Burger head-to-head: 8 oz. stats

(Credit: Shane Redsar)

The cash
The namesake half-pound burger (yep, 8 ounces) is $10.

The beef
The 8 oz. burger is a blend of sirloin, tri-tip, short rib and chuck that’s ground in-house, stored in a Himalayan salt-tiled meat locker and perfectly cooked over live wood. Aside from greater finesse in preparation and flavor, Chef Armstrong is more preoccupied with the health of the environment. All meat products are sustainable and humanely-raised.

The bun
At the time of our visit, the La Brea Bakery was neither here nor there: not much rise, not much flavor. Most bread products are now supplied by Breadbar.

The sauce
Sauces are 8 oz.’s main attraction. Regular ketchup, mustard and mayo are included with the price of the burger, but for $1 each you can add hothouse cucumber relish, poached garlic aioli and blue cheese sauce. We tried the purple mustard (blended with red onions and red wine vinegar) and found it similar to Grey Poupon. But we loved the sweetness of the hothouse cucumber relish and the kick of cumin in the tomato chutney.

The accompaniments
8 oz. includes shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, raw onion and pickles. But you can dress yours up with haute extras like house-cured bacon, mustard greens or fried green tomatoes ($2), as well as cheeses like Bel Paese, Humboldt Fog or cave-aged Gruyere ($1).

The sides
At 8 oz., we devoured the basket of summer truffled potato skins ($4). The basic fries are pretty darn good too.

The shake
8 oz. offers an orange Creamsicle float as well as adult (i.e., alcoholic) selections such as a beer float made with oatmeal stout and homemade vanilla ice cream.

The combo deal
$15 gets you the 8 oz. burger with one side and a top-notch draft.

The vibe
Despite its recession-proof menu, 8 oz. with its tin ceilings, reclaimed wood wainscoting and subway tile touches, has an upscale-casual feel—and with good reason. Armstrong and his entire crew pitched in with the handiwork.

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