Lunch at the Ferry Building

25 June 2006-
Taylor's Refresher: 1 Ferry Plaza along the Embarcadero in San Francisco
http://www.taylorsrefresher.com/
Cost: $7.99 (bacon cheeseburger, fries extra)

Image Source: blogger's own

I was in the office on Sunday and just intended on staying for a few minutes, but my pangs of hunger were calling out, and I thought about grabbing a bite to eat. Unfortunately, the food options are very limited on the weekends in downtown San Francisco, so I was required to travel outside of my two block radius. I ventured out towards the Ferry Building to hit up Taylor's Refresher.

Taylor's is a very popular burger bar (because they serve wine and beer) and in a very prime location in the recently renovated Ferry Building along San Francisco's Embarcadero waterfront. I was in a bit of a rush, so I didn't order alcohol with my meal, just a bacon cheeseburger and fries and a bottle water.

Taylor's serves a pretty darn good burger, on a very unique roll, fresh ingredients and all around good flavor. The patty is on the thin side (no grilling preference option) but it's tasty and filling. They toast the bun, but probably not enough. It's a great place to soak in the sun on a lazy weekend. In my honest opinion, people should start reviewing these fries because they are some of the best. They are much more exciting than the burger.

Verdict: The fries out-do the burger today. I think my tomato was served at a warmer temperature than my patty. But yes, the fries were really that good.

Midnight Snack

24 June 2006-
Merritt Restaurant and Bakery: 203 E. 18th Street in Oakland (at Lake Merritt)
Cost: $9.95 (bacon cheeseburger, includes fries or salad)

Image Source: blogger's own

I got a late start on Saturday, and ate a really late lunch, and consequently decided to eat a really late dinner.

After checking out the pirate drive-in sponsored by www.oaklandish.org; a documentary about the Oakland A's and Raiders and revitalized about how much I love living in Oakland.. I walked around the lake to Merritt Restaurant and Bakery. I've only eaten there once before about six years ago, and I may have ordered a burger that one visit as well. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and a side macaroni salad. I think if I just ordered the burger alone, it would have been 6 dollars, but instead it costed $9.95 with a side.

They serve a thin 1/4 lb. patty caked with mayo, and loaded with greenery. I think my lettuce actually weighed more than the patty, and they provided pickles which covered the area of the toasted bun, which is thoughtful.

Is this a grade A burger joint? Lake Merritt Restaurant and Bakery has a stronger reputation as a 24 hour dining establishment that serves consistent 'diner' food and has a wide selection of desserts. I was ogling the strawberry short cake in the display case which was more of a stacked layer cake (not that I'm a dessert person, but it caught my eye). A thin patty doesn't lend itself to a grade A burger joint (except for the burgers at Smokehouse in Berkeley (in my opinion)), but nonetheless it was a pleasant burger experience with enough flavor to satisfy my hunger.

Rare is Too Rare at Beale Street Grill

23 June 2006-
Beale Street Bar and Grill: 133 Beale Street at Mission Street (SOMA/Financial District) in San Francisco
http://www.bealestreetsf.com/
Cost: $6.25 (bacon cheeseburger, includes fries)

Image Source: http://www.bealestreetsf.com/burgers.htm

So I thought about being objective in my analyses. In previous times, I would always order burgers "medium" or "medium-rare" (if given the option...) - but coincidentally - coinciding with the commencement of this blog, I've been ordering burgers simply, "rare". I ordered an "I'm a hog for you (baby)" - which in Beale Street terms is a bacon cheeseburger with cheddar. I told the woman receiving my order my choice of grilling preference, and saw the most subtle facial gesture, that in retrospect foreshadowed the consequence.

The burger, from the outside looked very similar to the representation above. Beale Street Grill serves 1/2 lb. patties and even have a burger called "The Big Beale" which consists of two of these 1/2 lb. patties which equals a whopping 1 lbs. The inside, however, was a different story. I wish I had my own photograph to show the uncooked ground chuck, masked from the eater's eyes upon first glance. It wasn't a juicy, drippy rare steak either, the kind oozing with flavor, but in actuality, a cold, uncooked, grounded chuck. I ate more than 3/4's of the burger (due to hunger) and tossed the rest away without giving a second thought. (Hey, I was hungry...) Never again, or only if tempted with curiosity, will I make this same mistake again.

However, I am a Beale Street regular of sorts (my office is within a 2 block radius), and I have always had a great burger with a "medium" or "medium-rare" grilling preference with tremendous positive results. In fact, all my coworkers are aware that Beale Street is my favorite burger joint within a "2 block radius". Beale Street Grill serves up some of the most tenderized, hand shaped chuck patties to my knowledge, but they also are loyal to the customer's requests on grilling preference. Ultimately, I'll have to give this joint another review with my own photographic documentation in the near future.

Verdict: Rare is too rare at Beale Street Bar and Grill. But, based on prior experience - for the price, Beale Street offers the best burger within a two block radius of work, if not a greater radius. I only wish they would toast the bun.

Service is Key

17 June 2006-
Christopher's Burger**: 5295 College Avenue in North Oakland
Cost: $7.50 (bacon cheeseburger, fries extra)
** Denotes gmeow76's previous top reviewed burger

Image Source: blogger's own

So the first thing I notice when I step into Christopher's was the line. I think there were five orders in front of me when I walked into the restaurant, so I can imagine it must have been difficult on the staff to keep track of everyone's orders. For this tiny eatery, five orders means the line was literally out the door. I ordered a rare bacon cheeseburger with swiss. My burger was served well-done and my basket of fries came mid-way into the meal. Not the best eating experience either, but they did toast the bun, and Christopher's has a great selection of homemade mayos, chipotle and aioli which is actually great on fries. Still, a very tasty burger.

16 June 2006-
Beckett's: 2271 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley
http://www.beckettsirishpub.com/
Cost: $9.50 (bacon cheeseburger, includes fries)

It was the second time I've been there for burgers. Ordered a rare bacon cheeseburger with gorgonzola with a Lagunitas IPA on draft. The first and last time I'll order gorgonzola on a burger. There were a lot of things wrong with the service that night. First, when I was done eating my fries (which is usually the process), I noticed that my burger was served without bacon. So I was held up between 5 to 10 minutes between the fries consumption and my first burger bite. Needless to say, my burger probably wasn't at the optimal eating temperature...

It was still okay, though I'm not a huge fan of the seasoned pickles and peppers that they throw on the greenery. Also, Beckett's doesn't serve their burgers with any condiments, ie) mayo, sauces, etc. Just a pretty nicely toasted bun, and the meat and the greenery on the side. It was a pretty tasty and filling burger nonetheless.


Verdict: Between these two joints, Christopher's Burger was the weekend favorite. It probably wasn't a fair comparison due to unforseeable conditions. I'll need to go back to both places fairly soon to give it another test.

Introduction to Bay Area Burgers

Finally, after much hype and anticipation, or over-hype and over-anticipation, I've decided to suck in my gut and start my personal blog - about burgers.

The blog is still in its initial stages. I hope to gather and post images with my entries, but I just wanted to get the ball rolling, and prove to the skeptics that I'm the real deal. In the past, some people have questioned my rating system, or disclaimed my consistency, but I just want to step up to the plate (literally) and prove once and for all that maybe I'm "up for the challenge" and emphasize the "this guy is really serious maybe we should listen and respect his opinion" mentality.