Dining Guide

Seeking a better burger? Make the trek to the nondescript corner of Alta Arden and Fulton for a perfect patty at Gatsby's. the 1920s theme, expressed mainly in a smattering of Jazz Age art around the big dining room, may be a bit baffling (Fitzgerald's hero was more about champagne and caviar than burgers and shakes). But at this diner, the fries are hand-cut, the potato chips are fried in-house and the thick and juicy burgers and sliders are grilled on the flat-top right in the middle of the room. And the innovative fixings (including a blood orange marmalade and olive tapenade) are superlative: tangles of sweetly caramelized onions, tomatoes that are actually flavorful, crisp pickles cured in-house and fresh, fluffy buns from Grateful Bread. The creamy shakes are more than big enough to share and the service is pleasantly solicitous. This is a burger joint that really wants you to have it your way.