Tried Smashburger last week because of a coupon given to celebrate the grand opening of the new store over at Westgate in San Jose. I didn't try one of the shakes - I should have. As for what should be the main attraction, the burger - the patty was rather dry, not much fat left after it had been cooked. Maybe even drier than the patties at Five Guys. The fries were thin, shoestring - reminded me a bit of McD fries but maybe healthier. If I go again, I'll try one of the salads.

Another Burger Survey

Post by Gott's Roadside.

Regional Burger Styles

Post by Gott's Roadside.

The Best?

Business Insider's Pick for the Best of 2014 - Habit

Maybe I'll have to pay the local store another visit.

Can They Maintain Their Identity as They Expand?

Post by Bareburger.

And how many will remain when the economy goes under?

Post by Gott's Roadside.

So the Johnny Rockets at Westgate has been replaced by a Smashburger (Yelp). I think I'll wait a little bit longer before trying it, and rely on the dependable places.

Konjoe Burger Bar

Two Wednesdays ago I made my first visit to San Pedro Square Market in downtown San Jose to try Konjoe Burger Bar, which offers burgers made with grassfed beef. The chips that came with the burger were prepared well, and slightly spicy. The ketchup is made in the house, and has the texture of marinara sauce or tomato paste, but it is tasty. My konjoe burger (beef, fried egg, lettuce, pickled jalapeno, caramelized onions, cheese, konjoe sauce) was cooked medium rare/medium - can grass-fed ground beef be cooked more without becoming tough? I think the burgers at ROAM are better (and cooked longer). (I don't know which has better beef burgers, ROAM or Bareburger, but I think Bareburger may be slightly better on the whole.)

I also tried the steak sandwich from Phonomenal Noodle House - a Vietnamese version of a cheese steaksandwich? It was ok, but I liked my burger from konjoe much better.

San Pedro Square Market is a decent place for people to hang out in downtown San Jose, but I think that it closes relatively early, so that is a disadvantage. I think its clientele comprises mostly of SJSU students and local workers, and some of the SWPLs living in the area. Next time I will have to try the ribs at Bray?

Related:
Burger Bun Alternatives

Not Nationwide If It Doesn't Reach CA

Astoria’s Bareburger Expanding Nationwide

A List of Top Burgers in the U.S.

The Daily Meal - the list includes Gott's Roadside in SF.

Since I was in town, I tried John's Char Burger last night, before the concert. Having read the yelp reviews, I didn't bother to try the fries - just the double super burger and a strawberry shake. The burger tasted better than Bob's Giant Burgers - less of a charred taste, the quality of the meat was probably about the same. The taste actually reminded me of In n Out; there was a bit of a sour taste to the meat, but that's not atypical for burgers, apparently. It can't compare to the steak I had the night before.

ROAM Artisan Burgers to Open Another Location

Over in the East Bay in Lafyette.

website

Eliminating "Culinary" Choices

Had a Royal Robin (monster) at Red Robin; my mother had the basic grilled chicken salad. The salad definitely was not worth the price. There are better salads at BJ's, and for the price, even the Costco salad is a more appealing alternative. The RR salad did not taste fresh - rather it tasted like it had been refrigerated from several days, and the grilled chicken tasted carbonized. Can I say the burgers at ROAM taste better? Maybe not, but I didn't feel repelled by the burgers at ROAM like I did last night, for whatever reason. The patties did not taste that seasoned this time around, and the fried egg did not enhance the flavor.

Perhaps I am starting to lose my craving for hamburgers. At this rate, I will soon have no more local restaurants to visit. I don't see any reason to go back to RR.


Related:
Paleo Mayonaise
Something on fluoride and dental care.

Bob's Giant Burgers

I dropped by Bob's Giant Burgers last weekend again (for a burger, of course) - I have to say that while it is tasty, the quality of the beef is not that good; you can tell by sight and taste. (I suppose the good thing about In and Out's thin patties is that you don't see much, but I will try a visual inspection next time I go, whenever that may be.) Given the price of the burgers at BGB it is unlikely I'll go there again. So what other burger places are there in the Fremont Area?

Another Sunday in San Francisco

I haven't written up last weekend's experiences yet. I decided to go to OLF instead of the cathedral as there wasn't time to make it to the 9:00 Mass at the cathedral. (While I wouldn't mind listening to the Schola SF again, the rest of the liturgy is... lacking.)

Next door at St. Monica, the SFFD had some sort of special Mass/celebration? (There were a few womyn bureaucrats (those promoted to higher ranks) present. Are the men of the upper ranks as out of shape too? You see quite a few fat LEOs around here, as well. Why bother with the uniform?) During the divine liturgy, we could hear the bagpipes being played outside.

Fr. Kevin was the presbyter celebrating liturgy today - he reminds me of someone... a mix between Fr. McNellis at BC and the nephew's godfather, Mr. P.

For lunch, I tried the Pearl's Deluxe Burger on Post - a deluxe burger with cheese and bacon, small fries, and strawberry shake. The shake was made using a frozen mix and strawberry syrup, but it wasn't bad. It was thick like I prefer it, though it did taste rather fake. I ordered the burger medium, but it was well-done; a tad dry, and not that tasty. The fries were cooked with batter(?), so they came out looking and tasting a bit like tater tots, as well as onion rings. (Maybe the frying oil needs to be changed.) About $15 for the meal, cheaper than ROAM (I had tried the new location on Fillmore last week), but the difference in quality is palatable. The burger patty isn't much different from what you might get at Bongo Burger, Crepevine, or Bob's Giant Burgers.

Maybe I should give up burgers, since ground beef is rather limited in its potential.

Next restaurant to try: Gott's or Burger Meister.

Oakland

On Wednesday I dropped by downtown Oakland before going to the concert over at the Freight (Brittany Haas and Lauren Rioux) as I wanted to check the BART lost and found. My keys were not there, but it had already been several months since I lost them. Unclaimed keys are turned over to a locksmith to melt down for new keys, and whatever else that can't be recycled is discarded. Ah well... It probably is cheaper to just make new keys than to take the BART or drive up to the lost and found office, so it didn't bother me so much that I was unable to retrieve my keys.

I took the opportunity to visit True Burger and the cathedral. Neither of the co-owners was present at the restaurant, but I had an early dinner - around 4. Maybe they are there in the morning doing prep. (The kitchen was staffed mostly by Hispanics, as you might expect from the restaurant industry.) I got a double - the patties were cooked medium. There was some seasoning, but the raw taste of the meat wasn't that appealing for some reason. I think there was a slight sour taste to it. Maybe the patties would have tasted better if they had been cooked longer. I also had a vanilla shake, which was decent. The fries were cooked well, but they are rather pricey ($2.50), in comparison with In n Out. The patties are bigger than those of In n Out, but I can't say that they taste better. Now that I've been there, I can try the next burger place...

After dinner I walked across the street to Christ the Light Cathedral. Much of the sacred art (the stations of the cross, the crucifix, and a sculpture of the Mother of God) in the cathedral seemed to be inspired by African sources. (I've forgotten which culture in particular; it is unlikely that the style is representative of all African sculpture art.) How much do black Catholics in Oakland identify with African culture? (What percentage of Oakland Catholics are African-American?) I can now say that I've visited the cathedral. Is it getting enough donations to keep itself open? The cathedral does have some security guards patrolling the building and the grounds - seems typical for cathedrals in big cities these days.

Walking through that part of downtown Oakland, I found the appearance bleak. There are some residential buildings that are probably intended to attract affluent (white) people; are they trying to spark some sort of gentrification of the area? It doesn't seem to be working. Are other neighborhoods surrounding Lake Merritt better? It's actually the first time I've visited that part, as far as I can remember. I've seen the part north of Chinatown and the Oakland Museum. It's been some time since I've been to Oakland Chinatown. I probably wouldn't want to live in Oakland.

The concert, of course, was very good. Rushad Eggleston was a guest performer and his cello-playing was very entertaining. Molly Tuttle was also there as a guest performer. When will the Tuttles be performing around here again?

Practical Paleo Release Party & Signing at Roam Artisan Burgers

Tuesday, August 7, 2012 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM (PT) - RSVP

The author's website: Balanced Bites. (She has a 21-day sugar detox program.)

Related:
Some Athletes Reject High-Tech Sports Fuel In Favor Of Real Food

ROAM Artisan Burgers

So on Sunday I visited SF, which undeniably has some good local places for food, unlike the South Bay, just so I could try ROAM with ah Fai. The beef is 100% grass-fed, but it didn't taste as different as I was expecting. I've read the complaints about grass-fed beef before, how it isn't as delicious as grain-fed beef. Maybe the tastiness has something to do with the fact that it's been ground? Ah Fai thought the burger was ok, but it's not something he would crave. (He craves the burgers at In n Out or Gott's instead.)

I wouldn't drive all the way to SF for burgers from ROAM; I'd probably go to the Counter at Santana Row if I wanted to pay for a fancy gourmet burger as it is much closer and I wouldn't have to drive as far. (The quality of the burgers at the Counter in Palo Alto probably isn't so different to make it worth the drive.) But if I lived in SF, I would go to ROAM regularly, as the gourmet burgers are relatively cheap in comparison to some of the other establishments there. I ordered the Heritage (double!) and we also shared the Fry-Fecta. I didn't care for the Zuchini Onion haystack, but the potato and sweet potato fries were good. I also got a small (regular?) strawberry shake - it wasn't too sweet but was very creamy. (Organic!) Of course I got a carb coma several hours later. Ah Fai tried the artisan soda (pear) and seemed to like it.

Still, next time I'm in SF I will probably try some of the other burger places.

During the drive to the city I had a nice convo with ah Fai about a certain restaurant that will be opening soon.

Links:
FB

Some New Burger Places Closer to Home

Ah Fai mentioned Habit (Yelp), which is close to both an In n Out and a Five Guys.

There's also Workshop (Yelp). But the Yelp reviews seem to be more mixed.
Same for SteakOut (Yelp).

Next time I don't have food ready and I'm craving a burger in Sunnyvale...

So Uhmerican.

Having visited Roam last night, I decided to make a checklist of other burger joints to visit in the future, using that list put out by SF Grub Street. I've already mentioned True Burger... Ah Fai talked about the burgers at Gott's over at the Ferry Building. (It's on the list.) Maybe Super Duper for a quick bite, too. Not going to spend the time to figure out what the top 5 are on that list.

4505 Meats?
Pearl's Deluxe Burger
The Grubstake

Balboa Café
Burger Urge
Citizen's Band
Burritt Tavern
Serpentine/Slow Club
Show Dogs
Southern Pacific Brewing Company
Starbelly
Double Decker
Mission Bowling Club
Maven
Nopa
Public House
Zuni Cafe
Umami Burger
Plum Bar (Oakland)

Food Trucks:
Docs of the Bay
Five Ten Burger (Oakland)

I may try Gather next time I'm in Berkeley. Burger Bar is probably too overpriced and I wouldn't like the crowd that goes there.

Related:
Mission Chinese Food

The Ultimate Uhmerican Meal?

Certainly it's "healthier" than the pizza that The Thinking Housewife criticizes, even more so if you get rid of the bun. And the fires. And the shake. But those are good once in a while. 80/20, right? I find that getting a burger is my default meal outside the house these days. I can't afford a real restaurant. (And I haven't quit Costco pizza yet.)

The 50 Best Burgers in San Francisco Many of them cost more than $15! But Roam is on the list. I'll try to go there on Sunday to celebrate ah Fai's birthday. Still have to get out to Oakland for Trueburger (which is on the list, too).