Marty Barrett: The Flight of the Mavervorl: The Pan

The standard for fast food excellence is higher in Los Angeles than it is on the east coast. In fact, the only standards for fast food on the east coast are that food be fast and that you can eat it; there's nothing implied that guarantees it will taste good, the east coast will argue.

When I moved to Los Angeles I was surprised how many burger places there were beyond the McDonald'ses, Burger Kings, and Wendy'ses I had known. There were many more chains and many stand-alone places.

The first time I went to an In-n-Out Burger I felt like going back to each McDonalds I'd ever eaten at (or worked in) and burning it down after getting a refund adjusted for 18 years of inflation.

I couldn't imagine a place could be better than In-n-Out, and I believed this for about 60 days, the time that elapsed between the first time I visited Los Angeles and had an In-n-Out burger and the day in late October, 2000, when I first ate at The Apple Pan.

While riding my bike in Boston in July of 2000, I was hit by a UPS truck, which immediately drove away, owing to the many members of my family that have worked for the U.S. Postal Service. The accident left my wrist broken. I kept the cast on through my first month in Los Angeles, cutting it off 30 minutes before my first trip to The Pan.

My left arm was withered and wasted, but after eating two exquisite hickory burgers, it was still withered and wasted. The point is, I ate with my right hand, like I always do.

People who know me now will find it hard to believe this, but I eat less meat these days than I once did. That is why when I went to the Apple Pan today (served by a guy who's been there fifty years) and ordered my two hamburgers, I emerged onto Pico Boulevard feeling like I could kill ten men.

I should have done it while I was still out of the car, because driving home from the West Side of Los Angeles took 2.5 hours in traffic so bad that I considered finding some bar to sit in for six hours. Then I realized I had people waiting for me at home to provide guidance to them, so I kept driving.

Somewhat related to this, I have often prided myself on my ability to avoid L.A. traffic, but over the past few weeks I seem to have lost that gift. I need to create a situation where I ride my bike everywhere like my dishwashing friends on Martha's Vineyard.

Here is a good review of The Apple Pan with some history.

Here is a slightly more comprehensive, but also more precious review.

Another review with pictures. (This review mentions Cassell's in Koreatown, which has the best potato salad I've ever eaten.)

--10.14.2005--

The Pan

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