Neighborhood

Ben: MARSALA MUSHROOM BURGER. Burger, medium rare, with sautéed wild mushrooms, swiss cheese and marsala wine sauce on a cibatta bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 43

NOTES:

- kinda trendy downtown bar, but in a good way

- great happy hour, 2-4-1 local drafts

- a great straight forward, not overcooked burger, actually medium rare, as ordered

- no ketchup, get over it

- don’t bother with the fries unless you get the sweet potatoes

- jalapeno mac & cheese is excellent

James: NEIGHBORHOOD BURGER. Burger, medium rare, with carmelized onions, blue gruyere cheese and pepper greens on a ciabatta bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 44

NOTES:

- contemporary clean design

- great happy hour (4-7)

- amazing selection of beer and wine

- ciabatta style bun

- they actually cooked the burger medium rare, so don’t get rare unless you want it bloody

- no ketchup, who cares?

- tasty!

Tommy's World Famous Hamburgers

Some of you may have seen these places around. It's a west coast chain that was apparently started in Los Angeles and eventually become a small family owned and operated chain. We had not intended to blog the burgers here since it was a chain and that goes against our burger mission for finding the best "San Diego burger experience", but sometimes you're hungry. The location we visited is on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. next to Kearny Mesa Bowl. After throwing some frames we decided it would be a good idea to grab a burger here and see what they were all about, sans blog. These are supposed to be world famous burgers and they are apparently know for their chili as well, which they smother everything on the menu in. This is an okay concept in theory, but very poorly executed. I got a double cheese burger with chili and all other toppings. James got a triple cheese burger with chili and everything. Our friend got a double cheese burger with chili and everything, and fries. The only good thing about any of these orders were the fries. The burgers were tasteless boiled patties and the chili was equally as dull. The mustard and tomato were the only thing that stood out. James was unable to finish his burger due to the lack of taste and quality. We all felt a blog would not be adequate here because you can't give less than a 1 for any category. Instead of the blog I offer you this one quote to sum up the experience:

"This was the most unaccommodating burger I've ever had. It ushered nothing into my mouth except the foul taste of shame and regret."

Big Kahuna's

Ben: BIG KAHUNA BURGER. Burger with monteray jack & chedar cheese, tomato, red onion, fine cut cabbage, mayo, ketchup and mustard on a sweet Hawaiian roll bun, toasted.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 41

NOTES:

- tiki hut style bar

- this burger is massive, including the bun

- daily fresh made buns, very tasty and very large

- nothing fancy about the bundle but the sheer size is intimidating, it nearly engulfs the entire serving basket

James: TERIYAKI BURGER. Burger with teriyaki sauce, cabbage, grilled pineapple, tomato and red onion on a sweet Hawaiian roll, toasted.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 44

NOTES:

- shared onion rings

- boldest burger ever!

- loaded with mini teriyaki ninjas that deliver pineapple roundhouse kicks to your taste buds that chuck Norris would be proud of

- Hawaiian sweet roll bun is massive, baked fresh daily

- chill island atmosphere and the owner is cool

Blueberry Hill Gourmet Hamburgers

Ben: GRAND THRILLS w/ fries. Burger with lettuce, tomato, pickle, jalapeno, pepperoncini, bbq sauce, American cheese and bacon on a bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 40

NOTES:

- kind of a build it your own style type menu

- Wednesdays – free draft with each entrée

- interior has potential, but a little too similar to Corvette Diner with out as much flare

- burger meat was perfectly handmade, slightly crumbly, but very delicious and juicy

- fries-a-plenty

- music kinda blows, but it could just be the xmas season

James: GRAND THRILL w/ fries. Burger with lettuce, tomato, pickle, pepperoncini, jalapeno, euro-style (swiss cheese and sautéed mushrooms) on a bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 41

NOTES:

- create your own burger format = plenty ‘o options

- burger patty was cooked perfectly

- bun could be a little bigger

- décor is a little disappointing

- kinda wants to be a sports bar/corvette diner

- pretty solid option for the o.b. area