It’s been ages since I’ve managed to have enough burgers for another installment, but I finally managed to eat enough. This time, the burgers from Monsieur Benjamin, Alexander Steakhouse and Chez Maman go against the amazing burger from Comstock Saloon (the current top) to see if any of them can beat it!
1. Monsieur Benjamin
Another burger that has been on my list for a while, my burger club headed here right before the shelter-at-home orders came in, so the restaurant itself was very quiet on the night we arrived. The burger itself isn’t cheap (at $24), but it comes fully dressed with comte cheese and fries. It looked absolutely spectacular with a thick patty with melty cheese and a pile of fries on the side. You can even order the homemade aioli on the side to dip the fries into. The burger was pretty fantastic tasting as well. The burger was cooked to perfection (perhaps more on the rare side of medium rare) and had a nice meaty mouthfeel. It really was one of the best burgers I’ve ever put into my mouth!
2. Alexander Steakhouse
Alexander Steakhouse was my first burger that I had since COVID struck. They had burger kits online to prepare at home consisting of a wagyu beef burger, onion jam, green tomato ketchup, pickles, lettuce and tomato. It was definitely on the pricey side at $25 a burger, but it was cheaper than the burgers on their menu, coming in at over $30. (Perhaps because it doesn’t come with any sides.) I decided to try it one night, so I took it home and prepared. Sadly, there wasn’t much in the way of instructions, but I managed to get a great medium rare and assemble the burger. Sadly, it really was not worth the money as everything seemed a bit underseasoned. Perhaps if there was a note that the beef needed some salt, I would have put some on, but even then the onion jam and ketchup were also quite bland.
3. Chez Maman
The last burger I tried this round was the burger from Chez Maman. There is a location quite close to the house, and we needed some food after a long day of driving. While the mussels were tempting (and as it turned out very delicious), I opted to get the burger, purely for blog research. The burger comes on a ciabatta roll, and there are many options, and I went with brie and bacon, two of my favorite things. Now, the burger may look like it is lacking in toppings, and that is because the toppings came in my salad box, unknown to me, so I ate them with my salad. However, their onions were quite good, so I can imagine the burger would have been even better. The brie and bacon went well with the burger patty, even if the patty itself felt a bit close textured and more like a meatloaf. It was really well seasoned though, so I was pretty happy overall.
Winner: Monsieur Benjamin
That’s right. After much deliberation, I’ve decided that the Monsieur Benjamin burger is slightly (just slightly) better than the burger from Comstock Saloon. While I do love the meatiness the gravy provides from Comstock, the burger from Monsieur Benjamin really just ticked all the boxes for what I am looking for in a good burger. Is it the best burger in San Francisco? I’m still on the journey to find out!
My current top five:
1. Monsieur Benjamin
2. Comstock Saloon
3. Black Sands Brewery
4. Wayfare Tavern
5. Fort Point Brewery
Honorable mentions:
Classic toppings/burgers:
Gaspar
Nopa
Epic Steak
4505 Burgers and Barbecue
Magnolia Brewing
The Showdown
Spruce
Little Creatures Brewery
Unusual toppings/burgers:
City Beer Store
The Saratoga
ABV
Biergarten
Son’s Addition
Multiple toppings/burgers:
Papa Mak’s
Brickhouse
Super Duper Burgers
Sides:
Umami Burger
Wes Burger ‘n’ More
