The corner of Market and Sixth Street in San Francisco is one of those places that most people try to avoid. Sixth Street, dubbed the “Wine Country” by many locals for its population of winos, dodgy people, and crack heads, is a frightening experience during the day – you can imagine how it is at night. Market Street isn’t much better. For two long blocks between Fifth and Seventh Streets in what was once upon a time a bustling shopping district, almost every building is now boarded up, homeless people camp out in doorways and drug deals go down in broad daylight. It’s an area that is long overdue for a facelift and in recent months things have started to move forward as new businesses start to open. One of the establishments leading the way is a gourmet “haute” dog restaurant called Show Dogs – smartly named for its proximity to the Golden Gate Theatre and their extensive line-up of artisan sausages. As much as I like hot dogs and sausages, I made the trip to Show Dogs to try out the latest addition to the their menu – the Show Burger.
Owned by chefs Gayle Pirie and John Clark of the well know Mission District restaurant Foreign Cinema, Show Dogs isn’t your average hot dog place. Their extensive menu of local artisan sausages focuses on organic ingredients and house made sauces – they even make their own mustard. The new Show Burger ($8.00) is also crafted using the freshest ingredients – a half-pound all natural beef patty, homemade aioli based sauce, arugula, tomato and a freshly baked organic Pan de Mie bun.
After I ordered my burger, I contemplated having my lunch at one of the many outdoor tables since it was a nice day and would be a perfect opportunity to sit in the sun. I decided against it after watching two drunk guys stumble down the sidewalk, one nearly crashing into a tree. Instead of being vulnerable to the elements, I chose to view the parade of characters through floor to ceiling windows from the open and well-lit dining room while smooth jazz played overhead. The modern industrial and Victorian era elements of the interior combined with the clean open kitchen, marble tables and reclaimed church pew seating was incongruous to the dilapidated neighborhood.
After spending a short time on the grill, the Show Burger was assembled and handed to me in a heavy paper-lined wire basket. My heart skipped a beat – she was beautiful. I hurried back to my seat and gazed at it for a while like a lovesick teenager. The bun was absorbing the juices that seeped from the thick patty while sauce dripped down the sides like candle wax.
The first bite resulted in a downpour of juice and sauce, drenching the paper below. My palette was hit with an explosion of flavor. The flavorful garlicky sauce had a little kick of lemon cayenne that worked well with the peppery arugula and the sweet tomato. Beefy goodness is the best way to describe the perfectly pink patty that stayed moist from beginning to end. The toasted bun held its own, never succumbing to excessive moisture that coated my hands. Oh yeah, the pickle spear. I’m not usually a fan, but this burger was fine without pickles so it was nice to enjoy the flavorful spear on its own.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Show Burger. The only thing that I might change is to use less sauce so it won’t be so messy. I think having it on one side of the bun instead of both sides might lessen the drippage and allow the beef to really shine. Other than that, it was a damn good burger. Hopefully Show Dogs will continue to thrive and inspire more places to move in and revitalize the area. Until then, get yourself a Show Burger and a beer, pull your belly up to a window seat and do some people watching. Enjoy the show.
RATING: 4.5 out of 5
Show Dogs
1020 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 558-9560
www.showdogssf.com
Hours: Monday – Thursday 11:00AM – 9:00PM
Friday – Saturday 11:00AM – 12:00AM
Sunday 12:00PM – 6:00PM
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
It would be so great to see Market St. come back to life. The F trolley makes it all so possible. But until then I guess if you are on the corner of 6th and Market at midnight you deserve a good burger.
And, oh yeah, isn’t that the same building where they shot Interview With A Vampire?