Comme Ca - West Hollywood - The Perfect Burger?

Just like that, the NYT claimed its culinary authority and pronounced a slick brasserie in WeHo as the greatest burger joint in the world. Actually, it said that the perfect burger, the quintessential creation of ground meat and bun, is created at this David Meyers outlet along the fashionable part of Melrose, mere steps from the skinny mannequins at Diane Von's and Marc Jacob's ateliers.



The burger, constructed from the Platonian 80-20 blend of beef, minced to a tender grind, is supposedly only available at lunch. At 16 dollars, it's not the average price one pays for a burger, but in this part of town, expect that sort of premium. The main dining room's white and dark outlines, the bright skylights, the slick chairs - it's all a recipe for a swell lunch for celebs (we ran into an actor on NCIS, Josh's former employer), scenesters, yuppies, and foodies.

Apparently the toasted bun was the product of over a dozen prototypes, and it held together perfectly as I ate the burger. An offshoot of a brioche, it wasn't as buttery and flimsy a brioche as something you'd expect at 25 Degrees. It also wasn't as thick as the brioche bun on Rustic Canyon's burger.



The meat didn't advertise a special aging or pedigree. At Comme Ca, they sear the patty, then broil it like a steak. The broiling keeps the juices inside the patty, a rather genius exercise required for one this thick. The meat was generously seasoned and bit perfectly, with the spicy (in a horseradish way), creamy onions which served as the only accompiment, worked to foil the rich patty. If you're looking for a burger that screams "meat-lover," this may be the burger for you. I loved how they dared to serve it perfectly medium rare, perhaps even a rare-plus. Bloody is a key word, though the term is misleading since really the "redness" is a credit to myoglobin, red pigment in the meat, not actual blood (hemoglobin).



A note of the fries, a cone of delicious pomme frites. They're a marvel: crispy and well-seasoned, and perhaps the best I've had other than Wurstkuche, whose thicker offering works better with their thicker sauces. At Comme Ca, expect a tangy aioli that's both addictive and perfectly complementary.

The burger at Bradley Ogden might be a hair better, a credit to the Waygu beef and thinner construction of the patty that yields a more ideal radio of bun to burger. Still, Comme Ca might be one of the best in LA, along with 25 Degrees, Rustic Canyon, and La Grande Orange. A review of La Grande Orange's poblano chile burger wrapped in English muffin will come soon.

Comme Ca
8479 Melrose Ave
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 782-1104