Culver City Burger Quest: Go Gourmet at Cafe Surfas

Welcome to the next stop on our Culver City Burger Quest. This installment of the CCBQ was an unintended and happy coincidence; Cafe Surfas is the off-store restaurant for the famous restaurant supply and gourmet food establishment.

Surfas is where you go to find every specialty item, best of the best food or idea to fulfill your culinary plate.  They also regularly give seminars in their test kitchen.  It is this reason I went to Surfas that Saturday afternoon—one of my friends was co-presenting an in-store demonstration of molecular gastronomy.  After the very cool presentation, we walked around the store, did a little shopping and sampled some delectable garlic and parmesan bread. One of my friends treated us to a few heavenly slivers of Jamon Iberico and after running into an acquaintance—whose name I embarrassingly forgot—my friends recommended we stop by the connected Cafe Surfas for lunch.  Little did I know I would build a new CCBQ post on it.

Cafe Surfas is a full-featured breakfast and lunch place that features a hearty menu of fresh daily soups, salads, sandwiches, smaller snack or bakery items and a list of tempting coffees and fresh juices.  I wasn’t there for any of that; the Burger Quest compelled me.  In another unexpected twist, I ordered the last Kobe Burger, which forced my friends to order the Lamb Burger. This worked out well for me, but I know their little carnivorous hearts were set on the Kobe. After trying it, I understand why.

Ordering is done at the counter, surrounded by a plethora of food stuffs all tempting you to add on to your order. Once your transaction is done, you can sit inside the cafe, or outside under the shaded patio where there are lots of tables and chairs.  On a beautiful day, even with the parking lot view, the outdoor seating, if lacking glamour, is nice and relaxing.

The Cafe Surfas Kobe Burger: An amazing Kobe beef patty with baby arugula for a little extra peppery kick, complete with onion, tomato with two cheeses and mayo possibilities. It is also served on a thick bun ready to soak up any dripping messes you make.

The Cafe Surfas Lamb Burger: The other burger option on the menu is not one to be trifled with. A thick patty of seasoned lamb, chipotle ketchup, onion, tomato and leafy lettuce on the same power bun that anchors the Kobe Burger.

What did I think about these two?  Good, and not to be shy about it, let me say it loud: VERY GOOD.   Even at $13, these are some tasty burgers—go try them.  As a reminder, the rating system: The rating system is simple, 1-5, 5 being best in four categories: Meat, Bun, Burger Options and Fries.

Meat:  These thick tasty burgers made this blogger and his much hipper foodie friends happy people.  The Kobe Beef Burger is juicy and the basic seasonings—salt and pepper—really allow the great flavor of this beef to shine. Even my blue cheese hating compatriot nodded in appreciation after a full bite of that beefy goodness.  The Lamb Burger, in my humble opinion, actually out shined the Kobe.

Perfectly cooked, the Lamb Burger is even more imbued with great Mediterranean spices that make the flavor really pop.  Cafe Surfas serves this burger with the aforementioned chipotle ketchup and it seems that the Lamb Burger and Chipotle Ketchup become one.  The spices in the Lamb also merge with the chipotle and ketchup. It was a wonderful combination. 5.

Bun: Both burgers are served on a Challah Burger Bun. Some of you may be familiar with the sweet Jewish Challah bread, this is the same style. (If you haven't tried it, you should. It is good.)  The Cafe Surfas version is a touch or two less sweet than the Challah bread I have been exposed to—this is a good thing for burger munching.  The bun top is crusty, the inside dense and the slight sweetness mixes well with the strong flavors of the two burgers. If this bun didn’t compress so well, I may have rated it lower, however, those last bites, when the final juices permeating the bun, I think the Challah bun works well in this application. 4.

Options: For the Kobe Burger, you can order it with Pint Reyes Blue Cheese with Horseradish Mayo, or the Aged White Cheddar with Harissa Mayo.  I love the big power of the Blue Cheese, although the White Cheddar and Harissa Mayo is a wonderful semi-spicy option (Harissa is a hot chili paste from North Africa).  While there is no option on the Lamb Burger, the two options for the Kobe are both noteworthy.  Throw in the small-batch sodas, juices, fruit and the bakery, not to mention the whole host of other incredible-sounding items, I give Cafe Surfas’ options a 5. 

Fries: No fries here, the burgers are served with a nice fresh side salad of mixed leafy greens lightly tossed in a tasty vinaigrette. I’m sure if the wizards at Cafe Surfas decided to do serve the humble fry, it would be fantastic. Since they don’t, how about I rate it a Not Applicable: N/A.   

With a long menu as interesting and eclectic as the store, Cafe Surfas delivers two burgers I can recommend with happy taste buds and a full stomach. 

Surfas can be found on the corner of National and Washington with ample parking available. Cafe Surfas is just to your left before you walk into the store. Monday through Saturday 8a-5p and Sunday 10a-4:30p

Thanks for all the comments and good information on previous CCBQ installments. I will be making it to some of your favorites soon.  Want to nominate a burger for the Culver City Burger Quest? Leave me a note in the comments! 

For previous installments of the CCBQ, go , , and .