Check out the Dry-Aged Flannery Beef Burger at Workshop Kitchen + Bar.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MOLLIE KIMBERLING
Burger connoisseurs share an unsated quest for the most delicious thing ever tucked into a bun. It’s a lifelong calling that ideally leads to the Dry-Aged Flannery Beef Burger care of Workshop Kitchen + Bar. Layered with truffle pecorino, caramelized onions, herb-truffle aioli, and lettuce on homemade brioche, it lives up to the $39 price. The juicy Flannery arrives like the work of art that it is — solo on its plate — so budget another $14 for a side of duck fat fries or $19 for fried oyster mushrooms. Whether you’re seated on the patio, in a booth, or at the communal table, this burger commands your rapt attention. Owner/chef Michael Beckman rotates the menu (and the burger offerings) seasonally. This fall, watch for a truffle-oxtail version, which may have you fighting back tears and, perhaps, concluding your quest.
Best Restaurant Pickles
First of all, you gotta know your pickles. A dill pickle is not a sour pickle is not a cornichon. Dill pickles (with a few sprigs of fresh dill added) are typically pickled in a vinegar mixture, while sours (aka half sours) are fermented in salt brine. Cornichons are made from immature cucumbers plucked from the vine when they’re an inch or two long; they’re cured in salt overnight and then immersed in vinegar. The reigning pickle in Palm Springs for more than 60 years is the kosher half sour at Sherman’s Deli & Bakery, with locations in Palm Desert and Palm Springs. Manager James Evans says the key to a great pickle is a balance in the sour with just a hint of sweet, but the true test is the snap. “It has to have crunch,” he says. “A mushy pickle is just a waste.” — Kent Black.
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