This is Bay Area Burger Week (June 18-29), providing a time to reflect, respect and perfect our experience of the once humble hamburger.
The concept of a protein patty betwixt sides of a sliced bun has evolved from a fast food to a complex symbol of the country from whence it came—that is, if we can agree on which that is. From Roman emperors to Ray Kroc (memorably played by Michael Keaton in the film The Founder), this is a story of the wholesale repackaging of a global culinary journey into an “American icon,” served with fries and a Coke.
Let’s rewind.
The hamburger didn’t start in America. Sorry, freedom fries. Its ancestry includes ancient Roman “isicia omentata” (minced pork with wine and fish sauce, wrapped in caul fat) and a few medieval meat rissoles—basically the artisanal sliders of the 10th century.
By the 1600s, Germans were pan-frying “frikadelle,” and the Brits were busy stuffing minced meat into toast and calling it “Hamburgh sausage.” Meanwhile, the Georgians were quietly inventing ketchup, which would eventually become the one true faith of condiment theology.
Fast forward to the 19th century, when German immigrants hauled their Hamburg-style beef across the Atlantic and into the ports of New York. American menus obliged with “Hamburg steaks”—sometimes raw, sometimes fried and often prescribed by doctors, who were just beginning their long tradition of giving terrible diet advice. One Dr. James H. Salisbury suggested we cook these patties for better digestion. Thus: Salisbury steak. A dish that continues to live on in TV dinners.
The hamburger’s big break came when someone—no one can agree who—had the radical idea to stick the patty between two pieces of bread. Was it restaurateur Charles “Hamburger Charlie” Nagreen in Wisconsin? The Menches brothers in New York? Fletcher Davis in Texas? Louis Lassen in Connecticut? Pick an origin myth. They’re all trying to solve the same mystery: how something so simple could become so culturally omnivorous.
Technology helped. The invention of the meat grinder meant more people could afford to eat chopped meat without having to wield a cleaver. Railroads and refrigerator cars turned cattle into cargo. And Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle freaked everyone out just enough to demand cleaner meat, but not enough to stop eating it.
Enter White Castle. Founded in 1921 by a fry cook and a real estate agent (how American is that?), White Castle decided the way to sell the public on ground beef again was through aggressive hygiene and onion-smothered sliders. They invented the sack lunch. They perforated their patties for optimal steam. They looked like porcelain sanitariums for tiny square burgers. It worked.
Then McDonald’s showed up, took one look at the system and franchised the hell out of it. Cue the golden arches, the Big Mac, the Quarter-Pounder and the global burger monoculture. Meanwhile, the hamburger became a culinary canvas: ketchup, mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomato, bacon, cheese, truffle aioli, gold leaf, foie gras—whatever fits between the buns.
And that’s where we are now: a world in which one can eat a burger made of wagyu beef in Tokyo or kangaroo in Queensland. A tasty paradox: something that began as working-class fare now serves as both punchline and platform for haute cuisine.
So this week, as one samples their way through the North Bay’s burger creations, whether it’s a gut-bomb from a roadhouse or a meticulously curated brioche-bunned art piece, remember: the hamburger contains multitudes—Ancient Rome, industrial America, roadside diners and global empire—sometimes topped with cheese.
Where the Burgers Are
Participating establishments
Visit bayareaburgerweek.com or download the app for Apple and Android devices for special offers from these purveyors.
Marin County
Amy’s Drive Thru
5839 Paradise Dr., Corte Madera | 415.737.6055 | amysdrivethru.com
Due West Tavern
10005 CA-1, Olema | 415.663.1264 | olemahouse.com
Red Rooster Brick Oven
901 B St., San Rafael. 415.234.8414 | redroosterbrickoven.com
Super Duper Burgers
Locations:
430 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. 707.415.9219
5800 Nave Dr., Novato. 707.415.9219
Napa County
North Block Restaurant
6757 Washington St., Yountville. 707.299.5030 northblockyountville.com
Super Duper Burgers
3900 Bel Aire Plaza D, Napa. 707.415.9219 superduperburgers.com
Sonoma County
Acme Burger
Locations:
550 East Cotati Ave., Cotati. 707.665.5620
701 Sonoma Mountain Pkwy., Suite D1, Petaluma. 707.665.5012
330 Western Ave., Petaluma. 707.559.3820
1007 W. College Ave., Suite D, Santa Rosa. 707.615.7309
Amy’s Drive Thru
58 Golf Course Dr. W., Rohnert Park. 707.755.3629 amysdrivethru.com
Ausiello’s 5th Street Grill
609 5th St., Santa Rosa. 707.579.9408 ausiellos5thstreetgrill.com
Ausiello’s Homeslice
5755 Mountain Hawk Dr., Santa Rosa. 707.595.3923 ausielloshomeslice.com
Beer Baron Whiskey Bar & Kitchen
614 4th St., Santa Rosa. 707.757.9294 | beerbaronsr.com
The Bird
4776 Sonoma Hwy., Santa Rosa. 707.542.0861 thebirdrestaurant.com
Carmen’s Burger Bar
Locations:
619 4th St., Santa Rosa. 707.526.1575
90 Mark West Springs Rd., Santa Rosa. 707.526.1575
Downtown Barbecue
610 3rd St., Santa Rosa. 707.843.4830 | downtownbarbecue.co
El Dorado Kitchen Cantina
405 1st St. W., Sonoma. 707.996.3030 | eldoradosonoma.com
Iron & Vine Restaurant, Bar & Events
3330 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa. 707.852.1162 bennettvalleygolf.com
Machado Burgers
406 Larkfield Center, Santa Rosa. 707.546.6835 machadoburgers.com
Machado Burgers
9238 Old Redwood Hwy., Ste. 126, Windsor. 707.546.6835 machadoburgers.com
The Madrona
1001 Westside Rd., Healdsburg. 707.396.6700 themadronahotel.com
Palooza Brewery & Gastropub
8910 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood. 707.833.4000 | paloozafresh.com
Pub Republic
3120 Lakeville Hwy., Ste. A, Petaluma. 707.782.9090 pubrepublic.com
Sazón Peruvian Cuisine
1129 Sebastopol Rd., Santa Rosa. 707.523.4346 | sazonsr.com
Superburger
Locations:
1501 4th St., Santa Rosa. 707.546.4016
8204 Old Redwood Hwy., Cotati. 707.665.9790
Sweet T’s Restaurant + Bar
9098 Brooks Rd. S., Windsor. 707.687.5185 sweettssouthern.com
Valley Swim Club
18709 Arnold Dr., Sonoma. 707.243.3032 | valleyswim.club
