Father's office -- Santa Monica, CA

Returning from a conference last week, we stopped for a burger at "Father's Office" in Santa Monica. This place has apparently won every award imaginable for the quality of its burgers, and though the Florian burger circa '99-'02 has a special place in my heart, this was in fact the best burger I've *ever* had. The place has open seating, meaning you have to wait until someone leaves and then fight everyone else who's milling about for a seat. It's also very very loud, so it's not a great place to have a conversation -- but they bill themselves as a reimagining of the local pub, and when did you go to one of those to talk?