Raleigh’s newest burger joint has opened with a unique twist on fries
What is it about burgers?
Though food trends come and go and tastes evolve in booms and whispers, the burger is always there, fresh and familiar. Devoured in backseats or in vinyl booths or on fine china atop white tablecloths, our craving for burgers never ends.
The new restaurant LaGana, Raleigh’s latest love letter to burgers, opens this week in the former Prospects and Rainbow Luncheonette space at 911 N. West St. near downtown.
Owned by chef Luis Zouain, LaGana is a modern burger joint built on a decades-old dream. Though a dentist by training, Zouain couldn’t quiet the call of the kitchen, even after a decade of caring for teeth in the Dominican Republic. For the last seven years he’s worked as a food consultant and chef, most recently at the Raleigh tapas restaurant Madre.
With LaGana, the first restaurant of his own, Zouain looked to the universal joy of burgers.
“Burgers, to me, are something really special,” Zouain said. “They’re the best vehicle to provide flavor.”
Born in the Dominican Republic, Zouain came to Raleigh in 2021 after working as a restaurant consultant in Miami and New York. He was also a contestant on a Domican Republic version of the popular cooking competition “MasterChef,” finishing in fourth place.
Even while still working as a dentist, Zouain did pop-ups under the name LaGana, which comes from a Spanish phrase meaning “Do whatever you want.”
“In the Dominican Republic, it’s hard to tell your dad you’re going to become a cook,” Zouain said. “LaGana was a way for me to get out of the ordinary and do whatever I want.”
In Raleigh he staged in the kitchen at fine dining Mandolin, worked full time at Bloomsbury Bistro and as the opening chef at Madre.
In August he announced he was taking over the promising but short-lived restaurant space from Prospects. In the two-month renovation, the space lost the rainbow floor and a few booths, becoming a narrow counter with an open kitchen and a banquette wall of floating tables, offering 24 seats in all.
With LaGana, Zouain aims to shift away from fine dining and become the city’s next great neighborhood spot.
“I want a good place where people feel comfortable, that’s not pretentious,” Zouain said. “I just want people to be happy, with good vibes.”
LaGana’s burger (and fries) menu
Good vibes are almost guaranteed at a burger joint. For the music Zouain plans an eclectic mix, from French ballads to salsa. The restaurant will start its own version of NPR’s Tiny Desk series, with artists performing in the tight space, Zouain said.
On the menu, the forever burger is called The Textbook and will feature two thin patties of Wagyu beef, a house sauce, shredded lettuce, onion and American cheese.
“It’s the simplest thing, we’re not going to over complicate it with foie gras and truffles and Fontina cheese,” Zouain said. “I’m about simplicity and good ingredients.”
Other menu items will include a changing monthly burger, with the opening version being a pork burger styled after the banh mi sandwich, with pickled vegetables, cilantro and jalapeno. Also, a mushroom roll, like a lobster roll, but with sauteed oyster and maitake mushrooms.
Among the side dishes, there won’t be traditional fries at LaGana. Instead the menu will feature yucca fries and a single fry-shaped bomb called “Mr. Thick” made of silky mashed potatoes topped with Parmesan, chives and spices.
On the sweet side, LaGana is leaning into the decadence of layer cakes and promises two versions to start, a chocolate and a seasonal pumpkin spice.
Beverages will be wine and beer only, with LaGana partnering with Cary brewery Bond Brothers for a house brew.
A for existing burger favorites in Raleigh, Zouain has the right answer ready.
“It’s Char-grill,” he said. “That just really works for me. It’s so simple but so good.”
LaGana opens Oct. 12 to the public and will be open Tuesday to Thursday from 5-11 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 4-11 p.m.
This story was originally published October 10, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Raleigh’s newest burger joint has opened with a unique twist on fries."
