Jim's Coffee Shop

Last Thursday I went to Jim's Coffee Shop in Alameda with a couple of old coworkers. It wasn't my intention to get a reviewable meal, but after browsing their menu for like 20 minutes, I choked and spouted out, "cheeseburger and fries." I could have had breakfast, or a sandwich, or a salad, or any one of the 100s of diner items they had, but in my panic to order anything, I blurted out the one thing that came natural. Cheeseburger & fries. How could I go wrong. If you've never been to Jim's, I can sum up the experience in one sentence. Diner food at diner prices. Easy enough, right, but there's something more. Places like this don't exist anymore. The old greasy spoon. I guess all the patrons are dying off from heart disease. Either way, I enjoy this place and I encourage more people to enjoy a place that reminds you of that place you use to eat at with your grandpa...before he died of heart disease. Anyway, my burger came. It looks like a brown frisbee. It dwarfs the bun. Look at the picture, you can't even see the bun. First bite, not bad. Classic burger, grilled and probably pressed on a flat top. Not bad at all. One of a thousand they'll probably serve today. The cheese is an after thought. Thin, yellow, slightly off centered. Set up is good, but with a patty so big I could have used another tomato slice, and a couple more pickle chips. I quickly ate the rest of my burger and did what I could with the fries. Not the best, but there was something so satisfying about my meal. I then realized that you don't go to places like this for the food, you go to keep them open. You go so maybe some day you can take your grand kid here... before you die of heart disease.

Jim's Coffee Shop, 2333 Lincoln Ave, Alameda, CA 94501

Taylor's Automatic Refresher

Breath taking views of the bay. The bay bridge looms to the right. A mix of tourists and Giant's fans mingle under the huge watching clock of the ferry building. The glow of the bright lights of a industrial designed burger joint. I'm at the "newly" remodeled ferry building at the mouth of San Francisco. The promise of mouth watering eats await me at Taylor's Automatic Refresher. I've driven by the place a few times and seen it spotlighted on various TV shows. This was our destination. Taylor's offers a few kinds of burgers. I settle on my usual cheeseburger & fries. The restaurant is busy. The counters and tables hold the sticky grime of many meals past. The menu describes my burger as "Humanely raised Niman Ranch beef topped with american cheese, secret sauce on a toasted egg bun." With fries for about $10. Price: normal for this type of burger. Our order is ready. The burger looks OK. The cheese melty. The produce fresh. The bun shiney. I dig in. The bun is chewy. The beef is beef. Nothing special, like it was fried on a flat top without seasoning. Half the burger is gone. I'm distracted by how chewy this damn bun is. I'm also wondering when the flavor was going to kick in. It never does. The burger is gone. I'm confused. Nothing special about the special sauce. The humanely raised beef was inhumanely cooked. The cheese had no flavor. The promise of a delicious burger was broken. Atleast we still had the view.

Taylor's Automatic Refresher, 1 Ferry Bldg. San Francisco, CA 94111

Chez Maman

Sunday night my wife's friends took us to have the "Second Best Burger in San Francisco." Why the second best? I guess the best wasn't too good. The second best burger in SF is from Chez Maman in Potrero Hill. I know what you're thinking, "Burgers at a french restaurant...WTF?" I thought the same thing. Well let me tell, those french guys make a pretty mean cheeseburger. The place is tiny. One table and counter space that fits maybe twelve. Like a walk-in closet with a grill. It's a three man operation, but everything ran pretty smooth. Their Basic Burger is served with frites & a small salad for $10.50 (cheese is a $1.50 extra.) Price: not bad for a french joint. The burger presentation is nice. The patty sits atop a fresh and light roll. There's a dab of garlic mayo and the fries remind me (in a good way) of those tasty canned Picniks potato sticks I ate as a kid. Apperance: Plated very nicely. I take a bite. "Ceci est un bon hamburger!" This is a good hamburger! The meat is very good. Nicely seasoned, cooked perfectly. Juicy and delicious. The set up is very, vey good. I cleaned my plate. I'm sold. This IS the second best burger in San Francisco. Thank you, Nora & Brian for introducing me. Those french know their burgers. I should have known because of all the good work they've done with their fries.

Chez Maman, 1453 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94107

The Cheesecake Factory

Today we went to the Cheesecake Factory in Walnut Creek. It wasn't planned, we just kind of ended up there. If you're not familiar with the Cheesecake Factory, they're a mid-ranged, chain restaurant that specializes in big portions and, well cheesecake. The irony, of course is that the portions are usually so big that you have no room for dessert. I ordered the Double BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger. It's served with fries for the very reasonable price of $10.95. It's described as, "A Double-Decker with Barbecue Ranch Sauce, and Crispy Onions." So here's the funny part. Along with the menu came a calorie guide. This burger with fries comes out to about 2300 calories. 2300!!! That's like drinking 16 and a half cans of Coke. I start second guessing my order. Then it came, and it was big. Check out the top picture. Under the fried onions, bacon & cheese there are 2 big beef patties, a bun, some lettuce and BBQ sauce. Appearance: intimidating! I start to de-assemble the tower of calories. I cut it in half and dug in. I'm usually not a double-patty guy. It's just too much beef. This was pretty good. The beef was juicy, the bacon cooked well and the cheese was not too gooey. The burger held together better than I expected. Like I said, this burger was pretty good and not a bad value. I ate half and took the other half home. 1200 calories is a number I can live with.

The Cheesecake Factory, 1181 Locust St., Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Flipper's Gourmet Hamburgers

Yesterday was my last day at the job I've had for 8 years. I liked the job and loved the people. I was feeling kind of sad, so when my wife asked me what would cheer me up. I said, "cheeseburger." Weird, right? Here I am, on a quest to find the best burger and the first thing I reach for when I'm down is a burger. Comfort food, yes. We decided on Flipper's in Montclair. I hadn't eaten there in years, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Honestly, what a strange name for a burger place, Flipper's. That's like naming for fish-n-chips joint, "Hooves." Anyway, I get the Big Flipper burger (half pound patty with cheddar & jack cheese) for about $10. Price: Not bad for a burger this big. It comes with a side of steak fries (mmmm steak fries), a nice-sized side salad and this yummy, sweet ranch sauce. Got home, unpacked and plated up my dinner. This is a big burger. It looked like a someone melted cheese on a bicycle seat and slapped it on a bun. Look at the picture. That's a full-sized dinner plate! Where am I going to put my fries? Appearance: Huge. Some of the smaller fries started to orbit the thing. So, I take a bite...then another. What's missing from this burger? Meat, check. Cheese, check. Fix'ns, check. Flavor...that's it, no flavor. What a bland hunk of beef. I continued to eat, and eat, and eat. I had a few bites left when if started to hit me. I got this half pound brink sitting in my stomach. Uggg, discomfort food. I couldn't finish. I felt sad and a little embarassed. I guess the pound of fries I ate left little room for the last bite. I threw in the napkin. Done. I probably won't go back again until I forget about why I never went back. So, so at best. Next week: The Unemployed Burger!!! Anyone have any coupons?


Flipper's Gourmet Hamburgers, 2060 Mountain Blvd, Oakland, CA 94611

Luka's Taproom & Lounge

Tonight my wife brought home a cheeseburger from Luka's Taproom & Lounge. This is a good burger. The kind of burger that deserves a plate, and maybe even a moment of silence for the delicious cow that sacrificed so I could have this meal. This here is a $12 burger. Pretty expensive, but once you see it you won't blink,"$12 sure, I'll take it! Hell, I'll take 2!"

So I take my first bite, then my second, third forth & fifth. This is a very good burger. The patty was cooked medium rare. Nice, pink and juicy with pretty grill marks. The cheese was a bit of an after thought. Melted white cheddar. The lettuce and tomato was soaked in the burger drippings. Kind of nasty, but in a great way. Can't stop thinking, "Wow, this beef is delicious." The bun was better than most, but is more of an freshly baked sponge that's there to sop up the burger juices.

By my last bite, I'm hurting. That's a big burger. I fast-forward to me consulting a cardiologist for a Luka's-related bypass surgery, so I could enjoy one more burger before a lifetime of bran muffins and metamusil. What a great burger. A life threatener! A health risk in a bun. The kind of meal that deserves a nap. Maybe I'll take a week off, my chest hurts.

Luka's Taproom & Lounge, 2221 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612

Sparky's Giant Burgers

I stopped by my local burger spot today. It's about a mile or so away from my house. It's an old-school, Mom-n-Pop burger shack. The place is funny. I'd classify it as a "dive" more than a restaurant. You can eat inside, on their patio or order from they're walk up window. I got a cheeseburger and fries. It ran about $7.50. Price: Not bad, not great.
I unwrapped my burger and was pleasantly surprised at how appetizing it looked. A little green, a little red and a hunk of brown with a yellow gooey blanket of goodness nestled in the middle. Not too shabby. Appearance: Tasty with a nice balance of color.
I didn't realize until that moment, that I was pretty frick'n hungry. After a squirt or two of ketchup, I took my first bite. The flavor of the beef is the first thing you notice. Smokey, well seasoned and meaty. This is the star of the burger. There's a definite over abundance of cheese. Usually, one thick melty slice is plenty. They put two. The tomato was fresh, thick and crisp. The lettuce was green but seemed to soak up the majority of the greese. It was limp and kind of nasty. The bun was a bun. Nothing fancy. Taste: Good beef, nice flavor; but a little too cheesy and I had to take out half of the nasty lettuce.
All-in-all, not a bad burger. I actually finished it and a order of fries in under nine minutes. I told you I was hungry. I have to say, not a bad start to my burger quest. We'll see what next week has in store for me.

Sparky's Giant Burgers, 4120 Redwood Rd, Oakland, CA 94619