Posts Tagged ‘good sides’


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NOPA

Monday, December 5th, 2011 by Nikki

I should preface this with the fact that we had to wait for our table when we got there (even though I made a reservation, which is highly recommended) and during that wait I had a drink. That drink hit me pretty hard.

The burger: Grass fed hamburger, pickled onion and french fries $13.

OMG, so good! I ordered it without the onions, which might have added another level of flavor, but it so didn’t matter. This burger was spectacular! The bun was soft and handled the moist meat well, which was perfectly cooked and flavored just right. It was good good good! The juices dripped and the flavor filled my mouth with joy.

The fries were really good too, not perfect but damn near. They were crispy and properly cooked. There were also many other things on the menu I’d like to go back and try. But after having that burger I don’t know if I could go again and not order it! Thanks for the suggestion Lila B!


NOPA on Yelp
560 Divisadero St
San Francisco, CA 94117 Map

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Posted in 5 Star, Classic, NOPA, Western Addition | 2 Comments »

Boulevard

Friday, November 11th, 2011 by Nikki

This would have been five stars if it wasn’t so much trouble!

First of all, I had to make a lunch reservation (the burger is only served at lunch). Who ever makes a reservation to eat a burger? A burger reviewer, that’s who. And no one else.

Second, it took way too long for our server to come. Then a long time for the food to come. Then a long time to get the check. Lunch ended up taking nearly two hours! And that doesn’t include travel time!

The burger however, was fantastic. As listed on the menu: American Kobe Beef Burger – Cowgirl Creamery’s Wagon Wheel Cheese, Heirloom Tomato, House Made Bun, Little Gem Lettuce, French Fries – $15.75.

The presentation was oh so perty with the little doily tucked into the fry pot. When I picked up the burger for the first time it started dripping before I even bit into it – good sign! It was cooked very well, not as in temperature, but as in just-the-way-I-like-it (medium rare). The meat was so soft and smooth – almost too smooth – like the burger didn’t have any character. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying every bite.

The french fries were awesome too! Very crispy and soft in the middle. I probably ate a few too many of them.

So it boils down to a tasty, too-smooth burger against a high price and lots of hassle. Hence, the star subtraction. Sorry Evan, its not my perfect burger, but it came pretty close!

Boulevard on Yelp
1 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94105 Map

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Posted in 4 Star, Classic, SOMA | No Comments »

Slow Club

Monday, September 5th, 2011 by Nikki

I live a couple blocks from the Slow Club and have eaten there many times, so I pretty much knew that I would love their burger. The good news is that its very consistent and on the night of my official review the burger was just as good as expected.

The burger: Prather ranch dry-aged ground beef, tomatoes, greens, balsamic onions, Dijon mustard, aioli & cheddar, swiss or jack cheese, served with french fries: $12.50 The toppings change frequently as does the rest of the menu and is always creative and delicious. Even though I don’t like mustard, I don’t mess with this flavor palette.

Juicy and quite messy, I loved every bite. They have such good meat, cooked just right – pink and charred on the edges. This burger speaks to me, it says “you know you want to eat me baby!” And I do.

Now I must also mention their fries. I dare say they are the best in the City. There have been a few nights when they have been a bit off, but for the most part they are crack-addictingly fantastic. We always order them as an appetizer. Even if we’re eating brunch!

Eat this burger and these fries. You will LOVE them!


Slow Club on Yelp
2501 Mariposa St
San Francisco, CA 94110 Map

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Posted in 5 Star, Classic, Mission | No Comments »

Serpentine

Monday, September 5th, 2011 by Nikki

Serpentine was suggested to us by Jerry S. on Facebook. I had heard of Serpentine before and wanted to try it anyway, so this made it official. I had also heard they are a sister restaurant to Slow Club, whose burger I absolutely love (and will review soon). My hopes were high.

I ordered the: Prather ranch, arugula, pickled red onions, housemade pickles, acme roll, and french fries. With cheese: $13. The first bite was really good. Not over-the-top, just ‘hey, i’m chililn here bein a good burger’. I sat across from Albie and suddenly heard him screech – juice from his burger had squirted out all over him and his napkin! The burger was so damn juicy it came all over him! Luckily it wasn’t hot enough to burn do damage.

Back to my burger… the pickled onions and other special toppings were good. The meat, for not being seasoned was great – juicy (enough to mess up a fella) and tasty. It caused a good mess on my plate. I would eat there again in a heartbeat, but must remember to save room for ice cream across the street when I’m done!


Serpentine on Yelp
2495 3rd St
San Francisco, CA 94107 Map

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Posted in 5 Star, Dogpatch, Fancy-Pants | No Comments »

Spruce

Friday, June 3rd, 2011 by Nikki

Spruce is a bit of a fancy place ($$$$), not normally one I would consider for a burger as this one cost $16 for the burger and fries. Before delivering my burger I was presented with a small cup of pumpkin soup, which turned out to be extremely yummy with really good bread on the side.

Then came the burger. It looked like it would be great, bursting out of the bun with meat and cheese. The presentation was fantastic. However, the burger let me down. It fit some of my criteria: messy, pink on the inside, crispy on the outside – but totally void of flavor. Albie referred to it as “an insipid trophy wife”.

I must say though, the toppings were great and the fries were really good. You see in the picture, the fries were in a metal container, which is a great idea because it kept them warm and free of burger juice so they didn’t get soggy. I know you may want to dip your fries in the burger juice, but I don’t want them to sit around in it.

Overall I was disappointed.


Spruce on Yelp
3640 Sacramento St
San Francisco, CA 94118 Map

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Posted in 3 Star, Classic, Laurel Heights | 2 Comments »

Mission Beach Cafe

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 by Nikki

What a fantastic burger! It met all of my criteria with flying colors. I couldn’t stop eating it! Oh wait, I should give a little description here, its a grassfed beach buger with pondhopper gouda, caramelized onions, winter mushrooms, garlic aoili, and kennec fries.

This burger was a big mess right off the bat. The bun was just right, the toppings were great, the meat was pink inside and so full of flavor without being too salty. With each bite I felt like I was home. The fries were really good too, especially the truffle fries (which my friend got).

The burger was a little on the high end for price ($13.50), but well worth it. This place is super busy on weekends though, especially around brunch time. So I recommend going during the week if you can or plan ahead!

Overall:
Mission Beach Cafe on Yelp
198 Guerrero St
San Francisco, CA 94103 Map

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Posted in 5 Star, Classic | 1 Comment »

Super Duper Burgers

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010 by Nikki

The name speaks for itself, these burgers are Super Duper. Though not enough for five stars, I only give them four. The reason? Well, the burger was really yummy; the edges of the meat were crispy, but the middle wasn’t pink. I also really liked that I could get a smaller burger (a Superburger Single, $4.75 — meat, bun, super sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onions, cheddar cheese), so the portion was just right for me. The burger caused a nice mess and the price was good. It just wasn’t the perfect burger by my standards, but I would eat there again if I had a burger craving in the Castro.

In the photo my burger is the little guy on the left. The one on the right belongs to my husband, Steve. As you can see, the double is a bit more significant. You should try one if you’re in the neighborhood though, it was definitely delicious! The fries were alright and the shake was good. If you want to try them, you can get a 50% off voucher from Mobile Spinach (only available for 4 weeks on iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry Torch; Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox 4.0).

Overall:

Super Duper on Yelp
2304 Market St
San Francisco, CA 94114 Map

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Posted in 4 Star, Castro, Fast Food-Style | 1 Comment »

Oola Restaurant & Bar

Friday, August 27th, 2010 by Nikki

And now I present: Oola’s Grilled Natural Creek Stone Farms Hamburger $13 with apple wood smoked bacon, $1.50. Served on a brioche bun, tomatoes, watercress, and grilled onions.

Sound delicious, no? Well, it was just alright. I would eat it again, but its not spectacular. The bun was nice and soft, and the meat was good, but it wasn’t really full of flavor. It also failed to drip down my arms, and that’s essential! I also felt the bacon was cooked well (as in good, not overcooked). The fries on the side were REALLY good.

In the end the burger did a decent job of being a burger, but just didn’t have enough flavor and was a little overpriced for it.

PS – From an artists perspective, I really liked the presentation (which has no bearing on the rating)!

Overall:

Oola on Yelp
860 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94107 (Map)

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Posted in 3 Star, Classic, SOMA | No Comments »

Mission Burger

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 by Nikki

For $8 you get 1/3 lb of aged Harris Ranch brisket, short rib, and chuck granulated and seared in beef fat. With Monterey Jack cheese, caramelized onions, and caper aioli. Add another $2 for french fries.

I ordered mine medium-rare, and I wished I had ordered it cooked a little more (though it probably still would have been too pink, because
Albie’s was supposed to be cooked more and it wasn’t). I made it about half way through the burger before I was so grossed-out I couldn’t go on anymore. The meat in the middle looked way too much like the pink ground meat before its cooked. Usually its just a little pink, but I could still see all the wiggly pink rawness.

I’m still giving them an ok rating, because before I reached my breaking point the burger was pretty good. The outside was definitely nice and crispy with a touch of grill flavor. And it met my messy requirement. The french fries were also really good, crispy all the way through. I will probably never get a burger there again though, unless they can give me less meat. I think the fact that the burger was so thick really hindered the cooking of it.

Overall:
Mission Burger on Yelp
2200 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94110 Map

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Posted in 1 Star, Extreme, Mission | 2 Comments »

Liverpool Lil’s

Thursday, February 18th, 2010 by Nikki

I’ve had the hamburger here before, and I remembered it being really good. And that’s exactly what it was, really good.

The Liverpool Burger is an 8 oz. Angus beef patty with grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, mayo and some type of cheese (I got Gruyere) on a sesame kaiser bun for $12.95, which included some french fries. A little pricey compared to what I’ve eaten so far.

The meat met most of my requirements; cooked medium, liked the taste and the outside was nice and crisp. On the down side, the meat was not quite the mess I want – there were no juices dripping down my hands and arms. The burger should have come with grilled onions, but I didn’t want them. I think they probably would have added a lot to the overall taste. The bun wasn’t top notch, it was toasted but maybe a touch stale.

The fries were good, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. However, when I ate there a couple weeks earlier the fries weren’t crispy enough. So the fry crispy quality is variable.

In conclusion I would say that the Liverpool Burger is good stuff, but still not my go-to burger.

Overall:
Liverpool Lil’s on Yelp
2942 Lyon Street
San Francisco, CA 94123 Map

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Posted in 4 Star, Classic, Marina | 1 Comment »

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