Taxi's Hamburgers - Santa Clara, CA

Taxi's Hamburgers in Santa Clara, CA brings back memories of when I used to take my daughter there many year's ago. I would get the burger and she the grilled cheese. Then we discovered Johnny Rockets and switched burger joints. We went to the Taxi's in Palo Alto, which has since changed it's name. The lady at the counter in Santa Clara told me they were all changing their names. The place felt a little tired and neglected. Maybe they are trying to breath a little life into things by changing the name.

I ordered the 7 ounce Big Taxi Burger with cheese ($5.29), French Fries ($1.49) and a half order or onion rings ($2.19). I can tell you, for a half order you get a lot of o-rings.

The burger is made from fresh beef and sits atop a toasted sesame bun. It comes with American cheese, mustard, mayo, a big chunk of iceberg lettuce, red onion slices, and tomato slice. Although the burger was cooked nicely and looked great, the beef seemed a little lacking in flavor. The other items tasted good and blended well, but I might try a different combo next time. Maybe some bacon to spice things up.

The fries are very thin and have skins on. They were crisp and hot. The onion rings were battered and fried crisp. They were also very hot. But the o-rings didn't have much flavor either. In fact they tasted a lot like the fries.

So overall, I think it was all okay, but I wouldn't rush to take my daughter back for a reunion meal.

Taxi's is a small chain with stores in San Mateo, Palo Alto, Modesto, Dublin and Walnut Creek. Their site also lists Georgia as having locations. I hope they get back to their lively old ways. I used to really like Taxi's.

Hamburger 3 spatulas out of 5
Fries 2.5 spatulas
Onion Rings 2.5 spatulas

Taxi's Hamburgers
3139 Mission College Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA
(408) 235-8877
www.taxishamburgers.com

Juicy Burger - Santa Clara, CA

Juicy Burger in Santa Clara was my accidental choice. I was headed for Chubby Burger in Sunnyvale, which had great reviews on line, but I was sad to find it closed when I pulled up. I typed "Best Burger" into my iPhone and found Juicy Burger to be the closest non-chain.

Set in a pink strip mall on El Camino, it wasn't hard to find. As I pulled up I noticed a sign in the window that said "Recession Burger". There was another sign that said "Vegan Luncheon". Knowing that someone had a sense of humor, I was encouraged. There were three guys eating at the larger of two sets of unmatched tables. The fellow at the counter took my order of one 1/2 pound Super Juicy Burger ($6.65), Fries ($1.90) and Onion Rings ($3.75). I asked if he could give me a half order of fries and onion rings and he accommodated me.

I took my table and looked around. The place is a little seedy, but generally clean. Some kittens outside the window meowed at me through the glass. On one side of the restaurant the walls are covered with posters of bad guys. Al Pacino as Scarface. The Sopranos. Barry Bonds. Stephen Jackson. On the opposite wall it was all good guys. San Francisco 49ers for the most part.

The burger has two patties of beef stacked up and cooked through. I think they start frozen, but I am not sure. They were charcoal broiled with American Cheese on top. The sesame bun was nicely grilled. I topped it from the amply stocked condiment bar that included lettuce, tomato, onions and most of the other things you would suggest. Everything looked very fresh.

I must say the burger was fairly unremarkable. Although it was well prepared and hot and the condiments were fresh, it just didn't excite me. The fies were so hot I burnt my tongue. Maybe that is why they didn't seem to have much flavor. The onion rings were overcooked, standard-issue, breaded frozen o-rings.

Overall I would say that Juicy Burger is OK in a pinch, but I wouldn't make a special trip back. I am still looking for great burger in the Santa Clara / Sunnyvale area. St. John's is the best so far. By the way, I asked about the recession burger. The guy at the counter shrugged and said it is a bun and lettuce.

Burger 2.5 spatulas out of 5
Fries 2 spatulas
Onion rings 1.5 spatulas

Juicy Burger
2725 El Camino Real #102
Santa Clara, CA 95051
408-985-8444

St. John's Bar & Grill - Santa Clara, CA

St. John's Bar & Grill is impressive in its scale alone. Very unassuming as one passes on Lawrence expressway, it morphs into a jammed parking lot and billowing smoke from an outside chicken grill at lunch on a typical day in Silicon Valley. This spot is so popular that the parking for the strip mall was jammed and I ended up sharing a space with a dumpster. As I walked in, 100 people sat outside in the beergarden and equal number were seated inside. Two women at the counter were ringing up orders as fast as they could. The line to order was at least 30 people deep, but I moved to the front in about ten minutes. I noticed in the restaurant that there were perhaps 5 women out of the 200 or so souls scarfing down their charred flesh. A golf theme permeated the decor and the television screens scattered throughout. A full bar was also available.

The very nice lady at the counter took my order. I got the one-third pound blue bacon burger ($7.25). The burger is made from fresh ground chuck. I also ordered beer-battered onion rings ($3.50) and small side of just cut fries ($1.95). I was issued a pager and scouted out a red-checkered, table-clothed table. The line to order never shortened as I sat. The burger was ready quickly, about 5 minutes.

I liked the combination of the perfectly cooked bacon - crisp and salty - with the bleu cheese. But the burger was overcooked and dry. (3 spatulas). The onion rings were beer-battered Maui style and were tasty but nothing special (3). The fries were of medium thickness with the skins on, the best part of the meal (4).

Overall, I am not sure that I would battle the crowds to return, but it wasn't bad.

Burger 3 spatulas (out of 5)
Fries 4 spatulas
Onion Rings 3 spatulas

St. John's Bar & Grill
510 Lawrence Expressway, Ste 110
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
408-738-8515