Short Order: A first taste

Everyone's heading to Farmer's Market to see what Mozza's Nancy Silverton, Bill Chait and the late Amy Pressman have done to wow the city's burger enthusiasts  So for now, an early lunch at Short Order is the best way to avoid the fledgling burger destination's inevitable early service glitches.

Arriving at noon on Friday, we had our choice of tables and found a cozy corner upstairs opposite the bar. Short Order's decor is as adorable as can be, with Eames barstools, Danish modern chairs, vintage kitchen utensils, tiny tabletop thyme pails and filament lights hitting just about every possible design note at once. Servers in perky striped Ts complete the picture.
I had a hard time choosing between the Frisee lardon raft -- a burger topped with frisee, egg and lardons; or the pork burger with rapini or turkey burger with sage cheddar. Since I had recently eaten at Gott's Roadside in Napa, I tried Ida's Original Burger ($11) for purposes of comparison. While Gott's serves a fine, non-grass fed Apple Pan-type burger for $8, Short Order's grass-fed model, with cheddar, pickles and tomato, was far more indulgent with a pillowy bun and deep beefy taste. Creamy secret sauce on both pieces of the bun makes it a little too messy, but the flavor is inarguably terrific.

Our table's other orders weren't quite as successful: One friend's lamb burger (above) could have used more seasonings to mellow the overly-assertive Sonoma ground lamb -- neither of us enjoyed the one-note flavor despite its feta topping. Another friend's grilled cheese looked extremely greasy; like other "gourmet" grilled cheese sandwiches it was nearly deep-fried, ruining the subtle balance between bread, cheese and frying that the sandwich requires.
So far at least, it seems the beef models are the way to go, but we barely grazed the menu which also features pies, malts, signature "Short Order Spuds." Coming in January is a brunch menu featuring a Benedict Burger and Breakfast Cobb Salad.

Despite the early hour, it was my day off and I couldn't pass up one of Julian Cox's superb cocktails, made with Buffalo Trace bourbon, lemon and pomegranate agrodulce. It was small but delicious and we immediately decided that cocktails and fries would have to become a regular thing. Downstairs, the seating is more exposed to the sun and only the more basic burgers are available, so upstairs is the way to go if you want cocktails or lamb or pork burgers.
The Verdict: I rarely eat burgers, so the chance to have a good grass-fed one is worth $11 to me, and all Short Order's ingredients are top flight. But order a $17 tuna burger, Spuds ($4) with truffle salt ($2 extra) and a $12 cocktail, and Short Order turns out to be one pricey lunch for a casual spot. With the bar open until 1 a.m. on weekends, it's a shot in the arm for Farmer's Market, which generally closes down much earlier.
Short Order
Farmer's Market (6333 W. 3rd St., Stall #110
(323) 761-7970

Veggie Grill: Eating veggie without really noticing

Veggie Grill's sweet potato fries

I wasn't sure what to expect at Veggie Grill, a Southern California mini-chain that takes "American comfort food" -- bbq chicken sandwiches, onion rings, Buffalo chicken wings -- and makes them completely vegan, but with familiar flavor profiles. A few writers and I were invited to try the Farmer's Market location recently and meet with co-owner T.K. Pillan, who is firmly convinced that eating "plant-based cuisine" has numerous health benefits. The owner says that even with deep frying and secret sauces and such, diners are still getting lots of benefits from eating plant-based meals.

veggie Buffalo wings

Hail Kale salad

What I liked about Veggie Grill wasn't so much the pseudo-meats but the large variety of salads and vegetable side dishes, especially the kale-based ones. Hail Kale salad seems to be everyone's favorite, and it's a filling mix of kale, grilled tempeh, carrots, tomatoes, walnuts and corn salsa. If Veggie Grill were a touch closer to my office, I'd certainly pick one of these up for a healthy lunch. They also Thai chickin' salad, Baja Fiesta and Chop Chop chef. Veggie Grill definitely doesn't want you to go away hungry, and the veggie burgers, grilled portabello sandwich and various chickin' sandwiches combine wheat buns with lots of vegan mayo-based sauces for hearty, if not exactly low-calorie meal. My favorite things we tried were the sweet potato fries, and the steaming kale with ginger miso dressing. As far as the mac 'n cheese with vegan cheese -- well, just get the fries instead.

Portabello sandwich, mac 'n cheese

If you're not big on fake meat, just stick with soup, chili, fries, a salad or portabello burger. Veggie Grill isn't trying to be fine dining, it's a fast casual place where everything is under $10 and people who aren't used to vegan food won't be intimidated, and it does a fine job within those parameters. Pillan says the plan is to keep expanding, possibly to Pasadena, the Valley and out of state, in the near future.
Veggie Grill: Farmer's Market, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Torrance, El Segundo, Irvine

DeliBar: Chameau's informal stepchild

The old Chameau was a charming place, with savory sweet duck bastilla and one of L.A.'s most fun interiors, like taking a trip to a colorful modern souk. It wasn't terribly expensive, but it was still too high for most people to eat at frequently, and besides, how often does anyone crave Moroccan food? So the owners revamped the space and turned it into Chameau DeliBar, a handy spot for a sandwich or some salads to take home. It's not ncessarily a destination spot, but it's probably a lot more useful if you live in the neighborhood or need a bite before a movie at Cinefamily. The sandwich menu offers selections like the merguez sausage with olive tapenade and crispy leeks; there's also hot panini, wraps, salads and customizable sandwiches. I chose tuna salad on a pretzel roll with harissa, a winning combination that I'd gladly return for. I like a place with lots of interesting salads in the display case, and DeliBar doesn't disappoint: there's a zingy eggplant salad, Moroccan-style carrot salad, golden beets, quinoa and marinated vegetables. Like Larchmont Larder and other similar spots, there's roast chickens, mac 'n cheese and other sides to assemble a meal at home; unlike those spots, the vaguely Moroccan theme is a welcome change of pace. Even better, since there's still a beer and wine license and plenty of seating, you can linger over a glass of Tempranillo and a cheese and charcuterie plate. And thank goodness, they kept the colorful decor and funky eyelash ceiling decoration.
DeliBar
339 N. Fairfax
(323) 951-0039

Golden State freshens up Fairfax

Let's Be Frank bratwurst with fries

With its funky mix of oldtime delis, thrift shops, slick record stores for djs and Yiddish music shops, Fairfax Ave. has always been where alternative meets yenta. In the swinging '60s, Fairfax was ground zero for head shops and oddball coffeehouses in the vein of Nova Express, which formerly occupied the space that owner Jason Bernstein has turned into Golden State. He spent months clearing out the faded auras of underage William Burroughs fans, and the remodeled space is airy and casual with brick walls and an open kitchen.
Four or five taps showcase a carefully curated selection of rotating beers (most at $6 a glass), with extensively annotated tasting notes available to study the choices. Breweries featured include Craftsman, Green Flash and Bear Republic.
The smartest new restaurateurs are building on the best-quality local products to stock their menus. Chef Samir Mohajer, owner of the Cabbage Patch, consulted on the menu which includes natural sausages from Let's Be Frank, Craftsman beers, and Scoops ice cream. It's the first place to buy the famously eccentric Scoops outside of Hel-Mel, and Tai Kim created special flavors for Golden State including chocolate sorbet with Green Flash IPA and Sauvignon blanc pear sorbet.Scoops flavors include fig pistachio, peanut butter Butterfinder and strawberry balsamic

Jeff liked his Farmhouse burger with Harris ranch beef, Fiscalini cheddar and brown sugar bacon, and I tried a savory bratwurst. Sweet potato fries were more baked than fried; tasty but it takes a fork to eat them. Regular fries with curry ketchup and hazelnut romesco sauce went mighty well with my complex Allagash Curieux barrel-aged beer, the only one they carry from outside of California. We sampled a bit of the menu, but I'm sure I'll be back for lunch soon as I want to try the jalapeno cabbage slaw and grilled cheese sandwich (no booze before 5 pm on weekdays though -- too close to Fairfax High.)
Here's more on the great fish 'n chips at Golden State.

The Golden State
426 N. Fairfax Ave.
(323) 782-8331