass-fed beef burger with cured bacon, sauteed mushrooms and gruyere cheese.

8 Oz. Burger Bar
7661 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 852-0008

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Their menu, courtesy of EaterLa.