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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

TrueBurger



TrueBurger did the impossible. Somehow I felt like I had a delicious, high quality and healthy meal, even though my dinner consisted of a burger, shake and fries. And not just any fries. They were the covered in chili, cheese and sour cream kind of fries. It was kind of amazing.


It's all about good ingredients and tried and true techniques. Hand-spun milkshakes. House-ground Angus beef. Custom-made challah buns. Even their mayo is a housemade garlic aioli.Everything is made to feel like you’re getting something truly special (but not fussy by any means.)


Located in downtown Oakland, I came here with some E. Bay folks, including one friend whose last name Gong made giving her a foodie name, Ms. GorGONGzola Cheese, super easy. We started with delicious hand-spun shakes ($4.75) made with creamy vanilla ice cream and your choice of .50 add-ins (I opted for banana and peanut butter - a great combo.) The aforementioned chili cheese fries (though on the thin side - I’m a steak fries fan myself) and the spiced dill pickle were great accompaniments to their burgers, which start at $4.95.


A few weeks ago I blogged about Sam's Chowdermobile. If that was the lobster roll of my dreams, then TrueBurger has created the burger of my dreams. It was sweet and simple: a thick juicy patty on a slightly eggy bun that was smeared with just the right amount of garlic aioli and backed up by crisp lettuce and tomato. I enjoyed it without cheese or tons of condiments so all the flavors came through the way they should. Fresh. Savory. Satisfying. No special sauce or pickles, which can sometimes totally take over your burger. Just the clean taste of quality beef, spot-on seasoning, fresh veggies and one of the best buns I’ve ever tasted.


The staff and service gets an A+ too. If anything I just wished they had a bigger dining space and more tables as we had to shuffle around a bit to accommodate our party of 6. Plus, Ms. G and I were wondering why onion rings weren’t included in their offerings (it seems like such a likely choice.)


I left the restaurant feeling full but surprisingly light, not heavy or grease-laden like some burger joints will do to you. And happy. I can’t wait for my next visit to TrueBurger.


SAMIWICH'S TASTE RATING

9 comments:

Unknown said...

I love this place too, and it's in my 'hood! Though I thought the fries were a tad salty. But the burger and shake are truly top notch.

Phil Q. said...

omg i am salivating at that picture, why am i reading this at 12:12AM

bready said...

wow! that looks freakin' amazingly good!!!

Unknown said...

Once in a while I think about trying the hot dogs...but eh, how can you resist that burger????

Sami and Addie said...

@Miya & @Gong - let's all go together sometime! You should come too, @Bready!
@Phil - sorry, might be a little too far for you to travel. Btw, where's the pics of all the Shanghainese food you've been eating? :)

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure if I'm mad that you didn't invite me or that you discovered this place in my hood before me! Just joking! It's right by my work. I plan to have a shroom burger. It reminds me of the Shake Shack in NY. I waited for a shroom burger at the Shake Shack for over an hour. The cheese was oozing. Delish!

Sami and Addie said...

@Lisa - haha! This just means I'll have to make another trip to your 'hood so we can go and try shroom burgers together! :)

ricecake said...

we were just there last week. i've been meaning to visit since they opened and heard that their burgers tasted like the ones my mom and dad made at our burger restaurant.

the verdict? very, very good but my parents burgers still rock the casba (shack shake in nyc comes the closest so far).

next time you're out here in east bay, give us a call, we'd love to join you!

Sami and Addie said...

@ricecake- Hi there! Sounds like your parents had a great restaurant - is it still in business? I've heard great things about Shake Shack too - one day I hope to try it for myself! Am hoping to try Trueburger again soon - will give you guys a call next time! :)

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