Dinner – Hopdoddy Burger Bar – Playa Vista, CA. – July 20, 2017

Playa Vista also known, as Silicon Beach is just so surprising, there are so many new restaurants cropping up, it’s just a real delight. Imagine if you live there and you can walk to a market and or a bar restaurant as well as movie theater, in Los Angeles that is a real concept.

The name Hopdoddy’s meaning was a real mystery for me. Hop represents beer; doddy is the nickname for a Scottish cow. Everyone asks that same question.

There are so many strollers and first time families in the area, you see everyone lining up for these terrific burgers. My host John Mitchell is from Houston and explained to me the demographic of Silicon Beach. For all of its new tenants it is just a wonderful way to live and work. The housing is pretty expensive though, but the whole area is brand new. Hopdoody is probably the oldest restaurant having been there for 2 years. With many locations outside of California, including Arizona, Texas, Colorado, and Tennessee. Hopdoddy promised to be the newest, best burgers in town!

The special attention to detail in all of their menu items really makes for a fine experience. Each and every burger is unique with great ingredients you just can’t go wrong and there is something for everyone.

HopDoddy bakes their fresh breads daily and grounds their meats daily as well. They are supporting local purveyors, with no antibiotics or hormones, and all scratch-made sauces.

Here’s What I Tried:

Signature Sips:

Frozen Margarita with Gold Tequila, fresh citrus juices, house-made triple sec, black lava salt rim. A nice and sweet rendition of this classic, the black lava salt adds a great special touch.

Mighty Mule with refreshing sparkler with vodka, main root ginger brew, and fresh lime juice. Not my drug of choice, but if you’re a mule lover I am sure this will tickle your fancy.

Hey Neighbor, Bloody Mary with beet and tomatoes juices, spicy house blend an a black lava salt rim. I always welcome a good bloody Mary and this one is just superb with the added beet juice.

Salad:

Hail Caesar Salad with romaine hearts, baby romaine leaves, spicy-fried chickpeas, tomato, carrot, shaved Parmesan, potato hay, and Caesar dressing. A really amazing salad, the spicy-fried chickpeas make this a salad one to remember.

Baby Kale Salad with baby kale leaves, arugula, feta, watermelon, avocado, sunflower seeds, pickled red onions, pomegranate vinaigrette. I loved how sweet and crisp the watermelon is, it just goes so great with all of the other ingredients.

Craft Burgers:

Thunderbird, with chicken, apple wood smoked bacon, Tillamook pepper jack, pablanos, avocado, pico de gallo, and Chipotle mayo, and green leaf lettuce. The cheese and the bacon make for one delicious burger.

Ahi Tuna with, sushi grade tuna, sunflower sprouts, nori chips, teriyaki, honey wasabi mayo, pickled ginger, green leaf lettuce, white onions, and tomato. A very wonderful burger, I just loved the nori chips, if you love Asian seasonings then you will love this burger

Continental Club with turkey, apple smoked bacon, provolone, arugula mayo, basil pesto, white onion, tomato on whole wheat. Another one of my favorites, I especially loved the seeded bun.

Greek, with Lamb, feta cheese, arugula, pickled onions, tzatziki sauce, olive oil, tomatoes. You get a small sampling of Greek nuances, but it is a delicious combination.

Llano Poblano with Angus beef, apple smoked bacon, Tillamook pepper jack, seared pablanos, Chipotle mayo, green leaf lettuce, white onion, and tomatoes. A nice array of fixings, all working together perfectly.

The Classic with an egg, Angus beef, Green leaf lettuce, white onion, tomato, sassy sauce. John took the liberty of putting a sunny side up egg on top and wow what a great burger. The yoke oozes out all over the meat. It is a pretty simple combination, but really stellar, by far my favorite of the night.

Buffalo Bill with Bison, blue jack cheese, Franks hot sauce, sassy sauce, green leaf lettuce, white onion, and tomato. I really liked the idea, but for me the hot sauce drowned out the flavors.

Sides:

Parmesan Truffle Fries with truffle aioli. The truffle aioli makes all the difference in the world.

Kennebec Fries, so crisp and fresh, fries never tasted so good.

Green Chile Queso Fries, in Texas this is more like a soup then a dip, what ever it is it is delicious.

Shake:

Vanilla Bean, with a bit of cinnamon, order this luscious shake for dessert.

Wine:

J. Lohr Chardonnay, Paso Robles, a nice oak forward chardonnay, it went great with the Ahi Tuna burger.

Storypoint Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma. This wine has a lot of cherry and vanilla, a great pair with the classic burger or the Greek burger.

The interior has many bar type tall tables, which makes for a casual quick dining experience. There is an out door patio with picnic type tables. Hot orange is used for the accent colors of the bar stools. It’s part modern, part fast food, but all of it is fantastic.

There are so many boutique burger places that are hard to keep up. Hopdoddy is really set apart from all the rest. With its very creative take on the burger phenomenon it proves that the old stand by is a great meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or even in between. What ever the time and occasion try Hopdoddy for you’re next burger craving. You will become a repeat customer, I guarantee it.

HopDoddy
12746 W Jefferson Blvd, Unit 1120,
Los Angeles, CA 90066
Hopdoddy.com

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