Burger Time

L.A. Will Taste Josiah Citrin’s Sure Thing Burger Too!

Good ole Josiah Citrin, we knew he wouldn’t hold out on slipping L.A. some of his epic deliciousness after we caught him moonlighting from Melisse at a Maui burger joint this week. Today, Nation’s Restaurant News announces that the French chef plans to expand his new Sure Thing Burger into a national chain, a sharp departure from his double Michelin-star-rocking fine-dining venue in Santa Monica. Apparently, the opening in Hawaii was more of a “prototype concept,” isolated on an island lest it lead to some inconvenient Jurassic Park-type of chaos. Citrin, partnered with Scott Picard, is now looking for roughly 1,500-feet of space in Los Angeles for Sure Thing number two, adhering to its promise to provide grass-fed, chem-free beef with local produce and neighborhood-baked buns, while planning to add milkshakes to the forthcoming SoCal locale.

Of his stripped down menu that only offers four burgers (beef, spiced pork, turkey, and veggie) the chef clarifies that this isn’t necessarily a “gourmet burger,” though it is served on a bun melding brioche with Hawaiian rolls. The price will keep it glued to Earth, however, as Citrin would like to sell Sure Thing burgers for just $6.50 in L.A., less than half of how your typical chef-driven, grass-fed burger-toting, “modern fast-food” concept bills you. So why is one of our most celebrated French chefs dipping into burgers?

Sure Thing Burger in Maui

Well, besides the fact that burgers obviously rule, Citrin, who previously branched into the faster, more casual lane with chef-friend Raphael Lunetta at West L.A.’s Lemon Moon, tells the trade, “I have been wanting to do a burger place for about 10 years.” And so it goes that we now have another promising chef-driven expansion to look forward to, joining Manzke’s Republique and Cimarusti’s Connie & Ted’s.

Fast-casual Sure Thing Burger plans expansion [NRN]

L.A. Will Taste Josiah Citrin’s Sure Thing Burger Too!