a lackluster burger

We've been craving burgers for a while, but we wanted to try something other than Father's Office or Umami Burger, something fresh and new. So we went to Cube on La Brea. We metroed via red line and took a bus: big effing mistake. Buses blow in Los Angeles. When we finally arrived, this valley trash practically had to beg for service. Chrissy began to get a little loud and ghetto and surprise, surprise, a server finally approached. He turned out to be the wine manager.

To start, the Fatted Calf Sicilian and Mt. Tam. The cheese was thick and creamy but lacked that funk we we like, way too mild for our liking.

Then braised baby octopus served on top of grilled endive. The octo was charred and tender, the endive bitter. This was good.


Hamburger, sans truffles, with shallots, cheese, and arugula. Paper thin, crispy potatoes. While the potatoes were interesting and perfectly edible, they were a total cop out. We want fries with our burger. And we want our burger to be medium rare when we order it that way. We had to send our burger back once, but at least the server wasn't a dick about it. The bun was totally dry which made the burger seem dry, even though it was cooked correctly the second time around. And because we're crazy for brussel sprouts, we got a side of brussel spouts braised with rosemary. This was mos def a miss. Not tender, and because they braised them, not crispy either. B-sprouts can and should be fun to eat. These weren't. Lastly, ricotta cavatelli with bolognese and a sprinkle of parmesan. This was fine, though we won't be coming back for more.


For sweets, we ordered the butterscotch and chocolate pots de creme. Our favorite, the butterscotch, was silky, slightly salty, and a bit sweet. If there's a next time, we may take a cue from the skinny girls sitting next to us and order the cookies. Highly unlikely we'll be back though. We really wanted to like this place because most of their ingredients are locally and sustainably sourced. But the food was just not cooked properly. What good is utilizing great ingredients if you don't really know what to do with them?


Cube
615 N. La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90036
(323) 939-5520