(Not) Another Meatloaf Burger

27 November 2007-
Two: 22 Hawthorne Street in San Francisco
http://www.two-sf.com/home.html
Cost: $11.00 (bacon cheeseburger, fries extra)

Image Source: blogger's own

Company sponsored, Team-Project Lunch. What used to be the old Hawthorne Lane is now Two Restaurant. There were quite a few of us, I would guess about twenty? We were seated in the center of the restaurant in this hand carved wood table. Although a modern, interior upgrade, there was a lodgy, men's club kind of feel to the decor. To add, the menu seemed quite Italianesque - European.

I was excited to have the opportunity to sample the Two Restaurant burger. Although I've probably exhausted a lot of the burger survey options within the two-block radius from work, there are perhaps still a handful of burgers in more high-class restaurant establishments nearby which I haven't surveyed yet.

Verdict: The burger is definitely a one-course plate. Fortunately I ordered the Belgian Frites on the side. They ended up being the highlight of this meal for me. Although the burger came out served with a plastic stake authorizing/validating the intended/stated grilling preference, the burger was weird beyond belief. Again it seems like the chef has prepared a "meatloaf" burger with excessive seasoning and other infill ingredients. Again, this is not to my desired liking.

Farewell Burger Comrade

16 November 2007-
Palomino: 345 Spear Street in San Francisco
http://www.palomino.com/
Cost: $10.50 (bacon cheeseburger, fries included)

Image Source: blogger's own

Today was Part Two of the two part farewell lunch series for my dear friend, and best burger commentator, a burger blogger could ever hope for. I wanted to make it special, and decided on Palomino along the SF Embarcadero. I used to recall that the crescent shaped dining room used to have the best views to the Bay Bridge, but recent construction of a couple of restaurants along the water now block any and all views.

There were two burger versions on today's menu which really threw my decision making off. There was the normal lunch burger and a kobe burger variant with very special tempura fries. The burger enthusiasts in the group all order the regular burger, and there may have been one or two variants in the bunch who ordered something other than burgers. Honestly, I was a little shocked, since this was supposed to be a special burger survey finale.

Verdict: As mentioned, there were two burger presentations at Palomino. We envied the Kobe burger version (which cost twice the regular) at other tables seated around us. Regrettably, we all wished we had ordered the other version. The regular version was just okay. What turned me off was the chopped lettuce, the overly dry and salty fries.

Points for Originality

7 November 2007-
Ducca: 50 Third Street in San Francisco
http://www.duccasf.com/
Cost: $12.00 (bacon cheeseburger, fries included)

Image Source: blogger's own

It was part one of a two part farewell lunch session for my dear friend, best, burger enthusiast commentator a burger blogger could ever hope for. I made reservations at Ducca SF in downtown SF's Westin Hotel. At the time, Daniel Libeskind's Contemporary Jewish Museum was still under construction directly adjacent to the outside courtyard. I knew that this was going to be a unique plaza, and therefore, a prime location for this restaurant / bar and hence the perfect location for this lunch and burger survey.

There were seven of us, and we all order the Ducca burger which was very pleasing to my satisfaction. I decided to splurge on the sparkling water too, a decision which ended up costing me close to the cost of the burger (quite expensive for a bottle).

Verdict: Despite requesting a "medium-rare bacon cheeseburger", the burger patty seemed quite "meaty" and "a lot to take in" - also, it was quite "unusual". I think the seven of us debated whether this "meatloaf" burger was in fact a "burger". However, the presentation and polenta fries (which look and tasted kind of like french toast) were quite visually impressive. The patty was quite thick, but there was a lot of extra seasoning, and "infill" to the patty which my taste buds did not completely agree with.

Cool Sauce Holder

6 November 2007-
Custom Burger: 121 Seventh Street in San Francisco
Cost: $10.00 (angus bacon cheeseburger, fries extra)

Image Source: blogger's own

San Francisco is quite fortunate to have Morphosis (Pritzker Prize Award Winning Architecture Firm) design the new Federal Building. On a recent field trip to the area, I was surprised to see that the area, which I've previously referred to as "Crack Alley" is on the up and up. Hey, there's even this new burger joint right across the street called, "Custom Burger". When I noticed the good design sense and concept of this restaurant, as well as the location, I knew I had to make an effort to survey this burger establishment.

The next night, I brought my hunger with me, and hopped into the diner, to discover a full menu of 'customizable' burger options, including a choice of a '1/3 lb. Angus' patty or 'American Kobe Beef' - 'Lamb' or even 'Salmon'. As one can imagine, there's almost every type of cheese available and a range of fixings on par to some of the most creative salad bars. They even offer about a dozen mayos! However, each additional 'fixin'' above the standard is going to cost you. I think one of the marketing strategies of this business is to lure other burger enthusiasts back for more samplings, because it seems unimaginable to sample the full range of customizations from a single visit.

Verdict: I liked the presentation, in specific, there's this really nice condiment sauce holder integrated into the wire molded tray (see picture above). My immediate impression was that this tasted very similar to the Bistro Burger on Mission Street. Although, this is "Angus" and Bistro claims "Niman Ranch" the lean, daily massaged beef meat was not fatty enough for me. There was no taste, or it didn't quite reflect the qualities that I aspire a good a burger to be.