Does the ‘Wing Ding’ Live Up to Its Legend?

Stick around Pacific Palisades long enough and you’ll hear all kinds of hearsay about the legendary House of Lee that opened in 1950 on Sunset Boulevard and existed for 50 years. One of the oft-told stories was how the restaurant’s Chinese food was unmemorable but how good the Wing Ding Burger was.   Today, another restaurant stands in House of Lee’s place, and that establishment, Pearl Dragon Asian fusion, continues to offer the Wing Ding. This is the story of how that item carried over from one restaurant to the next” and this writer’s quest to verify whether or not the Wing Ding is still worth its salt.   Pearl Dragon’s PR describes the Wing Ding as ‘a classic fusion of ‘east meets west.’ The burger is a glorious half-lb. sirloin patty with the freshest lettuce, tomato, white onion, dill pickles and our chef’s secret ‘Asian dressing,’ (American cheese optional), accompanied by our Szechwan Fries and served seven days a week for lunch and dinner.’   According to Pearl Dragon’s manager, Chris Johansen, the menu item is a close approximation of the burger that House of Lee’s founder, Ah Wing Young, had added to its infamous Wing Ding Room bar.   An important fan of the original Wing Ding is Arnie Wishnick, executive director of the Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce: ‘I asked the owner, Jimmy, ‘Why does the Wing Ding Burger taste so good?’ He answered, ‘I always purchase the finest meat.”   When entrepreneurs Tommy Stoilkovich and Mike Garrett bought out House of Lee and opened Pearl Dragon in 2001, they turned to the community to see what elements of the old restaurant to keep at their trendier, contemporary venture.   ’I talked to Tommy,’ Wishnick recalls, ‘and I told him that I was not a sushi eater, but could the Wing Ding Burger stay?’   Stoilkovich and Garrett saved the Wing Ding.   The only cook to have created Pearl Dragon’s version is Chef Genaro Martinez, who has worked there since opening day. Martinez says that he did not formally receive House of Lee’s recipe, but that ‘we got the idea from the owner, and I added my own touch, mostly in the sauce. It makes a difference.’   Manager Johansen, who needs about 20 pounds of beef a day to make them, confirms the burger’s enduring popularity: ‘It’s definitely a staple. We’ve held pretty close to the original and I think we’ve actually improved on it.’ Wishnick agrees that Pearl Dragon has not skipped a beat with its incarnation of House of Lee’s signature entree.   ’Still a juicy burger,’ Wishnick says. ‘Still two thumbs up from me.’   Then again, as the Chamber’s director, Wishnick gets paid to be Pacific Palisades’ biggest booster. So can he be trusted?   Through my work here at the Palisadian-Post, I’ve come to know Wishnick as a fair critic and keen observer of film, stage and food. In fact, I had personally introduced Arnie to my number-one burger spot, The Counter in Santa Monica”home of the build-it-yourself gourmet burger. Wishnick insists the Wing Ding is better. And while he’s well versed in L.A.’s restaurant scene, I needed a second opinion.   Unfortunately, the Internet is sorely lacking in reviews and testimonials. One diner, a Palisadian identifying himself as ‘Brandon C.,’ posted on Yelp.com: ‘I have not eaten much here, but the Wing Ding Burger and fries are delicious!’ A Los Angeles magazine was scathing and suspicious of the ‘Wing Ding burger with fries,’ as it wrote in quotations. Dishadish.com awarded it two-and-a-half out of five stars. On the other hand, ‘Ledbetter’ posted on Chowhound: ‘[They have] a really good burger they call the Wing Ding for around $8.’ But that was posted in 2004! (Today a Wing Ding with fries costs $11.)   Well, there was only one way to find out.   As I took my seat at Pearl Dragon (which is located between Swarthmore and Monument), I noticed that one man among the lunchtime sushi connoisseurs had ordered a Wing Ding. Good sign.   My burger (ordered well done) arrived on a funky-shaped platter with shoestring fries flanked by dollops of homemade ketchup and aioli sauce. The Wing Ding looked good. But how did it taste?   Terrific. Wishnick was not whistling Ding-xie! The beef is flavorful, like a perfectly charcoal-barbecued patty. The thin Szechwan fries are tasty, not greasy. Good portions. Very satisfying.   ’I’ll always be on that quest for the Perfect Burger,’ Wishnick says, ‘but I truly believe that one of the greatest burgers in the country is right here on Sunset Boulevard.’   So has the Wing Ding dethroned The Counter as my #1 purveyor of ground-beef goodness? Tough call. Guess I’ll have to return to Pearl Dragon for a second opinion.