Houston's

Houston's is one of my favorite places for French Dip. It's a great chain of restaurants that serves American classic food. Until last night I hadn't tried the burger, but it came so highly recommended by readers that I had to bring it to the top of the list.

Houston's offers three different burgers - The Cheeseburger, The California Burger, and The Hickory Burger.

I'll be reviewing The Cheeseburger and The California Burger.


The Cheeseburger:

 Fresh-ground chuck with Cheddar, tomato, lettuce and onion on a house-made bun

This sandwich represents the American classic cheeseburger.  If your looking for an all-around tasty, no frills burger this may very well be your best option (in the LA area).

Presentation: Served open-face, The Cheeseburger displays all of its fresh ingredients.

Taste: the charbroiled patty basically melts in your mouth. All the flavors just seem to make sense. There's nothing surprising or outrageous.

Quality: you get what you pay for with this one. For 15 smackers you get a great quality cheeseburger.

Variation of ingredients: Romain lettuce may have been a better chTasoice over iceberg. Again, with a classic like this it's hard to go wrong.

Burger Eater's Rating: 8

The California Burger:

 

Fresh-ground chuck with melted jack, avocado, arugula and red onion

Presentation: The California Burger is also served open-face. It appeared a bit thrown-together, especially how the avocado just rested there in attached slices.

Taste: If you like avocado, you will love this burger. It's not an overwhelming ingredient but it very nicely compliments the melted jack and the tenderness of the meat.

Quality: The ingredients in this burger are the same caliber of The Cheeseburger.  The homemade bun tastes great.

Variation of ingredients:  This sandwich really does encapsulate some of the essence of So Cal taste - a bit spicy with some avocado to balance extremities.

Burger Eater's Rating: 8.5