Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
The 3rd Stop Burger Deal is First-in-Class
Photo by Farley Elliott/LAist.com.
You know you’re in Los Angeles when Saturday is the ‘slow night’. At least that was the problem at Mid-City West watering hole The 3rd Stop. With a great patio, room to move between tables and a commendable beer list, most nights were kept buzzing by foot traffic and locals, but Saturday would slow down as the clientele were skimmed off in favor of more well-heeled locations around the city. Leave it to a burger to save the day.
For several weeks now, The 3rd Stop has been quietly promoting a new Saturday night special: from 8pm to 9pm, the house burger is stripped down to just a cheeseburger, and sold off for $1 apiece (when ordering an adult beverage, or course). Yes, it’s only an hour-long deal, and yes it’s a touch early for the ‘going out’ crowd, but these aren’t reheated Burger King Whoppers, either.
The Angus ground chuck is a fresh, coarse grind and cooked to your desired temperature level. Assuming you don’t like your burger patties crispy, there’s more than enough juice to keep you from getting a dreaded mouthful of dry, crumbly beef. In fact, with a nice hit of savory fat from the gorgonzola cheese, you might start to think this basic burger doesn’t need much else. And you’d be right.
Support for LAist comes from
LAist was invited to try the $1 special cheeseburger alongside their everyday menu burgers, with surprising results. The Chef’s burger is just a gussied up version of the cheeseburger, with sweet onion marmalade and a couple strips of bacon slapped on top. The onions, while tasty, overpowered the rest of the ingredients and made tasting the distinct beefiness nearly impossible. It is certainly an enjoyable package, but no match for its slimmed-down half-brother. Next in line is the Kobe burger, a ‘premium’ cut of beef that comes with provolone cheese, greens, and a few tomatoes. While the toppings were toned down for this 3rd Stop burger iteration, the beef itself couldn’t hold up its end of the deal. Notwithstanding the whole ‘Kobe beef in America is a myth’ discussion, there wasn’t much to taste with the medium-rare patty. Not enough salt and little to no crust meant the bulk of the flavor rested with a fattier cut of beef that, sadly, comes off sort of bland. Again, this is an acceptable burger (and much worse Kobe versions are currently anchoring menus around town), without any panache to set it apart.
Which brings us back to the $1 cheeseburger. Not only does the price point work (this may be a better overall deal than The Park’s Wednesday burger night), but this is the trimmed version of 3rd Stop’s burgers you’d want to get anyway. And don’t worry if you miss the 8pm hour, you can still get a $1 margherita pizza from 9pm to 10pm. Thin crust, slightly sweet tomato sauce and well-portioned, you may end up spending your whole Saturday night here. Which is exactly what The 3rd Stop is hoping for.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars. -
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
Best of LAist