“Well, where do you want to eat?” I am relieved to say that this question will no longer go unanswered amongst my friends and family since The Standing Room in Hermosa Beach will always be a go-to. Be ready to leave full, happy and chanting “Korean, American, Comfort Food, Oh My,” in Hermosa Beach.
Walking in to its charming decor and beautiful wooden tables, you already feel like you’ve made the right choice about where to spend your next meal. To top it all off, there is a stage for live music as if the food weren’t enough.
I had the honor of trying five dishes The Standing Room wished to highlight, and I surely know why. These classic American dishes are all infused with Korean flavors and are unforgettably delicious. Of course a juicy burger and loaded fries are already enticing on their own, but add spicy aioli and barbecue carnitas, and it is a whole new ball game.
1. Carnitas Fries
This is a dish that I constantly crave, let me just tell you. The real kicker is the house Tapatio aioli, but truthfully, the fries alone are perfectly crispy and salty. The heat from the aioli is balanced by the slightly sweet barbecue of the carnitas, outrageous.
Goodbye boring carne asada fries. Say hello to spicy aioli, cheese, carnitas and green chile. These absolutely addicting fries hold their own under the mound of toppings.
2. Crab Sliders
Soft. Shell. Crab. These babies have great flavor let alone an eye catching bun holding a healthy piece of perfectly crisp crab. The slider is finished with creamy avocado and Thai crab mayo and is light enough to save room for the monstrous burgers and sandwiches.
3. Cash Burger
Straight money. What wouldn’t taste amazing when it has crispy onion strings on it? This classic American burger finds its Korean flavors in hot peppers, Korean aioli and slightly sweet barbecue sauce.
The innovation of this burger, however, is that the bacon is chopped and melted into two kinds of cheese, keeping every single piece of bacon in between the glorious buns.
4. Bully Sammie
In short, this is the Korean Philly cheesesteak you never knew you needed. The classic bun hold togethers, bulgogi (a classic Korean beef), shishito peppers and onions under a beautiful blanket of American and cheddar cheese.
5. Lemon Ricotta Fritters
The curtain was closed on this comfort food fusion with ricotta fritters that are as soft as clouds. These decadent fritters sit on bright lemon and berry sauce. At this point I was filled to the brim with food, but after having tasted the rest of the meal, I had to end with a bang.
I truly have no other words on The Standing Room in Hermosa other than this; just get there, it’d be a lot cooler if you did.