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Some of us at LAist were among the first to take a bite (and a sip or two!) at the new Father's Office II in the Helms Bakery building. LAist Featured Photos pool contributor pink_fish13 also couldn't resist, but opted for this tasty looking twist on a steak salad instead of one of the Office's legendary burgers. Thoughts on the dish: "It was spicy and delicious!"
Father's Office II
3229 Helms Avenue, Los Angeles 90034
(310) 736-2224
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Funny! I tried that salad this weekend, too. It was OK but I found myself wishing there was more steak and then I realized I should have just gotten the Office Burger instead.
Yeah, i reviewed FOII on yelp a few days ago:
yelp.
um, was that supposed to be sarcasm or something, grendel? did you really not know that FO's whole thing is no substitutions, no ketchup?
huh. that's a yelper for you.
Didn't know that.
How is one supposed to know that again?
Just went to their website... nothing there about the no subs and no ketchup thing. Somethings come up when you google fathers office and ketchup... but, is it really a thing that everyone knows?
Seriously. I'm interested here.
yeah...and it says so on the menu:
http://flickr.com/photos/ciana13/2463881347/
and check their website, under "our policies", states "no substitutions" for both locations.
and check yelp reviews for the santa monica location...lots of ketchup complaints.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/fathers-office-santa-monica
Yeah.
Fucking pretentious as shit.
why pretentious?
this is what sang yoon, the chef, has to say:
“[Ketchup] is a very dominating flavor. It’s also full of artificial sweeteners, high-fructose syrup, which I go to great lengths to keep out of the kitchen entirely. I have nothing against ketchup on its own. I understand what ketchup brings [to a burger]: a little bit of tartness and a sweetness, which I built into the burger through the onion compote. The reason why people reach for ketchup is already in there.”"
http://losangeles.metromix.com/restaurants/article/the-big-mo-f/386729/content
I've never been to FO (I know, the shame) but I've heard about the no substitution policy and the no ketchup for a long time now, and I think it is smart of Yoon to do this, because so many people these days are used to eating crap smothered in junk and missing the experience of flavor as intended by the chef. It's much like when you go to a sushi bar and you drown your rice and fish in soy sauce mixed with wasabi--you aren't getting the point of the sushi in the first place. Luckily, if you are in a good sushi bar, the chef will remind you which fish is best dipped in soy, and which is pre-sauced. I don't know if the FO folks are kind about the policy, which can make all the difference. I'm a ketchup user with *most* fries and on some burgers but would be perfectly willing to try the items without--I might get to taste something great instead of processed tomato food and sugar product.
Good point, Lindsay! If a sushi chef can let you know when to use the just-as-ubiquitous soy sauce on his fish, then Sang Yoon can bloody well have a no-ketchup policy. If you want to drown your burger in Heinz, there are plenty of other places to go....
Yeah, I don't know why people get so bent out of shape about the no-ketchup deal.
Actually, they are strict about their cocktail menu, too. I wanted the Manhattan but they were out of that rye they use in their recipe and wouldn't substitute it with anything else. They said that they follow the cocktail recipes to the tee and I can respect that.
It's like going to a nice steakhouse and just throwing A-1 sauce on it. you might as well get the steak at a dennys or ihop instead of dropping 30-100 bucks on it somewhere else. tastes the same. thats why you always here complaints about food or burgers always tasting the same everywhere no matter the price, b/c you put the same shit (ketchup, A-1, ranch, parmesan cheese) on it. trust the chef. if you have your own ideas on it, stick to a place that does it your way(mcdonalds) or just make your own at home.
it also reminds me when someone was bemoaning the lack of good new york pizza spots but i took him to some and he put parmesan cheese/peppers on every pizza BEFORE he even tried any. like, how the fuck are you going to even tell? even if you like it, try it the way the chef made it before you add something else. please. just a bite. it's not hard.
ok, i'm off my soapbox now.
Until they get a hostess who takes names and seats people, I will never go back to FO. It's everyone for themselves trying to find an open table, which you then have to grab the instant people get up. I couldn't stand the constant hovering, with people literally swooping in when I pulled out my credit card to pay. Why they can't have a hostess to take names is beyond me.
Then again, both locations are always packed, so it's clearly not hurting them any. I'm sure they don't care about my business.
^It's a bar, not a restaurant...
Sounds to me like the "chef" is trying to be some kind of food nazi because he's pissed off and just generally not happy being stuck cooking what amounts to pub food.
Get over yourself! It's a f@#ing bar, not a five star resturant dude!
jrb, that's the silliest thing I've ever heard. sang yoon is a very well-respected chef who's probably raking in the cash with these ventures, and FO's menu, while hardly haute cuisine, is certainly a step above "pub food." if he really was unhappy with his vocation in life, why would he be expanding the franchise?
you are all crazy faces who need to relax or else I'll get punchy.
Did someone say good pub food? Pure Luck (it's vegan pub food)! Okay, now back to the regularly scheduled Father's Office debate. Go food forensics!
"if he really was unhappy with his vocation in life..."
I didn't say he was unhappy with his vocation. I said he was unhappy cooking pub food.
Bottom line; I'm the customer, and if I want to put ketchup on beluga caviar, it's my money, it's my choice, and it's my food.
Bottom line: I'm the Food Editor, and if I want to judge you for your bad taste, it's my website. :)
It's not really your choice to use ketchup if there's no ketchup in the restaurant for you to use.
If you don't like the no ketchup policy, then it's your choice not to eat there. But I don't see any reason why Yoon shouldn't step up and make a small batch house ketchup. There's an opportunity here.
I forgot about this thread.
I'm going back to FOII with a bottle of ketchup. Better yet, little packets.
AND I'M BRINGING EXTRAS FOR EVERYONE THERE!!!!!
:)