First meal after our release from Alcatraz. Hillstone (09.21.2021)

 It was our last full day in San Francisco. We decided to take the boat over to Alcatraz prison. The tour of the island was really interesting. The island's history dates back before the Civil War. It was a Federal Prison for a less than 30 years.

After the tour we thought we should grab a bite to eat. The Wharf  in San Francisco offers quite a few different opportunities to enjoy fresh seafood. We were looking for something a little more like a light lunch. Salad, sandwich or soup? Across the street from the Wharf is a wonderful little restaurant called Hillstone. Nestled in a garden of trees and plantings, there's a sculpture of a cowboy riding a fish at one end of the cozy patio.

Enough about how cool the scene is. Let's talk burgers. Yep, another burger. Six burgers in 10 days! This one brings me back full circle to the start at my brother Dan's place. We decided to split a Hickory Burger. Applewood smoked bacon, grated cheddar, onion, hickory sauce. Sounds delicious, right? It was! Cooked to perfection on a fresh bun. The price, $21 didn't even matter anymore. This was a great burger.

Rate it: 4.5 of 5

Again, $21 is a lot for a sandwich at lunch time but, we are in San Francisco at the Wharf area. The restaurant is part of a hospitality group. I don't think that matters much. This location is upholding the company standards of service and quality.

 Look at the stack of cheese and onions!

Super Duper in San Fran (09.20.2021)

 The next stop on our California journey was San Francisco. We landed in the Financial District and had a room at the Palace Hotel. The hotel was wonderful, full of history. I'm not sure what that all has to do with the quest for a tasty burger but, it would serve as my start point each day.

Market Street has quite a few offerings for potential breakfast, lunch and dinner spots. One place caught our attention, Super Duper Burger. This needed to be investigated. The beef is ground daily. It's a vegetarian fed beef. I think we call that grass fed in Wisconsin. The bun is artisan bakery fresh baked daily. They offer a "mini" burger that weighs in at 4 oz. Otherwise, it's a double patty version. We checked it out. 

I got the Mini Cheeseburger. The burger in it's own little bag. The 4oz is probably the start weight because these didn't seem that big. Still, overall flavor and quality was pretty decent. It was all that they promised. I thought $7.25 wasn't too outrageous.

Rate it: 4 of 5

I liked the burger. The bun was okay. If you are looking for a good burger, they deliver. I also think that they are probably pretty consistent on quality. Burger for the buck, relatively good.

Not to wine but... Michael-David Winery (06.16.2021)

 It was day five of our California trip. Our next stop after Anaheim would have been the Sequoia Nation Park Lodge. The fires in the forest surrounding the lodge caused the lodge to close and cancel our visit. We took a detour to Lodi. Pretty cool because I've always enjoyed the song "Lodi" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Just off the highway, on the outskirts of Lodi is the Michael-David Winery. One of my wife's favorite wines is their Freakshow Petite Petit. What a great chance to see and taste it at the source. The winery tours were full until the following day. We were on the road for some time and it was just past lunch hour. So, we decided to grab a bite. There's a cafe' with outdoor seating. Nothing too fancy especially considering the site. We ordered. She had the Black and Blue Steak Salad. Me, well, a cheeseburger. 

I'm going totally by memory on this one... it wasn't anything to write home about. It was a decent burger for the dollar. It came with a bag of chips which was a bit of a let down. All the photos on their website show fries on the plate and people in a beautiful setting. 

Rate it: 3.5 of 5

The burger was decent. The setting, not what I would expect from a place like Michael David. Maybe it was that way because the pandemic?

Burgers in Lalla Land (09.14.2021)

 Lalla Oceanside Grill is on Monterey's Cannery Row. The setting is picturesque. The bar and restaurant space, inviting for sure. As you can guess Lalla's is know for it's seafood dishes. I'm not a fan of seafood. Well I do like baked trout, grilled salmon, tilapia and fish sticks. I couldn't help it, the burger sounded delicious. So, I ordered it. Was I glad I did?

The burger was a cooked almost perfect, well seasoned. The bun, Brioche. Pretty straight forward. The cheese was creamy and coated the patty. First bite, tasty. As I ate more the flavor seemed to "drop off". Maybe there was more seasoning on the edge where I first bit into? 

Rate it: 4 of 5.

I'm not going to lie, $19 for a cheese burger is a bit much. It's Kobe beef yes. I don't think they did the meat justice. I thought it was decent overall but not memorable.

Baja Not "Ah Ha" (09.13.2021)

It's a cool day along the California coast. I'm down in Newport Beach for some sun and fun with my wife and my stepmother, Nancy. The weather was a bit on the cool side but a guy from Wisconsin doesn't complain about a cooler day at the beach. 

We had enough sun and thought it was time for a bite. We walked the beach front in search of the Rockin Baja Lobster. They serve what I'd call Mexican Fusion. According to the website, the restaurant(s) have a menu inspired by trips to the Baja. 

While the Mexican food sounded delicious and the plates plentiful, I had to check out the burger. I've been told so many times not to order a burger at a Taco place. I would normally do so but the images and my need to find a decent burger in an unexpected venue makes me go for it every time. 

The "Rockin Works" is a ½ Lb. Angus Beef Patty, Cheddar Cheese, Grilled Onions, Applewood Bacon, Dill Pickle, Lettuce, & Boom Boom Sauce. Boom Sauce? What the heck. The photo looked great. I also saw one in person on someone else's plate. 

I needed to cut it in half because of all the stuff on it as well as the fact it was a half pounder. The burger was juicy, cooked the way I like it but overall the flavors just didn't work. I stripped it back a bit to get a taste of the burger on it's own. Decent, not awesome.

Rate it: 3.5 of 5

$16 seems like a lot of cash for a burger from a casual place until I remember that I'm in California, Newport Beach specifically. I don't think the bun was much to speak of. The patty, juicy with some seasoning. The sandwich relies heavily on the Boom Sauce and all the other stuff loaded on.

                                                                      (Not my burger. Image was taken from their website.)