Studio Diner

Ben: BAJA BURGER w/ waffle fries. Burger, med-rare, with guacamole, salsa, pepper jack cheese, lettuce and tomato on a toasted 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:

- 50’s diner meets studio movie set theme

- decent bottled beer and wine selection, no draft beer

- the guacamole and salsa aren’t overpowering and add subtle background and depth to a perfectly cooked, juicy, charbroiled flavored patty

- very friendly service

James: PATTY MELT BURGER w/ waffle fries. Burger, med-rare, with grilled onions, swiss cheese and thousand island dressing on toasted rye bread.

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: 42

NOTES:

- amazingly juicy, delicious patty

- simple, yet elegant

- pickles and tomatoes would have added at nice touch

- cool movie production style interiors with a spacious balcony, great for nice days

- criss cross fries are bomb

- open 24 hours

San Diego Burger Co

Ben: BUFFALO BURGER. Buffalo patty with lettuce, onion, tomato, cheese and thousand island dressing on a sesame seed 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: 27

NOTES:

- Seaport Village spot = plenty of outdoor dining and people watching, but also a lot of tourists and annoying people

- nothing special about the food itself but if you’re stuck here with some out-of-towners then it maybe a mediocre burger option

- even the over-sized draft beer can’t drown out the horrible sound of the music that slowly sucks the life from your soul

- like being stuck in a large outdoor elevator, but at least I have a burger and beer in hand

- reasonably priced crappy burgers, but way over priced side options

James: DOUBLE BACON CHEESEBURGER. Burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, bacon, American cheese and thousand island dressing on a sesame seed 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: 29

NOTES:

- annoying music and tourists, but otherwise pleasant

- burger meat tasted like shit

- most likely frozen and thawed

- tomato was not ripe, but bacon was pretty good and saved the bundle from getting a 1

- tastes like a fast food chain burger, but not as juicy

- don’t come here for a burger, it gives San Diego a bad name

Tiny's Tavern

Ben: DA FAMOUS SHRIMP BURGER w/ fries. Shrimp and parm patty with seasoning and zesty sauce, lettuce, tomato and red onion on a toasted sweet Hawaiian roll.

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: 42

NOTES:

- nice outdoor area and 3 pool tables

- decent beer selection, no booze

- a perfect pairing for the shrimp & burger lover in all of us

- not sure what the zesty sauce is exactly but it’s got a lot of flavor

James: DA WORKS BURGER w/ fries. Burger with sautéed mushrooms, bacon, lettuce, tomato and red onion on a toasted sweet Hawaiian roll.

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:

- sweet roll bun was really good

- burger meat tasted awesome when it first came out but slowly went downhill

- nice bundle, bacon was thick and cooked perfectly

Maloney's Tavern

Ben: SOURDOUGH BURGER w/ onion rings. Burger, medium-rare, with muenster cheese and grilled onions on sourdough toast.

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:

- downtown tavern with a downstairs bar & loads of liquor upstairs, pretty dead at lunch time

- old movie poster/library style interior

- very tasty burger with nice presentation

- grilled onions and melted cheese perfectly executed

- onion rings are amazing here

James: BIG BACON BURGER w/ fries. Burger, medium rare, with bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato on a toasted 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:

- pretty solid burger overall for a good price

- nothing out of the ordinary

- huge wall of liquor is pretty cool

The Linkery - Sort Of

This was an attempt to blog the sole burger (2 if you include the Bello Burger) at The Linkery which is a local farm fresh type of restaurant with both good drinks and good eats. I have been to the new/current location and the original location each once, this marked my third return. I was anxiously anticipating this burger which I've had once before as the morning at work crept on. This burger is notable for its fresh greens and poached egg that top it (and fresh split link if added) as well as a quality beef patty, all locally farm raised. Upon arriving at a packed restaurant due to a large wedding party's attendance we quickly discovered that they were already (at 1:30 pm on a Friday) out of the burger. This was heartbreaking for us burger bloggers, but being with a group and not wanting to relocate we endured and vowed to blog the burger later this month. Myself and fellow blogger James both ordered the reuben and added a link. I won't go into detail as to how our orders were because we blog burgers, but I will say that they were rather disappointing (lack of meat, too much toast and served in an open face manner). Another member of our party ordered the Bello Burger and seemed to have no real complaints about his order. The other two members of our group attempted to split a Hawaiian flatbread with ham only on half for the vegetarian. In addition to all the orders taking an extraordinary amount of time to come out, the flatbread came out with ham on half as ordered, but with shrimp throughout. Since neither person requested shrimp or cared for it they let the bartender know and asked if they would be making an entirely new pizza. Apparently the order was made for someone else and not us (or so they said). One of the people who ordered the flatbread no longer wanted it or to wait for an entirely new one to be made and requested a reuben instead. The server did not acknowledge this request or ask what the other person wanted and instead walked back to the kitchen. The bartender apologized and let us know that they would make a new flatbread and get it out as soon as possible. After another long period of time the server came out with a reuben and set it on the bar with no explanation. Everyone was confused including the bartender and he apologized and did not charge us for the reuben or the side order of cornbread the people who ordered the flatbread split. The monetary compensation was appreciated, especially since the poor service could not be acknowledged with a small tip since gratuity was included (18%).

That all being said, my first two experiences were rather rosy compared to this one and the food there is still something special. So even if the service was rather dismal this one day and the food and drink a little high in price everyday, we will still persevere and revisit The Linkery to blog it's burger and not hold any of this past experience against it, because we are after all unbiased bloggers.

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."