Mason Street Grill-Tasty Burger-Pricey Drinks (12/11/2021)

Ah, downtown Milwaukee during the holiday season. We attended the afternoon showing of "A Christmas Carol" at the Pabst theater. What better way to finish the day but to head over to the Pfister hotel's Mason Street Grill. Top notch venue for sure. A place for seafood, steak and burgers! I've been to the Grill before. It has been some time. Not much has changed other than updates per Covid.

Our server, Casey took good care of us, making sure we had a full understanding of the menu. I just wanted my burger. Selfish not shellfish, right? First order of business, cocktails. We had to go through a long list of Bourbon makers to find one that was in stock. I guess the supply chain issues are having affect on the restaurant business these days. I ended up with an Angel's Envy Manhattan. Tasty, yes. Also pricey! $25 per. Ouch!

This blog isn't about expensive drinks. It's about burgers so, I'll move on. I ordered the Mason Street Grill Burger. As described on the menu, 10 oz. Black Angus Chuck and Sirloin, Honey Glazed Onions, Muenster Cheese, House Relish. I ordered my typical "medium rare". Some pink in the middle, please.

The burger itself was delicious. Maybe a bit past medium but seasoned nicely. The Muenster cheese really added to the flavor. The roll was fine but didn't seem fresh made. I would guess in the old days the roll would have been cooked on site. Maybe I'm wrong. Over all, I was pretty happy with the assembled sandwich. Interesting that by the time I finished eating the patty seemed to have "dried up". Moist to start. Hmm, not sure what happened. No matter, the plate was cleaned off when I finished. 

Rate it: 4 out of 5. Mostly because I think it was a bit to well done. With such good meat and the venue, I was expecting it to be medium without fear of being under cooked. I also think that making sure the rolls are fresh is important. Maybe it was just me. $18 isn't crazy for the service and venue.

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.)
 

Burger with my brother from another mother (09/11/2021)

 Burger with my brother from another mother (09/11/2021)

Here's something you might not know about me... my name is Dan, I have a half brother in California. His name is Dan also. California Dan knows that I'm all about the burger. When he found out that my wife and I would be visiting he thought he'd give himself a challenge to cook a burger even Dasburgereater (me) might enjoy. Tall order. 

His focus was intense. Everything was fresh and hand picked by him. No room for error. His counter top had perfectly cut tomatoes, onions etc. The patties, well they looked just right. My guess, 1/3 pounders. CA Dan uses a gas grill. I only harassed him a little about that. You still need to be on your game when it comes to timing. The seasoning will still shine.

Did they turn out? Sure did. Juicy, flavorful with just the right amount of everything on it. I did have to cut it in half because it was just that big!

Rate it: 4.5 of 5

CA Dan stepped up to the plate and hit a home run. There was no doubt. Was it the love and care added? Was I influenced by his charm? Maybe it's his name that got me? It was one of the best homemade burgers I've had. You know I've had plenty.

The Chef:

The Burger: