A liquor store might be the ideal place to shop for your beverages, but what about Asian influenced gourmet hamburgers and sandwiches? The Standing Room breaks restaurant conventions with its location and its menu.
It’s been two years since the Standing Room has been serving their signature style of gourmet, Asian inspired hamburgers and side dishes from the back of the Catalina Liquor store in Redondo Beach. I’ve only heard good things about their burgers and sandwiches and made a resolution to see what the word on the street was all about.
Fortunately, The Standing Room is one of the local restaurants participating in the UTOPIA program. I was able to use a $10 Standing Room gift certificate to pay for my burger and fries.*
What’s cool about the Utopia gift certs is that they are like other popular discount programs that let you purchase a higher valued certificate at a discount. The Standing Room gift cert was $7 for a $10 certificate, a savings of %30!
So with gift cert in hand, I made my way to Redondo Beach, parked at the Catalina Liquor store, and walked up to the Standing Room’s window outside.
I was greeted warmly and directed to the inside of the store to place my order. All orders are placed and paid for inside the store; the outside window is for picking up orders when they’re ready.
Inside, I found…well, the typical liquor store. Off to the side, though, was a kitschy burger-stand counter. A chalkboard with the specials loomed to the left; another menu display hung from the ceiling; and behind a short counter was a tiny kitchen, busy with activity.
A one page menu listed their Starters and Burgers on one side, Sammies on the other. Brief as it was, the menu had tremendous depth.
Starters included Truffle Parmesan Fries ($4.50), Pan Roasted Edamame ($6) and Shishito Peppers ($6.75).
Their interestingly named burgers ranged from Naked ($7) – a ½ pound patty with spring mix, tomato, onion, cheddar cheese and ketchup – to the Danger ($8), a ½ pound patty that added miso, spicy vinaigrette, and a fried egg.
Burgers in between included the Hapa, Dressed, Cash, Chance, Napoleon, and Bull, each with its own flair and appeal. Check out their menu for details on each.
I glanced at the Sammies menu but stopped reading it, not wanting to get pulled into a state of indecision. I decided on a burger, The Dressed, and resolved to come back again for a Sammie.
The Dressed burger ($8.50) is one of their best sellers. It’s a ½ pound patty with bacon, caramelized onions, spring mix, bleu cheese, smoked gouda, fried egg, tomato jam, and Korean aioli.
With everything a burger-lover might dream of between two buns, it was easy to see why this one is a favorite.
This burger was a sloppy good time with each bite filled with a different sort of flavor. One bite was sweet from the tomato jam, the next bite tangy from the bleu cheese, and yet another bite savory from the bacon, onions, and aioli. Eating this burger was like an adventure!
Not to be neglected were the crispy, well seasoned Truffle Parmesan fries I ordered as a side. They had the name-sake truffle flavor and parmesan cheese, but also had a little surprise.
The fries were seasoned with seaweed flakes that added to the flavor all around. Much like the burger, each taste was interesting and slightly different.
Ordering from the inside, you might figure that you’ll realize the true meaning of The Standing Room’s name if you decide to hang around to enjoy your sandwich.
They are mainly a carry out establishment but also have tables and chairs outside in the event you’d like to enjoy some Redondo Beach sunshine along with your burger.
You can also buy drinks from the liquor store (you actually pay for your burger order at the liquor store counter) but alas, no liquor is allowed in the dining area. If you’re planning for a beer and burger, you’re better off grabbing everything to go and heading home.
The Standing Room is open Monday through Saturday from 11 AM to 9:30 PM and Sunday from Noon to 8 PM.
- The Standing Room
http://www.letseat.at/standingroom
144 N. Catalina Ave
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 374 – 7545
* Some of the items mentioned in this review were purchased with a certificate from UTOPIA, an online retail website providing gift certificates at discount rates for restaurants and businesses both local and national. Prices and menu items mentioned are subject to change without notice. This story was accurate when it was published and reflects the uninfluenced opinions of the reviewers.
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