Dining Review: For fun and burgers just follow the signs
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Good signage should be a restaurant’s top priority or at least near the top. It was the striking, huge, lit-up sign that brought Simmzy’s to my attention. The second Happy Face sign drew me inside, like a moth to the flame. Eight days after opening its doors, the place was packed. I believe they can thank the signs.
They can also thank the cool, wedge-shaped space, the large, accessible parking lot and the central location. Simmzy’s sits on a triangular piece of land at the confluence of Olive and Alameda Avenues in Burbank’s media district. Its well-lit windows, outdoor games and party-style music leaking out the doors seem to promise an evening of fun and companionship.
The brothers’ Simms (Mike and Chris with help from dad Tom, a veteran restaurateur), have a solid formula in Simmzy’s, having perfected it after opening similar beer-and-burger pubs in Manhattan Beach and Belmont Shore. Craft beers on tap headline the drink menu but decent wine and cocktails are also served at the ample bar surrounded by red vinyl, high-back stools. Perching at the central bar is not mandatory, though. Every table, and even couches in the lounge, seem to be invited to the party that is Simmzy’s.
Waiters, waitresses, busers and associates buzz around everywhere. There are so many, in fact, that their wires get crossed sometimes. But they’ll work out a system in time. Burgers are the headliners on the food menu and for good reason. Their Bacon Bleu Deluxe still haunts my reverie. It’s 12 bucks with nary a side dish but the meat is freshly ground, hand shaped and cooked to perfection, the bleu cheese just right, the candied bacon, garlic aioli and frizzled shallots as good as you’d expect. The Sammy ($14.50) sports a flaky piece of woodfire grilled salmon with sesame seeds and avocado buttermilk sauce. I didn’t ask where the salmon was from but its moistness and color suggested wild caught. Simmzy’s claims to source locally and to “celebrate all things craft.” Can’t argue with that.
We were not as impressed with the Soy Marinated Short Rib Salad ($14.75) which seemed more like skirt steak than short rib and didn’t possess an overarching harmony. The Mixed Bag of sweet potato and shoestring fries with dipping sauces were only serviceable ($4). Still that burger was really good alongside the Quintessential G&T ($10) made with homemade quinine tonic.
Simmzy’s is not a bad place to take the kids. The outdoor tossing game mentioned earlier would be a draw as would the boisterous environment and the Kid’s Menu. For $5.25 your little munchkin gets a choice of burger, cheeseburger, grilled cheese or chicken tenders along with green salad and choice of fries. Any child, and most adults for that matter, will love the Apple Filled Donut for dessert. Imagine this: apple pie filling is piped into a circle of sweet dough then deep-fried. The warm doughnut is topped with vanilla ice cream and surrounded by caramel sauce with chopped nuts ($7.75). Crazy sweet, yet hard to stop eating.
Saturdays and Sundays feature the Weekend Eye Openers, a short but good-looking list of scrambles, sandwiches and burritos made with local, organic eggs. You might want to throw in a Simmzy’s Sangria or two on game day.
The bouncy acoustics and All-American fare at Simmzy’s would not make this an ideal place for a refined, quiet meal. But for fun, beer and burgers, just look for the big red sign.
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LISA DUPUY welcomes comments at LDupuy@aol.com.
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What: Simmzy’s Pub
Where: 3000 W. Olive Ave., Burbank
Prices: Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Admission: Burgers, sandwiches, salads and appetizers, $7 to $18.
More info: (818) 962-2500; www.simmzys.com.