Burgers in SF

People often ask me where to get the "best" burger in the City.

That is a hard question to answer because it's subjective. Some people just want meat and cheese on a bun. Others like the fancy-shmancy stuff. To each his own.

I even compiled a list for CBS and trust me, I got lots of hate mail sent to me saying I didn't know what the hell I was talking about. My addition of In-N-Out got lots of love/hate comments.

You know what?

Shut your faces. The comments are comical and I didn't read them for the longest time because I was honestly hurt. I'm fine now, but I swear, people are passionate about burgers and because I didn't put their favorite, suddenly I don't know what I am talking about.

But if you really wanna get in my head about burgers, here it is:

There are 3 levels of burgers:
• Sh*t Hole Burgers Spots – Fast food joints that usually have a value menu: McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, etc.
• Specialized Burger Joints – Places/food trucks where they focus on only burgers: Joe's Cable Car, Burger Meister, etc. I would put In-N-Out in this tier because it has a better quality than fast food places.
• Only One Burger on the Menu Restaurants – Spots that are known for their burger, but cook other different types of food: Marlowe, Spruce, The Fifth Floor, etc.

When it comes to MY ideal burger, I go to tier #2 - the Specialized Burger Joints. Why?

Food Quality:

Obviously, they are better than fast food.

What I like (and prefer) is that these places usually make their burgers with grass-fed beef from local purveyors like Pacific Pastures or Niman Ranch. There is usually no mixing of meats of different animals - just beef - and the toppings can be standard such as fresh lettuce, tomato, and onion or unique like over-easy egg, arugula, and sauteed mushrooms.

Ambiance:

I want to go to a place where burgers are the word. Period. I want to see the person across from me, diagonally from me, in back of me, perpendicular to me, eating a burger.

For me, formal table service ain't needed. I don't want to have to go out of my way to make a reservation just to have a burger. I'm not talking fast food fast, but sometimes that hankering for a legit burger comes out of nowhere (I blame it on my anemia), and I just wanna get in there, order, and eat. Or even take it to go because the husband would most likely get upset I had a burger without him.

Also, I want to go to spot where I do not have to worry too much about what I'm wearing. If I'm gonna eat a burger, I wanna get my hands greasy. If I get ketchup on my pants, oh well. None of this go see to be seen BS.

I am lucky to have friends and a husband who love burgers. Real burgers. They have introduced me to some of the tastiest ones I have ever eaten. So for real for real, here is MY ideal Top 5 list of burgers.

1) Super Duper - My friend and kapaMEALya brother Kuya Chip intro'ed this to me and to many others calling it his "Shake Shack." He is a NY/NJ native, so if that is what he says, I'll believe it because the burgers at Shake Shack seem to be a big deal. Did you not see *chick flick alert* "Something Barrowed?"

What I Order: The 4oz burger with "everything on it" (lettuce, tomato, red onions, and super sauce) with additions of cheese, bacon, and an organic egg. They cook their burgers to medium by default. At their condiment bar, they have pickles for the taking. Last time, I had like 5 of them. And I think I stole one of Kuya Chip's.

2) 4505 Meats - Every time I get the chance to go to a food festival, I get Chef Farr's burger. Unfortunately, I can't make it to the Thurs/Sat Ferry Building Market all the time. Lame. I wish I could though.

What I Order: The Cheeseburger - however Chef Farr makes it that day. For my CBS article, he told me that he grinds his own meat and the melange can be different from day to day. Anyway he does it, I seemed to inhale the whole thing within a few minutes.

3) Gott's Roadside - This place was used to be called "Taylor's Automatic Refresher" and even then I adored it. The burgers are placed on a lovely toasted yellow egg bun and are perfect with a side of their insanely green garlic fries or sweet potato fries.

What I Order: The Cheeseburger or Bacon Cheeseburger with American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and secret sauce. All burgers are cooked to a medium well, leaving a little bit on pink in the middle. This one has the flavor of a classic classic burger with no bells and whistles. It's all good - no BS.

4) ROAM Artisan Burgers - I learned about this place from Anne Pao, a lady I met at a foodcentric photoshoot. She brought some of ROAM's burgers for props for the crew and models and they were amazeballs to say the least. ROAM's burgers are unique with tasty toppings, of course, you can get your classic versions as well, but why not go for something different? Adding beyond the norm ingredients to burgers is what's in. What I like about ROAM is that it's casual, yet sophisticated.

What I Order: I have 2 favorites - The Tejano: Pepper Jack, Jalapeño Relish, Avocado, Tomato, White Corn Strips, Herb Ranch and the Sunny Side: Organic Free-Range Egg, Aged White Cheddar, Caramelized Onions, Greens, Tomato, Sweet Chili Sauce. A lot of thought went behind creating these combinations. And PLEASE order a salted caramel milkshake and the Fry-fecta. You're welcome.

5) Umami Burger - OK, I know this is a So Cal-based company, I think this is love at first bite. Literally. I had this for lunch yesterday for the first time and I fell head over heels from the punch of flavor the fries and the burger had. Yup, laced with crack. Laced with crack.

What I Order: I know I know, I only had 1 burger, but it was LEGIT. I had the namesake Umami Burger which had shiitake mushroom, caramelized onions, roasted tomato, parmesan crisp, and umami ketchup. I had a bad experience coming back to the office from Umami Burger, but all the negativity went away when I ate this burger.

By all means, this is not a Burger Bible. And please, no hate emails! I understand there are a million ways to make a burger these days, and the 5 listed are just the way I like it. So there you go, friends. Eat away and tell me what you think! And be sure to call me if you're in the mood for a good burger!

xoxo,
Jo

PS: Does anyone remember the Carousel / Doggy Diner on Sloat across from the Zoo? I had one of my favorite burger experiences there when I was in the 10th grade. I can still remember how good they were.