Enjoy L.A. - Eat Out More Often! - Hof's Hut since 1951

Hof's Hut had been on my list of places I have to hit up someday but I'd only bookmarked the Torrance location. Happily we stumbled upon the Bixby Knolls Hof's Hut yesterday while out on a Saturday road trip just about the time we started asking the 'where are we gonna eat' question.

Their menu tells the history of the restaurant, with accompanying photos. Founder Harold Hofman started a hamburger shack on the beach at 5th Street in Long Beach during the 1940s. A photo shows Harold at the grill standing next to his mother, who helped work the stand. Fast forward to September 1951, now married with a son on the way (current owner Craig Hofman), Harold seeks a more reliable business plan and opens his first Hof's Hut restaurant in Belmont Shores. By the mid-1970s there were nine locations around the South Bay and in Orange County. Today six locations remain: Bixby Knolls, Los Altos, Marina, Torrance, Buena Park and Los Alamitos.

I wholeheartedly recommend the Hofburger, a juicy 1/3 pounder with lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion and thousand island dressing. A side of half and half fries and onion rings is a perfect accompaniment. The only regret was that I didn't have room for the olallieberry cheesecake I was thinking about before the meal.

Enjoy L.A. - Eat Out More Often! - Bill's Hamburgers since 1965

Here's another one of those spots that's only open Monday through Friday (from 8:30 to 4pm in this case), so on those rare occasions I have a weekday off I head to Bill's. Located on the industrial stretch of Oxnard Street between Van Nuys Blvd and Kester, the stand was recently written about in Saveur and Los Angeles magazine though it heretofore relied on word of mouth as Bill doesn't advertise.

Bill has been in this location for 45 years, he's the third owner of this little 8 stool hamburger stand and I can't imagine its been without a customer since he opened it. Before the stand Bill operated a restaurant 'down the street' for a few years (also called Bill's) which fell victim to a street widening project hence the move to the current stand in '65. Once upon a time he was open on Saturday's but gave that up fifteen years ago because he got tired of working six days a week. I've occasionally seen people order a pastrami sandwich but its Bill's hamburger that's the star of the show- a deliciously seasoned little griddled patty served on a soft bun. These burgers come with chips on the side because as Bill says 'fries aren't good for you, they're too greasy'. And might I suggest if you're still hungry after one of Bill's single (or double) cheeseburgers simply order another.

What went before? 2420 N. Broadway

Today it's a shoe store but once upon a time 2420 N. Broadway was the home of the originator of the chili size Ptomaine Tommy (aka Tommy De Forest) and is not to be confused with The Original Tommy's.

According to Tommy's recipe the chili size (also known as the hamburger size) consisted of two hamburger patties about 4 inches in diameter. The beans that cover the patties are soaked in salt water overnight then cooked in a 40-quart pressure cooker. Each patty is covered with a half cup of beans and a half cup of chili. The chili is made with tomato puree, canned tomatoes and drained ground beef for two or three hours - chili powder is added afterwards. To this concoction add onions and viola -the original chili size.

In 1913 Tommy bought a lunch wagon for $75 and 'Texas Tamale Tommy's Ptomaine Tabernacle' could soon be seen around Ave. 22 and N. Broadway. He moved to the 2420 location in 1929 and this became the mecca to which all walks of life flocked to get their chili size fix. To stay humble Tommy kept a model of his original cart in a bottle in the window. Tommy leased the business to Berkeley W. Batchelor from 1946 to 1954 and took it over again after Batchelor's death. Unfortunately Tommy's health declined and the business had trouble staying afloat, succumbing to its creditors Ptomaine Tommy's closed its doors on August 10, 1958.

Tommy De Forest died August 18, 1958.

Enjoy L.A.- Eat Out More Often! Marty's Hamburgers since 1958

Yes, the hand-formed cheeseburgers at Marty's are great but Marty's isn't called 'Home of the Combo' for nothing. In Marty's-speak a 'combo' is a split and grilled Vienna Beef hot dog topping a burger. Do yourself a favor and try it with a 50/50 order of fries and onion rings. Delicious.

So you say you can't afford one of them fancy locations? (Part One)

Just choose a great name. There was nothing drab or lackluster about these restaurant men of the past!

So you say you can't afford one of them fancy locations? (Part Two)

No sir, not boring at all.