Spruce

publish Part of a series on The best burger in the bay area.

Went here 2022-12-27. Their walk-in bar menu has a $25 burger!

There’s a catch to that price — basic add-ons cost you:

• $7 for their chef-recommended Taleggio cheese.
• $2 for any other cheese.
• $2 for additional toppings such as caramelized mushrooms, onions, a fried egg, and avocado.

The burger came with lettuce, tomato, pickled onions, and spiral-cut pickles. I didn’t request more than that, so this is a review of the $32 burger containing just the basics plus the Taleggio.

As a bonus I’ll also review the same burger in $27 form with only white cheddar added on - this is what Sharon bought and I took a few bites.

The full review

(Skip to the bottom to read how I derived the unusualness factor) 9.5/10. I loved this burger. It’s legitimately the best I’ve had so far. But it’s not perfect so let me break down my review.

What I liked:

• The ground beef was spiced evenly (i.e. the ground beef itself was seasoned), cooked perfectly medium rare, and there was just the right amount of it (1/2lb) to complement the toppings.
• The Taleggio cheese was a great addition to the burger. It basically tasted like a less rich version of brie. Its texture was firm so it couldn’t drip and it complemented the savory/punchy taste of the seasoned beef amazingly.
• The pickled toppings were all clearly made in-house and the fresh vinegar flavor was great.
• The condiments - ketchup, mustard, and ranch - were also made in-house. I’m not a mustard nor ranch person but I liked both which is unusual. Having great ketchup definitely affects my vote positively.
• Overall the burger wasn’t greasy! It was juicy and that inevitably spilled into the dish but it didn’t feel overly oily in any bite. That’s a big plus.

What I didn’t like:

• The English muffin bun. Like the sauces it was clearly made in-house, but it was doughy and not meaningfully toasted so there was no crunch. It tasted better than something off the shelf at a grocery store, but I think most non-greasy burger buns from another burger restaurant would have been an improvement over this.
• The burger violated the Warren’s long burgers principle. This is doubly sad because it totally didn’t need to if had the bun been smaller. Even after pressing firmly I couldn’t take a proper bite of the sandwich.
  • Do expensive burger places just enjoy doing this? Looking at you, Miller and Lux.
• This doesn’t affect the rating but I’m rather disappointed that the overall burger wasn’t presented as a standalone dish and was more of a build-your-own meal. I would have loved for the chef to recommend the ingredients and have that be the default - as it stands, I feel I might have missed out on trying some really great grilled mushrooms. And the toppings all arrived disassembled on the side of the burger (but maybe this method prevents sogginess).
  • I’m actually quite glad the side toppings were plain btw - this means a lower unusualness rating.

This burger came with fries.

Overall, this was a pricey burger that was legitimately worth it. I could have eaten another one right after and loved it. Notably, the cheese played a huge role in how much I liked the burger:

Numerical rating and justification

$32 burger w/ Taleggio:

• 9.5/10
• 2.75/10 unusualness due to:
  • Taleggio (+1.5)
  • English muffin bun (+1)
  • Pickled onion (+0.25 as onions are staple but it’s unusual to pickle them)

$27 burger w/ white cheddar:

• 8.75/10
• 1.25/10 unusualness (same as above minus the Taleggio)

I didn’t expect the cheese to play so heavy a role in me liking it. But I stand by that. The pairing of savory meat and cheese is a known good combination but it’s tricky to make work with particularly rich cheeses (e.g. when eating charcuterie, you don’t typically eat salami with brie as the two together are too greasy). This cheese has the rich taste of brie without contributing too much greasiness. I think it’s a perfect addition to a burger and I’m glad I got to try it here.