Burger time at Shoji
On Thursday, during a Filipino food crawl that I'll be writing about in the coming week's GOOD TASTE column, I was asked if I had eaten anything recently that I found exciting. I could have given several answers, but the one that was foremost in mind was the Shoji burger at Bar Shoji (140 New Montgomery Street, San Francisco).
I had seen and lusted after this burger many times on my Instagram feed since Bar Shoji opened in May, and finally tried it a few weeks ago. It's a double burger made with Painted Hill beef brisket is topped with American cheese, caramelized onions and pickled cucumbers and served on beef tallow brioche and a sizzling cheese fondue plate. The price tag seems a bit steep at $27 until you realize that it's probably not meant to be eaten alone, though props to you if you can tackle it solo. With two patties, taking down half of it is really like eating one regular burger. We spent another $10 for French fries with Akazu aged vinegar aioli with tobiko, which were delicious but probably unnecessary.
I don't drink, but I loved the zero proof mocktails that we tried: Cold Noodle (roasted seaweed infused Lyre’s Cane, coconut, cucumber, pineapple, lime, sesame oil and wasabi salt) and Dashi Apple (Fuji apple cordial, kombu, shiitake, lemon, saline and soda). They were crafted with as much care as a high-end cocktail.
During the day, the space is Cafe Shoji, a place for coffee, matcha, and pastries. There's always a line when I walk past in the afternoons, but I plan on going early one morning for a breakfast affogato, because that just sounds heavenly.
One of my favorite Bay Area bakers, Tamara Esparza, is back in business! She is now taking pre-orders for the weekend of Oct. 25-26, so I was thrilled to dedicate this week's GOOD TASTE column to her. Don't sleep on Honey & Pearl!
Tamara Palmer
See you next weekend!
Tamara