100 days of burgers: DTLA BURGER SMASH uP

When was the last time you had a really good burger?

It seems that for DTLA, this should not be hard to come by, but believe us when we tell you that your first bite into Chef Santos Uy's For The Win Burger is going to make you rethink everything you know about this classic American staple. It is a trendy world out there, so it is quite refreshing to come across simplicity, especially when that simplicity has the flavor power to blow your mind. During the pandemic, Mignon added an outdoor popup featuring the "FOR THE WIN" burger, a staple of Chef Santos' other restaurant, Papilles Bistro, located in Hollywood. For the Win Burger lives up to its name.

This burger is simple, but it's the real deal, made up of two perfectly seasoned grass-fed patties intensified with grilled onions and topped pickles and duel slices of American cheese.

Unlike many of these overly ambitious burgers that come with layers of distractors that ultimately leave you with a big disappointing mess. For the Win is an honest burger that pairs well with red, white, and Rose. Mignon Wine Bar is open WednesdaySunday (6-10 on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. 6-11 on Friday and Saturdays). 128 E. 6th Street, LA, CA

Chef Santos has been living and working in DTLA for 14 years. He opened Mignon on 6th Street in 2010 and has been charming locals ever since. Mignon is best known for an eclectic menu of cheese and charcuterie, sandwiches, and oysters to pair with beautiful bottles from their diverse wine collection. 90013. @mignonwine

New developments have seen Leo Matias bringing in his younger brother Alex to join the team, adding to Cilantro Lime’s family-style atmosphere, which also allows community members to help add to their secret menu, regularly promoted on their social media.

No matter what’s going on in DTLA rest assured, Cilantro Lime's creators are loyal to the community, open and ready to serve their delicious Mexican plates to the masses with a smile.

Celebrated on almost every local news outlet and foodie blog channel since opening just a few short years ago, Cilantro Lime located in the International Food Court may have been put on a brief hiatus due to the pandemic. However, they are still open for take-out and delivery. Plus, Cilantro Lime's outdoor dining set up has reopened just north of Olympic and Los Angeles Streets in the Fashion District of sunny Los Angeles. For this print issue, Cilantro Lime created a whole new burger. DT Weekly went behind the scenes to document its creation which started in the hands of Matias as a seasoned ground beef “snowball” being mixed in with chorizo and placed to cook on the grill. Soon sliced fresh jalapeños, sweet onion and red bell peppers were added, followed by a small mountain of shredded cheddar cheese. After a short while, Leo lifted the patty and placed it inside a soft toasted bun and presented it to the world. The DTLA Burger is juicy and packs a spicy kick that's sure to fill you up. Whallah, it is our pleasure to introduce to you - the DTLA Burger. 934 S. Los Angeles Street, LA, CA 90014. @cilantrolimedtla

On average, Americans consume around three burgers a week. That's the equivalent of approximately 13 billion hamburgers a year, enough to circle the Earth 32 times.

That's probably why the Rapp Burger is such a popular menu item that it can easily compete with the numerous orders of sweet, salty and briny varieties of oysters from the Rappahannock River upon which Rappahannock Oyster Bar aka RappBarDTLA are known.

The Rapp Burger has also been named "LAs Best" by LA Magazine and written about in countless other mainstream media rags. But what makes this burger so enjoyable just may surprise you. We caught up with RappBarDTLA's executive Chef Wilson Santos to "ketchup" on old times and learned the secrets behind the Rapp Burger's colossal success. This time at RappBarDTLA, instead of patiently waiting to dine with numerous others on their magnificent outdoor plateaus, we were led behind the scenes to the kitchens. It was there Chef Wilson Santos begin showing us around the grill and and revealed to us how the Rapp Burger was made.

It's the meat. That's what we first thought. And it could have been. Chef Wilson Santos explained the cows were only fed grass and carrots. That was interesting. When he added the caramelized onions, we could already taste the two flavors coming together nicely in our imaginations. Then the Chef added cheese, and we watched the thick slices melt so kindly in the slowest of motions. We thought, "Wow! That's got to be the secret".

When the burger was ready, Chef Wilson Santos airlifted it to the side of the kitchen that held the condiments with his shiny spatula onto a small plate. As the aroma hit us, all we could think of was taking our first bite. "So, you want to know the secret?", he asked.

We nodded our heads quickly, unsure what else a burger of this caliber could acquire to make it look and taste any better than the possibility it was already presenting. Then with a quick turn, Chef Wilson Santos reached back towards the grill where a silver container sat waiting. After lifting the container's lid, the Chef revealed his creamy white Smoked Mayo. It was this mayo that was used to make the signature sauce; Two parts ketchup, two parts Smoked Mayo, all parts delicious.

When the bun's lid was placed oh so delicately on top of the twin patties covered in caramelized onions and melted cheddar, Chef Wilson Santos presented our team with one of DTLAs most soughtafter taste. The secret of the Rapp Burger, in all its magnificent glory. 777 S. Alameda Street #154, LA, CA 90021. @rappbardtla