The Food Notebook guide to burgers in the Silicon Valley
The hamburger is something that strikes a cord deep inside many Americans with partisans debating one style versus another or which joint delivers the best meal on a bun. There was palatable excitement when the cult-like In-n-Out burger set up an outpost in Mountain View. A 14 buck American Kobe beef burger at Michael Mina’s Arcadia provokes not outrage, but curiosity. So it was with excitement and trepidation that I set out on the Favorite Burger series of reviews. No doubt I will be ruffling some feathers, but that is part of the fun of Food Notebook. One of the great things about burgers is that you can get them in a plethora of places from hole-in-the-walls to upscale restaurants. They are a staple of bars and road-side joints. So it has been and will be a lot of fun checking all the variations of the burger.
This post will be updated with a running list of establishments reviewed and ones recommended by Food Notebook readers. Please leave comments with your favorite burgers and joints.
Alpine Inn - ancient roadhouse, decent burgers [Portola Valley]
Can a burger be worth 17 bucks? You bet when it is Arcadia’s Kobe burger. [San Jose]
Armadillo Willy’s does a pretty good grilled burger [Los Altos]
BJ's Brewhouse sliders - small but tasty and juicy [Cupertino]
Brix -- basic burger joint with an excellent condiment bar [Menlo Park]
Clarke's - Classic roadside joint with charbroiled burger and fires [Mountain View]
Dutch Goose, a neighborhood bar with burgers [Menlo Park]
In-n-Out Burger - a cult, but a pretty darn good fast food burger [Mountain View]
Jeffrey's Hamburgers - juicy burgers in a retro diner [San Mateo]
Oasis - go for the character and the memories, not the burgers [Menlo Park]
Tom's Depot - Mediocre food service burger [Los Altos]
Here are some prior burger reviews done before this series was launched. They will have to be updated with the new framework, but I thought you would want to see them in their original form.
The Counter, Gourmet Burger – Hip, Stylish and 312,120 Variations of the Burger (Palo Alto / California Avenue)
Taqueria Azteca & Antonio's Nut House – A dive and a decent taqueria joined at the hip (Palo Alto / California Avenue)
Because I am a former industry analyst, I just can’t approach a project like this without thinking about a framework for reviewing burger joints. Here is the framework for the Favorite Burger series. What is critical to remember is that your mileage may vary. I am a big fan of well-stocked condiment bars, so I tend to give more points to establishment like Brix even if the burger is not perfect. So I encourage you to determine what is important to you and adjust my rankings accordingly. Also feel free to leave comments and how to modify this framework.
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| Overall | 5 | Outstanding - Worth a drive - heaven on a bun | |
| 4 | Very good - Worth being a regular - a meal to put you in a good mood | ||
| 3 | Good - Reasonable stop while doing errands - basic fuel | ||
| 2 | OK - Only if nothing else is available - desparate times… | ||
| 1 | Poor - keep on driving - you've always wanted to lose weight | ||
| Meat | 5 | Fresh, hand made, high quality, thick, juicy - eight napkins | |
| 4 | Fresh, hand made, high quality, medium, not so juicy - four napkins | ||
| 3 | Fresh, hand made, high quality, thin, not juicy - single napkin | ||
| 2 | Food service, good quality, medium - can eat while driving | ||
| 1 | Frozen patty, poor quality, thin - who needs a napkin | ||
| Toppings | 5 | High quality, fresh, generous amount, lots of variety, expertly applied | |
| 4 | High quality, fresh, medium amount, medium variety, expertly applied | ||
| 3 | Good food service quality, acceptable amount, low variety, ok application | ||
| 2 | Medium food service quality, skimpy, few variations, ok application | ||
| 1 | Poor quality, canned, skimpy, only a couple variations, sloppy application | ||
| Condiments | 5 | Well stocked condiment bar with fresh items - hog heaven for doctoring | |
| 4 | Medium stocked condiment bar with mostly fresh items | ||
| 3 | Poorly stocked condiment bar with mostly fresh items | ||
| 2 | Standard items but takes requests, very good quality, on the plate | ||
| 1 | Standard items, poor quality, skimpy, already on burger | ||
| Bun | 5 | Fresh, high quality, not too big, grilled | |
| 4 | Fresh, high quality, not too big, toasted | ||
| 3 | Fresh, good qualitiy, size not quite right, not toasted or grilled | ||
| 2 | Decent quality, bland, not toasted or grilled | ||
| 1 | Stale, low quality, cardboard like, no taste, too large for patty | ||
| Preparation | 5 | Asks how you like, exact prep on all aspects, devotion to detail | |
| 4 | Assumes certain things, but responds well to requests | ||
| 3 | Standard but will respond to requests, execution of non-standard uneven | ||
| 2 | Standard one-size fits all, cooked medium, attention to detail | ||
| 1 | Standard one-size fits all, cooked well done, no attention to detail | ||
| Fried sides | 5 | Both fries and onion rings, hand made, fresh, high quality, burn-your-mouth hot from oil | |
| 4 | Only fries, hand made, fresh, high quality, single batch, hot from oil | ||
| 3 | Both fries and onion rings, high quality food service, single batch, hot from oil | ||
| 2 | Only fries, medium quality food service, cooked in batches but still hot | ||
| 1 | Cheap food service, frozen, poorly cooked, sat under heat lamp | ||
| Style | Restaurant | ||
| Bar, upscale | |||
| Fast casual | |||
| Joint | |||
| Hole in the wall | |||
| Fast food, major chain | |||
| Fast food, indie |
Food Notebook post by Carter Lusher. Photos by Carter using a HP R967 Photosmart camera.
