Wayfare Tavern in SF: Great Burger By Celeb Chef Tyler Florence

I've always been a big fan of Tyler Florence's recipes and cookbooks but had never tried his restaurants so it was a treat trying Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco. It delivered. Since his horseradish burger is one of my faves to make at home when I'm not going to Houston's, I figured I'd try the burger. It was solid, as were the fries. Don't let his fame deter you from trying his very good food. I myself am allergic to celeb chefs but he defies the stereotype.

The brioche bun was perfectly soft and fresh while dense enough to hold the hearty patty, which was cooked a solid medium rare with a nice meaty flavor and just the right consistency. I thought the brie would be too overpowering for the patty but it was on the mild side and nicely melted. The caramelized red onions were sweet and I asked for the bacon on the side as I find bacon to be a distraction in good burgers. Don't get me wrong. I love a nice, crispy bacon as much as the next person but when it comes to burgers, you gotta leave the patty alone. You can also add a fried egg on top but as much as love a fried egg on anything, I resisted to stay true to my rather purist tendencies when it comes to a burger.

I also liked the pickles that tasted home-made for their low sodium content. They were refreshing without being like the overly pickled, sadly shriveled, super salty and vinegary commercial pickles.

Let's talk fries. They were crispy and not over-salted. Approved!


We also shared a nice fig and pork belly salad with some greens as a starter. I realize the choice of pork belly as a starter for a full-on, meaty burger may not have been the wisest one and I did regret it momentarily but thankfully the salad ended up not being as heavy and the figs were super sweet -- a great complement to the salty pork belly chunks.


Another bonus was the complimentary brioche bread served before our meal arrived. It was fluffy and I chowed it down slathered in creamy butter even though I had a whole bun waiting for me. I didn't mind the carb overload because it seemed light and not too dense. Oh, and I walked it off.

I'd definitely like to return in the evening and try its extensive wine and beer selection.

Mohawk Bend in Echo Park: Great Beer Selection and Ambiance, Soso Food

I loved that Mohawk Bend gastropub is a converted theater. Even the sign outside was left as a marquee. The decor inside was great too. Great selection of microbrews. The problem? The food.

I didn't like the Buffalo style cauliflower but that may be because I don't love buffalo wings. Not my favorite. We also had the chop salad that included corn, broccoli, avocado, romaine, red bell pepper, potato and tomatoes drizzled with roasted red pepper dressing. The vegetables were cooked crisp and the salad was good but it wasn't anything special.






Then we had the namesake burger that came with arugula, pancetta, grated Parmesan cheese, red onion, pickled chili, roasted red pepper and spread on the bun was some rosemary-garlic aioli. I added cheese at extra cost, which is outrageous. And fries were extra too. Inconceivable. We had asked for medium rare and it was a bit overcooked but I didn't want to send it back because I was hungry.



Let's dissect this burger. The bun was fine -- not too dense and soft and fresh enough. The patty was on thin side for a $14 burger. The quality of the meat wasn't stellar. Definitely above average but trailing that of Houston's (of course), Rustic Canyon, Lazy Ox Canteen and Bowery. The patty also wasn't ground evenly so some of the chunks were chewy, which on a positive note could give a sense of it being ground on-site and not at some huge factory that churns out its patties from a metal dispenser machine. But it wasn't a good feeling chewing a bit piece of fatty piece that hadn't been ground properly. The works were fine but as a purist, I contend that there was too much going on. Too many flavors and textures can work against itself. The accompanying cole slaw was bland. Pickle was inedible.

The fries were just fries you'd expect at some dive bar, not a foodie gastropub that takes its food seriously. Disappointed again. I liked that they were piping hot when they arrived and weren't over salted though. Brownie points for that.
  
Don't get me started on the Margherita pizza. The dough was worse than Domino's (although it's been a while since I've had that) -- thick, overly doughy and tough. Nothing like the airy, fluffy and light pizza crust it should be. The beauty of the true Neapolitan pizza or any pizza I've had in Italy, for that matter, is that they're light, super thin and very easy on the cheese and sauce. Execution on this one was bad.

The garlicky kale salad that came chili and jicama strips was refreshing but as they say, it is hard to mess up a kale salad. Man, that sounded mean. I don't have any hard feelings for this place, by the way. I was just disappointed because I had high hopes and I was so taken by the decor upon entering.

Service was great though and very attentive.

We had the beer flight and those are always a treat. I had one that tasted very unusual -- like maple syrup but more savory -- but of course I forgot the name.

Unfortunately, the finale was disappointing too. The berry shortcake was nothing like I imagined. I wanted a berry shortcake a la Sweet Lady Jane, fresh berries sandwiched between super moist cake and the fluffiest cream. I think I need a refresher at SLJ soon to detox from this dry and overly sweet version.

I'll likely return for the beer selection and stick to minimally prepared foods. Still, thanks EW for introducing me to this neighborhood joint!

The Fat Dog: Good but Expensive Burger, Fancy and Delicious (but Tiny) Potato Skins

I always drove by the Fat Dog on Fairfax but apparently never noticed it. The verdict is it's overpriced but has decent food and I'll be returning. Oh, and its burger, while a tad overpriced, is good.

What I liked about this place is that it offers a different take on classics like potato skins by adding asparagus and hollandaise sauce. It also claimed to have crab in it but I could barely taste it. The chunky bacon bits added crunch. True, the portions were small as were the potatoes themselves but they were a nice reprieve from the usual blobs of cheddar cheese swimming in a massive potato skin.

Let's talk burger. I ordered the grass-fed version from Lindy & Grundy next door that was $17 -- medium rare. The first one that came out was overcooked on a dry, day-old bun. Of course, I sent it back. The second one was better. The bun was warm and soft. The patty a bit on the fatty side (not in a good, marbling way but in a bad, chewing into a fatty knot kind of way) and too coarsely ground for my taste. The flavor of the patty was good enough, though. Not as good as the Lazy Ox burger but better than many I've had recently.

 The redeeming factor about the overpriced burger was that it came with fries, which were just above average. They were hot when they arrived and nested in the cutest little brown paper bag. The sweet potato fries we got as part of the happy hour menu (which isn't all that much cheaper, actually) were solid, if not a bit fried too many times over and on the salty side.

The beet salad was tiny and a bit overdressed but had three different kinds of beets, chevre and a hazelnut dressing that went well together. What's up with the minuscule portions?

The desserts looked more promising than they actually tasted. We got the bourbon bread pudding with chocolate topped with vanilla ice cream and some ginger donuts.

The bread pudding was pretty good but didn't blow me away.

The donuts, on the other hand, weren't edible. They were dry and terrible. Good thing they didn't charge us for them.

The place has a great beer and wine selection. Parking in the lot is free. The crowd is a bit young (or maybe I'm old) -- twentysomething hipsters -- but I won't hold it against Fat Dog.

Service by our table server was great. However, one HUGE pet peeve was that every other person working there was overly zealous to clear the table, even if we clearly hadn't finished the plate. Hey, we're still working on those two shriveled sticks of French Fries, ok?

Will return since it's in the 'hood, serves decent food and not too crowded.

Steingarten LA: Lackluster Burger & Sausage, Barely Redeemed by Beer List

I always go to where a supposedly good burger resides so made my way to Steingarten LA in West LA. I was sorely disappointed. Not only was "The Works" burger overcooked twice (I gave up after the first time taking it back) but it wasn't even that good. In fact, the patty was flavorful enough but the sum of its parts, including the bun, toppings, etc, just didn't cut it. It's not even an average burger, I'm afraid.


The bun was far too dense and while I liked that it was toasted, that didn't help the fact that it was still too dense. I didn't feel like a lot of thought had gone into the toppings, which included tomatoes, cheddar cheese, lettuce, raw onions and Thousand Island dressing.

We tried the Bratwurst because the owner was raving about them. Disappointing. It didn't even come close to the ones I had on the streets of Germany years ago. Then he played up the dipping sauces that he makes in-house, including a very good garlic and herb-based green sauce, that was hands-down my favorite. I think that was the one good thing about the place and smothering that sauce on the burger helped a little bit (but ultimately didn't save it).

The beet salad was too heavily sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, defeating the purpose of salad. I liked having an extensive beer list but I could get that at Biergarten, Village Idiot, Congregation Ale House in Long Beach, heck even in My Father's Office that I don't frequent much.

Sorry but I'm not returning to this joint. There are simply too many far better options out there for the same price, or even less.

Beer Belly in Koreatown: Excellent Fried Chicken & Decent Beer Selection

I had heard a lot of things about Beer Belly, a gastropub or beer joint that has decent beer choices and serious food.

My friends and I were famished by the time we got there, so we got the fried chicken strips, fish and chips (in the form of garlic, herb and parmesan fries) and a buffalo chicken mac-n-cheese. And a beer flight, of course.

I can't say I remember all the beers I've had but that's part of the fun -- trying new ones, discovering likes and dislikes. There wasn't one that I thought stood out, like Hitachino's White Rice Ale that I love. But it was fun trying a Hef, a chocolate stout-like one, etc.

The fish and chips were ok. The catfish was just not as fresh as in Arkansas. I couldn't help but pine for the ethereal fried catfish I had there, so didn't enjoy it as much as my friends. This image of the fish and chips looks like it had some lighting issues but I thought it looked like the spotlight had been placed on the fish, the supposed star of the dish.

Let's talk fries. We substituted plain chips for the garlic, herb and Parmesan fries, which were good. There was definitely a lot going on and hence a tad distracting detecting the explosion of flavors, but when those flavors are garlic, herbs and salty/nutty Parmesan, it hardly mattered.

The fries came with a few dipping sauces, including ranch and spicy ketchup that were good but not sure they needed them.

The fried chicken strips were excellent. Chicken breasts dipped in buttermilk and fried to perfection...What's not to like?

I didn't care too much for the aioli dipping sauce that came with it. Again, it didn't need it. The chicken was moist and steamy with a super crunchy exterior that made me wonder how many times they had to fry it before reaching this level of crunchiness.

Then we got the buffalo chicken mac-n-cheese. We were all ooh-ing and ah-ing when it arrived at our table with the perfunctory sizzling sound. Yes, it was like cue music to my ears (or sound effects).

I determinedly dug into the scorching hot goodness with a spoon to reveal a puff of steam. Despite its promising beginning, however, the actual flavor was on bland side and a bit too cheesy for me. It used blue cheese and maybe it's because I like blue cheese in moderation, not melted all over my mac-n-cheese.

But the most interesting thing was the crust, so to speak. It's usually sprinkled with some bacon bits but this place used chicken skin bits, which I thought was interesting. Was it tasty? Yeah but I'd take bacon bits back any day. Also, the massive chunks of chicken in the mac-n-cheese kind of threw me off because I don't usually expect there to be such large pieces of meat in my mac-n-cheese and the chicken was bland, to top it off. I liked the surprise element of the chicken skin bits but overall didn't love the dish. Can't blame them for trying though.

Overall cool vibe but the no table service is annoying -- standing in line, ordering and having to bring everything to the table, etc. Ok, I'm just lazy when it comes to eating out. I don't mind cooking the meat tableside at barbecue joints but don't make me bring all the cups, silverware and stuff! Wow, that sounded snooty. Parking was a breeze on a weekday evening -- either in the lot if you want to valet (I never do) or on the street. 

Oh and a side note, it's owned by a cute, young couple that I want to support. I do think I like the food better at Biergarten, where I recently had short rib poutine that was to die for.

Who Makes a Good, Messy Burger and Mean Potato Chips? Biergarten Does.

UPDATE: I returned several times after my first visit and I must say, I've been consistently impressed with the food. Except for the short rib poutine whose meat wasn't up to par one time, the German Fried Rice, the Korean Burger, Short Rib Poutine and Fig Salad were all excellent. Check out the images and captions below.

I had my reservations about Biergarten because it initially reminded me of those grungy beer "hofs" in Korea's college towns where the Hites and OBs are watered down, food is a greasy mess and everything comes with an unappetizing green cabbage salad with a big old squirt of mayo or thousand island dressing. But I was pleasantly surprised.

I had read good reviews on Biergarten so decided to give it a try. That it allegedly had a good burger certainly nudged me further.

The first thing we got, freshly fried ultra thin potato chips, was pretty solid. They came with a ranch dressing-like dip that was not entirely necessary. The chips were salted just right and crispy to perfection.

Let's talk burger. I had the regular burger with bacon, lettuce and tomato. The first one was overcooked so I took it back. The second one was a lot better -- cooked medium rare. The flavor of the patty was good. While I rarely met a bacon strip I didn't like, I thought the layers and layers of super thick bacon were a bit much. I liked that they weren't too fatty but 3-4 layers of bacon took away from my enjoying the patty. Then I have a major beef about the bun. The first bun was good but the second bun was cold, dense and at complete odds with the decent patty. It was almost an afterthought that someone remembered to take the buns out of a fridge. The bun needs work. Brioche buns are the way to go.

Another surprise was the roasted chicken, which is usually pre-cooked and therefore dry. But this one was juicy and roasted just enough so the skin was browned and crispy. I didn't care much for the accompanying cabbage salad with some mayo squirted over it (yes, it reminded me of my hof experiences). I should say that I don't just hold negative feelings about my hof experiences in Korea. It's part of the nostalgia one feels when walking around college towns like Shinchon. But the food and drinks weren't really what I remember them for. I remember the gigantic 500cc glasses we did one-shots with and the French fries being the only remotely edible thing on the menu.

Biergarten is a vast improvement from those joints. I'm not crazy about the sports-bar-wannabe ambiance but I will head over there if Korea plays at the next World Cup (I'm not a big fan of women's soccer, sorry).

The beer selection was impressive and I was offered an IPA flight when I couldn't decide which IPA to get with my burger. In typical Korean fashion, when asked what were the differences among the various IPAs, the server pointed to one and said, "this one is the most popular everyone orders." Come ON. If you purport to be a true gastropub or microbrewery or whatever the moniker for good food and beer is, you need to train your staff so they know and are as passionate about beer as you. Otherwise, you lose credibility.

I probably will return to try some other dishes and beers but this place needs work in terms of having servers familiarize themselves with the menu and beer, and the ambiance is not as quaint as one would like, perhaps due to the larger size of the space than, say, Village Idiot.

German Fried Rice: Rice stir-fried with some serious German sausages and veggies, all topped with a super decadent gravy that bordered on curry (did we order curry rice?) and a runny fried egg. This one didn't last very long on our table.

Short Rib Poutine: Need I say more? This was insane the first time we had it -- perfect fries sprinkled with some blue cheese (or really stinky aged brie of some kind) and smothered with short rib gravy on top. OMG! I'm proud to say my dinner companion and I one time managed to finish this off. But the second time around, unfortunately, the short rib wasn't as good. It was smelly and I didn't have a lot of it (just the fries). Great concept. It reminded me of the barbecued pork poutine from Animal, another great institution.

The Chosun One: I liked the stir-fried kimchi and spicy aoili, as well as the pickled daikon radish (I've actually used this radish pairing for my braised oxtail sliders for a Bowl outing once to pretty delicious effect if I may say so myself). I didn't love the spam (I know. Spam is big in Korea. But I couldn't get myself to have the burger with it). Otherwise, a pretty decent if not overcooked burger -- maybe at the level of the Village Idiot.

Fig Salad: Refreshing and lightly dressed, with thin slices of persimmons at the bottom of the plate and a mix of arugula and frisee, sprinkled with walnuts, figs and Parmesan shavings. Highly recommended, especially effective as a way to balance out the high fat and cholesterol content of the other menu items.