Category West
Val’s – Hayward, CA
One of the places that I did have targeted on the trip west was Val’s Burgers in Hayward, just south of Oakland. Val’s has been in business serving burgers and steaks since the 1950s. We headed down that way from Sonoma and arrived just ahead of the dinner-time rush. When we got there the waitress […]
Slow Club – San Francisco, CA
On Monday, we decided that the weather opportunity was as good as it was going to get during the rest of our visit to walk the three miles back and forth across the Golden Gate Bridge. Into San Francisco we drove. Man! I thought Atlanta traffic was miserable – the ride in through Berkley and […]
The Girl and the Fig – Sonoma, CA
One of the most pleasant food stops on our visit to wine country was the Girl and the Fig in Sonoma. We were staying in Napa and while checking the reviews for restaurants in the area, the Girl and the Fig kept being mentioned. On Monday evening we took the drive over. Sonoma is a […]
Gott’s Roadside – St. Helena and Napa, CA
Opened as Taylor’s Refresher in St. Helena in 1949, the restaurant was bought from the Taylor family by the Gott brothers and the named was changed to Gott’s Roadside a few years back. We stopped for a late lunch on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the original location in St. Helena. At 2:00, there were […]
Joe’s Cable Car – San Francisco, CA
When I found that I had to be in Northern California for a meeting, I consulted all of my “burger sources”. With diligent preparation, I had multiple places that I intended to hit when we were in the Bay Area. Before we left, I looked at who was open on what days and ranked my […]
Marty’s Hamburger Stand – Los Angeles, CA
Late in August, I had the chance to be in Los Angeles, for a day. With a little time to kill between meeting’s end and my flight home, the opportunity to continue my quest arose. Driving down the 405, the next logical stop was on Pico Boulevard, in West LA. Cruising east on Pico, we […]
Western Steakburger – San Diego, CA
As we’re in the car, leaving Hodad’s, reveling in the glory of the burger when a thought occurs to me, “When , exactly, am I going to be THIS close to another burger joint, on my list, all the way across the country?” How could I argue with that logic. I put the address for […]
Hodad’s – Ocean Beach, CA
On a west coast swing in April of 2011, we made the journey south from LA to Ocean Beach to visit Hodad’s, a true California burger stand. Open air, just steps from the beach (approximately 79-82), with burgers served in wax paper. (Note the bald man, in the doorway wearing a blue shirt. It is […]
The (Original) Hard Rock Cafe – Empire, CO
For the Thanksgiving break last, we realized this might be the last opportunity that the four of us would have to get away together from a scheduling standpoint, so we took it. We decided that it would be the perfect time to head west and went skiing in Winter Park, CO. After two days on […]
The Apple Pan – Los Angeles, CA
Looking back, this is the first burger place that I can find of which I took a picture – The Apple Pan in Los Angeles. Madison and I went to Los Angeles for her 16th birthday get-away. Before we left, I googled “best burger los angeles” and this was one of the places that popped […]
Burgers, Barbecue and Everything Else 