Bread. Meat. Bread.

A Bay Area Burger Blog. "A Hamburger is warm and fragrant and juicy. A hamburger is soft and nonthreatening. It personifies the Great Mother herself who has nourished us from the beginning. A hamburger is an icon of layered circles, the circle being at once the most spiritual and the most sensual of shapes. A hamburger is companionable and faintly erotic. The nipple of the Goddess, the bountiful belly-ball of Eve. You are what you think you eat.” — Tom Robbins

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The Big Switch!

For all of you that currently follow us on Tumblr, please be advised that we will be switching hosts: moving forward we will be using Wordpress and you can find us at: http://breadmeatbread.org/

Thanks and please continue to spread the word and recommend future locations. As always, feedback is always appreciated.

Cheers,

Charlie and Megan

Bread. Meat. Bread

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the funnest thing out of korea since kim jung il

  Place:  Namu (San Francisco)

439 Balboa St.

San Francisco, CA 94118

[phone]

  Price: $14.00 (inc. cheese and choice of french fries or market salad)

Eater: Megan

Date: 11/12/10

Once upon a Friday night Megan and her two friends, Maimoona and Joe, decided to eat some food. Yes, it started out like any other Friday night. They made reservations for 8:30pm so that they’d have time to return from the workday, go to the gym, shower, and then get their fine asses to the Richmond. Well, wouldn’t you know, once Friday evening rolled around they didn’t want to go to the gym at all! That late dinner reservation then translated into more time at the bar before dinner. So, after having a few rounds at the Buckshot they stumbled into Namu, an Asian fusion restaurant with a reputation for its burger. (I bet this burger is good at math). Well, their table wasn’t ready yet (uh-oh!)  so they ordered some 22s of OB beer at the bar. They were then provided with complimentary soju shots for having to wait.  Uh-oh!

What we do know is that all three agreed that the burger was exceptional. We are fortunate that Megan thought to write down the rating of the burger but are unfortunate in that she neglected to take notes on almost anything else. At all. Why is this lacking in fortune? Because neither she nor her two fellow diners can remember almost anything about the burger or what made it so great, as evidenced by this Google chat conversation.

 Exhibit A:

3:56 PM me: so what do you remember about the burger on friday? anything? it was juicy perfectly cooked and delicious

  and i know what was on it

  but did we say anything else?

  did you have other thoughts

  got any jokes i absolutely must incorporate?

3:57 PM Maimoona: hahaha, I dont remebmer too many specifics either

 me: crap,

  well

  it might not be the most informative review ever then

 Maimoona: fries were really good and fried

 me: yes thats right

 Maimoona: ha want me to ask joe

3:58 PM me: yeah

  i think if i have manhattan ill be able to write something

  but any extra detail would be appreciated

 Maimoona: i liked the asian accoutrements

3:59 PM me: yeah

  was it almost a bit sweet?

 Maimoona: the pickled stuff?

  hm

  god. I really can't remember mcuh

4:00 PM me: the burger there was some spread on it

4:01 PM Maimoona: joe said the meat was a fine grind

  and "amazingly good"

  ha

  shortest review ever

 me: i think ill just copy and paste this chat and tell people they can decide to trust me or not

 Maimoona: hahaha

4:02 PM me: i may not be joking

And so it ended like any other Friday night. Satiated, inebriated, and content with an ultimately vague memory of good times had in this beautiful town we love. You may be wondering why I chose to write anything at all. In truth, the answer is I missed you, dear reader, and can only assume the feeling is mutual. Go now to Namu. Get the burger.

     Size: 8 oz.

Accoutrements: Kaiware, pickled daikon, soy glazed onions, Swiss cheese, dijon mustard, aioli, on a pain de mie bun.

Type of meat: Cow Ranch: Marin Sun Farms Beer with Burger: OB (Oriental Brewing) $8 for a 22 oz. bottle

Beer pairing/availability (rating): OB plus a couple of Japanese bottles and Sapporo on draft.

Ambiance: Handsome and quaint interior.  Namu is a asian fusion restaurant, not a burger joint. The staff was very friendly, helpful, and accommodating.

Burger rating: 1.5 standard deviation above the mean. That’s what my notes from the night say. I believe me. Do you?

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Drunk at the Tipsy Pig

The Tipsy Pig

2231 Chestnut Street San Francisco, CA 94123

http://thetipsypigsf.com/

Date: 11/11/10

Eater: Charlie

Price: $13 for 3 mini-burgers with white cheddar cheese

$5 for fries with herbed aioli

"...and that's how I ended up in the Marina on a Thursday night." I'm not rehashing that again. So, my friend and I, blurry-eyed, stumbled into the Tipsy Pig, unsure of the clientele, menu, or table availability, but full well knowing we were quite hungry and thirsty. The front dining room was hot and packed, but fortunately there was plenty of space on their back patio. While the back patio was decked out with heat lamps and large flat-screens, the menu was limited; the only burger option was their house-ground mini burgers (three per serving!) with white cheddar cheese. These burgers were "mini" by name only. For a trifecta of burgers they were much bigger than I had expected and the Hawaiian bun provided a great sweetness that I had not expected either. I greatly appreciated the size of the portion and the tastiness of the bun, but beyond that I was fairly disappointed. Again, the burger was brown throughout. THIS, after I tipped my hand to the kind waitress (who asked me to giver her a shout out in this post, but I have since forgotten her name. Ashley? Michelle?) that I co-authored a (famous, wink) Hamburger Blog. I ordered the burger medium-rare/rare and it came out well done. I suppose it's harder to prepare those smaller burgers, but if you can't pull it off, then pull it off the menu. The fries were delicious; nuff said. Ashley-Michelle did encourage me to come back for the real burger, which apparently has a good reputation, perhaps I will!

I must apologize to our loyal followers: in an attempt to update my iPhone's operating system, I lost all pictures. If you want a closer look at the Tipsy Pig's mini-burgers, I recommend you check them out yourselves!

Accouterments: Each burger was topped with White cheddar cheese in a Hawaiian sweet bun.

Size: 3 almost 1/4lb burgers

Beef: Cow

Ranch: Niman Ranch

Beer with Burger: Ninkasi Total Domination IPA

Beer Selection: Large bottled selection and about 10 beers on draft with options of 10oz, 15oz, or 20z glasses.

Ambiance: I've never been a fan of the Tipsy Pig's main dining room, but I really liked their back patio. Not only do the heat lamps provide warmth in any weather condition (that doesn't include precipitation), but they have flat-screen TVs outside too! Perhaps the best of both worlds...literally: the freedom of the great outdoors matched with the mind-numbingness of the great indoors.

Rating: 1 standard deviation below the mean

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At Gather I was Left Feeling Lonely :(

Gather

2200 Oxford Street Berkeley, CA 94704 [phone]

http://www.gatherrestaurant.com/

Price: $13 (includes fries and a small side salad)

Eater: Charlie

Date: 11/6/2010

I had been to Gather for brunch before and really enjoyed my overall experience; the food, the ambiance, and the company, so you could imagine my excitement as I ordered their Prather Ranch burger with Sierra Nevada cheddar. The folks I was with were kind enough to hold off on ordering until 11:30am, so I could order the burger off the weekend lunch menu which began at that time. I was really hungry, really salivating and really looking forward to this burger.  I ordered the burger medium rare/rare, basically to hedge against being served something other than pink throughout the interior. The food took longer than anyone had expected, but nothing too obscene and I was feeling pretty good with my coffee and Bloody Mary (see below). After lifting the perfectly toasted Acme bun and revealing the beautiful set of accouterments to myself, I took to cutting the burger in half: I could not wait to see the shades of reds and pinks only a carefully cooked piece of cow could display. As I cut through the burger and pulled the two halves apart, I noticed something odd, the burger was brown throughout! No majestic shades of pink or red. Were my eyes deceiving me?! No. They were not. This type of egregious error is borderline acceptable at an institution like Urbun Burger or True Burger. At a restaurant that fancies itself as, well, fancy, this type of error is unconscionable. Needless to say, I was disappointed. So disappointed, in fact, that I've failed to muster my trademark wit and humor in this post, and therefore disappointed you, my readers, as well...the real true travesty. By the transitive property, Gather has disappointed you! In the future, I will most likely give Gather a chance at redemption, but this outing was a bust. The burger was a'ight, but fell way below expectations.

Size: 1/3 lbs.

Ranch: Prather Ranch

Accouterments: Sierra Nevada cheddar, caramelized shallot-tomato sauce, aioli, garden greens, fries

Type of Beef: Cow

Beer with Burger: No beer, but I had a "seasonal" Bloody Mary that was interesting, if not delicious! Check out this list of fresh ingredients: Tomato Juice, Ginger, Horseradish, Herbs, Cayenne, Chili Oil, and Beet Juice...and the requisite celery stalk and salted rim. The beautifully deep redness of the Bloody Mary is not done justice in the photo below.

Beer Selection: A small but very unique selection, with no beer more than $6! 3 or 4 bottled beers and about the same amount on tap.

Ambiance: A nice large space in downtown Berkeley with an outdoor space when the weather is agreeable. A newer decor with a rustic feel. There's also an impressive open kitchen.

Rating: 0.5 standard deviations above the mean, but I'm willing to give Gather another chance

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where do we make suggestions for other good burger locations?

Post a burger location on our Facebook page...and make sure to "Like" it. Thanks for checking us out!http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bread-Meat-Bread/161220480576380

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Oh, the Urbanity!

Urbun Burger 581 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110-1114 [phone] Open Mon-Thu,Sun 11am-10pm; Fri-Sat 11am-3am http://www.urbunburger.com/ Price: $8.80 (with smoked provolone cheese) Regular fries or salad included with price of burger + 50/50 Fries (half sweet potato and regular fries) for $1.59 Eaters: Charlie and Megan Date: 11/03/10

Urbun Burger? More like Suburbun Burger! See what I did there, Megan? Ya like that? Honestly, Megan, I had a hard time finishing this 1/2lb. Meyer Ranch burger and not because it was too much burger for me...or because I have a moral objection to Meyer Ranch burgers; I found it way overcooked and extremely dry. You know it’s a bad sign when you have to continually dunk your burger into a pool of ketchup to acquire the necessary moisture...and most likely prevent permanent harm to your throat. The burger was pink in the very middle, but mostly brown throughout. Aside from the actual burger, I thought the toasted Le Boulanger “classic” bun was a welcome surprise. It was on par with any “high scale” restaurant’s bun. The fries were delicious as well, nary a one survived the meal!

Word up, Charlie. If by urban they mean gritty and grey, well I guess the name fits. Ok, I am being harsh. But if I were to compare this burger to an urban area I’d have to say Cleveland, whereas the Zuni masterpiece might be Paris, and the burger at your elementary school cafeteria might represent Detroit. One wouldn’t go out of one’s way to visit the Cleve, but if one happened to miss a layover flight and get stuck there there for 24 hours, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. This burger is ok if you’re stuck. And the burger wasn’t literally grey or gritty. But it wasn’t pink and it wasn’t rich and it wasn’t juicy and it wasn’t well-seasoned (like Paris). Bite after bite I stared at the burger, wondering what was wrong with it. Turns out the answer was nothing much, burgers are inherently good, but nothing was really right with it either. Except the soft, sweet bun, which I couldn’t shut up about. Sorry, Charlie!

Megan's burger with salad (boo)

Charlie's burger with fries (yay!)

Size: 1/2 lbs Ranch: Meyer Ranch Accouterments: Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, and Pickles. House made Urbun sauce (variation of Thousand Island). Type of Beef: Cow Beer with Burger: Charlie: New Belgium Fat Tire - $3.50 bottle, Megan: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - $3.50 bottle

Beer Selection: Decent, but small selection of bottles. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Blue Moon and Fat Tire among the better beers. Ambiance: Order at the counter and they bring the burger to your table. Small, clean place, very brightly lit, with some attempt at a stylized modern vibe. .5-1 standard deviation below the mean

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Zuni: Where Amazing (Hamburgers) Happens

Zuni Cafe

1658 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94102-5949 [phone]

http://www.zunicafe.com/

Price: $15 (+$1.75 for Beecher's Flagship Cheese); + $6.00 for fries

Eater: Charlie and Megan

Date: 10/26/10

Welcome to the most expensive edition of Bread.Meat.Bread yet! In this episode, Megan and Charlie fork over $35 each to a waiter who acted all judgey, as if they didn't  belong there! PSHAW, waiter man! After Megan and Charlie ordered their beers, he even had the audacity to ask whether they would be ordering food.  Imeancomeon, it's not like they looked homeless! Not only did they order burgers, but fries too! What fancy pants these two were wearing! Oh, they'll be back waspy old waiter man!

After their meal, Charlie sits down to write Megan a letter about their evening together.

Megan, did you know Zuni means “delicious ball of cow” in Swahili? I’m lying, it doesn’t…but it should (!), because that’s what this was: a delicious. Ball. Of cow.  Wouldn’t you agree?

Our short visit to Zuni Café left us lighter in the wallet, but heavier in the saddle…isn’t that some law of physics or something?

Anyway, I thought the house-ground, 1/3 lb, Marin Sun Farms patty was served up perfectly, medium rare/rare, and with every bite that great burger juice was released. As you know Megan, this is the hallmark of any top-notch burger. The quality and flavor of the beef was exquisite and the accouterments added to – and did not distract from – the flavor. As we’ve experienced before, this can be a real issue. The grilled rosemary focaccia bun was fresh, moist and served as a great compliment to the garlic aioli and the buttery house – “Zuni” - pickles.  What a rich combination! Megan, I know you thought the rosemary foccaccia bun was delicious too but cumbersome and a bit large for the patty. You should have seen Megan trying to keep that thing together just long enough to shove it in her mouth! While I agree the bun-to-burger ratio was off, I though the bun held the burger with great grace. Personally, I thought the bun could have used a few more seconds on the grill; I really like that crunch, as I reminded you while I was getting no crunch…but now I’m just nitpicking. I know we disagree on this point.

I was expecting the pickles to be intense, but they worked well with the whole construction, wouldn’t you say, Megan? I’m glad we splurged for the Beecher’s Flagship cheese – a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese if for no other reason then to say we ordered the Beecher’s Flagship cheese. I thought the side of ketchup and mustard was a nice touch, but wholly and totally unnecessary; this burger needed NO such crutches.

And how can we forget that heaping pile of perfectly salted shoe-string fries!? Honestly, Megan, if it weren’t for that six-year-old towhead stuffing her face with fries at the table across from us, we probably would have failed to order the fries….and that would have been a sin. Megan, I know you hoped we wouldn't eat every single fry...good thing the waiter pried the plate from our hands, or else we would have. God bless towheads!

What a delicious overall meal and one of the best burgers to date..

Heaping Mound O' Fries...

Size: 1/3 lbs.

Accouterments: House-ground hamburger on grilled rosemary focaccia with garden lettuces, garlic aïoli, and Zuni pickles and onions.

Type of Meat: Cow

Ranch: Marin Sun Farms

Beer with Burger: Charlie:Sierra Nevada Pal Ale, bottle; $5.50. Megan: Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout, bottle; $7.

Beer Selection: Limited. No Draft beers and about 10 overpriced bottles. I toyed with the idea of getting the $10 Saison Dupont, but I couldn't justify purchasing a $10 beer after purchasing a $20+ burger with fries.

Ambiance: We wondered aloud whether the waiter was snotty or awkward, and then, wait a minute, realized we didn't care! An upscale restaurant on a street corner with lots of windows. The bar isn't for eating but rather for drinking and standing only. The greater bar area consists of a handful of two-tops at the front of the restaurant which are available for walk-ins.

Rating: 1.5 Standard deviations above the mean

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Everything's Custom Built at the Counter

The Counter

369 California Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94306 [phone]

http://www.thecounterburger.com/

Eater: Megan and Charlie

Date: 10/14/10

Everybody seems to have a "thing" and the Counter's "thing" is build your own burger. Their "Custom Built" catchphrase is printed everywhere including, but definitely not limited to, across the breasts of their female waitresses. Keepin' it classy,  Counter! Fortunately, The Counter offers a solid burger to build upon: decently cooked, decently seasoned, and a decent size. The lightly toasted bun from La Boulanger helps the burger out. I think some people dismiss The Counter because it is a small chain, but it offers a quality burger made with and accompanied by local ingredients. A popular option is the burger-in-a-bowl which substitutes a bed of lettuce for the bun.

Burger size: 1/3 lb

Accouterments: Charlie ordered the Old School: Lettuce Blend, Red Onions, Pickles, Tomato, Tillamook Cheddar, and red relish (also known as ketchup).

Ranch: Meyer Ranch

Type of meat: Cow

Beer with Burger: None (work lunch)

Beer availability: Limited but decent. Fat Tire-type beers on tap and run-of-the-mill bottles

Ambiance: The mid-90's music (with a splash of contemporary indie rock) is loud and there is "urban" graffiti art neatly hanging on the white walls.

Rating: At the mean

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Roam...If You Want To

   Place:  Roam Artisan Burgers (San Francisco)

1785 Union Street

San Francisco, CA 94123

[phone]

http://www.roamburgers.com/

  Eater: Megan

Date: 10/07/10

Price: $4.99 Classic Burger (add $1 for cheese)

 Roam has fancy topping options and good-quality meat and local ingredients. That’s their thing. Their thing is not a big hearty burger that you can sink your teeth into. But their thing is also cheap and fresh. Which we like. This burger is smallish by burger standards although an appropriate size for a female meal. You won’t have to purge yourself after a Roam burger. Yes, this burger is Marina-chick safe. Despite Roam’s creative and cute and carefully-crafted topping options, I went classic. With regard to how I would like my burger cooked I was asked, “Pink or not pink?” Oh, what an adorable new way to ask such a basic, time-tested question. Pink, bitch! The burger as a sandwich had good overall flavor, mostly due to the nicely toasted artisan bun baked at a local bakery, special sauce, and not-melted-enough-for-my-taste cheese. The actual beef patty did not stand out. With that said, everything melded together nicely and seemed fairly proportional… just shrunken.

  Size: ¼ lb.

Accoutrements: Butter lettuce, tomato, diced onions, house-made pickles, house sauce. I added gruyere cheese.  

Type of meat: Cow Ranch: Pacific Pastures 100% grass-fed Beer with Burger: Boont Amber Ale on draft (somewhere around $5)

Beer availability: Eh. At least they have beer. Three beers on draft and a few bottles.  

 Ambiance: Cute enough and has patio seating. Order at the counter and they bring it to you.

Burger rating: .5 above the mean? Probably the best I have had of the “fast-food” style small burger.

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The Truth about True Burger

True Burger 146 Grand Ave. Oakland, CA 94612 [phone] http://www.trueburgeroakland.com/    Eater: Charlie Date ate: 10/8/10   Price: $5.45   I had heard mixed reviews of True Burger: Many of the naysayers believed the burger didn’t live up to the hype and the proponents thought it was the best burger ever. I was guessing the truth was somewhere in between and I wanted to give the "dining" experience a fair shot. I ordered the thin quarter pound patty medium rare with cheese. The woman behind the counter informed me that the burger is typically served medium and in retrospect I suppose it was a tall order to have them prepare such a thin patty medium rare...Anyway, the patty was prepared to my liking and it was very tasty. Apparently the beef is ground onsite everyday. Is this unique? I have no idea, but the True Burger folks thought it was important enough to put on their menu. The thin patty was engulfed by a delicious toasted egg bun. Their egg buns are “custom made” and baked daily. What makes the buns custom made, you ask? I pondered that same question as I ate a cheeseburger that had an atrocious bun-to-burger ratio. If you’re going to custom make your buns, do it right. The burger was topped with a non-traditional but tasty garlic mayo. If you plan on speaking to anyone the rest of the evening, you may want to ask the kind folks at True Burger to hold the mayo; it was gar-lick-y! That being said, the burger, toasted egg muffin, and garlic mayo combination worked marvelously...I just felt like I could have inhaled 3 more burgers without thinking. The fries were nice and crisp as was the enormous dill pickle...did I mention the patty was paper thin? Ok. good.

  Size: 1/4 lb.

Accouterments: Lettuce, Tomato, garlic mayo, cheese and whole pickle (upon request). Fries are $2.50 and worth it.

Type of meet: Cow

Ranch: Certified Angus Beef Beer with Burger: Full Sail Brewing Company’s Session Lager - $3.50

Beer selection: Limited and low end The ambiance is nothing special. Actually, the ambiance was quite poor: think hospital cafeteria. But seriously, True Burger is essentially a step up from In n Out...with beer. This is not a knock on True Burger, but rather an attempt to set expectations appropriately for future patrons. You walk up to the counter of the sparsely decorated room. You order. Some time later your name is called. You eat. You leave. 0.5 standard deviations below the mean.

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I've Got Wood...Tavern

Wood Tavern Restaurant

6315 College Ave Oakland, California 94618 [phone]

http://woodtavern.net/

Eater: Charlie

Date: 9/21/2010

Price: $13 (Add Cheese, Bacon, Avocado for $1/each)

            The same burger is $10 between 3:00pm and 5:30pm daily

Burger Description: As I write this post, I’m eating carrots at my desk. Shockingly, carrots taste nothing like the delicious Wood Tavern Burger. This large Niman Ranch burger comes on a bed of perfectly sized tomatoes and lettuce (I held on the red onions) all on an impeccably toasted baguette from LaFarine Bakery. Baguettes are a great way to eat a burger, because, among many other reasons, the burger juice doesn’t make the baguette soggy, as it would a standard bun. This enables you to not look like a total idiot when eating. The baguette also provided a nice contrasting texture: a mild crunch. I also opted for the cheese option: Vermont white cheddar. The cheddar was full of flavor but didn’t overpower the taste of the well-seasoned and immaculately prepared 8oz patty. I asked for the burger medium-rare/rare and that’s what I received. The meat was ever so tender, it sort of just fell apart in your mouth…Mmmm, tenderrrrr. [wipes drool of mouth] Burger juice is quickly becoming my second favorite burger condiment (behind ketchup). The juice from this burger which trickled out a near perfect rate, was mopped up by their tasty shoestring fries. For the record, the fries had a dusting of un-remembered green herb (see picture below), that added rather than detracted from the flavor.

  Size of Burger: 8 oz

Accouterments: Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, a couple pickle slices, and a heaping mound of delicious shoe string fries.

Type of Meat: Cow

Ranch: Niman Ranch

Beer with Burger: Racer 5 IPA from Bear Republic

Beer Selection: Limited but high-end selection. Between 5 and 10 beers on tap and no bottled beer

Ambiance: Wood Tavern is one of the nicer eating establishments in Berkeley/North Oakland with the menu to match. It’s a place I patronize only on special occasions…and/or of course to eat the burger. While Wood Tavern is clearly a “fancy” restaurant, when you’re sitting at the bar facing away from the yuppies and towards the beautiful mahogany bar and the flat screen TV, it’s a very comfortable environment without pretense.  Needless to say, Sitting at the bar is a welcoming and cozy experience. The bartenders, waiters, and cooks are a friendly lot and make themselves available.

Rating: 1.5 standard deviations above the mean.

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Blood for Blood

Balboa Cafe (San Francisco)

3199 Fillmore St.  

San Francisco, CA 94123

[phone]

http://www.balboacafe.com/plumpjackbalboacafe/sf.aspx?loc=sf

Eater: Megan

Date: 9/15/2010

Price: $11.50 including fries (add jack, swiss, blue, or cheddar cheese, grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms, bacon or avocado $1.00 each). Or FREE for your life juice.

  The Balboa burger used to be one of my favorite burgers in the city, so when a friend told me about the “Burger for a Pint” event, I jumped at the chance to earn a free burger by donating blood. Blood for blood! I mean, the only thing better than a burger is a free burger. Or no wait,  a free burger with a free beer (foreshadowing). Although this event was in the midst of my three day obligatory stint as a vegan,  I care little about honor, and had no problem breaking my word and the meat fast.  My friend and I went down to Balboa, checked in at the mobile donation unit, donated our blood, rested, drank juice and ate a Fig Newton, collected our coupon for a free burger, nodded blankly as they told us to drink plenty of non-alcoholic liquids for the rest of the night, and headed indoors to the bar and ordered a drink. Normally I would order a gin martini with my burger at Balboa but some chick had just been hauled away in an ambulance -- Some chick who had donated blood with me and then gone straight to the bar like me. So because I am responsible, well, beer it was!

  I ordered my burger on a baguette. I have a strong preference for this option over the regular bun at Balboa. The burger is kind of rectangular to fit the baguette, but I like to pretend that doesn’t bother me. The burger was PINK in the center. I mean PINK! Look at that thing. I said look at it! It made me a bit nervous about what they might be doing with all that blood they were collecting just outside the door. The burger was super pink in the very center but not evenly mid-rare throughout. The cheddar on my burger was so melty, at first glance I thought it was American cheese. The shoestring fries were awesome and many. Overall the burger had pretty good flavor although I did ultimately add salt and pepper. I think it’s better than the average pub burger but it did not live up to the expectations set by my memories. Maybe I was too sober this time, maybe quality was down that night due to an increase in demand, maybe my standards are higher since beginning this blog. We’ll never know. But I don’t still consider it to be one of my favorite burgers in San Francisco. However, it is a solid burger and a pretty good deal. I still intend to head down there for the occasional Sunday Funday burger and martini.

Setting the scene…

And now for the money shot…

Size: 8 oz.   

Accouterments: Mustard, ketchup, salt and pepper were set in front of us on the bar. Our burgers arrived with pickled onions, pickles and lettuce.

Type of meat: Cow Ranch: Estancia (Uruguay)

Beer with Burger: Mirror Pond Pale Ale ($6 draft pint) Beer pairing/availability: Pretty good. About ten beers on tap and another ten more exotic selections by bottle. A nice couple from Reno seated next to us was so very impressed by us being such very good conscientious people and donating blood and stuff they bought our round of beer! 

Ambiance: Aesthetically speaking, I really like Balboa Cafe. It has a handsome bar with an oldskool feel. I’ll refrain from commenting on the clientele (Step right up! Step right up! Doughebags of all ages! Cougars! Overgrown frat boys and aging sorority girls!) but you can find bountiful rants speckled throughout yelp reviews.

Burger rating: 0.5 standard deviation above the mean

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Being Dirty Never Tasted So Good

15 Romolo (San Francisco) 

15 Romolo Pl. 

San Francisco, CA 94133 

[phone] 

www.15romolo.com

Eater: Megan

Date ate: 8/31/10 

Price: $6 (add $2 for Dirty South style and $3 for Peanut Butter & Bacon)

I had to try the burgers here on two separate occasions in order to remember the experience well enough to blog about it, so I like totally know what I’m talking about by now. That’s not a comment on the memorability of Romolo’s burgers but rather the handiwork of their bartenders. Not only does 15 Romolo serve up some good eats, but they have an excellent bar with some friendly bartenders mixing up some stiff drinks. I can unproudly say I have now sampled all three burgers on the menu.

The summary: Order the Dirty South Burger. Romolo has earned a reputation among industry folk in the neighborhood for this burger. My notes from the first visit tell me, “The dirty sauce will kill you in your sleep.” …yet I’m here! Curious, no? I believe this is something the bartender said to us. The Dirty South Burger is topped with the shredded pork and dirty sauce from their pulled pork sandwich. It has a great, smoky flavor and the pulled pork adds an extra juiciness to the overall texture. The other two burgers were less remarkable…but, I’ll remark on them briefly anyway. The peanut butter and bacon burger tasted mostly like peanut butter,  a little bit like bacon, and almost nothing like beef. Other than the fact that it exists and is on the menu, there’s not really much to say about the plain burger. All three burgers use grass-fed, grain-finished beef with an 80/20 lean/fat ratio. All burgers were also cooked beautifully for such a small patty; the surface area was singed a crispy brown while the center remained a bright, even, pink.

You may purchase fries separately for an additional $5, which is a tad pricey for a side of fries, but they're good. What makes the price easier to swallow – pun intended – is the fact that they are accompanied by house-made fancy ranch and curry ketchup sauces.  If you’re having a burger, spoil yourself with the fries.

Dirty South Burger

    Peanut Butter and Bacon Burger

  Size: 3.5 ounces

Accouterments: House pickles, shredded romaine, special sauce and cheddar. Again, the Dirty South is topped with pork. If you ask me what was on the Peanut Butter and Bacon burger, I’ll tell you your teacher lied when she said there was no such thing as a stupid question.  

Type of meat: Cow Ranch: The bartender said they have always used Prather Ranch but they may have recently switched. Beer with Burger: 21st Amendment Back in Black 

Beer pairing/availability: Four solid California beers on tap as well as assortment of about 10 options in bottles and cans. 

Ambiance: I really like 15 Romolo. The restaurant sits in a little alley right off one of the douchiest parts of North Beach. It’s dark inside so if you eat there while it’s still light out, you get that awesome skeezy feeling of being in a bar during the day (you’re so bad!). On weekend nights 15 Romolo becomes somewhat of a scene, which is something to keep in mind depending on what you are looking for.

Burger rating: As a sandwich, the dirty south burger probably ranks somewhere around one SD above the mean. But because this is a burger blog, let's concern ourselves with their regular burger.  A real American burger made the way God intended, without all that fancy fuss! Right? Well folks, looks like we're taking a hike back over the hill, past the mean to one SD below. Symmetry is beautiful.

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Metro Cafeteria, er, Caffe

Place:  Metro Caffe (San Francisco) 247 Fillmore St. San Francisco, CA 94117 [phone]

http://www.metrocaffe.com/

Eater: Megan

Date ate: 8/15/10 Price: $6.25 (incl. cheese) Add fries for $0.75 or tater tots for $1.75 Despite never having heard anything at all about the burger at Metro Caffe, I did have my reasons for thinking it worthwhile. My friends, those reasons were twofold:  First, they use Niman Ranch; and second, I love their (bacon) cheese steaks. In the future I believe I shall stick to what they do best, which I am now confident is their cheese steaks. Even though the fast food-sized patty was quite thin, it was still cooked medium rare as requested. Also, the meat was seasoned appropriately – I could taste and see the salt and pepper. All in all, it was just a hamburger -- a higher-quality version of what you might get at a high school cafeteria or fast food joint. By the time I unwrapped my burger the meat juice had soaked the side of the bun (see picture below) which kinda sucked and sicked me out, but I guess I would have complained if it wasn’t moist enough. That said, I do still suggest a trip to Metro Caffe – order the Bacon Cheese Steak and tater tots.

Size: 5 oz. (smallish) Accoutrements: The burger arrives dressed with the cheese of your choice (I choose cheddar), mayo, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles. Type of meat: Cow Ranch: Niman Ranch Beer with Burger: Lost Abbey Serpent’s Double Stout $5.50 (at Toronado)

Beer pairing Selection: Metro Caffe sells bottles of Stella and Corona. We opted to bring our burger around the corner to Toronado. Ambiance: No ambiance, although there is a mural of San Francisco, which adds an automatic three points (on a different scale, one unused on this blog). Metro is more of a to-go counter, a caffe if you will, than a restaurant. We chose to-go to Toronado. Hey! Burger rating: 1 standard deviation below the mean

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What Sort of Burgers are the College Kids Eating These Days?

Blake’s on Telegraph 2367 Telegraph Avenue Berkeley, CA 94704-1615 [phone] http://www.blakesontelegraph.com/

Eater: Charlie

Price: $8.75

Sooo, I found myself drunk this past Sunday after watching some pre-season football. What? I need to get in shape for the regular season too! Don’t judge. Anyway, I was drunk and hungry and as I’m want to do in these situation, I found a place to gorge myself. Blake’s was close and I heard they had a decent burger so, naturally, I couldn’t resist. As I scanned the menu to see what sort of dead animal I wanted to stuff my face with I noticed this little disclaimer that stated (something to the effect) that ALL burgers are cooked medium rare unless otherwise instructed. This was an encouraging sign. Stay tuned for the punch line. I ended up ordering their half-pound burger – that’s 8ozs to all you stat heads out there -  “Big B Style” or something similar to that stupid name. Basically what this meant was that in addition to receiving the standard toppings: tomato, lettuce, and red onions, I also received “healthy” toppings of Blue Cheese and Bacon. Like Megan, I typically don’t like piling on the toppings, but I thought this combination had promise. The bacon had just the right amount of crunch, but there was far too much blue cheese on this burger. Oh, and my burger was brown throughout. Oh well. I live to fight another day

Size: Half-pound Accouterments: Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onions, and pickle with a side of fries on Kaiser role. Most of their produce is sourced from local farms although not from any single farm. The bun is brought in from Bordenave’s Bakery in San Rafael. Ranch: Niman Ranch Beer with Burger: Anchor Steam (San Francisco, CA)

Beer Selection: Eh, you had your usual suspects on draft and I didn’t get a good look at what they had in bottles; Nothing too exciting. Ambiance: What amounts to a sports bar with a concert venue downstairs, Blake’s provides clients with an airy, bright, and spacious “dining” experience. You had the option of sitting at the bar or the high tables, the waitstaff was very nice, and they had two nice flat screen hanging behind the bar. One standard deviation below the mean

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¿Cómo se Dice Hamburger?

Fonda

1501 Solano Ave. Albany, CA 94707 [phone]

http://www.fondasolana.com/

Eater: Charlie Price: $6.50 off their late night happy hour menu (begins at 10pm) Jenn and I decided to have a night out at one of our favorite Latin places, Fonda; they specialize in small plates and good cocktails. During this particular dining experience we used a generous gift certificate, so we were glutton for punishment (that is, more than usual). But even at a “Nuevo Latina” restaurant I couldn’t resist whatever burger concoction they had available! Now before you yell, “Heretic!” or “Judas!” at your computer screen, please understand that this is by no means a “typical” post and…I’ll be honest, when I made the decision to order the Cuban mini burger I was about 3 delicious margarita’s into the meal…But what a good decision it ended up being! The Cuban mini burger at Fonda was topped with chorizo mustard (imeancomeon) pickles, and slivers of sweet potato fries. First, anything with the word “chorizo” in it is going to be delicious (I think it may be a law). Second, I liked the texture that pickles provide (in general). It’s as though they combine the texture of lettuce and tomato. Hence! No tomato or lettuce on this mini burger. Third, the slivers of sweet potato fries added another interesting texture and a great crunch. The burger itself was prepared well; it was flavorful and had some nice juice.

Size: Mini/Slider-ish Accouterments: The Burger was topped with pickles, chorizo mustard, and sweet potato fries, all on a homemade bun. Type of Meat: Cow Ranch: Fatted Calf Ranch Beer with Burger: I didn’t have a  beer with this meal, because when in Rome...you should have a Margarita made with Herradura Silver Tequila, Cointreau, fresh lime and simple syrup, and hand shaken on the rocks with  salt (for $7) Beer Selection: Fonda is known more for their cocktail and wine selction than their beer selection, but you can find a few decent beers. Ambiance: We love Fonda. It can get loud, but you always feel like you have your privacy and while it’s probably a little over-priced for what it is, Fonda provides high quality food in a casual and fun atmosphere. At the mean

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Cow and Pig: Together Again...for the First Time.

Polkers Gourmet Burgers (San Francisco) 2226 Polk St. San Francisco, CA 94109 [phone]

No website. Polkers Menu Pages Eater: Megan

Date ate: 8/11/2010 Price: $9.95 (inc. avocado and cheese, and a side of curly fries) I typically turn my nose up at burgers bastardized by unnecessarily creative toppings. I choose a simple burger to focus on the flavor and quality of the meat itself. Bread. Cheese. Meat. Bread. Yet for some reason, I strayed from my usual mode of operation when I went to Polkers. Why order a normal, delicious beef cheeseburger when you can order a Mexican Burger made of beef and chorizo and topped with avocado, jack cheese and pico de gallo? Oh-- because then it’s easy to compare it to other burgers. Hm. Well! What’s done is done and I have no regrets. The chorizo adds a full flavor and dense texture to the patty. I would not characterize the burger as moist, a usually requisite adjective for a decent burger, and I can’t comment on how well it was cooked, but none of that seemed to matter. This burger existed in a world outside of my usual rubric. All that seemed to matter was the flavor. Orange grease from the chorizo leaked onto and stained the bun, inviting those boring and oversized pieces of bread to meld into the goodness of the patty and become one with the rest of the creation. The bottom of the patty was fried crispy from the chorizo grease (which we love). I did need to add a bit of ketchup because the burger was otherwise a tad dry, even with the pico de gallo. Nonetheless, this burger was tasty and a standout over their less eccentric burgers. Oh, and the curly fries are delicious.

Size: Half-pound

Accouterments: Melted jack and a few slices of avocado topped the patty. I asked for the pico de gallo on the side. Also arriving (and remaining) on the plate were the usual lettuce, tomato, and onion. Type of meat: Cow and…wait for it….pig! Ranch: Niman Ranch Beer with Burger: Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA (San Francisco, CA) $4.50

Beer Selection: Limited beer selection: four beers on draft including Bud Light, but at least the other three were local. Ambiance: Eh. No real ambience to comment upon. The place is clean and well taken care of but has no “vibe” to speak of.  Has the feeling of a brunch joint (which I guess it kinda is). Burger rating: 1 standard deviation above the mean (owing to the chorizo).