Umami Burger - San Francisco, CA

Umami Burger in the Cow Hollow area of San Francisco is one of several California locations of this upscale burger chain. The space is dark and inviting. We arrived around six on a Thursday evening and to our surprise were ushered right to our butcher block table. We have eaten here several times and it can be very crowded, particularly on a weekend or later in the evening.

Our server appeared immediately to take our order. I ordered the Umami Burger ($11). It is one of several burgers built from the ground up. Umami takes pride in concocting each burger with toppings and custom sauces to make each one a unique experience. The 1/3-pound burger is house-ground from some "proprietary blend of high end cuts" as our server told us after inquiring with the manager. It is griddle fried rather than flame broiled, which I always prefer. The Umami Burger itself includes Shiitake mushroom, caramelized onions, slow roasted tomato slice, parmesan crisp and Umami ketchup. (Don't miss the Umami Ketchup on your thin fries either. The ketchup is more tomatoey and spicier than your normal Heinz 57.)

The burger arrived sitting atop a white bun, perfectly dome-shaped and stamped with a "U".  The bun is finely toasted to perfection. The burger itself is a work of art. I have never seen one so finely assembled and presented. Biting into the burger, which is prepared a perfect medium rare, you get each taste hitting your tongue separately and then blending in unison. I noticed the mushroom first, then the beef, cheese and ketchup. It is really a delight.

The Thin Fries ($3.50) are little matchsticks that really live up to their name. Crisp, salty and tasty, you need to eat them fast, because they don't hold the heat for long. The Onion rings are surprisingly uniform in appearance. Their light batter covers and somewhat overwhelms the soft onion inside. I dunked them in the jalapeño ranch sauce and they added a nice little kick.

My wife Pat had a burger with only cheddar cheese. Called the kids burger, it is the same size and bun as my burger. It is really the margarita pizza of burgers. In its unadorned state, it achieves a certain burger perfection that only works when the beef is flavorful, sparingly spiced and fresh.

Skip the pecan, bacon pie. Microwaved to a tongue burning temperature, it disappointed after the quality of the rest. Crust should never be subjected to a microwave, so it was hard to tell how good it was. The bacon was more of a gimmick than an addition.  Instead, have another beer or glass of wine from the nice selection.

According to Cookthink, the tastes of sweet, salty, bitter and sour are familiar, but there is a fifth taste we can perceive with our tongue. Called umami, its taste has been described as rounded, rich and savory. I think this aptly describes the Umami Burger.

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

Umami Burger
2184 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
415-440-8626
umami.com

This Samurai Sword sits in the entrance.

Smashburger - Thousand Oaks, CA

Smashburger in Thousand Oaks, CA presents a clean modern looking restaurant to have your hamburger. I liked the laminate wood grained tables and wood chairs.  No faux 50s aesthetic that has become a cliché in burger places. You walk right up to the counter and order from the flat screen menus behind the server. I ordered up a Classic Smash in the big size ($5.99). The regular ($4.99) is 5 ounces. The big is a half pound. They also offer a double, which is two quarter pound patties rather than one half pound ($5.99).

I barely sat down and my order was there. It is a nice looking burger. The yellow bun was left open with the burger on one side and all the veggies and condiments on the other. I assembled as served and took a bite. The patty was cooked through, but still plenty moist if not particularly juicy as billed. The theory on the "smash" in Smashburger is that they start with a ball of fresh Angus beef and then smash it onto a buttered griddle, searing in the flavor and juice. I have always thought that you compress the ground beef as little as possible to keep the patty light, juicy and soft. The thicker patty also allows more pink beef in the middle. Having said all that, this is a very high quality enjoyable burger. The meat tasted savory and flavorful. All the flavors had a nice balance with the very fresh veggies: pickle chips, green leaf lettuce, tomato slice and red onion. There is also mustard and ketchup.  The American cheese was mostly melted, although it could have been more so. 

The Haystack Onions ($2.29) were light, thin, peppery and flavorful. Served hot and crisp they were supposed to be served with a dipping sauce, which I did not get. I had to go back to the counter and ask for it. Turns out that they were out of the containers for it and had to improvise a french fry container for it. Not a big deal, but leaving that great sauce out of the order would have robbed me of the delightful concoction. The sauce stings the taste buds with a delightful, creamy horseradish mix. 

The Smash Fries were the best of the lot. For a chain, I really appreciate the creativity here. Smashburger rolls the thin, crisp fries in rosemary, olive oil and garlic. The subtle garlic didn't overpower like garlic fries. These fries would be great without the extra spices, but with them, they are a don't-miss addition to the burger. 

Smashburger is a worthy option against other burger chains. It compares well with In-N-Out and beats Five Guys in my opinion. The more substantial burger is a plus. It is more expensive than the previous mentions, but that is not unexpected given the quality of the items ordered.

Burger 4 out of 5 spatulas

Haystack Onions 3.5 spatulas (Get the sauce)

Fries 5 spatulas

Smashburger

650 North Moorpark Road

Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

805-409-3792

smashburger.com

Kronnerburger - San Francisco, CA

The Kronnerburger on Challah Bun with white cheddar sauce.

Kronnerburger is a pop-up burger place in the old Bruno's bar on Mission Street in San Francisco. There is actually no sign on the door, but they do have a temporary sign at the door when Kronnerburger is open from 6-late. We arrived right after they opened and had the place all to ourselves. The old bar is very dark and cozy. Edgy rock music, tastefully curated, played loudly. We were greeted cheerfully and shown to our table.

We ordered up and almost immediately received the best poutine I have ever had. Maybe ordering poutine is cheating on fries, but I have fallen in love with it recently. The version here called "Fries with Beefcheek gravy and cheese curd" was $10. You can add bone marrow for $4 more. I could not stop eating the crispy fries with the luscious gravy and soft melted curds. Amazing.

The poutine tastes a lot better than this photo would indicate. 

We also got onion rings ($6) that audibly crunched when you bit them. Battered lightly and sliced thin, they held up well to the spicy chili aioli that accompanied them. I think this is the best fries/onion rings combo I have ever had.

The burger came. Billed as rare and salty, it did not disappoint on either count. The challah bun was heavily toasted and fit perfectly to a somewhat modestly sized burger. I would guess 6 ounces or so.  The white cheddar mayo sauce was sloppy and tasty, holding its own to the salty beef patty. The red onions were sweet and nicely grilled. Crispy pickle slices and crisp lettuce rounded out a very nice burger.

Audibly crunchy onion rings.

Just to finish with aplomb, we ordered the ice cream burger ($6), chocolate ice cream sandwiched between two very thin chocolate chip cookies. I liked this better than others of this ilk. Usually the cookies are too thick and overwhelm the ice cream. This has just the right balance between cookie and ice cream.

Ice Cream burger finishes off a great repast. 

The place is very dark, so my photos here don't do the food justice. You will have to go and experience for yourself!

Kronnerburger
2379 Mission Street (Inside Bruno's)
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-656-9871
kronnerburger.com

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

Jesus provides the only light at the table. 

Burgers and Brew, Davis, CA

The Bacon Cheeseburger at Burgers and Brew in Davis. A lively place day and night for a burger. 

Burgers and Brew is my daughter’s favorite burger place in Davis, CA. I went up to visit her at school on a Sunday at lunchtime. The small cottage was packed. They have turned the porch into outdoor dining. But this was a very cold day at Davis, so they had plastic draped over the openings and heaters straining in vain to keep the place warm.

It didn’t make the line short. Lots of people were waiting in line to order their burgers. Every table was packed. We placed our order and found a table. Our onion rings ($4.25) came out first. They were hot and battered. Slightly undercooked but crunchy, the onions on the inside were sweet.

A full house enjoys their burgers and brew. 

Next came the burgers. Sara had a cheeseburger ($7.50) and I had the Bacon Cheeseburger ($8.75).  The burgers are a half-pound of Niman Ranch beef. The patties seemed freshly and gently packed. The beef was tasty, but a little cooked past the medium I had ordered.  The bun was a handsome, lightly toasted sesame bun fit nicely to the burger. Fresh green-leaf lettuce, two tomato slices and red onion slices were joined by mayo on the burger. The two strips of applewood bacon were crisp and salty. Cheddar cheese was melted, but I couldn't really taste it. 

I found the burger to be very satisfying and (except for being overcooked) very nicely prepared but somewhat unremarkable. The fries were crispy and hot, medium size cut and lightly salted and peppered.

The crowd continued to keep the place packed as we finished our burger. It was a pleasant place for a burger. Sara pointed out they are open until 3 am on the weekends, which really seems to be appropriate for a college town.

Burger 3.5 out of 5 spatulas

Fries 3 out of 5

Onion Rings 3.5 out of 5

Burger and Brew

403 Third Street

Davis, CA 95616

530-750-3600

www.burgersbrew.com

Dream Burger

This appeared in Oyster Magazine. Written by Andrew Levins.

Rosamunde Sausage Grill - San Francisco, CA

The Cheese Burger at Rosamunde Sausage Grill, Lower Haight, San Francisco, CA.

At Rosamunde Sausage Grill the line starts forming early on Tuesday. Only on that day does Rosamunde serve their legendary cheese burger. I got there just before they open at 11:30. There were about fifteen people in line. Many more came behind me. Rosamunde only serves 150 of their 8-ounce masterpiece, and only on this day.

The Grill at Rosamunde.

Legend has it that the original owner, Jeffrey felt that there were no good burgers in San Francisco.  And even though he had quite a reputation for sausage, he felt the void must be filled. So once per week, for the past eight years, the place fires up the charcoal grill for burgers.

The burger itself is quite a deal at $6. It comes with 8 ounces of loosely packed, fresh ground chuck from Weber Quality Meats. The burger comes with cheddar cheese, green leaf lettuce, tomato slice, grilled onions, pickle slices, mustard and ketchup. It is all served on a nicely toasted onion bun.

Brian Berger after finishing off his burger, Rosamunde Sausage Grill, San Francisco, CA.

I waited my turn at the counter and Charlie took my order. I must say that I was one of the few people that Charlie did not already know by name. He patiently answered my tedious questions in between patrons. He told me it would be about 25 minutes. He didn’t take my money. That happened later when my burger was ready. Many people who ordered headed next door to Tornado, a beer bar, where they eat their burger.

Jeff Berger with his namesake.

While I waited, I chatted up the man next to me. Turns out his name is Jeff Berger. As we were talking about his favorite SF burger (Corner Store), another fellow walked up who had overheard us. His name – Brian Berger. I know he was telling the truth, his truck for Berger Design Build, was parked right outside.  

Exactly 25 minutes after I had ordered, my name was called. The burger is served on white paper in a yellow basket. It is an impressive stack with everything looking fresh and tall. They first bite revealed a perfectly cooked medium burger with moist and tasty meat. It was not heavily seasoned, maybe a little salt and pepper, but it was very tasty. The cheese was melted just right. All the vegetables were fresh and crisp. I liked the mix of ketchup and mustard, a classic. The only beef I have with the burger is that the bun fell apart a little on the bottom under all the weight and juice.

The cultural experience of eating here was fantastic. There were so many regulars. It must be like a weekly reunion for Charlie, who politely declined to have his photo taken. I will become a regular myself.

Burger 5 out of 5

No fries or shakes.

Rosamunde Sausage Grill

545 Haight Street

San Francisco, CA 94117

415-437-6851

rosamundesausagegrill.com

Rosamunde and its neighborly bar, Tornado, where you can eat your burger.

All photos by Scott R. Kline on October 2, 2012 at Rosamunde Sausage Grill, San Francisco, CA.

Hopdoddy - Austin, TX

At Hopdoddy in Austin, TX, the line to get into the restaurant and so you could get in line again was 15 deep at 6:45 on a 95 degree Tuesday evening. And it didn’t move fast   A diverse crew of vacationing families with kids, tattooed muscle-bound twenty-somethings, and every other demographic you can think of waited patiently for their burger fix. Jack White's latest song blared from the speakers, so either Hopdaddy is pretty hip or Jack White is not. 

Living up to its name, Hopdaddy features local microbrews. I had a Live Oak Pilz ($5) while I waited. After 30 minutes, I made it to the front to order. I ordered the Classic Burger with Bacon and Cheese ($7.50). It comes with hormone free, antibiotic free, all-natural angus beef, red leaf lettuce, white onion, beefsteak tomato and sassy sauce in addition to “classic” cheese and bacon (without the bacon and cheese the burger is $5.50). Kennebec fries are $2.25 more. The menu noted that the buns are baked on site and the fries are fresh cut. 

A young lady with butterfly wings tattooed on her back led me to my table marked with a 3, where I waited for my repast. While I waited, I surveyed the restaurant. Butcher block tables surrounded with green plastic and steel chairs sat on a concrete floor giving the place a modern feel. 

Another 10 minutes and the burger arrived on a metal baking tray. I went and fetched some chipotle ketchup for my fries. (highly recommended) The toasted bun fit the burger perfectly. Yellow cheese was melted on top of the patty, which sat on very fresh onion, tomato and lettuce. The sassy sauce was a mildly spicy mayonnaise-based sauce that tasted slightly of mustard. The burger squirted juice and was cooked a perfect medium as ordered.  The beef was tasty and mildly seasoned. The bacon was crisp and yummy. 

Fries were very crispy and fresh: the thin side off medium with skins on, they sported parsley, salt and pepper. 

Overall, despite the long wait, the burger and fries were worth it. The beer was cold and tasty. Everyone was in a good mood, including me.

Burger 5 spatulas out of 5

Fries 4.5 spatulas

Hopdoddy Burger Bar

1400 S. Congress Ave.

Austin, TX 78704

512-243-7505

www.hopdoddy.com