It started off with an IM. Because I’m a nice sister like that.
After we’d landed in San Francisco and were driving around like losers trying to figure out where we were meant to go, I decided it’d be wise to let someone in my family know I had landed safely. My trusty BlackBerry as ever was on Google Talk, so when I saw my brother online, I messaged him.
FeistyFoodie: Hi I’m in SF. Do you want anything?
BigBro: I want you to try a burger joint that was on Food Network that makes the burgers out of steak and you watch the dude cut the steak to make the burger. And take lots of pictures. And close ups. During the day. With no ISO.
FeistyFoodie: I need names.
BigBro: Joe’s Cable Car 4320 Mission Street
Yes, that’s really all he wanted. Who was I to deny that? (Plus I wasn’t sure where to have dinner on Day 3 anyway. It worked out.)
As you can see, they are very serious about their meat at Joe’s, proclaiming that the meat is ground fresh daily.
Actually… when you go in… you can even see the guy cutting the meat. The entire time I was there, this guy stood there, picking up various cuts of meat, trimming fat off, and cutting it into chunks suitable for the grinder. I did not actually get to see any meat getting ground, but you knew that’s what the meat was being trimmed for.
The decor of the place was super kitschy. The waitress was pretty friendly and chatty to those who seemed to want it (the couple who sat at the table across from me), and not so much to those who didn’t (me).
I went at a pretty off hour, thus the lack of crowds (it was just before 5 when I sat down). Having recently been featured on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” on Food Network, though, the place got pretty crowded at times (so said the waitress to the couple near me). There were posters splashed up by the bathroom with Guy Fieri (the host of the show) on it, with the staff, and another publicity shot that was autographed by him. Pretty cool I guess – if you’re into that sort of thing. It definitely fit in with the decor here though, very casual and laidback.
But who cares? You’re here to read about the food. What did I order? Well, at first, I was a bit confused over what I should order. The menu has a LOT of options for toppings and whatnot, and various names for each burger style. Finally, I decided that I should get what I normally get at burger places for the first time – so I could do an effective comparison. Bacon cheeseburger, medium rare, though I opted not to ask for mayo and just let them slap the butter on that was listed on the menu for each burger. I also ordered fries and onion rings, with a root beer (how I love thee and am SO glad that it’s coming in vogue right now!). Oh- all the burgers come in 4 ounce, 6 ounce, or 8 ounce sizes – this is the 4 ounce. I still wasn’t that hungry after my breakfast at The Country Way.
A closer shot. As you can see, the cheese was melted onto the burger, a good amount of bacon, a slash of butter across the top of the bun, and on the side, raw red onion, pickle chip, tomato, lettuce, and a canteloupe wedge.
Requisite burger “autopsy” shot. The burger was cooked expertly to medium rare and had a good char, with a coarser grind of meat than I may be used to – but I liked that. It made the meat more texturally interesting. And while I don’t doubt that Joe grinds his own chuck daily – I could see the guy trimming the meat – I’m not sure he seasons the meat before forming patties (with a bunch of molds; I saw them doing this, which speeds up the process, and, because each patty is uniformly sized, makes cooking evenly much easier). This is a crucial step to any burger and I find more and more lately that many places have this problem. Season the meat before you form a patty. No amount of toppings is going to make it taste better than if it’d been seasoned properly to begin with.
I found that if I added a raw onion slice or two, it pumped the flavor to about right, and a teensy slick of ketchup made the burger overall delicious. Don’t get me wrong – it was not a bad burger by any means, but I prefer to dress my bacon cheeseburgers minimally (a thick tomato slice, a swash of mayo, and the juices of the burger should mix with that to create its own ketchup, delicious). Also, the butter was excessive; if you wanted to make it drippier with fat, keep some of the beef natural fat in the meat, instead of trimming it all away! Sorry, but I much prefer tasting fatty meat in my burger to tasting melting butter.
The fries were really mediocre, not even good by any standards. No salt, and not really crispy. Or hot. Meh.
The onion rings, however, were PHENOMENAL. Crisp exterior, juicy onion inside that was still crunchy (but cooked enough or soaked enough that the pungent onion bite wasn’t overwhelming), wow, these were absolutely delicious. Bear in mind, though, that I definitely like my onion rings with a “crumbly” breading, as opposed to a smooth coating/batter. These may not be for everyone… but for me, they were onion ring heaven. I love when the onion is visible inside and you can taste it and you just know these have been made by hand with a lot of love and care.
Absolutely scrumptious. The best part of the meal, and without any doctoring or additions.
Yvo says: If you’re the kind of person who loves toppings on your burgers, this place does not lack for toppings. But if you’re a burger purist or minimalist, then this might not be the place for you. The burger was perfectly tasty, once I’d added a bunch of things, but otherwise, meh. I’d say go once for the experience; if you like it, by all means, go back. Otherwise it’s just acceptable. (Oh, and BTW – the above meal cost me $28 including a generous tip, so it’s not cheap. The burger alone was $11.75.)
recommended at least once
SF 2k8, previously:
Bi-Rite Creamery
King of Thai Noodle House
House of Prime Rib
New Asia
Ghirardelli Square
In-n-Out
The Country Way
Rochelle says
Okay, so a few things:
1. That last onion ring shot is awesome. So freaking hot. We have to get you a D-SLR.
2. I hate the slick coating on onion rings too, only crunchy will do.
3. Hahahahahaha at that painting of the guy grinding the meat.
Hungry Bitch says
At certain coffee shops it may be said that “Chuck grinds his own fresh joe, daily.”
Anonymous says
$28?!?! Wow…that is exteme for a burger meal, even a steak burger.
Still, now I want onion rings for breakfast. Hmmmm I wonder if I have a bottle of beer in the ‘fridge? [for the batter! :D]
Hugs!
SkippyMom