The pastrami burger at American Dream in Huntington Beach is small but mighty. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Caramelized onions, Point Reyes Blue Cheese, Thousand Island dressing, bacon and wild arugula are stacked in the A Burger at A Restaurant in Newport Beach. (File photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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The Sancho burger at Brew Kitchen Ale House in Los Alamitos is made with freshly ground beef, roasted jalapenos and bacon. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The cowboy burger at Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern is a classic cheeseburger with a massive onion ring in the middle. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Andrei’s in Irvine serves a classic power-lunch burger and hand-cut fries. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)



The burger at Salt & Ash in Placentia is made with a pretzel bun and house-made pickles. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The burger at Juliette in Newport Beach comes with confit tomato, onion jam and pancetta. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Hanna’s in Rancho Santa Margarita serves a classic steakhouse burger with cheddar and bacon. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

At Mission Viejo’s Pub 32, the burger is sandwiched between a pretzel bun with arugula, pickled onions and Irish cheddar. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A burger with arugula and bacon is served in gastropub setting at Royal Hen. Look for the London red wrought-iron gate on Balboa Island’s main strip in Newport Beach. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)



I have a rule about burgers: Don’t eat bad ones. Actually, I have a few rules.

Rule 1 >> If it doesn’t require extra napkins, the cook screwed up. The meat must be fresh, fatty and very lightly packed. Violate this, and it’s over.

Rule 2 >> Don’t overcook it. When quality meat is properly handled, there should be no fear of cooking it medium-rare. Meat that’s not safe to serve medium-rare belongs in the trash. Eat something else.

Rule 3 >> Burgers are often better with cheese, but not always. The quality of cheese counts just as much as the meat. If you wouldn’t serve this cheese on a platter at a cocktail party, then why would eat it on a burger? Oh, and please make sure it melts. Nobody wants cold cheese.

Rule 4 >> The perfect bun is brioche, mostly. Bread should never be the dominant flavor or texture. That’s why soft, supple brioche is usually best. However, not all brioche is created equal. At several otherwise fine restaurants lately, I have sampled “brioche” buns that were as dense as bricks.

Rule 5 >> As for everything else — lettuce, tomatoes, onion, maybe a pickle or jalapeño — simpler is almost always better. A burger with 23 ingredients is not a burger; it’s a crime.

Thankfully, lots of restaurants get it right.

Narrowing the list to 10 keeps getting harder. This list is highly subjective, although it is based on extensive research. So here they are: the 10 best burgers of 2017.

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1. Burger of the Year: Royal Hen

It’s not on the menu at Royal Hen, but the burger is always available to anyone who asks. And it’s my burger of the year. Chef Tim Goodell is the guy who created 25 Degrees burger bar in Huntington Beach (with additional locations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Bangkok), and the burgers from there have always been among the best. This one’s even better, a heavy handful of freshly ground, loosely packed beef that’s cooked until medium-rare and as juicy as a water balloon. It’s topped with arugula, tomato confit and crisp pancetta. The bun is perfect brioche. Cost: $17. Bonus: outstanding fresh-cut fries. 311 Marine Ave., Newport Beach; 949-873-5603, theroyalhen.com



2. The American Dream

The burgers at American Dream are smaller than just about everything else on this list. But they pack more flavor than most. The best of the bunch is the pastrami burger, a ground chuck patty topped with thick, salty pastrami along with cheddar cheese, horseradish cream, yellow mustard and a brioche bun. Cost: $14. Bonus: This place makes the best fries in Orange County. Pacific City, 21058 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach; 714-374-1330, theamericandreamhb.com

3. A Restaurant

Like any good steakhouse, A serves one heck of a burger ($17): a half pound of top-quality beef, blue cheese, bacon, arugula, thousand island and a toasted brioche bun. It’s off menu so you’ll have to ask for it. Bonus: The fries are perfect. 3334 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach; 949-650-6505, arestaurantnb.com

4. Hanna’s Restaurant & Bar

The ground beef comes from Pat La Frieda, one of the finest butchers in America. A half-pound of that beef is loaded up with caramelized onions, sharp cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato and thousand island. Cost: $16. Bonus: superb fries. 22195 El Paseo, Rancho Santa Margarita; 949-709-2300, hannasprimesteak.com

5. Pub 32

Pretzel buns are tricky because they run the risk of getting in the way, but this one is surprisingly supple. It soaks up a lot of juice. And this burger definitely needs a sponge because it dumps a bucketload of juice every time you bite into it. The meat is dry-aged Angus — with a hefty dose of fat — cooked perfectly medium-rare. Also between the bun: Irish cheddar, mixed greens, heirloom tomato and housemade pickles. Cost: $14. Bonus: massive twice-cooked potato wedges. 23962 Alicia Parkway, Mission Viejo; 949-716-0687, pubthirtytwo.com

6. Juliette Kitchen + Bar

Prepare for a gusher. This one is extra drippy. The outstanding beef is stuffed into a buttered and griddled Portuguese bun with tomato confit, caramelized onions, aged cheddar, pancetta, Little Gem lettuce and mustard aioli. Cost: $17. 1000 Bristol St. North, Newport Beach; 949-752-5854, juliettenb.com

7. Salt & Ash

The pretzel bun here, too, is unusually soft and pillowy, which is important because this is a giant burger that is already a struggle to stuff into an average-size mouth. The bun does not complicate this task. They grind the meat in-house and top it with bacon-onion jam and housemade pickles. Cost: $15. 1390 N. Kraemer Blvd., Placentia; 657-444-2701, saltandash.com

8. Andrei’s

The burger at Andrei’s in Irvine is a classic. The beef patty is a mix of freshly ground chuck, short rib and brisket, with Havarti cheese and onion jam atop a crunchy layer of iceberg lettuce, dill pickles and a slice of tomato. And the fries? The fresh-cut, twice-fried Kennebec potatoes are perfect in every way. Cost: $17. 2607 Main St., Irvine; 949-387-8887, andreisrestaurant.com

9. Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern

Any one of the many burgers on the menu at Jimmy’s could have made this list, but the best is probably the Cowboy Burger, which comes with a big, fat, deep-fried onion ring in the middle, plus cheddar cheese, thick-cut bacon and housemade barbecue sauce. The patty is sublime Japanese Akaushi beef, which refused to be contained by its bun. Cost: $18. 25001 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point; 949-388-8900, j-fat.com

10. Brew Kitchen Ale House

It’s probably no coincidence that there’s a Jenny Craig office next door to the Brew Kitchen in Los Alamitos. Just about every other person who walks through the door here ends up ordering a burger, a mix of freshly ground chuck and brisket. And these are not diet burgers. The best of the bunch is the Sancho, which is topped with a couple of roasted jalapeños, caramelized onions, bacon, avocado and ancho-chili mayo. Cost: $13. 10708 Los Alamitos Blvd., Los Alamitos; 562-431-3900, brewkitchenalehouse.com