As I enjoyed another of my favorite burgers last night, I was reminded by my dinner companion that I had not yet ranked burgers publicly despite always being on the look-out for the top burger joint in all my regular cities. So here's my take on the Bay Area's Best Burgers:
- The Bar at Spruce
- The Bar at Redd (Yountville)
- Zuni Cafe
- Taylor's Refresher (Ahi burger first, beef burger second)
- Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery
- Mustard's Grill (Yountville)
- Street
- ACME Chophouse
- In-N-Out
- Grubstake (at 2am)
Honorable mention but probably unfair to rank officially is my own home-ground, grilled burger take on the Zuni Cafe recipe. I prefer a real bun to Zuni's ACME herbed foccaccia bread and I can choose from a wider selection of cheeses and condiments when I make it myself, of course. The KitchenAid meat grinder attachment makes this easy to do, and you will never go back to buying those pre-formed or even butcher-ground beef burgers once you grind your own meat that you've seasoned the night before. That said, I don't do fries as well as most of the places on this list above, and I don't even attempt them; I stick with my favorite rosemary roasted potatoes instead (another recipe inspired by Judy Rodgers' Zuni Cafe).
Notably missing: Balboa Cafe -- more because of ambience than actual taste, but I still don't see how it's so many people's fave!
Looking forward to plenty of debate on this one!
