Zuni: Where Amazing (Hamburgers) Happens
1658 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102-5949
(415) 552-2522
Price: $15 (+$1.75 for Beecher's Flagship Cheese); + $6.00 for fries
Welcome to the most expensive edition of Bread.Meat.Bread yet! In this episode, Megan and Charlie fork over $35 each to a waiter who acted all judgey, as if they didn't belong there! PSHAW, waiter man! After Megan and Charlie ordered their beers, he even had the audacity to ask whether they would be ordering food. Imeancomeon, it's not like they looked homeless! Not only did they order burgers, but fries too! What fancy pants these two were wearing! Oh, they'll be back waspy old waiter man!
After their meal, Charlie sits down to write Megan a letter about their evening together.
Megan, did you know Zuni means “delicious ball of cow” in Swahili? I’m lying, it doesn’t…but it should (!), because that’s what this was: a delicious. Ball. Of cow. Wouldn’t you agree?
Our short visit to Zuni Café left us lighter in the wallet, but heavier in the saddle…isn’t that some law of physics or something?
Anyway, I thought the house-ground, 1/3 lb, Marin Sun Farms patty was served up perfectly, medium rare/rare, and with every bite that great burger juice was released. As you know Megan, this is the hallmark of any top-notch burger. The quality and flavor of the beef was exquisite and the accouterments added to – and did not distract from – the flavor. As we’ve experienced before, this can be a real issue. The grilled rosemary focaccia bun was fresh, moist and served as a great compliment to the garlic aioli and the buttery house – “Zuni” - pickles. What a rich combination! Megan, I know you thought the rosemary foccaccia bun was delicious too but cumbersome and a bit large for the patty. You should have seen Megan trying to keep that thing together just long enough to shove it in her mouth! While I agree the bun-to-burger ratio was off, I though the bun held the burger with great grace. Personally, I thought the bun could have used a few more seconds on the grill; I really like that crunch, as I reminded you while I was getting no crunch…but now I’m just nitpicking. I know we disagree on this point.
I was expecting the pickles to be intense, but they worked well with the whole construction, wouldn’t you say, Megan? I’m glad we splurged for the Beecher’s Flagship cheese – a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese if for no other reason then to say we ordered the Beecher’s Flagship cheese. I thought the side of ketchup and mustard was a nice touch, but wholly and totally unnecessary; this burger needed NO such crutches.
And how can we forget that heaping pile of perfectly salted shoe-string fries!? Honestly, Megan, if it weren’t for that six-year-old towhead stuffing her face with fries at the table across from us, we probably would have failed to order the fries….and that would have been a sin. Megan, I know you hoped we wouldn't eat every single fry...good thing the waiter pried the plate from our hands, or else we would have. God bless towheads!
What a delicious overall meal and one of the best burgers to date..
Heaping Mound O' Fries...
Accouterments: House-ground hamburger on grilled rosemary focaccia with garden lettuces, garlic aïoli, and Zuni pickles and onions.
Beer with Burger: Charlie:Sierra Nevada Pal Ale, bottle; $5.50. Megan: Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout, bottle; $7.
Beer Selection: Limited. No Draft beers and about 10 overpriced bottles. I toyed with the idea of getting the $10 Saison Dupont, but I couldn't justify purchasing a $10 beer after purchasing a $20+ burger with fries.
Ambiance: We wondered aloud whether the waiter was snotty or awkward, and then, wait a minute, realized we didn't care! An upscale restaurant on a street corner with lots of windows. The bar isn't for eating but rather for drinking and standing only. The greater bar area consists of a handful of two-tops at the front of the restaurant which are available for walk-ins.
Rating: 1.5 Standard deviations above the mean
