Sylvester’s – Los Osos, California

Usually I like to give a little background and talk about the restaurant before really getting into my own opinion, but with Sylvester’s I just can’t do that. I have to say Sylvester’s is why this website exists, and it is what set in stone what a great burger and burger place should be.

Sylvester’s is a ten to fifteen minute drive outside of San Luis Obispo, a medium sized college town where I spent my academic career. With that being the case, it seemed to take at least 1 or 2 years until you heard about Sylvester’s. They are tucked away a few blocks off the main road that runs through Los Osos, so you really just have to know about it beforehand. But word spreads fast, and once someone who knows someone you know has had Sylvester’s, you’ll hear about it.

I instantly fell in love with Sylvester’s. It was a small burger shack kind of place, but they have recently opened it up a bit more and have also redone the outer patios. It also used to be cash only, but that too is no longer the case. The menu has a lot of options for burger style, and you can swap out the patty for chicken, veggie, grass-fed Hearst Beef and even buffalo or elk. Burger’s come in the 1/3 and 1/2 pound variety.

As for pricing, it feels like a shock for anyone from the Bay Area or Los Angeles. Almost every 1/2 pound burger is under $7. I went with a 1/2 pound Desperado burger – bacon, Pepper Jack and BBQ sauce and it was only $6.95. We also ordered onion rings, which are $3.65 for a half pound.

I have a few friends who were my Sylvester’s buddies, and between all of us the Desperado was almost always ordered. I may have ordered the Hana Hawaiian burger once, but every other time I’ve gone western. The second most popular I believe is the Mushroom Swiss burger, but the Desperado is just a beautiful thing. And upon receiving mine, I threw on some of the onion rings for the perfect burger.

One of the nice things about these burgers is their diameter is pretty large. Personally, I am not a fan of real thick patties, I like the balance of a standard patty thickness with the rest of the ingredients, so if it’s gonna be big either go double patty or spread it out more. Sylvester’s just has that perfect melding of every ingredient, everything is working together to make it great. The bacon is crispy, and snaps cleanly when eating so you don’t have to go messing with the structure of the burger. This is a very good thing, because when they say “Big, Hot N’ Juicy” they really mean it. Not only are the patties juicy, but every burger and sandwich is extremely messy. The Desperado oozes its delicious BBQ sauce everywhere, perfect for dipping when you are trying to finish off the fries. And just about every other sandwich and burger also acts the same, but unlike fast food chains its not mayo thats dripping everywhere, it’s one of their many delicious sauces. Be prepared. The photo below is the aftermath of a 4 person lunch, with an order of fries and onion rings. The napkin death toll was probably around the 25 mark, and I was still rather sticky.

For anyone who’s read the page on my Burger Beliefs, this is exactly where the “Don’t put it down once you pick it up” rule comes into play. You try and put one of these down and it just is not going to work out for you. As I’ve gotten older, I am more likely to leave a bit behind or eat it slowly, especially at a 1/2 pound, but this burger got annihilated. I looked up and my partner in crime (and also the one who introduced me to Sylvester’s) was already working on his fries with just a puddle of barbecue sauce remaining on his tray. His wife and my girlfriend also made quick work of theirs, but our basket of fries and onion rings proved too much for the group. The conversation again returned, as silence had come with the arrival of our food. A obvious sign of how good the food is is how quiet the group is when they are eating it.

When I think of a burger place, I think of Sylvester’s. And any other burger place I’ve gone to since will be compared to it. One of my close friends who is also a burger fiend took his brother their once. Now he drives an extra burger back from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles for his brother. It is just that good. So it is a bit of a trip to get here unless you live in the central coast, but take a nice weekend off in San Luis Obispo, go visit Montaña de Oro State Park in Los Osos, and then have an amazing burger. There is not much better in life than that.

Rating:

Learn more about them at:
http://www.sylvestersburgers.com

1099 Santa Ynez Ave.
Los Osos, Ca 93402
(805) 528-0779

Henry’s Burgers – Novato CA

Growing up in Novato, there were only two places I held as truly special to go out and get burgers; Henry’s Burgers in Novato, and In-n-out all the way in Santa Rosa. Novato, and even most of Marin, has had a serious lack of Burger Joints for as long as I’ve been around and kicking.

Henry’s was on the opposite end of town from me, and I usually only went for a friends birthday, or after riding my bike across town (awesome to note a bmx bike was waiting outside when I got there. Some things never change). It’s been awhile since I had been back, and it is still pretty similar. They ditched the artwork of human shaped vegetables in the middle of very human activities for retro car prints and typical diner art. I can’t say if this is a plus or a minus though, those ridiculous posters were very deeply tied into what this place was. They do have a lot of new signage out front, which is great because they are located in what seems to be a dying shopping center, with only Tagliaferri’s Deli (delicious, by the way) seeming to help bring people in. Henry’s is a Novato staple, in a small city with very few staples. It seems there has been a lot of turnover of restaurants here and its great to see our little burger joint last for over 30 years now.

Henry’s still has that small hometown feel, though the menu has grown tremendously. Someone obviously has been having some fun here with all kinds of crazy burger combinations, and a ridiculous spicy and huge burger challenge to boot. There are pesto burgers, a nacho fries burger, mozzarella stick burgers, and all kinds of subtle twists on what we known and love. These definitely aren’t the gourmet gruyere type burgers, moreso just fun variations of whatever sort of diner food they can add on with it.

No surprises with me, I went with a Western Bacon Cheeseburger, and my buddy ordered the Garlic Ranch burger. I got mine with fries, and instantly wished I went with curly fries, but that one is all on me. These specialty burgers are available in a combo with fries and a drink for $8.99, which is a great price considering what I normally pay in the city (a la carte they are $5.99).

The burger was big, and juicy. First off, I have to give them props for melting the cheese over the onion rings. Little details like this always impress me. I was only a few bites in and my friend was already done with his burger, a good sign. The bacon here had some nice crusty edges and just the right amount of crispiness. The buns were airy and buttery, which are probably the best qualities a bun can have. The Cheddar melted across the onion rings was rather delicious, and also helped keep things in place. As for the burger itself, it was probably the perfect sized patty. Just the right thickness to be substantial but not overwhelming, and I was more than full after eating it and my fries. The meat was tender and carried the flavor of the rest of the ingredients very well. The barbecue sauce was solid, nice and sweet, but not the most memorable.

I am a huge fan of small burger joints like this, and this is my hometown burger place. I didn’t go often, so I am only mildly sentimental for it, but they are serving up some pretty good burgers here. My friend and I were both very satisfied with ours, and after that lunch we really didn’t even need to eat dinner. The prices are reasonable, and the service was nice too. These are the small places I feel good supporting.

The only negatives are they are calling themselves “the chronic burger joint” which, to put it mildly, is rather juvenile sounding. Sure, if this was a bustling college town or if you are solely marketing towards bros that might make sense, but that isn’t really Novato’s demographic (and the bros here are most likely not the wealthiest consumers). It sounds like the owners son got a little too much responsibility or something…

So if you happen to be in Novato or just passing through, they are definitely worth the stop. A wide variety of burgers for everyone, and more than enough food to make everyone full.

Rating:

Check out their menu at:
http://www.henrysburgers.com

2027 Novato Blvd.,
Novato CA 94947

Uneeda Burger – Seattle, Washington

I recently took a long weekend in Seattle for a graduation, and after getting a lot of good recommendations, we were only able to squeeze in one burger place. The consensus from the locals was that Red Mill had the best burgers. It also happened to be close to where we were staying, so we gathered up everyone and headed over, only to find out they are closed Mondays. Panic set in; we had a flight to catch and to make it easy on everyone we may just end up at the closest restaurant. But a quick search showed Uneeda Burger was close enough, so away we went.

Uneeda burger is a nice casual place; the building opens right out onto a large patio, and the covered portion was actually necessary for the surprisingly warm weather. The inside had a lot of dark wood, and made it classier feeling than just a burger shack. Now I had no recommendations for any specific burgers here, I was just told this was one of the better places in Seattle. Their choices here are not very traditional, with Gruyere being the most common burger topper. Uneeda Burger’s menu was created by a chef with two other restaurants to his name, and although I know nothing about them I am sure they are higher end dining experiences, as a burger with Crimini mushrooms, porcini & black truffle salt, shallots & Gruyere cheese would lead you to believe.

I went with the BBQ Smash burger, and held off on the onions. 1/3lb local beef, cheddar, bacon, and barbecue sauce for $8.50. I added a side of waffle fries and an Oreo shake for $2.50 and $5 respectively. Waffle fries are not offered often, so I felt like I had to go for it. The food was ready pretty quickly, and it looked real good. Huge bonus points go to giving you the extra milkshake in the mixing cup, even if the serving glass is on the smaller side. Milkshakes have gone up lately, and if anything they are getting even smaller in size, so getting the additional cup is always appreciated. Small touches like this can really make a burger place stand out.

Now for the burger–this thing looked really good. Too good in fact, as I was a bit disappointed. Now this was tricky for me, as right away I was just not liking the barbecue sauce, and there is no way around that when your burger is covered in it. I need to bone up on the complexities of barbecue sauces to be clearer, but this was bbq sauce was a red sauce, where I favor a more brown sauce. It wasn’t a bad bbq sauce altogether; I am sure many prefer this type, I am just not one of them. So that puts me in a bit of a hard position, but I can’t recall another burger I’ve had in the past few years where I’ve disagreed with the sauce as much. I’ve had plenty of bland sauces, which this was not, but it just was not for me.

The patty itself felt… soft. It wasn’t that it was undercooked, it just wasn’t very firm. The bacon was nice and crispy throughout, and the cheddar took a backseat to the bacon and bbq sauce. I just didn’t feel like a cowboy biting into this burger. The size was substantial enough, but the patty just didn’t have a great texture. The waffle fries were also pretty standard fare, as they tasted more like a blanched potato. I was hoping they would have a little seasoning to them, but they seemed to just be french fries served up a bit differently.

My girlfriend got the veggie burger and onion rings. The onion rings were rather good, but her veggie burger was nothing out of the ordinary. Everything we all ordered looked amazing, but just didn’t quite hold up. I’d be willing to give this place another shot if I were in the area again, but I can only think of what could have been at Red Mill instead.

If you are looking for a more gourmet-styled burger, this could definitely be your place. But if you want a typical cheeseburger and fries, you should look elsewhere.

Rating:

http://www.uneedaburger.com
4302 Fremont Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98103

Super Duper Burger – Downtown San Francisco

A coworker and I had been excited about Super Duper Burger opening since we first heard the news, so when she was finally free for lunch one day we went over. I had already been once before they officially opened, and did a review on the whole restaurant experience which you can read here. We had to grab our food and go because of a meeting, but even though it was fairly crowded inside the line moved quickly and we got our food fast.

I was feeling hungry, so I ordered the 8 ounce Super Duper Burger for $6.50. I added cheese for 50 cents and bacon for an extra dollar, so $8 total. Also grabbed a vanilla shake for an additional $4.75. Our food was handed to us quickly, and we headed back on our one block walk to the office. Once I dug into my bag, I found that my burger was in a foil wrapper, like it was wearing a space blanket. Their motto is “Fast food burgers, slow food values” and it’s these touches that play into it. I’d never really think of it as “fast food” but it strikes a real good balance between the two.

The 8oz. Super Duper burger is actually 2 patties. I didn’t even realize this at first because my burger suffered some serious patty-creep. But this is a pretty hefty burger, especially with the bacon. The bacon was pretty crispy, but had some chewier parts. I had to do the rip-bacon-and-stuff-it-back-into-the-burger maneuver, but only once. They do add bacon above and below the patties; it is kind of hard to see in this last picture, but bonus points for that. Much more obvious is the cheese that is all kinds of melted deliciousness.

Unfortunately the further I delved into my burger, the soggier my bun got. I’ve been experiencing this more than I ever have lately, and really am going to try my best to eat right after ordering, not bring it anywhere else. My co-worker didn’t have this problem, so I’ll see how it goes next time. But the last few bites were impassable, as the bun was beyond saving. With the large amount of bacon, this ended up being a very rich burger and relented to it, leaving a few bites left. The cause of my soggy woes were the juicy patties, which are cooked real nicely, and you can tell the meat is high quality. The consistency is very good, and it is never too tough even on the edges.

I really want to love this burger, but its not an all star for me. It is a very decent burger no-doubt, but it seemed a little off-balance. For the neighborhood though, it is the only way to go. The milkshake was real good, but on the smaller side for just shy of $5. The fries I had previously are also tasty, but I don’t know how often I will specifically be craving a burger here. That’s probably for the best, as falling in love with a burger a block away from my work could be a dangerous thing.

I will definitely be adding this in to my lunchtime rotation, and if anything changes I will be sure to update. You won’t be making any mistakes coming here, but you probably wont be trying to have them name a burger after you either.

Rating:

http://www.superdupersf.com/
721 Market Street,
betw. 3rd and 4th streets
San Francisco, CA 94103

Burger Joint (SFO Airport)

Seeing as my flight got delayed, it seems appropriate that I type this up now.

Being hungry at the airport can be scary, for both your wallet and your internal organs. My flight today is out of the brand new terminal 2 here that they were espousing as some sort of wonderland. Turns out that is the wonderland of waiting. Power sources abound, but that is it for the excitement. We were supposed to be meeting up with family in Seattle for dinner, but with the delayed flight I decided to go with a burger from Burger Joint.

The name sounds familiar, but I don’t quite know why, besides for it being super generic. Have I ever been to one? Is that their rational; that you can’t remember if you’ve had it or not? Are they only in airports? Will I instantly regret this?

At this point, I wasn’t even going to bother to look up more information on them, as I am already irritated at the airport. Gave it a shot anyway, and all their website shows is their logo and “new website coming soon”. I guess it is still 1999.

That means we as a group will not be getting any answers. Now to the actual food. With tax, a cheeseburger came out to just under $11 and comes with fries. Though mind you this is at the airport, where everything we’ve learned about numbers-money and time, don’t exist in the same way as the outside world. I wonder if calculators have issues here too…

First thoughts. One giant piece of lettuce. Ultra thick steak fries. Suspiciously familiar looking patty. I went for a fry first, as I reached for the ketchup. Mistake, as for my entire meal was spent trying to figure out what the aftertaste of the fries reminded me of (and yes I am ending this sentence with “of”). At this very moment, it still befuddles me. The leafy part of a strawberry that you shouldn’t eat? That multicolored insulation that looks like lint? Those edible photos they put on top of cakes? I really haven’t a clue, but there was some bizarre aftertaste making an appearance on those fries.

Now onto the actual burger. I said it seemed familiar, and I think I’ve at least got that figured out. Those large stacks of frozen patties you get at Costco that always get cooked by someone you don’t know no matter how small the party you are at is… Yeah, it was just like that. Oh it looks big, but the whole time you are eating, it seems like very little is happening. I read some mumbo jumbo about where the meat was from, but stopped caring. The consistency of the patty just was not there, it had some weird crunchier parts that no one likes to think or talk about. The cheese was fine, but this was a grade A blandburger. Nothing terribly wrong with it, just tasted like some frozen company picnic burger.

If you are at the airport, maybe you pony up the big bucks for a burger at the Lark Creek Grill here and still risk it, or do what I wish I did and get a bucket sized froyo at pink berry. Other than that I have no real takeaways here, except an oddly sore throat and a stomach that I hope doesn’t turn on me.

Rating:

Grand Opening of Super Duper Burger in Downtown SF

Downtown San Francisco. I work here. I have worked here for almost a year now. And until the FiveTen Burger truck rolled into town,
I just have not eaten burgers during lunch. Nearby are the fast food chains, or burger bistro in the Westfield mall. You probably won’t see a Burger Bistro review here, because that means I’d have to eat it again. There’s also a fancy steakhouse on the top floor of the mall, but I forgot what that burger was like, so already it was not worth the price.

Great news came only a few weeks ago, a new burger joint was opening up a block away! From the logo alone I was pretty excited. Super Duper looked to be a non-pretentious place to grab a burger and a shake. And on Wednesday I got to go in before they officially opened, along with the rest of the social media nerds, and have a free burger.

Unfortunately, being in downtown SF, there are tons of social media nerds, and when I arrived the line was huge. These days, apparently nothing is really worth doing unless there is a big line you must stand in, but i digress.

The line ended up moving pretty quickly, and I got into the renovated space. They took over the storefront where Seller’s Market used to be, home of the $9 grilled cheese sandwich. The new layout feels a lot nicer, and you walk in and can see the menu. The loft area looks nice too, and they managed to squeeze a decent amount of seats in. They also are planning to build a little patio out front for a few more seats.

I won’t go into full details about the burger at this time, since I got it free, and it was churned out very fast. Not that it was bad by any stretch, I’d just like to back and take my time and order from their full menu. Their fries taste like what In-N-Out fries should taste like. I realize that is kind of a weird statement, but if you try them I think you’ll know exactly what I mean.

I am very excited to have Super Duper only a block away. They have a chocolate chip Super Shake that sounds real enticing. It is a very traditional kind of burger place, with a simplified menu. They only offer “cheese” and not a choice of what kind of cheese, which I do like. It shows they’ve thought about it and decided their burger is best a specific way. That or it’s just cheaper. Who knows.

It is definitely worth a trip, and if you are nearby it’s going to be your best bet for grabbing a good burger.

http://www.superdupersf.com/
21 Market Street,
betw. 3rd and 4th streets
San Francisco, CA 94103

Burger Meister – Cole Valley

After going to a few bike shops with a friend, we looked up places nearby to eat, and realized we were two blocks away from Burger Meister in Cole Valley. I didn’t even know they had a location there, but I have been to their other two in the city a few times. The Cole Valley location is the most tucked away of the group, and they have a handful of tables inside and outside.

From my previous few trips, I had the notion that they lean on the expensive side for a typical burger joint. After my last visit I think their prices are fairly standard, though the sides and add-ons are where the cost will creep up on you. They use all Niman Ranch beef, so the quality is definitely there. I ordered the Western Burger, which for a 1/3 pound burger is $10.25 including a side of fries. I believe the 1/3 pound option is relatively new, and does help make the price more reasonable. A standard 1/3lb cheeseburger and fries is $7.75. Sides of sweet potato fries, onion rings and the like are from 4-5.25 dollars.

Somehow on this visit I managed to escape the wrath of my BBQ sauce, but my friend was subsequently drenched from his Meisterburger. I am a staunch believer in that once you pick your burger up, you never set it down again, and I am usually not so lucky. These are all messy burgers, usually at least a 3 napkiner.

The western burger is a solid burger. The bbq sauce is nice and sweet, the onion rings are massive and perfectly crisp, and the bacon and cheese tied it all together. No soggy bacon here. The burger is thin and wide, giving enough surface area for their variety of toppings, which is one of the main reasons Burger Meister is so good.

There are no complaints here, the 1/3 lb burger and curly fries filled me up just fine. Everything tastes real good consistently, making it a great go-to restaurant. Nothing too memorable, but you’d have a very hard time being let down here, as they have something for everyone.

Rating:

(zoom out for all locations)

Weezy’s Grass Fed Shed – Terra Linda, CA

Weezy’s Grass Fed Shed is an interesting location; it is really just a freestanding shack in a parking lot. Good sign

Rating:

Weezy’s Grass Fed Shed – Terra Linda
621 A Del Ganado
Terra Linda, CA 94963

(415) 479-7433