Back on the Burger Hunt

Imagine my excitement when the waitress at Absinthe slid this hunk a-hunk o' burning love towards me. I do love me a good burger, and before I'd left for NY, Absinthe's held top honors in my book. (Schiller's is my Big Apple fave—perfect for a hangover.) Of course, the menu had been updated while I was gone. No longer do they have the caramelized mushrooms as an option. But no matter, I was thrilled to see a spicy onion and gorgonzola combination had taken its place and ordered it along with a side of fries tout suite.

Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving. Oh sure, the tangled mess of onions were lovely, though not as spicy as I'd like. And they sure as heck didn't make up for the Niman Ranch patty, which was so underseasoned, I wondered if they'd even put any salt in it at all. On top of the blah-ness of the beef was the unwieldy herb bun; it was so dense, I had to chuck the top half and eat the damn thing like an open-faced sandwich—so not what I'm looking for when I'm jonesing for a burger that i can scoop up with both paws and mow down sans use of silverware. What a let-down. Oh well, at least the fries were munch-worthy as ever. I alternated back and forth between aioli and mustard then ketchup and malt vinegar and back again.

Next time I hit Absinthe for brunch, I think I'll go with what JC had: delightfully fluffy pain de mie French toast with orange-ricotta filling, fresh berries compote and maple syrup. In the mean time, I'm back on the hunt for the best burger that SF has to offer.