Posted by Jen Maiser, September 26, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Editor's Note: Jen Maiser is Serious Eats' San Francisco correspondent. While she usually brings us information about the latest offerings from local farmers' markets, she also has a penchant for eating burgers. Naturally. Here's her review of her favorite burger in San Francisco.
Photograph courtesy of Spruce
From the moment that Spruce opened a year ago, it has been packed with food-loving San Franciscans. The wait for a table can be weeks, and each night the Pacific Heights restaurant is full of tony masses who are shelling out top dollar for reportedly well-loved entrées and magnificent wines.
Frankly, I can't afford it.
But what I can afford is to sit at the bar and eat the best hamburger that I have ever eaten in San Francisco. Period.
The Spruce bar is a lovely, elegant place to eat dinner. Diners are given a choice of dishes from the main menu or the bar menu, the seats are comfortable, and the cocktails are terrific. My favorite cocktail right now is the East Side with Tanqueray No.10 Gin, cucumber, mint, and lime.
But to the burger.
To me, a great burger has a perfect bread-to-meat ratio and well seasoned meat that comes from a reputable source. The Spruce burger's bun is a buttered English muffin that is made in-house. Since it's on the thin side, the overall effect is not overly bready. The meat is from Niman Ranch and is ground on site. The burger is served plain or with cheese and is accompanied by a complex herbed aioli with capers, house-made zucchini pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce. You also get delicious fries that are fried in duck fat. Heaven.
The Spruce Burger is $14 and is only on the bar menu. Fend for yourself to get bar seating. Additionally, there are a few high bar tables available—I believe you check in with the hostess for those tables.
Spruce Restaurant
3650 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, California 94118 (at Spruce; map)
415-931-1500 sprucesf.com
About the author: Jennifer Maiser writes about locally and sustainably grown food. She is the founder and editor of the Eat Local Challenge website and writes at Life Begins at 30, her personal weblog.
Nitpicky comment but...I think "hoi polloi" is misused here. The phrase is most often derogatory and is used to refer to the "common people," definitely not the "tony" masses!
Scanning their lunch and dinner menus, their prices are pretty decent and on par, if not cheaper, than the niche restaurants in my neighborhood. The hamburger sounds really intriguing and comes with a lot of stuff on the side for the price. I'll have to check this place out next time I'm in SF.
The Bowery in LA also serves a burger on toasted muffin. The problem is it's always a bit over-toasted, hence always ask for it LIGHTLY toasted for the perfect texture/absorbency...
I sort of dig English muffin burgers. They can be a nice break from the usual. Wish I would have remembered this review and/or check our own damn site before visiting SF last week. :(
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15 Comments:
Why am I having such a hard time believing that the best burger in SF is served on an English muffin?
worldcupfever at 10:11AM on 09/26/08
Better than Cable Car Joe's?
Tazzo at 10:18AM on 09/26/08
"Why am I having such a hard time believing that the best burger in SF is served on an English muffin?"
x2
suburbangourmet at 11:10AM on 09/26/08
Nitpicky comment but...I think "hoi polloi" is misused here. The phrase is most often derogatory and is used to refer to the "common people," definitely not the "tony" masses!
crk71 at 11:12AM on 09/26/08
Zucchini pickles! Squeee!
murtaugh at 11:32AM on 09/26/08
Scanning their lunch and dinner menus, their prices are pretty decent and on par, if not cheaper, than the niche restaurants in my neighborhood. The hamburger sounds really intriguing and comes with a lot of stuff on the side for the price. I'll have to check this place out next time I'm in SF.
Cassaendra at 12:00PM on 09/26/08
Ditto on the misuse of "hoi polloi." Somebody needs an editor.
dlundin at 12:17PM on 09/26/08
@crk71 and dlundin: Thanks for pointing that out—I've corrected it.
roboppy at 1:34PM on 09/26/08
The Bowery in LA also serves a burger on toasted muffin. The problem is it's always a bit over-toasted, hence always ask for it LIGHTLY toasted for the perfect texture/absorbency...
TonyC at 2:11PM on 09/26/08
Nice correction on the Greek term "hoi polloi".
The equivalent Latin term for tony masses might be "pauci potentes."
I knew my Jesuit training would come in handy someday. Who knew???
gb944 at 3:52PM on 09/26/08
It doesn't look that bad but I wouldn't pay 14 bucks for it.
negtiveEclipse at 1:03PM on 09/28/08
yeah 14 bucks and ya got to build it yourself, the crap on the side is supposed to go on the " an english muffin" ??? only a yank would do it !!!
ozripper at 7:38AM on 09/29/08
I just want to know when you're taking me there, neighbor. I am rather fond of burgers, english muffins, and anything fried in duck fat.
MichaelP at 12:14PM on 09/30/08
I sort of dig English muffin burgers. They can be a nice break from the usual. Wish I would have remembered this review and/or check our own damn site before visiting SF last week. :(
Adam Kuban at 1:37AM on 12/31/08
The dealbreaker is the aioli. Nothing remotely mayo based anywhere near my burger.
beersnob at 9:10AM on 01/01/09