Image courtesy of a random LA food blog
Every so often in my life an opportunity arises to partake in something unusually unique. Yesterday afternoon I met with an LA food blogger who writes for one of the country’s most-popular epicurean websites. His job is to review tasty hamburgers in and around Los Angeles. A few months ago I thought, “Hey, I think I know a few things about burgers, I should write this guy and tell him what’s up!” So, I did. And for God knows what reason he wrote back. Somehow through our correspondence we scheduled a full-on “man date”. We were supposed to meet at the downtown eatery Corkbar, but a last minute change brought us to Comme Ça, a fine restaurant I’ve previously reviewed for my blog. I called their burger “damned good,” and contemplated whether or not to declare it the best in the city. Of course, I still have a few popular restaurants left to visit before I create my top ten list.
So, I arrived a few minutes early and was seated near the front of the house. The writer met me a few minutes later and mentioned how he changed our destination to Comme Ça because he had planned a photo shoot there, so it would make more sense to eat there than to eat across town and drive all the way back to the restaurant.
Sous Chef Eric walked out to our table and introduced himself. The writer and Eric sketched an outline for the shoot, and then we ordered. We got one burger and one French dip to share. While we waited for our food we chatted about our lives and our writing careers. I thought I held my own in light of being a fairly unaccomplished writer. He seemed intrigued and at times maybe even impressed by my story.
The sandwiches arrived in good time and we dug in. I started with half the French dip, which was a surprisingly great dish. Chef Eric mentioned that the jus is made of pure veal stock. They do not add ingredients such as broth. The slaw that accompanies the sandwich was really good, it had a nice tart flavor, which we later found out was a result of mixing in finely chopped Cornichons. The burger was unquestionably awesome. Although we both agreed that the slaw atop the burger is unnecessary, there is no denying that the meat, cheese and bun are exemplary. Those three ingredients together form one of the best burgers in all of Los Angeles.
After we finished we hung around and waited to meet Executive Chef Dong Choi. As we waited, Chef Eric talked about the creation of the Comme Ça French dip. A very well known Los Angeles restauranteur was seated next to us, and it didn’t take long for me to notice she and her dining partner were both listening in on our conversation. When Chef Dong arrived he brought us into the kitchen and walked us through the hamburger preparation process. It was an unreal experience, watching and learning step-by-step instructions to recreate one of the best food items I’ve ever tasted. Of course, the icing on the cake was that once the burger was fully cooked, someone had to eat it, and the chefs gave it to me to take home to Nicci. Best surprise lunch ever? I think so.
I won’t spoil the secrets of the Comme Ça burger because it will appear on the writer’s website soon. I’ll definitely share the story with you all when it is published. Until then, the secrets stay with me.
Spending a few hours chatting with a fellow food blogger — who actually gets paid to do it — was as fascinating as it was informative. It reminded me of what it was like being a real journalist in college, when I actually had to make contacts and talk to publicists to set up meetings and conceptualize articles. Sitting there, eating and talking about writing, I started to feel a bit lazy in regards to how little effort I put into this website. Hopefully seeing how a real, legitimate blogger operates will inspire me to take a more serious approach to my silly little website. Or maybe I’ll just forget all about it and write some more fart jokes or commentaries about Gail Simmons and her fucking amazing breasts. God I want to suck on them. The point is, you never know with me. This could be the eye-opening experience I need in order to move Swan Fungus forward, or it could have just been a fun lunch that will in no way impact the future of my writing career.
