Take Me Back to Manhattan

Yes, for real. In someone's home, not a restaurant. I'd be hard pressed to find a restaurant that could provide both the food, ambiance and fabulous company we had.

And while we're talking food, I might as well mention that I had dinner at the new Father's Office
in Century City last Friday night. We were almost deterred by the threat of a long wait, but we decided to brave it since we'd be in line with good friends and it was NOT a mistake.

I've never been the Father's Office in Santa Monica, but I've heard that it's a hole in the wall with 6 tables. This place is definitely not that. There's a fabulous outdoor seating area and if you can snag a table there, it makes the experience that much more lovely. I make it sound as though it's small - but it's not. It's just always packed. The bar, which runs the length of the room inside, is great looking and I'd be happy to park myself there for a cocktail any night. And yes, they do have cocktails and wine too(as opposed to the SM outpost which only serves beer.). I opted for one of their classic cocktails and got a Manhattan - and I will say, it was one of the finer Manhattans I've had in a long time with the BEST cherries ever. The boys both got one of their 50-something beers on tap, and my girlfriend had a glass of wine, which is also on tap.

A and I decided to split one of the famous burgers. How can you NOT get a burger at a place that is WORLD FAMOUS (ok - maybe just LA famous and foodie famous) for their burgers. For those of you not from LA (or who have been living under a rock) Father's Office is home of the burger nazi, chef Sang Yoon. His burger is supposed to be the most delicious you've ever had, but you have to eat it his way or no way at all. His way means smothered in cheese and caramelized onions with a layer of lettuce on top to keep the bun it's served on crunchy. No ketchup, no mustard, no sauce of any sort. Because as all foodies out there know, chefs feel that ketchup kills the taste of the burger.

The boys each got their own and we shared one, with 2 "a la carte" sides of fries, served in...mini-shopping carts. Get it? A la carte? Cute. More importantly. DELICIOUS. I could swim in those sweet potato fries with salt crystals big enough to see and crunch in your mouth. And no ketchup for your fries either - plain is served with a blue cheese aioli and sweet potato comes with garlic. Both were divine.

And the burger. I don't often crave a burger...but this. This burger!!!! Oh. My. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD. It was divine. I'm not going to do it justice. Just go try it for yourself. That's because it's not just beef. It's dry aged strip steak. And it's not just cheese - it's a mixture of gruyere AND blue. And it's not just caramelized onion - it's an onion compote. And it's not just lettuce - it's arugula. AND it's not even served on a bun - it's served on french bread. WOW.

I thought this place was all burger and fries and nothing else...but I was pleasantly surprised to find myself with more than enough other options if I ever want to go and not eat a heart attack on a plate. He serves up a bunch of different tapas style plates that all looked fantastic. We decided to try the mushrooms sauteed with garlic, the soprasadas (a spanish ham on a crostini topped with melted manchego. umm..YUM) and the simple beet salad with walnuts and blue cheese.

There was nothing we got that wasn't good. It was IMPOSSIBLE to finish it all because that burger is insanely rich. But you can bet your ass we tried.

And it should not go without mention that the staff here was unbelievably lovely. Helpful, friendly, funny and informative...And it wasn't just one or two of them. Everyone, doorman included, was insanely nice.

Added bonus? We had a David Cook sighting. Yeah...he walked right by our table on his way to a table in the back of the restaurant. We were all awestruck momentarily...until we remembered our burgers.

Some things are more important than Idol. This burger is definitely one of them.