cheeseburger in paradise

fuzzyB made burgers for dinner last night, and after hers, I have to agree with saveur that nothing beats a hand-formed, home-grilled burger, oozing with cheeses of choice, and stacked mile-high with lettuce, tomatoes, (red) onions, a fried egg, avocado, and sauteed mushrooms (yes, all of that on one burger) - there are some joints right here is los angeles whose all-american bundes just may measure up.

five (good ones) i've tried

• the brentwood - very nice. very expensive. the olive in my martini goes well with a cheeseburger.
• fatburger - the name says it all. this is where we picked up the fried egg habit.
• father's office - awesome and oval. or is it oblong? whatever it is, it's yummy, but there's no ketchup for the fries.
• in n out - back in my south beach diet days, the protein burger was perfect. and there's a drive-thru window, thank god.
• topz - if angel food cake could be made into a hamburger bun, it would be at topz. seriously, the buns are like little round clouds. topz claims to have "the leanest burgers in america." alright, so it's really just about the fries and the dips at topz.

three i (have heard that i) must

• apple pan - right there by the westside pavilion. so close, and yet, so far. (10801 w. pico blvd. los angeles, ca 90064, 310.475.3585)
• barney's burgers - in a previous lifetime, i ate at barney's in berkeley. hopefully it hasn't evolved over time nor geography. who knows what they might have done to make the menu fit in la la land? oh, i think they call themselves barney's gourmet hamburgers now.
• fuddrucker's - eek! it's a chain, but, then again, so is chili's, and i have to admit, sometimes (though it's a rare occasion) i have to have an awesome blossom.
• hamburger habit - i actually have no clue where this place is, so this link may not even be the right one.
• howard's world famous bacon and avocado burger - i pass this place on my way to work every day, and it appears that howard's has been on that corner of venice and sepulveda blvds, without a remodel or a paint job in about 40 years. one of these days i may actually have the guts (literally) to go in there.