Father’s Office

The weekends out here are starting to get better and better, and having access to an apartment in Santa Monica for a few months means I get to try restaurants in another area I rarely eat in. A quick search on the web turned up what sounded like a burger joint down the street called Father’s Office. The place was close enough that we were able to enjoy a nice walk there.

Once we arrived there we discovered that the place was more of a bar/pub type spot with an office theme than a restaurant. There was a heavy emphasis on beer and their beer selection so all 3 of us ordered a beer. Seating comfortably was a little difficult at first, but as soon as some people left we were able to grab a more legit table. Beer’s in hand we swooped in before anyone else could.

Orville ordered a serving of sweet potato fries for himself, but of course I helped him throughout the meal. The one thing I’ve noticed about sweet potato fries is that they vary a lot depending on who made them, which meant these were tasty, yet different from other sweet potato fries I’ve enjoyed.

At first look this burger was quite different from what I was expecting but the spinach leaves on top made me curious. I didn’t read the description on the menu, so I had no idea that it would be using such a Delicious piece of meat.  The caramelized onions on top were something like I would put on a sandwich. There was some sort of applewood bacon n top with an incredible mix of cheese. There was some Gruyere, maytag bleu cheese, and some arugula working together on something tasty yet unique. The french roll wrapped around this all threw me off  as well since I was expecting something circular.

http://www.fathersoffice.com/

Veggie Grill

The main reason I like my job is the mix of people I work with. My particular team is full of fun and interesting people, and they lead me to this place. Because of 2 such interesting people I found myself at the Veggie Grill. The first recommendation came from my lead, who suggested it when I asked for suggestions. The 2nd was a vegan, who gladly volunteered to take me there when I mentioned it to him.

What started out as a dashingly handsome twosome ended up turning to a group of 5 hungry nerds as more people became curious about the reportedly amazing vegan place. I was initially sold with the mention of sweet potato fries, and I’m almost certain it was my loud discussion of the fries that inspired a couple of people to join us. The place was very busy, but took only a tiny effort to cram the 5 of us into a table for 4. That’s important in a busy sandwich place if you ask me.

This is what homeboy Dane ordered, he was the only person in our group to have been there before, so I think his choice has some weight behind it. He ordered The Stack, and it looked quite delicious despite not being a sandwich. That may look like a burger patty right there but keep in mind this is a vegan joint so that is not a beef patty but a veggie patty.

I chose the Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ with a side order of sweet potato fries. A part of me wanted to order just the sweet potato fries because it was all I had thought about eating for the past few days. The fries were  a delicious accompaniment, but they had their own delicious accompaniment, a marvelous chipotle ranch.

The pseudo chicken sandwich was delicious as well, and I hope my excitement for the fries doesn’t overshadow it too much. I was lured to it by the presence of avocado of course, but the delicious flavor of the whole sandwich surprised me more than anything. As corny as fake chicken or fake beef sound, it was actually quite delicious, and beyond the fries I ended up a very happy customer. Maybe next time Ill try the carrot cake, even though it won’t top Amanda’s.

http://www.veggiegrill.com/