Slow Bar's cult-favorite burger achieved escape velocity and is now the centerpiece of its own tightly focused restaurant.

Slowburger offers four versions of their half-pound, Painted Hills natural beef burger, starting with the onion-ring-topped classic ($8). The bun is a seeded Grand Central brioche that's strong enough to stand up to the juicy patty, but mercifully less dense than a traditional brioche. The patty itself is draped with thick, melting Gruyère, then topped with those signature thick onion rings and dressed with tomato/pickle relish, aioli, and butter lettuce. While I like a little more char on a burger, this is objectively a high-quality offering. Crisp quarter-inch fries ($2 for small, $3 for large) are good alone, or you can power up by adding "stinky cheese" ($4/$5).