Cocktails and a Blue Cheese Burger from Plan Check in Downtown LA

When it comes to rain in Los Angeles, we Angelenos often react to it like it’s the end of the world.

No one knows how to drive and people look out their windows in fear of what’s falling from the sky. “Is this the end?” a terrified housewife whispers as she clutches to her pearls. It’s a sad sight to see considering it’s much worse across the country. But in our defense, we’re spoiled rotten with sunshine. Usually the rain does not bother me as I’ve had my share of luck in rarely getting caught in it. And on the days where I am trapped in it, I have an umbrella handy. On this occasion, my luck had dried up. I was sitting in Plan Check in Downtown LA as the rain came down with fury. With no umbrella in hand I realized I might have to sleep in the kitchen. Would that be weird?

Probably.

I decided it would be best to kill time ordering drinks, some food, and chatting up with strangers. It was easy to spark a conversation as we were all in dismay about the weather. Trying to divert my attention from the unsightly climate, I took a look over the menu. I’ve been to this restaurant many times before, but on this visit I wanted to try something different. I hadn’t tried many of their cocktails so that would definitely be ordered. And since I figured I’d be around for a while, a burger would be worked into it as well. I spoke with the manager who happened to be mixing drinks behind the bar and got the dinner rolling.

A few minutes later and the first drink from the bar arrived. It was the Uncle Clyde’s Sour ($11). A 7oz footed cocktail glass held Clyde May’s Whiskey, maple syrup, lemon juice, egg white, and was garnished with grated nutmeg. For a drink that was described as bitter, this really wasn’t that bad. And that comes from a person who clings to sweet drinks like Jack in Titanic. I loved the thick layer of foam that was sprinkled with nutmeg on the top of the cocktail. The whipped foam and the spice from the nutmeg gently introduced the essence of the drink as it was slowly sipped. While the foam was a beautiful introduction that tasted delicious, that wasn’t the best part. Instead, the best part was found in the sweet maple syrup that somehow blended harmoniously with the lemon juice. It was that combination that caused my hand to continuously reach for the glass until there was nothing left to be had.

After the first cocktail came the second. The Ginger Grant ($12) was made with Pisco Porton, sake, aperol, ginger, and blood orange. The signature cocktail managed to easily warm my heart as I enjoyed gradual swallows. The blood orange added a fruity and casual sweetness to alleviate any sharpness that could come from the ginger. Ultimately, the bartender created a cocktail with components that blended well together as the taste didn’t lean heavy to be weighted down in liquor or sweetness. Instead, it’s a delightful balance. As childish as I may often appear, I loved the ginger candy that sat along the rip of the glass.

The final cocktail of the night was the Sailor Jerry’s Sleigh Ride ($12). The description was beautiful: Fireball Whiskey, heavy cream, vanilla syrup, and orange butters, shaken with ice and topped with a Falernum Angola foam served on the rocks. Based on appearance alone I assumed this would be a light and feminine drink. When it came to taste I was completely wrong. In this glass was a cocktail that was drastically stronger that the two prior. As a result, I knew this was the one that would be perfect to kick off the weekend. The drink was incredibly smooth with a strong and solid aftertaste of alcohol. I didn’t realize how much liquor was in it until I reached the bottom of the glass. By then it was already too late. It wasn’t enough alcohol to make the lightweight in me turn into a lush, but it was enough to make me sit in the restaurant longer than originally planned to wait out any lingering alcohol in my system.

And to wait for the rain to stop too.

Drink, after drink, after drink, I was ready to eat something. Anything, a paper towel would have sufficed but considering I was in a burger restaurant, it didn’t have to come to that. It wasn’t hard to make a decision as there was a burger the manager suggested to me. It was the Blueprint Burger ($15). The description outlined a patty that was topped with smoked blue cheese, pig candy bacon, fried onions, roasted garlic steak sauce, and peppercress. Since I’ve had few positive experiences with blue cheese, I expressed my hesitation to him. He smiled and responded to my resistance with a simple, “Just wait.” I wanted to respond to his response by shouting, “No, you wait!” and opt for a different burger, but he had already walked into the kitchen to place the order. A few moments later I faced the burger; I winced at it, grabbed it, and tried it out. A few chews and it wasn’t so bad. A second bite followed and confirmed what I couldn’t believe: I liked the burger! But I wasn’t going to tell anyone just yet. Instead, I took more bites—research purposes of course. Through my in-depth analysis I came to the conclusion that I loved the way the individual components added to the totality of this surprisingly delicious burger. The thick patty oozed with juices as my fingers gripped the buns. The fried onions alongside the pig candy provided a perfect crunch and sweetness to what could have been a bitter taste of cheese. I was originally intimidated by all the blue cheese as there was a lot, but thankfully it wasn’t too sharp. Instead, it was mild that I enjoyed it. I ended up finishing the burger and had to express my gratitude to the manager for making me take a risk.

A few cocktails and a delicious burger were a great way to end a horribly rainy night. Even though the weather was worse than I expected and I didn’t have an umbrella, spending more time in the Downtown LA restaurant wasn’t so bad. As I watched people run around getting poured on and at least one person slip in his haste, I didn’t mind where I was. I sipped my cocktail and ate a crumb of bacon and realized I didn’t mind one bit.

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Address: 1111 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Phone: (213) 403-1616
Hours: Sunday – 10:00am to 10:00pm, Monday through Thursday – 11:30am to 10:00pm, Friday – 11:30am to 11:00pm, and Saturday – 10:00am to 11:00pm
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