With Memorial Day fast approaching we posit the question: Is there anything more American than the burger?
We really don't want an answer, mind you. We used posit in that first sentence, so we automatically win. But you can have the consolation prize: Some burger ideas for Monday.
Belcampo owns and sustainably manages farms in California, Belize and Uruguay- pastured and free range cattle, pork, lamb, goat, turkey, chicken, duck, quail, pheasant and squab- they are the farm, the processor, AND the butcher. Belcampo controls the entire process from breeding to feeding, farming, processing, butchering and selling, providing meats directly from farm to table.
I’ve been following Belcampo for some time as they are due to open Belcampo Meat Co. here in the Bay Area this summer. As soon as I saw the Facebook event for their May Meat Up, I was all over it! So yesterday I headed out to Jack London Square to claim a kebab of that 100% grass-fed deliciousness.
Belcampo’s Meat Ups are held at Blue Bottle Coffee here in Oakland. IMHO, Blue Bottle Coffee is one of THE BEST coffee roasters in the Bay Area- they pride themselves in very fresh, high quality beans that are roasted on vintage gear, put in compostable bags, and out to the public within 48 hours.
I arrived right at noon and the Belcampo crew was already hard at work grilling and serving.
I ordered my plate and had to wait all of 2 minutes before it was handed to me- one perfectly grilled beef kebab, with a minty yogurt sauce and carrot slaw on the side as well as piece of grilled flat bread to soak up all that yummy goodness! The cupping room at Blue Bottle was set up with table, chairs, and utensils and after ordering a cup of coffee, I settled in to enjoy my meal.
And it was perfection! All of the flavors worked so well together- the meat was a very good portion (about 8 ounces), juicy and tender, and the carrot slaw added a pleasant crunch. I was torn between wrapping everything up in the flat bread to nosh or just dipping the meat and bread in the yogurt-mint sauce and eating the slaw separately. I opted for a little bit of both and feasted. When I finally left, I was incredibly satiated and happy to have supported two great local purveyors!
Belcampo hosts their Meat Ups every month so be sure to follow them on Facebook or Twitter to find out the specifics of the next Meat Up in June! I’ll see you there!
After burning a trillion calories at my 6am spin class this morning, after breakfast, I was hungry again by 11am; however, it wasn’t until 11:50 that I was able to step foot into Christopher’s Burgers on College Avenue here in Oakland. (Since spin class is every Wednesday, I figure that’s the day of the week I will actually earn my burger so expect to see a burger review most every Wednesday! Now that’s a great incentive to motivate!)
Even though it was pretty close to lunch time, when I walked in, it was empty. Either I eat way too early or I just keep getting lucky with no waits and empty burger joints!
Worn hardwood floors, very small, very clean, very casual and very homey! Pulled up to the counter to place my order…
… and I was a little stumped! They have a lot of tantalizing combinations and I was torn between the Blackened Guacamole Burger or the Pesto and Oven Dried Tomato Burger. And check out their menu below- no need to have beef if you don’t want to, they also offer a salmon burger, turkey burger, lamb burger, chicken and pork sausage burger, and a veggie-tofu burger. SO MANY CHOICES!!! (Definitely coming back to try that salmon burger!)
I asked the cashier if the Blackened Burger was spicy and she said, “No, just very flavorful!” and I was sold. One Blackened Guacamole Burger and a side of fries coming up!
I guess I’m more of a sissy when it comes to spice than the cashier because I found this burger most definitely spicy! Flavorful, yes, spicy, yes but not inedible- grabbed a fountain soda to wash down the spice and happily chomped on down! 
Christopher’s Burgers is known for choice-cut organic beef with less fat. They trim, grind and hand-pack each burger daily. The patty itself was a good size but, as you can see, got pretty messy as the damp lettuce mixed with the spices on the burger, drip drip dripping on to the plate and my lap. I just hate that.
The bun was very fresh and soft, and- even though I completely forgot to order it- they also offer a wheat bun as an option at no additional cost. The fries, however, BLECK. Typical frozen and reheated type of thick-cut fries dusted with a little salt. My 5 year old son even said, “These taste weird. They’re not rough.” I dunno what that means, exactly, but the only thing that saved the fries was Christopher’s homemade aioli. They also have regular and chipotle mayo as well but I opted for the straight aioli and happily dipped my fries in that- oh so indulgent and delish!
I’m going to give Christopher’s 3.5 out of 5 stars this time because of those fries, the mess the patty made, and the spiciness of the burger; however, I promise to go back and try and different type of burger and fry combo (they also serve waffle fries and shoestring fries- one has just got to be a winner!) and review once again.
Christopher’s Burgers does not have a website, but you can find them here:
5295 College Ave
(between Bryant Ave & Clifton St)
Oakland, CA
(510) 601-8828
I love strawberries but never get to eat them. As soon as a pint arrives in my fridge, the kids gobble them up like candy and I’m left with not one bit of fresh strawberry goodness whatsoever.
Hmph.
So when this month’s issue of Cooking Light arrived with an awesome feature on all things strawberry, I was inspired… so off to the store we went and picked up a huge pallet, that’s 12 pints total, to be exact.
First thing up was Cooking Light’s No Bake Fresh Strawberry Pie. I followed the directions for the most part but refuse to make a crust. Uh uh, no way. I mean yes I am physically able to make a pie crust from scratch but just way too lazy when there are so many types of pre-made crusts available. And, whadya know, I found a chocolate crust and was set. Here’s my adaptation:
1. If you forgot to thaw the whipped cream like Yours Truly, just put the frozen tubs in a bowl of cold water for about 20 minutes, like so, problem solved! (Do not use hot water or you will cook the Cool Whip. There are 2 tubs here because I made 2 pies- one for us, one for our neighbors.)
It was very, very tasty and my hubby was super, super bummed as he does not eat dairy and this pie is FULL of it! The kids and I loved it as it was pretty sweet- made my cheeks sweat. Reading the comments on the original recipe, I am really glad I bought the pre-made crust as readers said the homemade one did not hold up to the juiciness of the strawberry mixture. If you make this, be sure to mix the cream cheese and whipped cream REALLY REALLY well as biting down on chunks of cream cheese may seem indulgent, but just a tad too rich. Also, measure the ingredients for the strawberry mix accurately as too much of any one thing makes this pie very runny.
I also made Cooking Light’s Strawberry Mint Limeade…
There are so many wonderful food & drink events going on in the Bay Area this weekend! Here is a list of what’s going on for your scheduling pleasure- please let me know if you’ll be at any of these events!
photo courtesy Oakland Greek Festival
Oakland Greek Festival, May 18-19-20, 2012. Fabulous Greek food, drink, music, dance and much, much, more! Come join me on Friday for some delicious gyros and baklava!
photo courtesy Ghiradelli Square
Uncorked! Wine Festival at Ghirardelli Square, May 19, 2012- I will be there all day Saturday enjoying wines from more than 50 top-tier wineries, live entertainment, cooking demonstrations and wine education seminars!
photo courtesy Fun Cheap SF
Also this Saturday is Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. It starts with a tour where you can meet the market’s farmers and explore seasonal produce to make your own Food Revolution dinner!
photo courtesy Chop Bar
On Sunday May 20th, Linden Street Brewery is partnering with Chop Bar to host their monthly Hog Wild Pig Roast from 4:30-8pm: $20 for all the pig you can eat and $4 pints or 3 for $10 PLUS jumpy houses for the kids! I am going to try my best to make this one although the pig may freak the kids out… we’ll see…
photo courtesy East Bay Express
And if one pig roast isn’t enough for you, check out Adesso’s Pig Party on Sunday, May 20th, 2-6pm. Your $30 ticket covers all the food you can eat and drinks will be a la carte, stop by the restaurant or call to reserve your tickets.
Where will you be noshing this weekend? Any other great eating and drinking fests going on? Please leave a comment letting me know where you will be feasting! 
I bought a HUMONGOUS pallet of gorgeous strawberries yesterday and have been working hard to concoct some delicious recipes but realized that it would be pretty silly to start a blog called The Hamburger Blogger and then write about strawberries so, to kick-off, here’s my first burger review: Flipside on Lakeshore Avenue here in Oakland.
Since I’m in the midst of training for my second marathon, I’m constantly hungry so when I walked into Flipside at 11:30am today, I was very happy to see that I wouldn’t have to wait too long to be served…
Hahaha- I beat the lunch rush!
But then I took a look at the menu. It’s huge. So many options of meat, buns, toppings, and sides that I was stumped.
They have salads on the menu too, but that’s not really the point, right?
Since this was my first time to Flipside, I- after 15 minutes of debating- finally opted for their Classic Burger on a Classic Bun with a side of Classic Fries. Boring, I know, but I believe the true success of a burger joint lies in its basics- the better the basics, the better the rest! I’ll be more adventurous the next time, I promise. (Their Hangover Burger with fried egg, applewood smoked bacon, and Tabasco mayo looks incredibly promising!)
It took less than 10 minutes from ordering to receiving my burger- very impressive! I ordered my lunch to go as I was running tight on time but when it arrived, I could not help but open the box and get a good whiff of all that meaty and potatoey goodness!
… come to mamma…
And then I had to have a bite… and then just one more… might as well try the fries while I’m at it, and then I was officially running late so I boxed the burger back up and headed off to pick up my kids from school.
Not too proud to chow down in the car!
I really enjoyed the Flipside burger! The patty was a very generous size, even a tad bigger than the bun and the meat is hormone free. It was seasoned well and juicy but not drippy at all- I ordered it cooked medium and it was a perfect pinkish-gray. The produce is all local and incredibly fresh- the lettuce, tomato, and red onion extremely crisp, ample, and flavorful. The bun was very soft and fluffy but did get a little watered down as a result of the condensation from being- even though briefly- in the to go box.
Now the fries, WOO BOY! They were DELISH! I like my fries very hot and that they were as well as perfectly crisped on the outside- not one burned one in the bunch. I added a little salt and pepper, because I’m daring like that, and gobbled them up which is rare for me. Usually, as soon as the fries get cold, I’m over it but these were so good I kept right on eating!
All in all, I would give Flipside 4 stars out of 5. I really like how many options are available on the menu but I’m taking away one star because the Classic was just that- classic. Very, very good and satisfying but not completely outstanding.
And The Best Hamburger hunt continues…
As of tomorrow, I will have had my 1st blog for one whole year and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to start another blog about an entirely different subject! A subject that most of the free world already writes about… you might have already guessed from the title… yes.. this is YET ANOTHER food blog.
You’re welcome.
It’s alright though, I don’t mind if you don’t.
I decided to name this blog The Hamburger Blogger after my favorite food because I, obviously, LOVE burgers. I love all food, so far, but there is something about a burger that just makes me incredibly and undeniably happy, satisfied, and full. Everywhere I go, I have to try the burger. I’ve had a LOT of burgers. I could eat a burger right now, in fact.
Burger + Belini at Luka’s Taproom
Nevertheless, this blog is not going to be just about burgers, it’s going to be all about food in general- my cooking endeavors as well as my epicurean adventures. I attended culinary school for 2 years, was a caterer for 3, and worked in the fine dining industry for a decade, so my tastes are sundry. I am constantly collecting recipes, grocery shopping, cooking, thinking about cooking and going out to eat. Healthy eating is, generally, my goal but not all the time… I mean, I bleed hamburger meat and we all know that is NOT diet food! Everything in moderation, right?
While I have tasked myself with trying every single burger in Oakland, I also have a bucket list of new Bay Area restaurants I need/must/demand/desire to go to and aim to share those experiences with my readers.
Yours Truly dying and going to heaven at The French Laundry
So welcome, dear readers- please pull up a chair and a napkin and enjoy… on set for tomorrow: what to do with all these gorgeous strawberries???
Berkeley Bowl Bounty!!!!
