Fast Food - Mission Beach Cafe

It was a VERY long week, and I needed a beer and a burger or pizza or pasta or a burrito. Something comforting. So Daniel, the ever intrepid, and I headed out to explore our still new neighborhood.

First we hit up the The Liberties Bar for a couple of beers, and then we wandered the streets pondering our options. We debated Delfina and Little Star for pizza and Range for locavore action, but we finally we settled on Mission Beach Cafe in search of a well deserved burger and fries.

I'd been there once before for brunch, but I'd been recovering from a terrible bellyache, so all I'd had was an English muffin (housemade and delicious) and some poached eggs, oh and the best cup of coffee I've had in San Francisco.

Tonight though we were there with a mission (in the Mission I might add), and we both ordered burgers (served with tomato jam, onion marmalade, and lettuce, hold the cheese). We had a choice between regular fries and truffle fries with Parmesan cheese and being the equal opportunity gluttons that we area, we decided to split one of each. We started the meal with a broccoli rabe appetizer with cherry tomatoes and anchovy butter.

The app was a little rich for me, although the combination of the tart, firm cherry tomatoes with the crunchy texture of the broccoli and the sublime saltieness of the anchovy butter made for a really good couple of bites.

Then came the long-awaited, much anticipated burgers and fries. Daniel ate a bunch of truffle fries first, and he was very, very pleased with them. I was pleased too, they had a really distinct truffley flavor, made more piquant by the Parm, but like the broccoli rabe, I could only handle a few. But no matter, that left more room for the burger. Oh do I love hamburgers. I had mine medium and added some whole grain mustard to the mix. The burger was rich and juicy and perfectly cooked. I loved the tomato jam, which had a distinctly fruity flavor and the onion marmalade. My only complaint was that the bun was a little dry and too big, so it overwhelmed the amazing grassfed Prather ranch beef wonder. But otherwise, we were very, very pleased.

And the best part of living in an apartment that is surrounded by hills in all directions is that you can eat a big ole burger and not feel guilty as long as you walk home after...