Burb’s Eye View: Burg-muda Triangle is an intersection of change

When the neon sign was taken down at Papoo’s Hot Dog Show in 2013, a new era began in Burbank’s high-steaks grill game.

Its departure signaled a major tide shift for Burbank’s Burg-muda Triangle; this month the intersection of Riverside Drive and North Rose Street crested another wave of change.

For decades, there was a delicate culinary balance there. Papoo’s was a place to munch on a deep-fried dog while playing the original head-to-head tabletop Ms. Pac-Man machine from two hard-vinyl chairs.

Kitty-corner was — and still is — Bob’s Big Boy, the burger joint that is a warm, inviting living memory that feels exactly the same as when you were a kid. Bob’s employees keep a blog to highlight some new sandwich combinations and dinner options for patrons who memorized the menu decades ago, but many of its offerings have not changed since 1949.

The third burger joint at the intersection began in 1958 as the International House of Pancakes and later became Hampton’s. It used a unique double broiler to sear burgers on both sides of the patty and offered a higher-end alternative to the traditional griddle fare at Bob’s across the street. In 1995, it was bought and renamed Mo’s.

Mo’s owners Jay Sadofsky and chef Jesse Genovese officially renamed it Continental last month, marking the final stage of Mo’s transformation from the classic burger lounge into a casual dining restaurant.

Aside from Argentinian restaurant Malbec in Toluca Lake, Genovese said, “There wasn’t that all-around dining experience… at a reasonable price. Mo’s was still that burger/salad place.”

The restaurant’s evolution began a few years ago when Mo’s eliminated the salad bar, a throwback to the 1970s and 1980s which featured different types of sides to place with a burger. Once their sandwiches were ready, patrons were asked to meet the order up at the bar, where they’d walk the line and lump the salad(s) of their choice to pair with their burger.

Over time, the Mo’s burger menu transformed, keeping with a new vision for the restaurant. Today, skirt steak or spaghetti occupy the places once taken up by the peanut butter-and-jelly burger or the ménage-a-trois — a combination of avocado, Swiss cheese and bacon on a grilled beef patty.

I first saw the new Continental sign on Feb. 24 while I sat in the former Papoo’s building, which is now an Umami Burger. The L.A.- based chain opened its Burbank location two years ago and is known for its high-end burgers and fries.

If you were feeling indecisive, the restaurant offered all its main sandwiches “poutine-style,” meaning you remove the bun and place beef plus fixings directly onto a bed of their shoestring fries.

It was a perfect selection for me to bring a friend who was both new to the city and a recent resident of Toronto. In Canada, poutine typically consists of fries slathered in gravy and cheese curds — the perfect remedy to a bone-rattling cold winter night.

When we were given our menus, we were told this preparation was no longer an option, nor was the Burbank-specific burger that many of my friends had come to love. Each Umami location had one burger you could only get by visiting that restaurant, and we were on a quest to try them all.

Burbank’s Umami still offers hot dogs in deference to the building’s historic forebear, but not for long. Umami spokesman Brian Rosman said the company is standardizing its menus everywhere, though it will still have some specials on the menu.

There have been more changes up the Umami corporate chain. Last year, former Burger King president Paul Clayton replaced Adam Fleischman, founder and chair of the Umami Restaurant Group LLC. Not long after came the chain-wide changes.

They’ve also added a “Throwback” burger to the menu, which looks a lot like Bob’s original “Big Boy.” Yes, anyone can create a double-cheeseburger and call it their own, so it’s not an exact competitor to the Big Boy. The Throwback is Umami’s more affordable, nostalgic burger.

“For me, it’s like biting into my childhood,” Rosman said.

And whether it’s earned or it’s a product of marketing, nostalgia will always have a place on the menu at Riverside and Rose.

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BRYAN MAHONEY writes about Burbank neighbors and the place they call home. He can be reached at 818NewGuy@gmail.com and on Twitter at @818NewGuy.