Ubrun Burger cheeseburger

urbun burger, 17th & valencia, san francisco

Urban Burger, while delicious and certainly on of the best places to get a burger in the Mission, are not really the most wallet-friendly establishment.  They also offer a wide variety of burgers with various toppings (although for some weird reasons like half of their burgers have blue cheese on them).  Anyway, this particular time I went to Urban Burger I opted for just a straight up cheeseburger, and what I'm trying to say is, if you are going to spend the money to get something from Urban Burger, you might as well go crazy and get some BBQ and bacon or avocado or whatever cuz although this was tasty, I think there are better places for just a regular cheeseburger.  PS watching all of Twin Peaks for the first time was one of the best experiences I had this year.  I know that isn't a sandwich, but it's in the background of these photos.  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend that you take the time to do so.  And get one of the fancier burgers from Urbun Burger.

Roxie Special @ Roxie Food Center

roxie food center, san jose & havelock, san francisco

As much as I love places like Kitchenette/Pal's/Rhea's/etc, who make finely crafted artisan sandwiches with inspired yet unconventional recipes and (often) with organic and locally sourced ingredients (and I do love those sandwiches), the fact remains that sandwiches are by nature not meant to be fancy.  They are an everyday food, a comfort food, meant to be enjoyed by everyone regardless of economic status and financial resources.  While its great to take the concept of a humble sandwich and elevate it to something more extravagant, to me the archetypal sandwich is the kind that is done perfectly at Roxie Food Center.  I don't know the brand of meat they use or the farm where they get their produce.  This is a sandwich that has iceburg lettuce and American cheese on it.  Basically, it's not the kind of sandwich that you will typically see being feted in the pages of a NY Times feature on San Francisco or whatever.  No one waits in line for 3 hours to buy one of these sandwiches, and they aren't going to try to sell you a t-shirt at the register.  Instead, you are just going to get a simple and delicious sandwich, on a really good sourdough with jalapenos if you want them and American cheese.  Of course, in the end it doesn't really matter if a place is hyped to the heavens or under the radar, if the sandwiches aren't any good.  But Roxie Food Center seems to have it down pat, where it seems less like an art and more just natural.  Sometimes simple is best.

late night chiliburgers

original tommy's, laurel canyon blvd & burbank blvd, los angeles

Ah, Tommy's chiliburgers and Cactus Cooler, two great tastes that taste great together. After getting home from a party on a Saturday night, what could be better than enjoying some sloppy fast food and a good old VHS tape? Unfortunately, shortly after these photos were taken, the VHS was consumed by the tape player and we never learned if they found Spock or not. Dang.

chili cheeseburger

tommy's original world famous, beverly blvd and rampart blvd, los angeles

When I covered the rivalry between In-N-Out and Fatburger, I ignored another one of Southern California's famous burger joints- Tommy's Original. If you've never been to Tommy's before, the concept is simple- chili on everything. Lots and lots of greasy, greasy chili. There are no beans in the chili either; this is all beef chili we are talking about. And if you want to give your stomach a more severe pounding, peppers are offered on the side. As you can see from the picture above, the last time I went to Tommy's I opted for this route. This was a few months ago- my brother was in town visiting me before he departed for a foreign land, and he wanted to grab some Tommy's before he left. We set out for the Beverly location, which is the original location, and lined up with the lunch crowd to order some grub. Its a very popular spot- I believe that there are two separate kitchens to order from, and the line was fairly long for both (although it moved quickly). Once you've obtained your chili-topped goodness, you have to mosey up to one of the counters lining the sides of the parking lot and eat standing up. Pretty old school! I don't eat Tommy's too often, but when I want some greasy fast food its definitely one of my top choices.

fatburger vs in-n-out, round 2

In-N-Out burger, kettleman city

I have to admit, I wasn't always a fan of In-N-Out. I remember when the first one opened up in my hometown, everyone was so excited. I think I was in middle school at the time, and since I was such a Non-Conformist (you can't tell me what to eat!), I was skeptical. In-N-Out seemed to me to be putting on airs- "look at them, with their fresh ingredients and limited menu! Think they're too good to be fast food, eh?". I was a weird kid. Anyway, my opinion on In-N-Out has mellowed over the years, and now I enjoy eating their burgers from time to time (still don't enjoy eating their fries though- those are terrible). This time JoJoJoJo and I stopped at the In-N-Out off of the 5, at the Kettleman City exit. I got the same thing I always get, which is the double-double animal style. Should I assume everyone knows what that means? Maybe not? If you aren't familiar with the In-N-Out menu, a double double is a double cheeseburger, and animal style means extra grilled onions, extra pickles and extra sauce (I think its thousand island dressing). The result is a greasy, salty, dripping mess that is incredibly tasty. I'm sure its terrible for you but man it is a good burger.

Verdict - coming up next.

intro
part 1 - fatburger
verdict

fatburger vs in-n-out, round 1

fatburger, north vermont & hollywood, los angeles

This was actually my second visit to Fatburger- the first time was when my pal (and potential breadxbread contributor, if he ever responds to the invite) Dan was in town. But that time I got a spicy chicken sandwich (which was great), and this contest is about burgers. Speaking of contests, if you eat a triple "kingburger" (kingburgers = 1/2 lb patties, so a triple king = 1.5 lbs of meat) in one sitting, they'll put your photo on the wall at Fatburger. I am going to do this, as soon as I run a marathon or save someone from drowning or some other accomplishment that would justify eating a triple kingburger. So anyway, this is the first fatburger I'd ever had. I opted to get the regular size burger, with a 1/3 lb patty, and that ended up being plenty of food. I don't think I was able to finish my fries, even. I'd say it was a pretty good burger- I see why this place gets comparisons to In-N-Out. The ingredients all seemed fresh and I didn't have the same sense of having eaten industrial products that I get from going to McDonald's. The burger had both pickles and pickle relish, and being a fan of all things pickled, I appreciated that. By fast food standards, this was a pretty great burger.

tomorrow - In-N-Out!

intro
part 2 - in-n-out
verdict

Korso / Sunrise Cafe

I walk out of the garage, would the garage door stop if someone was under it? I'm excited enough to run, but I'd rather take my time walking. Just one block. Chunky condos, empty lots, that old guy, those mechanics. Early in the morning, but no jacket needed. When someone locks their bike in the same spot every day; that means it'll get stolen right? Who would I tell even if I was right?

Inside. Someone already sitting, hamburger for breakfast. I don't need to look at the menu, I'm sure he recognizes me, it's hard to tell.
"Hi, could I uhm have an egg and cheese sandwich..", hand motions, "..uhm, but like on a croissant."
"OK, yeah. That's ham in egg in cheese in croissant." Does he recognize me? Sometimes he gets it right.
"Oh, uhm, no, no ham, just egg and cheese"
"Oh OK. Egg in cheese in croissant."
"Yeah perfect."
"Ok, thats $4.25, and tax, $5.09." Do you actually tax this stuff? Which foods aren't taxed? Like fruit of something? He always hands me the change with two hands.

Back at my desk. Grilling a croissant compensates for it not being fresh. And there's that extra spicy, greasy flavor it always has. Too much egg and bread, but still good. God I love American cheese, I'd get the croissants from the other place but they don't use American cheese. Should I give them a suggestion?


Koro / Sunrise Cafe

grilled cheese

l'keg gallery, glendale & court, los angeles

JoJoJoJo and I went to a concert at this little art space in....uh.... Echo Park, I'd guess. The sandwiches were fifty cents.

me: "what kind of cheese is this?"
dude behind counter: "I dunno, she made them" (points at girl)
me: "it's really cheesy!"
dude, with no emotion in his voice: "that's because there's two slices."

secret to super-cheesy sandwiches: obtained!

not a sandwich (UPDATED- now a sandwich!)

...but this stuff is now available at Mike's liquor store on 21st & mission, and I do love cactus cooler.

UPDATE: it was pointed out that the above soda is not, in fact, a sandwich. and so to remedy this situation, I present you:

10-YEAR-OLD AW's 5-STAR SANDWICH

heck yes!

now, this is beyond a shadow of a doubt one of the finest sandwiches ever crafted. it is the ultimate fuel for trading Pogs or series-two Marvel cards, or playing Killer Instinct on your cousin's SNES. if you find yourself doing any of these things, I heartily recommend this sandwich. some day I will pass this recipe on to my children, and them to their children. truly, a sandwich for the ages.

the necessary ingredients

I should mention that the above ingredients are not quite right. the Buddig brand ham does not need to be honey ham; the Kraft cheese should be "Old English", which as I understand has been discontinued; and the bread should be the brand of Buttermilk-style bread that my grandmother buys. I do not know the brand. nevertheless, this is close enough. I will now divulge the secret ingredients, please use discretion with whom you choose to share this knowledge with.

mayonnaise and seasoning salt

the secret ingredients are mayonnaise and seasoning salt. Lawry's is preferred, but McCormick's is acceptable. please note that this sandwich does not contain any produce. it is simply ham, cheese, pickles, mayonnaise and seasoning salt. mustard is allowed but not recommended. if you have anything else on this sandwich, you are doing it wrong.

aw yeah lets bust out the Atari and play Joust

as you can see in the picture above, the serving suggestions for this sandwich are Cactus Cooler and BBQ-flavored chips. you could drink a different soda (perhaps Coke or Root Beer), but if you have access to Cactus Cooler....why would you? and that my friends is how to make a 5-star sandwich. eat it quickly before your grandmother makes you water the garden.