The first place I will be discussing is Father's Office gastropub in Santa Monica. This is going to be my first review for a reason: Never have I tasted a burger so complete, a burger in which every ingredient complemented each other so perfectly. This delicious burger contains a fine beef patty topped with caramelized onions, Gruyère and Maytag cheeses, small bits of bacon, and leaves of arugula on a soft french roll.
Father's office IS a bar and unfortunately is 21+, with identification checked at the door, so it isn't a family place. As for the seating, all seating is open seating, with no table service. In order to sit, you have to watch for a table and swoop in and claim it once they leave. It seems like its packed and would take forever to find a table, but I've never had to wait more than 15 minutes.
Now, for the burger itself. The father's office patty isn't the greatest patty out there(yet still above average), however, the burger is great do to the fact that all the ingredients go together so perfectly. The onions are caramelized perfectly to a sauce to give them a delicious sweetness to them. The exotic cheeses complement eachother nicely as well. At first I was a bit skeptical about the burger being served on a french roll, but realized that it adds a nice touch and does a better job absorbing some of the juices than a standard bun would. The burger isn't enormous, but a burger and fries should satisfy most.
Misc notes:
-The shoestring french fries are delicious, and the garlic aioli dip they come with is DELICIOUS.
-Great beer and wine selection, unfortunately there are no soft drinks on tap, and must be purchased in bottles.
As for the price, Father's Office isn't the cheapest place around, and should probably be seen as a once in a while thing. An office burger is 12.50, with an extra 2.50 to have fries added. Most beers are between 6-9 dollars.
Final thoughts: A great place to treat yourself if you're up to spend a few extra bucks, because it is DEFINITELY worth it.
Final score: 94/100
