RoShamBro’s are at it again. This time we went to a place in downtown Sacramento called Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Company. We’ve heard that this place has good beer and great mixed drinks and that they change their burger every night, sounds like a place we may be checking out more than once. So as we arrived, we sat at the bar to enjoy a brew before we were seated at the patio. (which was decorated very “recycled eclectic”) Reclaimed wood pallets for walls and rain gutters for planters were a nice touch! Now on to the burger!

All three of us ordered the burger of the night cooked medium rare, which happened to be a hot one… Habanero Jack cheese over a secret mixture of beef (i’m guessing somewhere close to 80%-20%) with bacon on top, and the perfectly toasted bun slathered with jalapeño aioli. Top that with some of the spiciest red peppers I’ve ever tasted. Then add some arugula because this delicacy is not yet spicy enough. In a word, it was Freaking Hot (ok 2 words). However, even though it was hot, I still give them an A+ for nailing the burger they were going for! Also for nailing the medium-rare on all 3 burgers! Definitely a must try. We will be going back.

RoShamBurger was at it again and this time we went to BARWEST on Jst.   This place has quickly established itself as a popular starting spot in the Sacramento bar scene.

When we sat down we were immediately greeted and our waitress took our drink orders.  We were pleasantly surprised by thier selection of brews on tap.  I went with Rubicon’s Monkey Knife Fight and my RSB counterparts ordered a Racer 5.

After looking at the menu, we were salivating while reading the burger options which ranged from the classic cheeseburger to the bbq burger.   I went with the server’s mushroom burger suggestion and the other burgers ordered were the classic cheese and the control burger(bacon cheese).    Normally, I would break each burger down individually for you but in this case it’s not necessary.   All burgers had a similar quality and taste.  Each burger was juicy and flavorful with a perfect soft buttery bun.  There was an ample amount of quality cheese and the produce was excellent as well.   Barwest puts a “special sauce” on their burgers which added to the character of the burger.  Needless to say, the RoShamBurgers were very satisfied with our meal and would definitely recommend BARWEST for a future burger stop.  The only “beef” we had with our meal, and I must say a bit perplexing too, is that they boast ”Creekstone angus beef” and  their patty’s are “ground fresh daily,” yet they won’t cook it medium rare…  they only cook it medium – well.  If their beef is of the quality and freshness they are selling it to be, then why not medium rare?

On a side note, we also had the onion rings.  They were fantastic.  Crispy, juicy, salty, and an excellent dipping sauce.  I highly reccommend the rings as a starter.  All in all, Barwest held up to RSB’s high standards.

Samuel Horne’s Tavern is a quaint watering hole in the heart of Old Folsom that boasts a wide variety of  revolving craft brews on tap(16 to be exact) and quality food.    When first entering, I immediately became slightly cramped due to the modest size of the the tavern itself.  However, as I became acclimated to the surroundings my need for more space dissipated and I became part of the enjoyable enteractive environment that only a small local tavern can provide.   Due to the outstanding variety of brews available, I will not mention all of what each of us quenched our thirst with, but Pliney the Elder was our first choice.    On this RSB adventure we ordered two different burgers.  One was the Johnny Cash Burger and the other was a burger called the J.T. Deluxe.  The Johnny Cash burger had bacon, cheddar cheese, grilled onions and a bourbon-espresso redeye sauce(aka- bbq sauce).  The J.T. Deluxe came with bacon, blue cheese, grilled onions and a fantastic red pepper remoulade.  Each burger was accompanied with good quality produce and a soft bun.  Unfortunately for us, and our taste-buds, all three burgers were sinfully overcooked to a solid medium-well(a true crime in our book) which prevented these burgers from reaching their true star potential.  Despite the overcooked burgers, Samuel Horne’s Tavern is well worth the trip for the quality brews alone.  And since the RSB’s are a very forgiving lot, we plan to be back soon in search of the oddly elusive medium rare burger.  Cheers!

We travelled to Roseville to try a new location we’d heard about – Ginger’s. It’s located in a strip mall near North Sunrise and Roseville Parkway. At first glance, you might think you’re in Island’s, with everything being covered in thatch grass, surfboards clinging to walls, and Hawaiian shirts abound. I like a good theme, but since there’s not a beach within 90 miles of Roseville, I’m assuming the decor is to make you feel like you’re there – well sort of.

As for the menu, it’s expansive! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, they even have a brunch. Luckily, we skipped right ahead to the burger section. With 13 burgers to choose from, even that took some pondering, luckily they had Sierra Nevada on tap to make the decision making easier.

Between the three of us, we each had a different burger:

1. Blue Lagoon Burger (Bacon, blue cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc.)
2. Pepper Jack, Cusabi Ranch Burger (Pepper jack, bacon, onion ring, Wasabi-Ranch dressing, lettuce, tomato, etc.)
3. Teriyaki Pineapple Mushroom, Swiss Burger (name says it all)

http://gingersrestaurant.com/

The RSB’s have have often taken flavor and medical risks the average burger lover cowers to, but I have to say this may have been the ultimate burger risk.   “How…,” “Why…,” “Are you guys crazy…?” All are excellent questions and I must confess we were questioning ourselves on this great taste adventure as well.  Sure we’ve eaten Kangaroo, lion, emu, buffalo, but one thing we’ve never had until our epic visit was a burger at a Mexican tacqueria.  I know, crazy huh!   Truth is one of our nacho loving friends gave us a burger tip and recommended Cafe’ Capricho.  Needless to say, our burger curiosity was peaked and thats all it took.  We had to go and taste it for ourselves.    Believe it or not Cafe’ Capricho offered a respectable four burgers, onion rings, and three different types of fries.  The environment is that of a traditional Tacqueria.  We ordered up front at a counter and were given a number to put on our self-seated table.   Service staff was very friendly and helpful.  The predictable mexican beers were offered on draft and they had several bottled beers to choose from including an RSB favorite, Lagunitas IPA.

TAKE THE VIRTUAL TOUR

AHHHHH the Limelight.  For many(including myself), the limelight wreaks of college nostalgia including immature drunken debauchery and cheap beer.   I can’t even remember if they served food back then let alone burgers.  Fortunately for the RSB’s our burger radar is always on and we picked up a strong burger signal coming from the Limelight on Alhambra Boulevard.
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