Calibur Inc — Restaurant in San Francisco

Finally got around to trying Calibur and was not disappointed!

Looking over the menu board, the offering is simple and classic. But fair warning, watch the price of additions or your burger will get real expensive, real fast with some toppings going for $1.50 (bacon and avocado, I understand...but it's a tad steep for an egg and extremely steep for mushrooms, in my opinion). I ended up ordering a single patty burger with blue cheese. For toppings, I opted for lettuce, tomato, pickles, and carmelized onions. I also chose calibur sauce as spread. My brother opted for a double patty with american cheese with the same toppings and sauce as me. We also added some calibur fries and a fountain drink. Total with tip was just over $27.

Upon delivery, my burger was stacked perfectly - instaworthy for sure, if that's your thing. And on first bite, you'll be certain its no fast food burger. You can clearly taste each ingredient from the calibur sauce (Calibur's secret sauce is like thousand island with a mustardy undertone) through to the housemade ketchup (very tomato-y - like a pizza sauce). The burger itself was very juicy so make sure you keep your fingers tucked around the wrapping and keep it over the table/tray. My addition of blue cheese was pretty good, but did not come close to meeting my black and blue expectations - I think the blue cheese just wasn't funky enough.

The calibur fries can be compared to In-n-Out's animal fries without the cheese. Just like the burger, the quality of ingredients is very evident. The sauce coated the fries nicely and was topped generously with perfectly carmelized onions. To wash it all down, we opted for cream soda from the fountain. Calibur sources their soda from Alameda Point Craft Soda Co - awesome! If you haven't had their soda before, you definitely should! They have some really awesome flavors (but it won't be until 2019 when you can find...

Calibur is a welcome alternative to the stalwart Bullshead, offering premium ingredients like grass-fed, organic beef and Three Twins ice cream shakes. I wasn't a fan of Market & Rye so I'm happy the space has been repurposed into a nice burger joint. The menu is bare bones, offering burgers (with your choice of add-ons), one salad (Cobb), fries, and shakes. My dining companion described it as an upscale In-n-Out.

The meat is exceptional--well-seasoned and cooked to perfection. Choosing the default medium well is a good choice; the meat remains just pink and simply cannot contain its juices. "Calibur style" has lettuce, tomato, grilled onion and Calibur sauce, everything else is an additional charge. Avocado, mushrooms, cheese, and a fried egg are all $1.50 and bacon is an extra $2 (or $4 for 3 toppings). Burgers come in patty sizes of 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 pound increments ($6.95 - 9.50). We're not in In-n-Out anymore! The burger base price is high and can escalate quickly. The brioche-like bun and quality ingredients, however, will bring many back.

Fries are tallow double-fried (with a vegetarian option of veggie oil fried) and nice and crispy. I opted for an order of chili cheese fries. The chili and fries needed salt, but I liked how they melted the cheese on top instead of leaving a half melted shredded cheese tangle that often sits on top of chili fries.

I went for a half liter of Mexican Coke to go with my burger feast. I was surprised to find high fructose corn syrup ridden Heinz as the ketchup option after all the touting of organic, natural ingredients. I'll be back, but not as often as I would if the...

Got takeout. Single burger with American, veg fries, bottle of Coke. To be fair, it was hard to find parking on a Sunday afternoon and by the time the food got home, the fries were soggy and the (single) lettuce leaf on the sando was limp. The high point was the bun. It was soft, yet hearty enough to stand up to the juiciest patty. Unfortunately, the beef was fairly dry and was cooked all the way through and then some. Maybe if they formed thicker patties, this wouldn't be an issue. I also ordered cheese and didn't get any. The sauce was decent, but there was barely any of it. It could have used some pickles or some kind of cooling tang to break up the salty monotony of meat and bread. Their ketchup is housemade, and while I applaud the effort, it had WAY too much celery salt. I'm giving them three stars for freshness and effort, but there are far too many burger places doing arguably much better fare. Too bad. These guys are close to my home. Not worth almost $40...