Recently I had the pleasure of devouring the colossal California Roll burger from 26 Beach in Venice. This ninth wonder of the foodverse came loaded with avocado, real crab meat, ginger, wasabi mayo, lettuce, tomato, an Angus 1/2lb patty, and is served with thick-cut fries which were like chunkier versions of In and Out's fries.
When this behemoth landed in front of me, I wanted to pick it up and just go all out Man vs. Food on this thing, eating it with no regard to burger spillage or, um, personal appearance. So as to not embarrass myself in front of my coworkers (or least keep it to a minimum), I cut it in half, then cut one half in two and repositioned the skewer to keep the other half in tact while leaning the other cut quarter against the skewered half to keep this leaning tower of burger from becoming a Hindenburg. I then grabbed a quarter of the California Roll burger and compressed it just enough so I could get my jaws around it, and guess what? It worked and I was able to get all of the flavors and textures with a well placed chomp.
The mingling of flavors of beef and crab and mayo and bun was something I had never experienced before with any meal. The deep beefiness of the Angus patty--cooked to a perfect medium rare--was counteracted by the creaminess from the crab and wasabi mayo mixture. Heat from the wasabi lingered for a bit but the avocado made for a cool finish to each bite. Expansive sheets of ginger added an interesting, snappy texture, while the house-made, pillowy soft bun did its best to bookend the ingredients. See that layer of lettuce and tomato on the first level? The 26 Beach chefs placed those there so as to provide a level foundation for the massive quantities of protein resting on the higher levels. And sure a few bundles of crab sneaked out during mid-chomp, but I was quick to shovel them back in to the burger with the provided eating utensils. Within ten minutes or so, this burger was out of sight and in my belly. A messy albeit delicious lunch experience.
So how much for this pylon of fusion goodness? 26 Beach charges a very fair $19 with fries, which for me was well worth the experience of consuming a burger topped with basically a California roll. My coworker ordered the Texas Burger with chili and said it was good but that the chili needed more spice, and another coworker ordered the Kobe burger and gave it high praise.
Do yourself a favor and head over to 26 Beach to try a truly unique burger. Just don’t try this on a first date; I mean at least wait until the third date.
26 Beach
3100 Washington Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
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