Short Order

[Burger Boy]

So has anyone been and what seems to be the opinion here. I have looked at Yelp and S.Irene loves it, how could she not, I am just saying.

[EarlyBird]

The only thing really remarkable about Short Order's food is how high the prices are. We live in a very crowded high end burger market, and Short Order simply doesn't stand out enough to warrant the excessive prices. Go up the street to Golden West for a burger which is at least as good, with more comfortable surroundings and considerably less cost.

[Ciao Bob]

Do you mean Golden State, EarlyBird?
I would never describe Golden State as comfortable, especially at peak hours...tiny and perpetually packed.

[kevin]

Their well-curated beer list is often good too.

[Petey McNichols]

Short Order is good but definitely not great. The turkey burger was one of the better burgers I had there. All the other burgers were just okay. Better than Umami but not as good as Father's Office. But the bacon is to be recognized, it eclipsed the burger that accompanied it. The torn spuds and fries? They're okay but it took them 13 months to develop that recipe? Seems like an exaggeration or a waste of time. Too be honest I expected more but maybe that's the problem with expectations. I still recommend it to others but always mention the price tag that it comes with.

[AMC1210]

After reading the comments on Short Order. I decided to go and see for myself. The pedigree in ownership is very impressive. My daughter and I both ordered the Short Order Burger, medium well and it came out a perfect medium (thanks to the earlier comments about under cooking) We split Old School Fries.We ate upstairs and the wait staff was very attentive.Conclusion: a great hamburger, much bigger than I thought it would be, my daughter could not finish all of it. The bun was great also. The fries were very good. Very impressed. Price to me did not seem out of line. We will be back.

[perk]

I agree. I went recently and liked it, too. Went upstairs during the week around noon. Not crowded yet, though it was pretty busy by the time I left. Think it was Nancy's burger. Very good, though so juicy it was hard to eat. Not a bad complaint. I'm just sayin'. The spuds were excellent. Had a very nice ale on tap. I thought the prices were in line with other high end burgers. I'll definitely go back.

[NeverEnough]

Had the burger a week ago. The burger was just alright but the bun was outstanding. And the vanilla malt was the best I've had in many years.

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Short Order
6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036

[funkycold]

I went over the weekend after reading it was one of S. Irene's favorite meals of 2011. I was seated at the counter facing the kitchen and was a little bothered by what I saw at the water station. There were dirty glasses next to the place where they were filling the new waters for customers. The bus boy would touch the dirty glasses and then touch the top of the water bottles to seal them. My wife then told me not to ask for water because she saw the waitress fill a used glass of water and serve it. I am sure this happens all the time at restaurants but I did not have to see it. Also, the waitresses were hanging out in that area and they were all bitchy, complaining about customers, their shifts and other their colleagues. I have to say the seats were not the best in the house.

I don't know if the atmosphere effected my ability to try and enjoy the food but I found the burger to be good and nothing special. I had Nancy's Burger and I thought the patty was nice but what stood out for me was the bun which I think they got down right. Not too buttery or soft. Just right. I was not particularly a big fan of the spuds either. Then came the bill and for the price I was better off at Go Burger, In-n-Out or Oinkster. Sorry but Short Order does not even crack my top 5 LA burger joints.

[Servorg]

A couple of questions. How did your wife know it was a "used glass of water" the waitress filled and served? Were the bus boys actually touching the lip of the bottle to seal it? I don't see how or why they would do that to press on some sort of cover? Touching the top of the seal/cover I can see.

[funkycold]

I didn't see the waitress pour it into a used glass but that is what she told me. And I can see it can be confusing. Like I said, the water bottles are next to the dirty glasses and the plates.

As for the water, there is a plug for the water bottles and I clearly saw him fumbling with the top of it and touching it after he disposed of the dirty glasses.

Not only that but I also saw him place the tray of "clean glasses" atop of what looked like the garbage where food is disposed of.

If you work at Short Order, that whole area needs to be re-organized.

[Clyde]

Walked by there today over lunch and they looked empty from the outside. not sure if anything was happening upstairs but it seems the crowd finally died down. no one waiting for takeout, only one party sitting outside. every other time i've walked by it's been packed.

[Ciao Bob]

Love the taters there, both the skinny fires and the torn spuds.
The burger was a burger...ho-hum. I just don't get the burger crazed world we live in these days. When I crave red meat, it is steak I want -- not low grade beef ground up and cooked on a greasy grill then disguised in a bun with other meats, cheeses, and vegetables.

[Servorg]

"When I crave red meat, it is steak I want -- not low grade beef ground up..."

Well, that's the point in a nutshell isn't it? We now have folks grinding up the very highest grades of beef, along with all other sorts of artisanal adders...

[Ciao Bob]

I don't want high grade beef wasted in a grinder. At the end of the day, for all the hoopla and jacked-up prices you are staring (sadly, in my case) at a hamburger that is not much better, just thicker, than the grease bomb I can get at the Apple Pan, or Carl's Jr.

[Servorg]

Your take on things is fine. It's simply another case of discernment. Some folks like (and say they can tell the difference) burgers made with high quality beef. Some either don't care of can't tell the difference. Vive Le Difference!

[TonyC]

Post of the day -- SO was actually just compared to Carl's Jr.

Thanks for the LOL.

[Clyde]

i can't be the only one who has fond memories of the western bacon cheeseburger! haha. loved that onion ring.

[Ciao Bob]

Clyde -- Silverton could certainly learn a thing or two from CJ's -- that fried onion ring was Einsteinian.

TonyC -- you've given me many a laugh...happy (and proud) to payback :)

TonyC - to make you LOL

[Mr Taster]

Any discussion of high quality meat yanks me back to Japan. You seem to get around, Bob-- I take it you've had real Kobe beef there? We had a hibachi lunch in the city of Kobe which gave me a much deeper appreciation for the stuff.

High quality beef is absolutely best enjoyed whole, savored it in small quantities. The wonder of Kobe beef is the beautiful marbling that gushes flavorful beefiness in your mouth, and the meat which all but melts away on your tongue. I remember the cubes of beef having almost the texture of a firm marshmallow.

If you were to grind that up into a burger, you may have the flavor-- but all of the wonderful, sensual textural qualities are lost.

And I know that Short Order's version of the FancyBurger™ doesn't use Kobe beef, and Harris Ranch Prime is certainly leagues below in quality, but I appreciate your sentiment nonetheless.

Mr Taster

[Ciao Bob]

I have Taster - hibachi, sukiyaka and shabu-shabu, love it that way, but not so much as a whole steak (which I once had at CUT - waaay tooo rich).
Around here it can be had at KaGaYa, but it is pricey.

[kevin]

how is KaGaYa, i haven't been there in ages for shabu shabu at least a decade now? though i'm not the greatest fan of shabu shabu for some reason.

[Ciao Bob]

Excellent, kevin. Great seafood, meat and veggies. I love it.

[Bradbury]

FWIW, my own burger cravings have less to do with red meat than with craving the whole burger experience: the right balance of meatiness, crunch, cheese, seasoning, moisture, breadiness, etc. (ideally with no single one of them dominating all the others). I'm not a vegetarian by any means, but I greatly prefer a really good veggie burger to a middling beef burger.

[Servorg]

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