"I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." - J. Wellington Wimpy

The Beefburger
In mortal combat I am joined
With monstrous words wherever coined
"Beefburger" is a term worth hating,
Both fraudulent and infuriating,
Contrived to foster the belief
That only beefburgers are made of beef,
Implying with shoddy flim and flam
That hamburgers are made of ham.
Ogden Nash

WAITRESS SERVED :
Hamburger Hamlet - Old-time favorite I have been going to since I was a kid. As a kid I often ordered the hot dog plate, as a teen my favorite and constantly ordered Ham Ham meal was Hamburger #9 and a Vernor's ginger ale (I still like Hamburger #9 - the "Everything On It" burger, but now I get a Long Island Iced Tea or Bahama Mama (!) instead of the ginger ale - I do still think that Vernor's ginger ale is the best ginger ale of them all though!). I have been, at one time or another, to most of the Ham Ham locations in L.A. - in more recent times I have been to the Hollywood location (sit by the window to get a nice view of Grauman's Chinese Theater across the street - plus tons of people watching) and the Pasadena location (very large with lots of booths). Visit the Hamburger Hamlet website - - - Click here for Yummy Eat's review of the Pasadena Hamburger Hamlet.

Bob's Big Boy - Used to be a ton of these restaurants around town - now there are just two I know of, one in Glendale that still retains the old coffee shop style that most Big Boy's used to have, and a fancier retro trendy Big Boy in Burbank (selling t-shirts and Big Boy memorabilia ala Planet Hollywood, etc.), walls covered with old Big Boy menus from different years, old-fashioned booths and a counter where you can eat too. Food arrives quick and still has the same flavor as the old days. I still love the Big Boy Combo! Visit Bob's website

Houston's - Went here once a few years ago with a group of about eight for my sister-in-law's b-day. My main memory is that it was quite dark inside, trendy kind-of crowd, and all in the group agreed the fries were overly salty. It was pretty good despite that. Visit Houston's website

FAST FOOD:
Fuddruckers - I went here once something like 25 years ago, and have never been back. Not 'cause it's bad or anything (in fact, I remember the food as being pretty good), it's just that I don't care for topping my own burger, as you do here, I prefer the restaurant to decide what combination of flavors taste good - and make it themselves! If I want to make my own burger I can just cook one at home! I will perhaps visit this place again one day soon though, for a new perspective on a restaurant that has been around for years. Visit Fuddrucker's website

McDonald's - From childhood, my favorite fast food burger joint. When I was a kid in the 60s I could see the golden arches of our local McDonald's glowing in the distant night sky from the view out my bedroom window (within a few years they remodeled that McDonald's and removed the golden arches - sad). I come from the time when you could still get your McDonald's meal (for me then - hamburger, french fries, and small coke) for under $1. Isn't it amazing that this meal was SO small compared to what they serve now - yet still was satisfying even for an adult?! And remember what a tiny little white sack of fries you got? I mean, even my dad in those days just got a cheeseburger, fries, and drink. When they came out with the new BIG MACS he would get one of those. But I didn't latch onto Big Macs until my late teen years - now my fave sandwich at McDonalds. I also LOVED the Arch Deluxe - why, oh, why did they have to get rid of such a yummy burger?!! When I was a kid they didn't have much in the way of giveaways either - but we didn't mind. The most a kid could expect then was a plastic (or was it paper?) Ronald McDonald hand puppet. Visit McDonald's website