The Details:

913 East California Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91106
Phone: (626) 795-1123
Mon-Fri 6am-10pm
Sat 7am-10pm
Sun 7am-9pm

The Los Angeles Foodie Rating:

The Summary:

Walking through the doors transports you back to 1963, the year that Pie ‘n Burger first opened. Not much has changed since then, and the burgers are amazing. Pie ‘n Burger doesn’t make top 10 lists nearly as often as it deserves to. I am unsure of the reason. Perhaps it’s because it remains a beloved favorite spot of Pasadena locals, and they don’t feel the need to blab about it. Or maybe it’s because this quaint burger shack isn’t trendy enough to win votes on sites like Citysearch. Whatever the reason, it’s fine with me because it means that there aren’t lines down the block to get one of the best hamburgers in Los Angeles.

The Place:

Pie ‘n Burger is old timey. It has stood in its present location on California Boulevard in Pasadena since it first opened its doors in 1963. The current owner, Michael Osborn, used to eat there when he was a kid, and after getting a job there in 1972 he never left. He has made it his mission to keep this historic burger joint as true to its roots as possible. Read more about Pie ‘n Burger’s history here.

A curiosity can be found in the tiny bathroom at the back of the restaurant. The doll-sized sink is operated by a food pedal. I don’t know what it amuses me so much, but I’m tickled every time I see it.

There is a long counter that runs the length of the restaurant, just in front of the cook top and soda fountain. Other seating is available at tables that sit against the back wall. It’s not a big place, and when it’s busy diners patiently wait near the front entrance for a seat.

The Food:

It’s called Pie ‘n Burger, so that’s what you get. I love the cheeseburger with everything, some fries (thicker than fast food fries but thinner than steak fries, and oh so crispy), and a chocolate milk shake to wash it all down. The pecan pie is the star of the pie menu, and if you don’t care for pecan pie, give this one a try just to be sure.

The sodas (including items like Diet Coke) are all still mixed by hand at the soda fountain. They don’t make a big deal out of it, but it gives the soft drinks a distinct flavor that you don’t often find elsewhere. To be honest, there’s not much more to say about the food other than the fact that it’s one of the best hamburgers I’ve ever had. The menu is simple, and the burgers, fries, shakes, and pies are all top notch.

The Service:

At least one waitress has worked there since Pie ‘n Burger first opened its doors, and it’s safe to say that the entire staff knows what they are doing. The service is neither sweet nor sassy. It is efficient, and the entire restaurant runs like a practiced machine. This is a good thing because it means that your burger and fries arrive quickly, and as you are nearing the end of your meal, a server will politely offer coffee and pie. Take them up on that offer. You’ll be glad you did.

Photo Gallery:

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

12►

Map To Location:

View Larger Map

Many of us here in southern California have loads of excess citrus fruit from our own or our friends’ trees. It’s always a challenge to figure out what to do with all of it, but I have a solution for at least one variety of citrus. This week a coworker gave me a bag of Kona limes from a tree on her property. I had never heard of a Kona lime, so I did a bit of investigating.

The Kona, or Rangpur, Lime is common in Hawaii as a decorative tree. It is a natural hybrid of a lemon and mandarin orange. The juice tastes much like a combination of the two fruits, but it also has an almost creamy undertone. Faced with the task of creating something interesting from a bunch of Kona limes, I settled on a cocktail that I dub The Kona Copia. The following recipe makes 2 cocktails. Here is what you will need.

• 4 ounces of fresh squeezed Kona Lime juice (from 10-15 Kona Limes)
• 4 ounces Captain Morgan’s spiced rum
• 1 Tablespoon of honey
• 2 ounces of soda water

Put the Kona lime juice, several of the juiced lime halves, rum, honey, and a small amount of ice into a Boston shaker and shake for at least 5 seconds. Strain over ice into 2 Collins glasses. Top off with 1 ounce of soda water per glass. Garnish with mint leaves if you have any (I didn’t). It tastes almost like an Orange Julius.

Give it a try and let me know what you think. If you send me other creative uses for your Kona limes, I’ll publish them on the blog.

5702 York Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90042
Phone: (323) 255-7115
Mon – Sat 9am – 6:30pm
Sun 9am – 4pm

Galco’s isn’t on my way to anywhere, so every time I visit it’s a special trip. It’s on York Blvd., just west of the 110 near Highland Park. The proud owner of Galco’s, John Nese, is usually there, stocking the shelves with every soda pop you have ever heard of, assuming that it’s still manufactured.

I am generally opposed to high fructose corn syrup, and thankfully so is Nese. He stocks only cane sugar options whenever possible. He also doesn’t buy into picking a side in the soda wars. In a divisive moment many years ago, Nese kicked Pepsi to the curb when they essentially demanded that he buy their product. This story and several others are beautifully photographed and presented by CHOW as part of their Obsessives series.

“Most diet sodas are really pretty bad,” says Neser. He suggests that if you have to pick a diet version of anything, choose Stewart’s diet black cherry, Jones’ green apple, or Sprecher’s low-cal root beer. I have tried all three and can attest that among diet sodas, these are some of the best. In my opinion, another great is Boylan diet black cherry which can be found on tap at the soda fountain at Pizza Fusion (also a decent place to get a pizza while you’re at it).

Galco’s Soda Pop Stop not just a soda pop store. It’s also has an extensive vintage candy aisle, which is a place where I regularly get lost in my own memories.

Galco’s and John Nese are both Los Angeles originals, and I urge you to visit every time you get a CheerWine hankering. Take an out-of-town guest and wow them with your knowledge of “secret” LA. Places like these can last forever if we support them.

For more information, including driving directions, a full catalog of available products, and online ordering, please visit Galco’s website.

Map to location:

View Larger Map

I’m trying to win a Mac Book Pro! A new Twitter revenue service called MyLikes is running a giveaway promotion to drive signups for their new service. Direct from their website, MyLikes describes themselves like this…

MyLikes is a word-of-mouth advertising platform that connects the long-tail of Influencers on the web to advertisers. Influencers choose to write and recommend Sponsored Likes to their audience through their blog, website or Twitter account. Influencers earn money for themselves or a charity of their choice whenever there is a click from a Sponsored Like to the advertiser’s website.

Sponsored Likes are based on the simple principle that the influencer is the expert when it comes to understanding their audience. Influencers can tailor the Sponsored Like to speak to their audience leading to higher click through rates and superior quality leads for the advertiser. To promote transparency, all influencers have a profile page on MyLikes where all their Likes (some of which maybe Sponsored) along with comments are showcased.

For those of you who are active on Twitter (like me @LAFoodie) and looking to make a few bucks to pay the bills, check out MyLikes and let me know what you think. If I’m able to refer enough people, I’ll win a Mac Book Pro, which would be great since I don’t currently have a working laptop. A new laptop for LA Foodie means more reviews and tweets about great food in Los Angeles for you!

If the service sucks, just say so in the comments and I’ll take this post down (or update it with an honest review). But at first blush, the service looks promising as it aims to place control of the content of sponsored tweets in the hands of the experts. I have tried several services in the past, and they have all been terrible failures. I’m going to give MyLikes a shot, and hopefully you will too. Thanks!