Some people like sweets and desserts, and some see meat as the treat. In this house, we love to cook and eat, and we use high quality ingredients. Occasionally, we like to go out for our favorite meals, and that includes a really good burger. Here’s a lineup of our favorites in recent memory!
At home our favorite method is to smash grass fed ground beef, no seasoning, over super high heated cast iron. We simultaneously have our favorite mini rolls in the toaster, and we start an assembly line of tiny burgers to be eaten hot and right away.
Super Duper burgers taste like our homemade smash and have been my fave for a couple of years. The meat is seasoned only with salt and pepper, and the cheese is thick and real. The buns are fresh and made nearby. Hailing from San Francisco, the chain now has 18 locations around the Bay. If you’re in South Bay, you can indulge yourself at Valley Fair Mall or a newer location near Westgate Mall. The latter has two fenced-in outdoor areas so you can keep an eye on the kids, and indoors there’s foosball. Warning: the mini is a full-American-sized burger. Our two kids can barely split one. And don’t skip the house-made pickles! There are also salads, Strauss organic soft serve, and homemade lemonade that is SO good (and made with brown sugar 😋). A hit with kids and parents alike.
Los Altos Grill
This mainstay in Los Altos is run like a well-oiled machine. We have frequented LAG for a decade special occasions, and the food is always executed with precision and consistency. Reservations can go fast—be sure to call ahead a few days.
The menu includes options for everyone, which makes it a favorite place for me to take my parents. And my husband for dates. And my girlfriends for us time. And my boss. You get the picture.
My dad rarely eats meat at home since my mom is ovo-pescatarian, so he enjoys the prime rib sandwich. My husband can be hard pressed to order anything else, but he will occasionally order the cheeseburger. It comes on a freshly baked, oblong bun, and if you’re not ravished, ask them to cut it into thirds. So good. No matter what, we eat the emerald kale salad when we go. No matter how many times I try to replicate it at home, it’s never as good!
Some people take their kids to LAG, and we are not those people. Or our children are not those people…yet.
Bumble
Bumble is a more recent addition to Los Altos and has become a mainstay with the mom crowd. Here you can order a delis is burger on a brioche bun and add avocado or thick-cut bacon….and GET A SIDE OF CHILDCARE. Please. Support this establishment. Pay a little more for the carefully sourced ingredients. Hundreds of part-time working parents and stay-at-home moms will thank you. Take a friend, get the burger and the avocado toast and share while your tots play in the sandbox or are out of sight, out of mind in the capable, caring hands of the Playroom staff. Be sure to check the hours of operation—that playroom can’t run 24/7! 😉
Gotts Roadside
Okay, when I think of Gotts these days, the first thing that comes to mind is the Vietnamese Chicken Salad. There’s nothing that I love more than walking into a burger joint and getting a killer salad. It just feels so…California. That said, the burgers are delicious, too. The buns can easily hold up to their ingredients and the sweet potato fries are delicious. Some of the most memorable dishes have been their specials: crispy-fried Brussels in fall and a cool gazpacho in the summer. This place is super kid-friendly with lots of high chairs, outdoor seating, and parking, and it has a full milk shake menu. Yum!
Alpine
Read my whole post on Alpine for a complete run down!
The Life So Valley 