Spork - San Francisco, CA

NOTE-SPORK IS NO LONGER IN BUSINESS.

Spork in San Francisco is my new favorite restaurant. Pat and I went there for dinner after a lovely day in the Mission, checking out all the vintage stores and eating Dymano Donuts. Spork is a place serving old-school classics in a new-school fashion. They have sustainable-this and local-that versions of slow-food takes on old classics. And despite the political correctness of their offerings, everything tastes like it was pan-fried in lard in a steel skillet by my grandmother. That's a very good thing!

The In-Side-Out Burger ($14) screamed "eat me" from the menu. The beef is fresh from Sun Marin Farms. Two patties griddle-fried, peppery and crispy on the outside. Moist and pink on the inside. The concoction towers over the plate. It is a stack of ingredients as follows starting at the plate: Butter lettuce, tomato slice, beef patty, bun circle, special sauce, beef patty, tillamook chedder and a grilled onion topping so sweet it could be applesauce. The special sauce reminded me of the spicy thousand-island type I make at home, only no islands. You have to eat this with a fork and knife, but it doesn't diminish the burger experience.

The Smashed Fries are an interesting idea. Small potatoes with the skins on, are deep-fried and smashed flat. They are crispy and salty and tasty. Not your classic fries, but a very scrumptious alternative like everything at Spork.

Pat had the pork chop ($23). Big enough to feed a family of four, it was thick and juicy and perfect. For desert we had the After School Special ($6). Humphry Slocumbe malted vanilla ice cream with chucks of chocolate covered potato chips and caramel swirls. Enough said.

As for the ambience, the place is in a converted KFC location. Turns out KFC invented the spork, a combination spoon and fork. The kitchen is in the old freezer. They have converted the old oven hood to a light fixture. We lucked out with a table by the window and watched Valencia Street traffic with more stylish bicyclists than cars. Go. Eat. Spork.

Burger 5 spatulas out of 5
Fries 4 spatulas out of 5

Spork Restaurant
1058 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-643-5000
www.sporksf.com/

Bay Burger - Redwood City, CA

Bay Burger Gourmet Hamburger in Redwood City was recently pointed out to me by my burger buddy Jeff. They picked a nice spot on Woodside road where there aren't any great burgers to my knowledge. It is set in a strip mall with ample parking behind. The room is large and on this rainy day a little cold. But the place is pleasant, painted in bright colors and offering cheerful table service. The Dalai Lama's instructions for life are posted on the wall, something I have not seen at any other burger joints. It sits there between the big screen TV playing sports and the Giants pennants.

I ordered the 1/2 lb Bacon Burger ($9.99). It comes with fries or you can upgrade to onion rings for a buck. In no time at all my server had brought the impressive looking plate. The burger is presented open faced with the patty, smothered in cheese and covered with grilled onions. The top of the bun is toasted inside and out. There are piles of fresh fixings including pickle chips, green leaf lettuce, red onion and tomato slices. The bacon was crisp salty and excellent. (I always try a piece apart form the burger.) I assembled the whole thing and put on a little of the sauce that had come with my wife's 1/4 pound cheeseburger ($7.50 with fries.) The sauce is a little spicier version of a thousand island sauce minus the relish in it. Very good. But it didn't come with my burger.

The first bite crunched pleasantly. All the flavors blended nicely. The bun enveloped the whole thing, firm but soft. The Niman Ranch beef (no hormones, no antibiotics, vegetarian feed, humanely raised) was cooked close to well-done, despite me asking for medium. This was a little disappointment in an otherwise delightful burger.

Fries were thin and hot. Crunchy but unremarkable. Onion rings were more interesting, light, thin, crunchy and flavorful. The chocolate shake ($4.95) was delightfully smooth, creamy and just chocolatey enough.

My favorite touch was the salt and pepper shakers stacked and made to look like a hamburger. It is a shame this place is not busier. It has been pretty sparse both times I have been in.

Burger 4 spatulas out of 5
Fries 3 spatulas
Onion Rings 3.5 spatulas
Shake 4 spatulas

Bay Burger Gourmet Hamburgers
764 Woodside Road
Redwood City, CA 94061
650-701-0992
Fax 650-701-0952 (For carry out)
www.bayburgergourmet.com

Boon Eat + Drink - Guerneville, CA

Boon Eat + Drink in Guerneville on the Russian River is a delightful place with delightful food. We stopped by one Saturday to have lunch. The summertime crowd was out in force. The restaurant was pleasantly busy, but not too crowded.

Perusing the menu, I spotted the Boon Burger with grass fed beef, fiscalini aged white cheddar, arugula on a toasted milk bun with house made Parmesan herb chips ($11). I could not resist adding the truffle fries with house made ketchup and garlic aioli ($6). While we waited I soaked in the modern feel of this small storefront restaurant. It has a great vibe with both locals and visitors mixing in together.

The flavorful burger ported salty and savory beef in a hand formed patty. The sharp and zingy cheddar complimented the arugula well. The bun was baked soft and toasted nicely. The pickled onion was a nice touch. Sweat and spicy it contrasted with the other tastes. I added house made ketchup and may too. This is a finely crafted burger that I recommend without reservation.

The truffle fries were elegant and astounding with their crispy and garlicky tones. Cooked dark, they were cut medium with skins on.

Make sure you drive around after eating. This is a beautiful area with trees, mountains and the Russian River all working together.

Burger 5 spatulas out of 5
Fries 5 spatulas

Boon Eat + Drink
16248 Main Street
Guerneville, CA 95446
707-869-0780
www.eatatboon.com

Burger Me! - Truckee, CA

Burger Me! In Truckee, CA was another recommendation from my cardiologist. He took his family there when he was in Tahoe at North Star and texted me some photos. I decided to swing by on my way back to Cali from my three week road trip across the U.S. It was a nice ending to my trip.

The proprietor happened to be taking orders at the counter and recommended the BBQ Bison Burger ($9.95) a 1/3 pound patty of fresh Durham Ranch Bison with bacon, cheddar, jalapeños and BBQ sauce. I also ordered up hand cut fries ($2.50), hand cut onion rings ($3). The even had house made tea. I gave my name and took a seat at the concrete topped table. In fact everything in the place was either concrete or corrugated metal. This fit in well with the building, which appeared to be a former fire station or car repair garage. It was all opened to the beautiful alpine day. People also sat outside at picnic tables.

The burger came nicely wrapped in red and white-checkered paper. It towered, having shredded lettuce, tomato and pickle slices mixed in with all the ingredients mentioned above. The bun was firm and toasted, a little heavier than most, but to good effect. Burger was cooked well, which with bison, one would think would be a bit dry to due to the lower fat content, but it was still fairly juicy. I would like to try it a little more medium next time. The mix of ingredients was interesting. Not as much BBQ sauce as one gets on most BBQ burgers. This left room to taste the crisp and yummy bacon, the pickle and jalapeños. I removed the jalapeños while I ate the second half of the burger and really enjoyed the flavor.

The innovative onion rings wrapped themselves in a thick batter featuring paprika, onion and garlic powders. The onion was thick and sweet. This was a very different o ring than I have experienced and I quite enjoyed them.

Fries were medium cut with the skins on. Soft and tasty on the inside, they were crisp and salty on the outside.

Great food and a very pleasant atmosphere on a sunny Sierra day, made this a great burger experience.

Burger 4.5 spatulas out of 5
Onion Rings 5 spatulas
Fries 4 spatulas

Burger Me!
10418 Donner Pass Road, Suite A
Truckee, CA 96161
339-587-8852
burgermetruckee.com

Wonder Bar - Casper, WY

Wonder Bar in Casper, Wyoming is way more than a burger place. My friend Teresa took me there to get a burger on a Wednesday night and the place was hoppin’. (For those of you not from the Midwest, hoppin’ means there were a lot of people there having a good time.) We went through the lively bar with its live music and sat in the restaurant. Our very attentive server took our orders.

I had the Roadhouse Burger ($8.99). A half-pound Weinrich Meat fresh ground patty topped with a fresh jumbo fried egg, bacon, Swiss cheese and served with Miracle Whip; not just mayonnaise. The bun was a Kaiser type bun, soft and nicely toasted. The beef was tasty, if slightly over cooked. It also included fresh onion, tomato and lettuce. The egg was fried hard. I would have preferred it slightly runny. The bacon was crisp and tasty. Overall it was a nice tasting burger, but I would tweak it by having it cooked a little less and having the aforementioned egg, runny.

Teresa had a Patty Melt Burger $7.99 and was quite pleased. One nice twist is that they include house made, freshly seasoned potato chips with the burgers instead of fries. We found these quite addictive, salty and crisp.

We also ordered onion rings ($6.49). These beer-nattered beauties were very tasty, crunchy and hot. Yum.

Reading up on the Wonder Bar, they have a nice history in Wyoming. Founded in 1942, a cowboy could ride his horse right up to the bar and get a beer for both he and his horse. They had actual pictures to prove it. You gotta like that.

Burger 3.5 spatulas out of 5
Onion Rings 4.5 spatulas
Potato Chips 4 spatulas

Wonder Bar
256 South Center Street
Casper, WY 82601
307-234-4110
www.thewonderbar.net

Hemmer Brothers Burgers, Sioux Falls, SD

Hemmer Brothers Burgers in Sioux Falls, South Dakota is easy to drive by as it is placed inside an office building on bustling S. Phillips Avenue. But make sure you find it. They make a nice burger. I parked in the nearby garage and went inside. The décor is basic tables with red vinyl covers, faux plaster exposing faux bricks, but that isn’t why we come to a burger place is it? The brothers put all their creativity into the food and it shows.

I ordered the Piggy Back Double Bacon Cheeseburger ($5.99). Hemmers’ grinds their own beef on site and in a little twist they grind in the bacon as well into each quarter pound patty. The single patty version is called the Squealer ($4.29). I ordered mine with American cheese. All the toppings and condiments are laid out fresh in the nearby condiment bar. I threw lettuce and onion under my bun, along with some mayo. The bun looks kind of crunchy on top, but in fact is fresh and soft. The first bite yields a sausage patty like effect, but I grew to like it more and more with each bite. The beef was juicy and flavorful.

Fries are hand cut on site as well. They are medium cut, crisp and hot. They don’t sag limply like some fresh-cut fries. They have fresh squeezed lemonade. Don’t miss this spot if you are heading to Sioux Falls. Or maybe even head there just to try these burgers.

Burger 4.5 Spatulas out of 5
Fries 4 spatulas

Hemmer Brothers Hamburgers
230 S. Phillips Ave., #101
Sioux Falls, SD 57104
605-334-3301

Hotel Crandon Restaurant - Crandon, WI

The Hotel Crandon Restaurant in Crandon, Wisconsin came highly recommended from the ladies at the local visitor’s bureau. Seems the husband of one of them liked their Hotel Heart Attack burger very much. How could I resist. I had stumbled into the visitor’s bureau after being unable to find Ed’s Main Street Grill, which turned out to be 20 miles farther off my path in another town. (Never trust a free tourist pamphlet.)

I walked into the restaurant and all heads turned to see the interloper into their small town haven. Undeterred, I sat at one of the tables covered neatly in red vinyl tablecloths. A very pleasant server greeted me in that familiar northern Wisconsin accent and I was put right at ease. I ordered the Hotel Heart Attack ($5.95), which features both burger and bratwurst patties, pepperjack cheese and grilled onions. The menu states “Doctor’s Release Required”. My cardiologist recommends such fare and also encourages I wash it down with scotch. I added fries for an additional $2.

The burger is a very handsome looking sandwich, sitting on a soft Kaiser roll. The bratwurst was on the bottom, hand-formed burger patty on top of that, with Pepperjack and onions evenly distributed on top. I added mustard from the accompanying packet. The Hotel Heart Attack was great. The brat dominated the flavor, but with the cheese and onions, everything seemed to work well. I had no trouble finishing the sandwich and lived to write about it. I was very pleased to get my Wisconsin brat and burger experience in one fell swoop.

The medium-cut, piping-hot fries were amply supplied and very tasty. As I ate them, I overheard an introduction at the next table. “This is Bill he and John fought in World War one on opposite sides. Bill came to this country after the war.” What a cool little town in which to have a burger.

Burger 5 spatulas out of 5
Fries 4 spatulas

Hotel Crandon Restaurant
200 N. Lake Avenue
Crandon, WI 54520
715-478-2414