OK -- I know that title doesn't necessarily make you say "Hmm, I sure could go for some lunch right now", but hear me out.
The western US is in a roast beef crisis. Snatch your average citizen off the street, sit them down in a darkened basement, and say "Where do you go for a cheap, delicious roast beef sandwich? Stop squirming, goddammit." Most likely, this crybaby will say "I don't know, Arby's???" They might also ask why you're wearing a Nixon mask, but by then, it will be too late.
Point that I'm making here: if most Americans think that Arby's is the endgame of roast beef sandwiches, then we, as a nation, have FAILED. I know it's not nice to pick on the smelly kid at recess, but seriously, Arby's is just the worst. I would rather eat a stack of soggy money than one of those Big Piles O' Rubber-And-Cheese they call a sandwich. Their food is only useful as a prank photo to send to someone who wants a picture of your lady-parts.
Luckily for us here in LA, we have Top Round. The pride and joy of chef Anthony Carron (who's also behind the amazing 800 Degrees pizza chain), Top Round is a polished, charmingly retro "chef-driven fast food" shack that stands proudly alongside (and in some cases, exceeds) classic LA au jus joints Phillipe The Original and Cole's. Keep in mind, those old-school spots have had over 100 years to get their stuff right. Top Round has been open for only a year, and the menu is flawless.
They've got a fried chicken sandwich that somehow manages to be as light as a croissant, and with the tang of pickle juice and buttermilk beneath the crispy breading, it basically means that nobody has to go to Chick-Fil-A ever again. They've got "concrete" frozen custards that are creamy, dreamy heavenscapes in convenient cone form. They have "dirty fries" -- curly fries cooked in beef tallow, drenched in roast beef gravy, melted cheese and carmelized onions -- that are well worth the year or two they'll shave off your life.
And the roast beef sandwiches -- slow-roasted for half a day before being knifed into a featherlight mound of juicy goodness -- are roll-your-eyes-back-as-you-take-a-bite succulent. Get the Horse and Hole -- the seared mushrooms and Provel cheese provide a savory counterpoint to the horseradish sauce, which hits your sinuses like a Skrillex bass drop hits your ears.
Take my word: it's the kind of place we're going to be nostalgic for in twenty years.
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- WHAT: Top Round Roast Beef
- WHERE: 1000 S La Brea Ave Los Angeles, CA 90019
- WHEN: 11 AM -- 2 AM
- $$$: Nothing over $10
