The Beer Float at Golden State, juxtaposed to Andy’s hand. Dorothea Lange, I am not.
One can only read and hear about an infamous beer float for so long before the desire to taste the ungodly concoction becomes overwhelming. Such is the case with the beverage crafted at Golden State (426 N. Fairfax). I first read about it in a Jonathan Gold column in the LA Weekly. His description of the brew — a pint of North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout topped off with a scoop of Scoops brown bread ice cream — sent a chill down my spine. To make matters worse, the food critic implied that the hamburger at Golden State could be one of the best in Los Angeles. I went home from work that night and regaled Nicci with this breaking story upon which I had so innocently stumbled.
Of course, Nicci and I never found our way to Golden State. Perhaps a week or two before she left for Alabama, I found myself at work talking to a customer friend named Andy about beers. He mentioned Golden State as having an exquisite beer list, and once it clicked that he was talking about the home of the beer float, I made him promise to join me for dinner once Nicci left town. He obliged. Last night, Andy and his wife Lisa treated me to dinner at the…what is it, a new America restaurant or a gastropub? I don’t know the difference. Oh well.
It’s easy to overlook Golden State when driving — or even walking — down Fairfax. It is a tiny sliver of a commercial space within spitting distance of Canter’s Deli. There are at most a dozen small tables at which to sit. The space is rather minimal: exposed brick walls, wood seats and glass tabletops. One simply walks to the back counter and orders their food and beverages. Lisa began by ordering Muffuletta (salami, provolone, housemade olive salad spread). I followed up with a burger (Harris Ranch beef, Fisalini Farms Cheddar, glazed applewood smoked bacon, Arugula, Housemade aioli and ketchup). I chose sweet potato wedges with a garlic aioli as my side dish. Andy got his burger without bacon but with caramelized onions, and french fries with curry ketchup. I ordered the beer float, Lisa drank bottled water, and Andy had a rare Belgian-style imported beer whose name I have sadly forgotten.
Dinner conversation was great, both Andy and Lisa are so knowledgeable and fun to hang out with. It felt more like catching up with old friends than a first time meeting in a non-work-related environment.
The beer float was everything I dreamt of and more. Old Rasputin is a full-bodied, low carbonation brew whose flavor boasts an abundance of roasted malts and chocolate. It is about as a perfect fit as can be for a scoop of the vanilla-based brown bread ice cream from Scoops (712 N. Heliotrope Dr). It is difficult to mask the alcohol content in a high ABV beer, but Old Rasputin stands in opposition to other Imperial Stouts in this regard. The fact that the chocolate/coffee flavor is intensified by the ice cream pushes the alcoholic essence of the drink even further into the margins, creating a potentially deadly, absolutely ridiculously delicious beverage. I’m not going to say I was aroused by the beer float, but the thought definitely crossed my mind that I could be.
The burger. The sweet potato wedges. The garlic aioli. Perfection? I don’t know from food, but I’d say it’s close…
Our food arrived in good time. The burgers at Golden State are not as flashy as say, Father’s Office, with that French bread-looking bun they use, and the gruyere/bleu cheese combination. The simplicity and the quality of the products used in the Golden State burger catapults it beyond that of Father’s Office. The meat was cooked to perfection. It is blanketed in cheddar from Fiscalini Farmstead Cheese Co., often dubbed the best cheese in the country. The ratio of bacon to everything else (a very important detail to a bacon whore like myself) was just right: not overpowering, not lost among the fray. A simple but savory bun completes the sandwich. It was stunning. I tried to enjoy it as it was served, but forced myself to sample the curry ketchup to alter the taste of the last few bites. So good. The sweet potato wedges made for a fine side dish. The only problem was that I wished for a larger serving of the garlic aioli. It more than stands up to the blue cheese aioli at Father’s Office.
As we finished our food, I finally had another opportunity to survey my surroundings. What had been a subdued crowd at about 7pm on a Friday night had become (90 minutes later) a bit more bustling and packed. The line to order food stretched from the counter nearly to the entrance. Expectant diners stood around, beers in hand, waiting for tables to open. I’m glad we arrived on the early side, as the prospect of waiting for a place to sit in a small, popular restaurant has to be one of the worst annoyances in the world. Do not fuck around with schedule delays when one’s hunger is involved. It is never pretty.
Burgers. Beer Floats. Golden State. I will be back there to do it all over again very soon.
