The final stop for Burger Crew does San Francisco!
Burger Crew meeting called to order on Sunday, June 30, 2019 at 9am.
Members in attendance: Angela d., Sumana S., Trevor Y., Dennis K., Innie C., and myself (Wayne T.)
I. Ordering
Wayne: PB&J Burger with bacon, Nashville hot chicken sandwich (split with Sumana)
Sumana: PB&J Burger with bacon, The Okie Burger, The Hot Wes Burger
Trangela: PB&J Burger with bacon, breakfast tacos, coffee
Dennis: PB&J Burger with bacon, cheesy tots
Innie: The Hot Wes Burger, Nashville hot chicken sandwich
II. The burgers
The burgers were a huge hit, and for many of us, it was the highlight (and savior) of a trip filled with mediocre and overpriced burgers. Wes spoke to us personally and told us that the burgers were made entirely of coarse ground brisket and were hand-smashed. They were very beefy, nicely seasoned, and had a great sear while staying juicy. Everybody who had the PB&J burger felt that it went very well with the rest of the burger; Angela even wanted more PB and less cheese. The onion strings were a huge hit in the burger, with the right amount of chew and crispiness, and the same could be said about the bacon.
Those that ordered the Hot Wes enjoyed them. They didn’t have a spicy kick but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing if you were looking for spicy flavor rather than heat. The queso and onion strings made for a great texture combination.
The Okie Burger brought Sumana back to Texas, reminding her of hometown favorite Whataburger, with mustard grilled patties and pickles with great flavor. She said that Southerners living in the bay area should definitely try it out if they want a slice of home.
III. The sides
The cheesy tots were awesome. The tots themselves were nicely fried, very crispy and salted. The cheese itself was very creamy and there was a generous amount of it.
Trevor really liked the breakfast tacos, saying that they tasted like how he wished the breakfast tacos in Austin tasted. He also really liked his coffee. Great flavor, and it came in a French press.
The Nashville hot chicken sandwiches were very good. The chicken was crispy and juicy, and the heat level was what some of us called “approachable,” meaning that you’d definitely know that it was there but that it shouldn’t be overwhelming to anyone who wanted to give it a try. The breading stayed crispy for a long time, and it was so crisp that Innie described it like having a crispy shell of breading.
IV. Miscellaneous
The restaurant feels like an old school diner, with a jukebox playing, bottle cap counter top, and burger paraphernalia everywhere, including an awesome neon burger sign. The tables had purse hooks under them, which is always a plus for everyone carrying a bag, and they have restrooms on site (which was more rare than we would’ve expected this trip).
Wes is a super cool guy, and despite not normally having the full burger menu available for breakfast, he told us that we could order any of the burgers once he realized how serious we were about trying them. His restaurant motto (“burgers are fun”) fits in very well with Burger Crew’s way of life.
V. Value
Everyone thought that the burger pricing was pretty spot-on, with the amounts that we would’ve paid for our burgers ranging between $12-$12.50.
VI. Rating
The burgers were almost universally praised. Out of a 5.0 point rating scale, our ratings were 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 4.2, 4.2, and 4.4, easily the highest scores of the entire trip.
This concludes Burger Crew does San Francisco! Our next stop: Burgers Never Say Die in Los Feliz on July 27.