Burgermeister, North Beach
April 12, 2007 at 4:54 am (american, brilliant, burgers, fried, north beach, san francisco)
759 Columbus Ave, S.F. | website
AL pinged me on instant messenger that he wanted a hot dog for lunch, and since he drove we could go anywhere. I deflected his first suggestion of the $1.50 costco hotdog, (I mean really, who wants to burp all afternoon at work?) and we went to Burgermeister, which serves a fine hotdog and they also have Niman Ranch meats on the menu.
This mini-chain recently renovated and expanded their North Beach storefront and now sports a modern sleek dining room. It is one of the few affordable restaurants serving excellent food in the Fisherman’s Wharf area.
Speaking of cravings, I had been nursing a serious hankering for a BLT (bacon, lettuce tomato for those who don’t know) and was pleased to see that on the menu. It was filled with a huge pile of Hobb’s applewood smoked bacon along with a few slices of tomato and lettuce, and I asked for extra mayo on the side. Another thing about this place is that while the rolls are huge, the kitchen thoughtfully removes a layer of the interior bulk. I really like that they are aware of and take action to keep the ratios of bread to meat balanced in their sandwiches.
AL’s Hotdog, which was HUGE btw, was split down the middle then scored and grilled with a perfect crisscross pattern. Again, the kitchen removed a crevasse of extraneous bread along the length of the bun. It’s the attention to detail that makes me say the food is brilliant rather than just worthy. The onion rings have a really good ratio of batter to onion and the batter is dense and chewy inside, but light and crisp on the outside.
AL was inspired to creatively apply colorful squiggles of ketchup and mustard on the bun
JY was feeling adventurous and ordered the Pineapple Burger with fries, which had several slices of juicy grilled pineapple on top of the charbroiled burger. Interesting combination of grilled juicy pineapple against the onion, tomato and pickles with charbroiled beef.
The kitchen at Burgermeister produces food that is very worthy and served in a clean open dining area with pretty easy parking. I also recommend the philly cheesesteak, which is stuffed with piles of thinly sliced beef, gooey cheese and grilled onions and sweet peppers. They use fresh, quality ingredients and everything is prepared with a good eye to attention. After this high calorie lunch, we stopped off at XOX Truffles for more decadent treats.
