Lucky Devils
6613 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood
(323) 465-8259
$$
Oh, my fair and gentle readers, I had a disappointing experience today!
It wasn’t disappointing because it was bad. On the contrary! This place had so much potential, and could be quite fantastic! It was so, so close. It could have been a contender.
As you know, I’m always looking for new burger places to try, and a couple judicious intarnet searches led me to Lucky Devils. It had gotten strong positive reviews from the various online food reviews sites, and as an added bonus it’s not 5 minutes from where I live. So I headed out there on this delightfully rainy day, my stomach full of hope.
First and foremost, I have to parrot all those other reviews and mention how awesome the wait staff is. Specifically the dude, whose name I didn’t catch, but if you read around, you’ll see everyone mentions him. Super friendly, knowledgeable and really on point. Good job, dude, you left a lasting impression on me.
The menu is fairly scattered when it comes to burgers. They have some favorites, and other things listed but it’s unclear as to whether they do custom burgers or if you’re restricted to the choices.
Longtime readers will note my aversion to blue cheese and bacon on my burgers. I’ll never understand how those became the de facto toppings for an upscale burger, and I won’t shed a tear when they get replaced. As a Frenchman, I find the use of blue cheese on a burger to be either an insult to the meat (by spoiling it with shitty blue cheese), or an insult to the cheese (if it’s good, why waste it on a burger?).
So it was with mixed feelings that most of the burgers suggested had one or both of those. I spied one that caught my eye, however. Kobe beef, caramelized onions, cheddar, aioli, and an artisan brioche bun. Yummy, right? And most all of the reviews I had read were raving about the fries.
My burger arrived, and I was immediately surprised by the thick creamy white shit oozing off the burger. Had they mistaken my order and given me something with blue cheese? Was it mayonnaise? What the hell was it?
The answer, dear friends, is the source of my consternation: it was the garlic aioli.
I’ve got no problem with putting a little touch of something different on a burger to shake things up a bit. I was even okay with the fact it didn’t come with ketchup on it (surprisingly).
But for the love of god, ease up on f-ing the aioli! I swear to god, it was an aioli sandwich. The garlic is still lingering my mouth. If Mo’s was any indication of how tasty a kobe burger can be, then I am doubly bummed out as to what I missed out on. The onions appeared to be perfectly cooked, the meat was tender… I saw that there was cheese on it, but I’ll be damned if I could taste it.
The brioche bun had fantastic texture and consistency, and I think it would win over even the most finicky of burger-eaters.
I really wanted to love this place, and I think I could. And I’d encourage anyone interested in trying it out for themselves. But insist they serve you that god-damned aioli on the side (or just forgo it altogether - I mean they bring you ketchup and mustard, just stick to the basics).
One super-duper good thing about this place, however, is their beer selection. I would say it’s a close second to the offering of Father’s Office. Here, for your enjoyment, I provide you with the list for your perusal:
Sweet merciful Jesus, an 11% beer? F yeah! But even most awesometown is a Belgian white beer on tap! Woohoo!The crossed-out items have been replaced with these:
- Craftsman Spruce Ale
- Telegraph Porter
- Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
So overall, this place definitely has potential. While it still wouldn’t be able to top my number one pick, it’s still potentially a great burger. Please let us know if you try it without the aioli, and leave a comment!
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