Our Last Breakfast in DC at Nino’s Bakery

 Nino's Bakery

1310 L Street NW

Washington, DC 20005

It was our last day in Washington, DC. We had a full day ahead, so I decided to let Katie sleep in a bit while I went to get us some breakfast. I had done a search for the best bakeries in DC, and one kept coming up continuously, Nino's Bakery. The only problem was that at the time of our visit, they were only open three days a week, Wednesday through Friday. We had arrived in our nation's capital on Friday afternoon, so this particular Wednesday would be the only chance I'd get to try what some people say is the best bakery in all of the DMV. 

Nino's Bakery is the brainchild of Miranda Rinaldi. She had a post working for the US State Department in Italy back in 2012. When she first got to Milan, she adopted a dog, Nino, and they would traverse the city, and his strong sense of smell would often lead them to numerous bakeries. Rinaldi, who was ready for a career change, started taking pastry classes in Italy, and when she returned to the US three years later, she enrolled in a French baking class in Chicago. Yes, Nino was still with her.  

In 2018, after a few bakery internships, Rinaldi opened her own place. Croissants, scones, cream puffs, Sicilian pistachio cookies, and other baked goods were a big hit with people, and she often had a line out the door of hungry Washingtonians waiting to get their morning carbs. The pandemic curtailed the hours and days at Nino's, and then in early 2023, motherhood forced a six-month closure. A quick check of their Yelp page reveals that they are now open Tuesday through Saturday from 8am - 12:30pm, which is excellent news for the croissant lovers of DC. 

I braved the frigid low 20-degree temps of early January and walked the six blocks from my hotel to Nino's Bakery at 8am. When I arrived at Nino's storefront, I was met with a line of about three people ahead of me. Not bad considering that later in the day the line stretches out alongside the sidewalk. The bakery could be described as cozy at best, with not much seating inside or out. As my turn in line came up, I made my selections from what was in the bakery case, and was headed back to our hotel with my box of baked goods being held protectively like a running back heading towards the goal line. 

My go-to in a bakery is always a Chocolate Croissant ($5). This version was one of the better ones I have ever had. It was very French, not like the overly buttery soft and limp American croissants that you can find in your local supermarket bakery case. This is the real deal. Super flaky, and it unravels in ribbons when bitten into. Not an overabundance of dark chocolate, but just enough that it balanced with the croissant nicely. I just wish our hotel room had a microwave so I could warm it a bit to melt the chocolate. 

Katie had requested a Blueberry Scone ($4.50) the night before. I'm not really a scone fan, as I find them too heavy, but this one was not like that. The outer crust had a good crunch to it, but the inside was softer than most, almost like a biscuit-like texture. Nino's also packed a ton of blueberries in here, which was awesome. Katie declared this to be one of the best scones she's had.  

Yes, I can never get enough chocolate in the morning. This Chocolate Hazelnut Croissant ($5.25) was fantastic. For this one, they formed the croissant into a roll form and topped it with hazelnut spread. Not only was this very photogenic, but it tasted great. The hazelnut spread was balanced nicely with the croissant underneath. Again, I wish I had something to warm this up with, as I think that would have made this even better to eat. It almost pained me to share a bite of this with Katie. Yes, I am that selfish. 

 If we had another day in DC, I would have returned to Nino's to try their pistachio or black sesame croissants, cream puffs, or any of their other daily rotating specials. Even though we only had three items here, that was enough to know that they are serving some of the best croissants we've had. It's no wonder that they have been mentioned as one of the best bakeries in the city, and after just this visit, we'd have to concur. 

One of the highlights of our fifth and last day in Washington was visiting The white House. It's well worth setting this up before you leave for your trip. It's pretty awe-inspiring, and something to cross off your bucket list. 

Out of five plungers (because not only does the White House feature 132 rooms, it also has 35 bathrooms, which I would imagine would require quite a few plungers), five being best to zero being worst, Nino's Bakery gets 4 plungers. 

For more information about Nino's Bakery, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.ninosbakerydc.com/

There’s No Suffering at Succotash Prime in DC

 Succotash Prime

915 F Street NW

Washington, DC 20004

Day 3 in Washington was our most jam-packed day yet. We ended up skipping breakfast and heading out to Arlington National Cemetery, walking back into DC from there, and visiting some of the monuments at the National Mall. Lastly, we headed to Ford's Theater. By the time we finished our tour, it was definitely time for dinner. I could sense that Katie was nearing her tipping point, so I quickly veered from my restaurant wishlist and looked for something good near Ford's Theater. One spot stood out to me, and that's how we ended up at Succotash Prime. 

Succotash Prime is part of the Knead Restaurant Group, which also includes Gatsby, The Grill, Mi Vida, Sagrada, and other establishments in its portfolio. Succotash Prime's chef and owner is celebrity chef Edward Lee. He has been featured on numerous competitive cooking shows, served as a judge on Top Chef, and won a James Beard Award for his cookbook, Buttermilk Graffiti. Along with his other restaurants in Louisville, he operates Succotash Prime, located a few blocks from Ford's Theater, and another in National Harbor, Maryland. 

We had no reservation for dinner, but we arrived at Succotash Prime before 5 pm, beating the dinner rush that would eventually fill the empty tables around us during our 1.5-hour stay. We were seated on the bottom floor of the two-story dining room, which resembled the courtyard of a fine New Orleans home. A well-stocked bar was situated on the left-hand side of the restaurant, and the opposite wall was lined with comfortable leather booths. We were seated in the middle portion of the restaurant, which featured a large skylight that, at this hour, began with sunshine and transitioned into early evening as the restaurant's muted lighting took effect. 

The menu at Succotash is distinctly Southern, but with a slight nod to Chef Lee's Korean heritage. The addition of kimchi to the collards and the crab dip is a good example. They offer a 'greatest hits' option of their most popular menu items, served family-style, for $60 per person. Other entrées available are Southern staples, along with steaks from their smoker. Mains hover around the $30 mark, while steaks go for anywhere between $47 and $145 for their bone-in tomahawk, a 42-ounce steak that can easily feed two. Katie assured me that she would not be able to eat her share of this huge steak, so we perused the menu for what would eventually be placed in front of us. Here's how everything came out for us. 

Katie's always one to order cornbread when she spots it on a restaurant menu. At Succotash Prime, that meant we would start with Jamie's Cornbread ($8). These little loaves came topped with some hot honey and browned butter. This cornbread was moist and not crumbly, unlike others that tend to be. I would have liked a touch more hot honey topping these. The browned butter was a good partner to this cornbread. 

My crabcake quest continued here with the Maryland Crab Cake ($27). This was another example of a very well-made crabcake. Not full of filler, and the lumps of crab were prevalent in each forkful. I was also a big fan of them having this sit on the grill for a short time, as it added a little bit of texture. The curried remoulade was an interesting choice, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of this crab cake. I used it sparingly. The salad was a complete miss for me, as it came barely dressed, and tasted just like plain lettuce, even though the menu claimed it would come with a carrot vinaigrette. 

One of the most photogenic burgers we've seen in a while, the Pimento Cheeseburger ($19.50) was Katie's selection this early evening. The sesame-seed bun stood tall on top of the thick and juicy beef patty, house pickles, bacon jam, and the pimento cheese, which was nice and melty. Katie gave me the last few bites of this delicious burger. It was indeed juicy, and I'm usually not a fan of bacon jam, but it worked well in this case. I would have enjoyed the burger even more if there had been some burger sauce or even mayo involved, but it was still a very satisfying burger nonetheless. The fries were cooked well, accompanied by a Gochujang ketchup, another nod to Chef Lee's Korean heritage. 

The Chicken and Waffles ($29) is not usually something I gravitate towards, but I didn't want to splurge on a steak, and the other mains were seafood. With my crab cake earlier in the meal, I wanted something land-based. This was a great choice. The chicken came with two legs and two thighs, already topped with bourbon maple syrup, pickled okra, and Manchego cheese sprinkled on top. The breading on the chicken was nice and crunchy, with the dark meat chicken incredibly tender. I enjoyed the sweet and savory vibe this dish brought. One of the better chicken and waffles plates I have had. I also selected their Old Bay Mac and Cheese ($10.50) to round out my meal. This mac and cheese was just how I like it. The cheese was plentiful and adhered well to the noodles. The Old Bay seasoning hung out in the background of each bite, so it wasn't overwhelming. 

Hummingbird Cake (13.50) has become almost irresistible to me. For those who are unaware, hummingbird cake is a spiced cake with cream cheese frosting, similar to a carrot cake. Instead of carrots, the hummingbird cake contains pineapple and sometimes smashed bananas. This three-layered slice from Succotash Prime was pretty large, and I enjoyed it, but I like a sweeter cake portion. I'm reasonably sure that they don't use bananas in their version. It was a little too dense, but it made for a good ending to our meal. 

Succotash Prime was a great end to our most jam-packed day in DC. We needed a spot to reenergize, and the excellent food here definitely did just that. Not only was everything placed in front of us fantastic, but the service we experienced this evening was exceptional. Yes, the prices were a little on the high side, but for food of this quality, we don't mind paying for it. The portion sizes were more than generous, which is something that's not often said these days in many restaurants. A true gem for people in DC seeking some Southern cuisine with a touch of Korean influence. 

Our third day in DC had many highlights, but a trip to the Lincoln Memorial is always a must when visiting Washington, DC. Pretty awe-inspiring, and good exercise if you are walking up the 87 steps from the chamber to the reflecting pool. It's great for walking off all the food this city has shown us so far. 

Out of five blue whales (because the 19-foot-tall marble statue of Lincoln weighs approximately 175 pounds, the same as the blue whale), five being best to zero being worst, Succotash Prime gets 4 blue whales. 

For more information about Succotash Prime, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.succotashrestaurant.com/

Unconventionally Great Diner Food in DC

 Unconventional Diner

1207 9th Street NW

Washington, DC 20001

Given the amount of walking we'd be doing in Washington and Katie's love for sleep, I knew it would be ambitious to have five breakfast spots on my restaurant wishlist for this trip. Not to ruin it for you, but we only had breakfast out one other time on our five-day visit to our nation's Capital. Luckily, we hit the one restaurant I most wanted to try for breakfast, Unconventional Diner. 

Unconventional Diner, or UD as I will refer to it for the remainder of this review, opened its doors in the winter of 2017 in the Shaw/Downtown neighborhood of DC, directly adjacent to the Convention Center. This all-day diner came highly recommended for their brunch, and in true diner fashion, they also receive rave reviews for their lunch and dinner. They boast a mighty impressive 4.4-star rating on Yelp, with over 3,100 reviews and counting. 

UD is helmed by Chef Partner David Deshaies and was inspired by a restaurant close to where I live, one that I have unfortunately not had the pleasure of eating at yet: Republique in Los Angeles. Republique is an all-day diner concept developed by Michel Richard, Deshaies' former boss. Before he died in 2016, Richard gave his blessing for Deshaies to emulate what he had done at his iconic Hancock Park restaurant. 

We arrived here at 11am on a Saturday morning. Predictably, the 8,000-square-foot restaurant was packed with people. I couldn't make reservations because of the uncertainty of how long Katie would be sleeping in, given our cross-country flight from the previous day. We were quoted a two-hour wait time for a table, but we were told we were welcome to wait for a seat at their bar, which accommodates 25 guests. Our luck proved pretty good, as we walked by just as they were clearing the plates of two seats that would soon become free. I'm not usually too excited to sit at a counter, but I pushed through my trepidation and grabbed the two coveted seats. 

The everyday brunch menu at UD is served until 3:45pm. The menu features approximately 20 brunch items, accompanied by a selection of sides, beverages, and a rotating assortment of desserts. There's also another whole page of cocktails, beer, wine, and other boozy drinks for those who imbibe. Entree prices for brunch range between $15 and $26, and desserts hover around $14. We made our selections with the very peppy staff, and here's how everything came out for us. 

Katie loves a good breakfast sandwich, and that's why she zeroed in on the S"eggs"Y Sandwich ($16) almost immediately after getting the menu in her hand. This sandwich featured scrambled eggs, thick-cut bacon, scallions, cheese, and Sexy sauce, all on a black sesame-seed bun, and was served with a generous amount of fries. Katie felt that this was one of the better breakfast sandwiches she had ever eaten. She loved the lightness of the scrambled egg and the crispy bacon. The sexy sauce was on point. She wished she had substituted the fries for something else, not because they were bad, but because she was having breakfast and would have preferred breakfast potatoes or hash browns. 

Katie also selected the Buttermilk Biscuit and Jam ($6), which is listed under the "sides" section of the menu. The biscuit was rectangular instead of round, but it tasted just as good as others, and the buttermilk flavor was very present. I liked the way the butter came out spread across half the plate. There was plenty of it, and it was very spreadable. Way better than those foil-wrapped packets that are almost always served ice cold and don't spread nicely on any bread. I might be wrong, but I believe the strawberry jam was house-made. Even if it wasn't, it was delicious. 

I had a lot tougher time narrowing down my order than Katie did. The Shrimp and Grits, Chicken and Waffles, and the Loaded Breakfast Biscuits all appealed to me, but I finally settled on the French Dip Poutine ($23). This hearty bowl featured Angus beef, cheese curds, caramelized onions, a sunny-side-up egg, and fries. To be honest, this is the closest I have ever come to having an authentic poutine. All that was missing was the gravy, which I suppose the runny yolk of the egg served as a substitute for. My first bites of this were magical. Very comforting, and the cheese curds did squeak a little when bitten into. I also enjoyed the sunny-side-up egg, but another one would have balanced this out more. With later bites, the saltiness was a little overwhelming. Still good, and a good base for the walking that we had planned around DC. 

No section of the UD menu gets rotated as much as the desserts do. I could have picked three or four that sounded great when we visited in January, but this Banana Cream Cake ($14) caught my attention because I have been on a banana kick since last year. This roll cake begins with a vanilla cake base and banana icing, creating the spiral, and is finished with a nicely done butterscotch and toasted marshmallow topping. I enjoyed the texture of the cake and all the other elements, but I wished it were a little heavier on the banana flavor. Near the end, when I was done with the butterscotch, it became plain tasting. 

Even with a few minor complaints from me, I found the Unconventional Diner to be a great breakfast spot. It's difficult to judge a restaurant by only visiting once, but even though I had some issues with what I ordered, I get the sense that if I visited another time, I'd find something here that I'd genuinely love. It's challenging for restaurants to make breakfast/brunch an event, but UD has succeeded in doing so. What they have also done is put together a team of servers, bussers, and hosts whose number one priority is to make sure every guest has the best possible visit here. We were blown away by the service we received, and it was evident with everyone who sat with us at the counter. I'm thrilled that everything fell into place for us during our visit to UD, but I'm disappointed we didn't get the chance to try them for dinner. 

Here's a quick shot of the Washington Monument on day two of our visit to Washington, DC. At 555 feet tall, it's the tallest stone structure in the world. That might be why Katie was hesitant to go to the top, so we just saw it from ground level, which is almost as impressive. 

Out of five elevators (because when the Washington Monument opened to the public in 1886, the elevator ride to the top took 8-10 minutes. Luckily, the trip has been shortened to 70 seconds nowadays), with five being best to zero being worst, Conventional Diner gets 4 elevators. 

For more information on Unconventional Diner, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.unconventionaldiner.com/

The Burger Stops Here, Unfortunately - CLOSED

 Eat Brgz

250 7th Street SE

Washington DC 20036

Okay, this is not the way I wanted to start sharing the great restaurants we ate at during our visit to Washington, DC, in early January. Yes, I'm six months behind, but I'm determined to cut that in half by the end of the year. Back to our first day in DC, though. We were fresh off the plane from OC, and after a day touring the Capitol, checking into our hotel, and navigating the metro, we were a bit tired from walking and were ready to tackle my DC restaurant wishlist. First up for us was Eat Brgz. 

Eat Brgz was located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and followed by locations in Chinatown, the West End, and the Eastern Market area of DC. Unfortunately, as of February, all of their locations have closed. Founder Brandon Alexander was made an offer from Wonder, a food hall concept that was too good to pass up. He also wanted to focus on family and is getting another business degree from Columbia University. 

Brandon opened up Eat Brgz in 2019, weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, and ended up on my DC restaurant wishlist because they were mentioned on nearly every best burger list that I scoured before leaving for this trip. They also had a viral hit with their fried chicken and waffle tower that they served for brunch. 

We arrived here just after 4pm, after walking a block in the wrong direction after exiting the Eastern Market Metro station. We have five days here to figure things out. The restaurant had a clean and sleek vibe, mainly due to the white walls and floors, and the lack of decor. Ordering was done at the counter, and behind that counter, customers had a great view of the staff preparing and cooking each guest's meals. 

One section of the menu was dedicated to a build-your-own burger, where you pick the cheese, mix-ins, seasoning, and sauce. You also had the option of having all of these inside your burger, resembling a juicy Lucy. Since this was our first time here, we stuck to the signature burgers that come already built. The sides included fries and Brussels sprouts. Burgers hovered right around the $15 price point. Let's see if this food was a sign of good things to come for us on our DC trip. 

Katie must have been really hungry, or she did not see that this Wagyu Smash Burger ($17.50) contained two patties. It also came with four slices of American cheese, grilled onions, and their house Brgz sauce, all on a potato bun. She, like me, thought this was going to be an actual smash burger, which is flattened very thin on the grill with crispy edges on the outside. This was more substantial than a smash burger, and I'm sure that's why she gave me the last few bites of this. I enjoyed it, as it was a simple burger with some excellent meat, which was juicy and seasoned just enough. I would have liked some extra onions and definitely more sauce, which was applied way too lightly. The Fresh Cut French Fries ($4) were nicely fried and tasted like they were indeed freshly cut there. Excellent, fast-food-style French fries. 

I selected the Basic Bacon Burger ($15.50) for my meal at Brgz. Seriously, one of the better burgers I've had in years. The beef patty was infused with diced bacon, relish, basic seasoning, red onion, and cheddar cheese. The toppings not mixed with the beef were pickled red onion, sliced cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, Brgz sauce, and thick-cut maple candied bacon. This was a well-crafted burger, and not gimmicky like I thought it was going to be. I was afraid that the bacon would overwhelm, but it just added some smokiness to the patty. The cheese inside the patty was not really noticeable, but the sliced cheese outside picked up the slack. I do regret not cutting it in half to share a picture of the cross section. The bun is also worth noting, as it did not slide around a lot and held its integrity throughout the short life that this burger had in front of me. I'm always partial to Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($6) and gave them a try here. They had three options for seasoning on these: salt and pepper, Cajun, or the one I got, garlic parmesan. They were fine, with a light dusting of the parmesan, I got bored with these halfway through. I ended up using some garlic aioli that I had ordered to dip them into, and it helped me finish these sprouts. 

I did not learn about Eat Brgz closing down until I started writing this review, and it hit me hard. It's really a shame for the people of DC that this excellent burger spot is no longer available to them. I admit I was very hungry when we were here, but that's not the reason for my rave review of this burger restaurant. It was just plain delicious and made with some high-quality ingredients. It's easy to see why they were mentioned on many of the best burger lists in DC. Hopefully, they will return someday, and if that's the case, I'll have to make a return visit to DC. 

I thought it would be fun to share a picture of what we saw in Washington on each of the following eight restaurant reviews. This was my first time here since 1984, and it was Katie's first visit to our nation's Capital, and our first time being in snow for any extended length of time. For the 5 days we were here, the temperature was in the 30s, but we did have one day that it got up to 51, which felt like a heat wave. Here's a shot of the Capitol on our first day in DC. 

Out of five bathtubs (because the US Capitol has two ivory bathtubs in it that were initially used by the senators because they used to live in boarding houses that did not have running water), five being best to zero being worst, Eat Brgz gets 4 bathtubs. 

Since Eat Brgz has closed and their website has been taken down, you can see everything you missed by clicking here to visit their Yelp page: https://www.yelp.com/biz/eat-brgz-washington

Want a Great Sandwich? Grab a Seat at Jeff’s Table

 Jeff's Table

5900 North Figueroa Street

Los Angeles, CA 90042

Predictably, it was a late night/very early morning for us up in Burbank at a family party. We scrambled to make ourselves somewhat presentable before our checkout time of 11 a.m. We gathered our things hastily, Katie scrambled to place her Starbucks order, and I quickly searched for somewhere to eat on the way home. 

I was in the mood for sandwiches, and LA is a great sandwich town. I checked out Eater LA's Best Sandwich list and looked for something close to the freeway that would not be too out of the way. A half dozen filled the bill, but some were eliminated because they were vegan or closed on Sundays. When I saw the picture of the Pastrami Reuben at Jeff's Table, I knew we'd be making a beeline to Highland Park. 

The Jeff behind Jeff's Table is Jeff Strauss. He grew up in the delis of New York and moved to LA for a career writing and producing hit TV shows. Tired of the showbiz scene, he opened this place in the back of Flask Fine Wine and Whiskey in late 2019. His love of smoked meats and the cuisine of Los Angeles is apparent when you glance at the menu here. A potato salad that features Wasabi, a ham sandwich paired with kimchi, and a gruyere crisp inserted into the Reuben show that these are not just your run-of-the-mill sandwiches. This uniqueness has made Jeff's Table one of the most talked about sandwiches in all of LA. 

We were ready to get home after the rowdy weekend in Burbank, so we ordered our sandwiches to go. The Jeff's Table website was easy to navigate, and ordering was a snap. Our food was ready and waiting near the front door at the promised time. For those ordering here, step inside Flask Fine Wine and walk to the back of the store, where you'll find Jeff's behind the beer cooler. There's no seating inside, but I spied a couple of two-seat tables out front. We picked up our bag and returned to OC to prepare for the upcoming workweek and enjoy our sandwiches. 

Katie and I got two sandwiches each since we did not know when the next time we'd be up this way would be. The first of Katie's sandwiches was the Dirty Baby on Rye ($17.45 with avocado added). This one starts with a chicken salad that is equal parts smoky and spicy and is not like your mom's ho-hum chicken salad you grew up with. This is a flavor bomb that also includes both fontal and gouda cheeses, crispy shallots, a chili crisp, and pickled red onion on a very sturdy rye. The textures and flavors that are included here are amazing. I loved the crispy shallots and chili crisp as they added texture that contrasted with the creamy avocado and the cheeses. The chicken salad added a punch of spice, but not in an uncomfortable way. Even those sensitive to heat could eat this with no problem. The rye did not fall apart as expected; it held its integrity. A really excellent sandwich. 

Katie's second sandwich was the Big Brekkie ($15.95 with avocado added). We had skipped breakfast because we were scrambling to exit our hotel room before checkout, so Katie got this to remedy that. The sesame-studded roll included a folded chive egg, crispy ham, manchego cheese, a little bit of aioli, and arugula. This was the most straightforward of our sandwiches, but it hit the spot for breakfast-loving Katie. She liked the egg's creaminess and the sandwich's lightness, but she mostly appreciated that this was a unique breakfast sandwich.  

I'm enticed by Cuban sandwiches, and I almost always order one when I spy it on a menu. I definitely had to try the version at Jeff's Table, which is called the Jubano ($14.95). No surprise, but this version is not your traditional Cuban. Sliced pork is joined by not ham but pastrami, while the Swiss cheese is swapped out in favor of comte cheese, which is very melty. Pickle slices, mustard, and aioli round out this sandwich. I really enjoyed this sandwich. It had the balanced feel of a Cuban, but the pastrami provided a big flavor boost. Maybe too much mustard and not enough of the aioli for my taste, but it's an excellent version of one of my favorite sandwiches. 

I really enjoyed my Jubano sandwich above, but the must-get one visiting Jeff's Table is The "Jeff's Special"  Reuben ($14.95). Again, this is not a traditional Reuben, but this could be my sandwich of the year. Hand-sliced pastrami on griddled rye bread with Comte cheese, sauerkraut, a slightly spicy Russian dressing, and, just for good measure, a piece of crispy Gruyere cheese placed in the middle of it. Wow, this thing was good. A great crunch to the bread, the savoriness of the pastrami, and the melty, creamy cheese was a winning combination.  I had planned on eating only half, but I could not stop and ended up eating the whole thing in one sitting. 

The sides, like the sandwiches, are not your standard deli sides. We tried two of the three available. The JT Slaw ($5.95) and the Wasabi Tobiko Potato Salad ($6.95). I was not excited about the slaw, a combo of cabbage, fennel, and red onion mixed with a black pepper/bread and butter dressing. The fennel threw me off, and the dressing was used too sparingly, so all I tasted was cabbage and fennel. I was much happier with the potato salad. The wasabi flavor was present but not as intense as in sushi restaurants. I was hesitant about the tobiko, which is flying fish roe, but they were so small that I did not even notice them. The creamy potato texture and the dill made this side a pleasant surprise.  

It was an absolute pleasure having the sandwiches from Jeff's Table. Their uniqueness, fantastic textural elements, and flavor profiles make these some of the best sandwiches we've encountered in LA. There was not a dud in the four that we tried. Even though it's not a convenient location for us, the ease of ordering online and the promptness of the order being ready, when promised, helped ease the burden of getting to Highland Park, an area we want to explore even further in the future. A great last-second choice by me, but next time, we won't be able to dig into these sandwiches before heading back to OC.  

Out of five puppets (because Highland Park is not only home to this deli but also to the world-famous Bob Baker Marionette Theater, where puppets have entertained over a million people in the last sixty-one years), five being best to zero being worst, Jeff's Table gets 4 puppets.   

For more information about Jeff's Table, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.jeffstablela.com/

It’s a Win-Win if You Eat This Burger in Glendale

 For the Win

1200 South Brand Blvd. #3

Glendale, CA 91204

It was family time again up in Burbank. This time, the occasion was a college graduation party for Amanda, Katie's cousin's daughter. She graduated from USC with a degree in Music Industry and a minor in Sports Management. She's bright, focussed, and a lovely girl, and I'm not just saying this to suck up because there might be some complimentary concert/sports tickets in my future. 

As is our custom when spending the night in Burbank, we always try to sneak in a place to eat on our way up and back home. For the Win has been on my list of places to try forever, so it was not even a question that we'd be visiting here on this trip to try their very much-hyped smash burger. I have yet to read a smash burger best-of list that does not mention their burgers at all. I was pretty excited. 

For the Win was born out of the pandemic. Papilles Bistro was an award-winning bistro, but when lockdown orders came down, the owners pivoted from French food to smash burgers and chicken sandwiches. After many months of tinkering, they created a smash burger with crispy edges but still juicy in the middle, an excellent sauce to compliment the beef and cheese, and the perfect soft potato bun to hold everything together. The chicken sandwich was also a labor of love, and it took a lot of time to get it right. 

Their customers must love their burgers and chicken sandwiches because they have nine locations operating, along with two cloud kitchens in Echo Park and West LA. Unfortunately, they have no OC locations, but the closest one is in Whittier. Their menu is simple to navigate. They offer single, double, or triple burgers, with or without cheese and chicken sandwiches. Sides include fries, sweet potato fries, brussels sprouts, and loaded fries, which are topped with grilled onions, cheese, and fry sauce. Shakes are also available in vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry flavors. Their online menu differs from the menu in-store, as you can not order a chicken sandwich online, and the shakes are available online but not on their current menu at this location. Confusing. 

We arrived at For the Win's Glendale spot just after 1pm on a Saturday. They are located in a small shopping plaza, with only 15 or so parking spots, so it might be challenging to find parking during peak meal times here. There's little in the way of a dining room here, too. They had two small tables outside and a tiny counter space inside, fitting four patrons snuggly. Even with a steady stream of people coming through the door, it only took us ten minutes to receive our food. Here's how everything turned out for us. 

For the Win is mainly known for their burgers, so of course, I'm going to start off with their Fried Chicken Sandwich ($12). This sandwich was dressed simply with pickles and mayo on a pillowy soft potato bun. I'm usually partial to chicken sandwiches made of a single piece instead of pieces, as they are generally easier to eat, but this one stayed together well. The chicken was juicy, but I wished for a little more crunch to their breading, which was nicely seasoned. They could have had a heavier hand when the mayo was applied. It's a good chicken sandwich, but it's not crave-worthy.  

What is crave-worthy are the burgers at For the Win. From my first bite, I was enthralled with this burger. I knew I would be eating at our upcoming family party in the coming hours, and it took all my willpower not to order another burger right away. I ordered the Double Cheeseburger ($12.50 plus $1.95) for bacon). The burgers here come with pickles, fry sauce, and grilled onions. Tomato, lettuce, bacon, and jalapenos are an upcharge of fifty cents to $1.95. The double patty option hit my sweet spot, as it had an outstanding balance of meat, cheese, bacon, and bun. The potato bun is soft and pliable and keeps its structural integrity for the short time it took me to inhale this burger. The beef patty had crispy edges, and the center was juicy in the center, which is not always the case when ordering smash burgers. The cheese was gooey, and even though I'm not the world's biggest fan of pickles on burgers, they worked here to add a little tang to each bite. My one knock on this burger was that it needed some extra sauce, but I'll order more the next time I'm here. This burger is definitely worth the trip. 

For some odd reason, I was not feeling like fries, so we went with Brussels Sprouts ($6) as our side item. This was a very generous serving size, but I quickly got bored with these. They were fried crisp and seasoned with a little too much salt. I would have liked a sweet sauce to help break up the salt and natural bitterness of the sprouts. Not my favorite side, but for people who want a slightly healthier option than fries, this might be more to your liking. 

Okay, I did have some minor misses with the sprouts and the chicken sandwich, but that burger is definitely in the running for one of the best smash burgers I have had to date. It was so good that since we visited, I'm trying to find reasons to come back up to have that burger again. This location of For the Win is not the most convenient to eat at, as there's limited seating, and it's more conducive to takeout orders, but these smash burgers are worth the hassle. I'm looking forward to the day that they enter the OC market. I'll be the first in line. 

Out of five streetcars (because this restaurant is on Brand Boulevard, named after Leslie Brand, a city leader in the early 1900s who was instrumental in getting streetcars to Glendale), five being best and zero being worst, For the Win gets four streetcars. 

For more information about For the Win, head to their website by clicking here: https://forthewinla.com/#