Checking Out the Glutster Burger at Biergarten in Koreatown

Javier Cabral is well-known in LA Food Blogger land. Formerly known as the Teenage Glutster, Javier started his food blog in his teens, giving voice to the East LA food scene and now the ripe ol’ age of 22, is affectionately known as just the Glutster. He celebrated his cover story in this month’s Saveur Magazine at Biergarten where they have a burger named after him.

The Glutster Burger along with the other burgers are available with either a beef, beef and pork blend or pork patty. Javier recommends his burger with the pork patty. Created by Eddie Hah, formerly of 8 Oz Burgers, I was somewhat dubious of the toppings- black beans, fried green tomato, guacamole, epazote aioli and pickled onion. I wondered if I could ask for it without the black beans (I like black beans but I wondered about the texture) and the epazote aioli (I really don’t need the extra calories from aioli, right?) but in the end, we decided it’s best to let the chef give you what he created as is.

It was…good. Great, even! Yummy! I was surprised. And people eating the Glutster around me were also happy with their burgers.

We also had the spicy snail salad served with seaweed and somen. I liked this dish but would have preferred the snails without their crunchy batter. Then again, we are in a Korean restaurant serving an American-Korean-German fusion. With the game on, it felt like a sports bar and what is more apropos than burgers and fried food?

Pork, snails, pork and more pork. What could go wrong? Nothing, bring it on!

Make that American-Korean-German-Mexican fusion. We also ordered the Korean spicy pork quesadillas. The guacamole and sour cream were pretty standard but the spicy red stuff? I avoided it after taking a bit. Wooeee, that stuff is spicy strong with a distinct Korean flavor.

I’ve always liked Korean fried rice, the stuff they make with your leftover banchan at some K-town restaurants. I generally don’t order fried rice a lot, hearing my dad’s voice admonishing me for ordering something made with scraps. But this version with German sausage seemed intriguing enough. Topped with a fried egg, the yolk gently bound the flavors together.

Be sure to read Javier’s article in Saveur about visiting his parents’ home town in Mexico.

Biergarten

206 North Western Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90004 – (323) 466-4860