Burger Gourmet - Oakland, CA

Burger Gourmet in Oakland, CA was a pleasant find one day when I found myself in downtown Oakland for an appointment. I typed “burger” into my iPhone and found the Gourmet was just a few blocks away.

As I approached, I spotted their green awning and entered to find myself in a high-ceilinged room full of people enjoying their burgers. Handwritten on the board behind the counter were dozens of burger choices. I went with the basic Bacon Cheeseburger ($6.25) and Frings ($1.95); fries and Onions Rings for $1.95 constituting a hell of a bargain, which I applaud.

The place is very green. Not in the earthly sense so overused in marketing, but green tabletops, green carpet and the aforementioned green awning. Everything was clean and orderly too.

My 6-ounce burger came a little overcooked, but the rest of it was very nice. A sesame bun was toasted and nicely fit the burger. Bacon crunched atop the nicely melted cheese. The usual compliment of fresh veggies was all in attendance as well. Everything balanced properly with some nice spicing to the meat.

Two big, battered onion rings perched on top of medium cut skinless fries, a tidy accompaniment to the burger.

It was all quote lovely, next time I am downtown, I will stop by again and try one of the more adventuress burgers from the big board.
Burger 3.5 spatulas out of 5
Fries 2.5 spatulas
Onion Rings 3.5 spatulas

Burger Gourmet
351 19th Street
Oakland, CA 94612
510-268-9022

Nation's Giant Hamburgers - Fremont, CA

Nations is an institution in the East Bay. I remember my brother-in-law John telling me about them years ago. He has always been a regular at the Fremont location. It was appropriate he joined me for the review. A somewhat seedy and dilapidated building, it nevertheless has an inviting charm. At a Friday lunch, there were bikers, skinheads, 49er fans, workers and families all happily sharing their slabs of meat.

This one has a local feel as one steps to the counter to order. The cheeseburger is $4.30, fries $1.50 and shakes in two sizes are $2.20 or $3.10. If I had not been on a burger mission, I would have been very tempted to take a crack at the tempting “grand” breakfast menu. Instead I grabbed my receipt and number and took a seat.

It wasn’t long before my number was called and I retrieved my sustenance. The griddle-fried burger comes piled high with fresh onions, tomato, lettuce and mayo-based dressing. The bun is griddle-crisp. All of it is a nice blending of all flavors in the classic style. The burger is only a small piece of the overall package claimed to be “3/4 pound or more with everything”.

The fries are medium thick, hot, lightly salted and unadorned perfection. This is how I like fries best - no skins, no coating, no pepper - just potato, salt and grease served piping hot.

The shake was also very good. It was creamy and cold with not too much syrup, flowing thick and smooth up the straw.

I have been to newer Nations locations that feel more chain-like, this one is one really makes one feel at home.

Burger 3.5 spatulas out of 5
Fries 5 spatulas
Shake 4 spatulas

Nations Giant Hamburgers
39180 Fremont Blvd.
Fremont, CA
510-797-3211
www.nationsrestaurants.com

24 locations in the SF Bay Area

Giant Burger - Oakland

Giant Burger in Oakland on Telegraph, must once have been a moshing mecca of meat mastication. The dilapidated exterior and grungy interior, hint at greater days. I love the zigzag awning and old school sign out front. Harking back to days before 3/4-pound whoppers and Wendy's triples, the sign proclaims "1/4-pound" Giant Burger.

Perusing the menu I selected one of only 5 or 6 items not crossed out with black tape. The cheeseburger was $3.85 with fries. The Milk Shake was $2.50.

The burger was cooked right there behind the counter in plain sight. The fries were pulled dripping hot from the fryer just before they were bagged and handed over. As a result, the food was piping hot, save the milk shake which was cold and creamy.

The fries were thick and old-fashioned - a little soggy rather than crisp, but very tasty.

Served with copious amounts of onion slices, fresh tomato and shredded lettuce, the burger was topped with American cheese, mayo and mustard. The soft bun capped it off. That left the burger itself as only a small part of the total package. But somehow I found it quite satisfying. As I happily munched, I imagined a time when this burger and its restaurant were giants.

Burger 3.5 spatulas out of 5
Fries 3.5 spatulas
Shake 3 spatulas

Giant Burgers
2150 Telegraph
Oakland, CA

Barneys's Gourmet Hamburgers - Oakland, CA

I headed off to Barney’s expecting a greasy spoon type place. Instead I found a hip and happening spot with marble floors, wood tables, leather seats and outdoor dining. Just up from Berkeley, the place has a college town feel. I wish I had brought my Birkenstocks.

Joined by my burger buddy Mark, we perused the expansive menu before settling on a Blackened Burger with Swiss cheese ($7.80) for me and Baja Burger with avocado ad bacon ($7.95) for Mark. I had heard the curly fries ($4.50) were awesome, so we ordered those, along with onion rings ($4.75) and a mocha shake ($4.25).

Our server was polite, well informed and speedy. She told us all the burgers are made with 1/3 pound of fresh ground chuck, except for the Big Barney’s Burger, which is a full pound. She quickly brought a spectacular plate of onion rings to our table. An onion had been halved and split into huge rings. These were battered and topped with parmesan cheese. They were crunchy and luscious. 4.5 spatulas out of 5. One order was more than two of us could eat. The curly fries weren’t as impressive as the o-rings, but held their one in crispness. (3.5 spatulas) Both were even better when dunked in the peppery ranch dressing that accompanied them.

As we were tackling the deep-fried delicacies, the burgers arrived. They were almost two beautiful to eat. (The kind fast food places photograph for ads before replacing with a microwave slab of gruel.)

My blackened burger was cooked to perfection - pink and juicy in the middle with a nice peppery crust on the outside. It was served with a tangy thousand island type dressing, which softened the late-hitting, zing of the pepper. It also came with lettuce and tomato and a soft sesame bun. I have to give this a 5 spatulas. I really enjoyed it. Mark was equally enthusiastic about his Baja Burger.

The Mocha shake was a very nice accompaniment to all the spice as well. A nice coffee taste gave it a little twist from the classic chocolate. 4 spatulas.

It won’t be long before I return to Barney’s. Maybe with a tie-die bib.

Burger 5 spatulas (out of 5)
Fries 3.5 spatulas
Onion Rings 4.5 spatulas
Shake 4 spatulas

Barney’s Gourmet Burgers
5819 College Ave.
Oakland, CA
510-655-7180
http://www.barneyshamburgers.com/

Additional Locations is Oakland, San Francisco, Berkeley and San Rafael.