Comme Ca's burger called 'perfect' in today's New York Times

In todays' New York Times, Jane Sigal writes about  "The perfect burger and all its parts." She says that most accounts credit the burger's ascent to gourmet stardom to Daniel Boulud, who first stuffed ground sirloin with "truffles, braised short ribs and foie gras" eight years ago at DB Bistro Moderne in Manhattan.

Then she switches course to focus on what she writes is "a perfect burger recipe." The man responsible? Michael David,  the executive chef at Comme Ça brasserie here in L.A.

The genius of his Comme Ça burger is that it is consistently juicy, perfectly seasoned and precisely medium-rare. The patty is charred on the outside and rosy pink from edge to edge.

It is a radical improvement on what most people already do, but it’s not much more complicated. His trick is to treat the burger the way many chefs do a steak.

He puts a good hard sear on both sides using his plancha, the freight train of flat tops, then transfers it to a 375-degree oven to finish cooking. After it comes out, there’s a built-in resting period while he toasts the buns and makes a last-minute lettuce salad.

I don't know about you, but I'm about five minutes away from making up some sort of excuse to leave work so I can go eat one of those burgers. For some reason, I bet I'll have to get in line.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: Comme Ça. Credit: Coral Von Zumwalt / For The Times

Comments

[Elizabeth Fulcher]

Michael David is a natural-born genius in the kitchen, who can stare into a yuppie's relatively barren fridge at 10 PM and turn whatever he finds into a spectacular "late supper"--even after having just spent yet another grueling 12-hour+ day in a 4-star NYC restaurant kitchen. I have a $100 Southwest Airlines gift cert that I intend to use for the sole purpose of escaping the midwest to experience Comme Ca--with or without the delightful burger.