*Editor’s note: Please welcome back freelance photographer and longtime friend of The Hamblogger, David Paul Morris. David is filling in as the San Francisco Bay Area correspondent while Justin takes a break from the daily burger grind. David is a recovering vegetarian with a keen appetite for well made burgers, steak, chicken and fish. He is a photographer who covers news, features and sports as well as commercial and corporate assignments based in San Francisco with frequent trips to Asia.http://www.davidpaulmorris.com
In the process of exploring different eateries, I love when I come across a place that just makes me smile. If you are a burger lover and also a lover of the environment, especially the environment you are in at the moment, then Super Duper is the place for you. Opening in April 2010, Super Duper looks like a stylish old-fashioned diner set in an atmosphere that is bright and relaxed with seating for about 40 people inside and 6 comfortably outside. If you do choose to sit outside on a nice day there’s plenty of people watching to entertain you on busy Market Street in the heart of San Francisco’s Castro District.
The menu is fairly simple and today was my lucky day. It didn’t take me long to decide what I wanted once I saw the Point Reyes Blue (4 oz mini: $6.50, 8 oz super: $8.50) listed the menu. I am a sucker for blue cheese especially when it comes from Point Reyes. I say the bluer the better and when it’s thrown on top of a nicely cooked piece of beef, well that’s a bonus. The Point Reyes Blue and a side of garlic fries ($2.75) was my lunch for the day. Lunch for under $10 in San Francisco is another reason to smile.
As I settled into my chair sipping on my water waiting for my food – which is cooked to order – I noticed that the restaurant was smoke free and not filled with the aroma of grilled cooking. Not that I object to the smell of grilled meat, I just like the idea that I wasn’t going to smell like my burger for the rest of the day. I found out that Super Duper uses a special chrome grill that only radiates the heat when the meat is on the surface.
I was there at the peak of the lunch crush and a steady stream of people kept rolling in. This didn’t slow down the cook in the back and my burger and fries arrived in what seemed to be about 5 minutes.
Served on an aluminum tray with a paper lining, my burger was accompanied by the garlic fries in a basket and homemade cured pickle spears that are made fresh daily. I ordered a “mini” and was expecting a burger that was going to be the size of a quarter. I was amazed that it looked, well, normal. Not too big, not too small, just the right size. The blue cheese was more of a spread with nuggets of cheese here and there that nestled on top of the meat. Along with the cheese this burger features roasted portobello mushrooms, marinated red onions and little gem lettuce all sitting between a fresh sesame seed bun made fresh daily from La Boulange. It wasn’t overly stuffed and looked almost too good to be true.
My eyes didn’t lie to me. With the first bite I realized this burger was going to be hard to put down. The synchronicity of the meat, cheese, portobello mushrooms and onions squeezed between the sesame seed bun played well off of each other. The meat was juicy and melted in my mouth and there was just enough blue cheese to satisfy my taste buds. The garlic fries were lightly salted and the garlic wasn’t overwhelming and would rival anything you’d find at AT&T Park (home of the World Champion San Francisco Giants). The pickles were crunchy and sweet and added a nice compliment to the meal. After I finished my lunch I topped it off with a soft serve cone ($3.25; dipped in chocolate $4) made with ice cream from the Straus Family Farm in Petaluma, California. I wasn’t disappointed.
There really isn’t a secret to the burgers at Super Duper. They use good quality vegetarian fed beef from Niman Ranch along with fresh organic ingredients. Not complicated and not over done. For the non-burger eater they serve free-range chicken and for desert along with the soft serve you have a choice of homemade chocolate chip cookies ($.75) and/or a slice of homemade pecan pie ($3).
If you are a lover of a burger done right, you owe it to yourself to make the trip to the Castro and check out this new burger on the block. In the near future look for Super Duper in Mill Valley and later in the year in the financial district in San Francisco. I am still smiling!
RATING: 4.5 out of 5
Super Duper
2304 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 558 8123
http://www.superdupersf.com/
Hours: Seven Days a Week 11:00AM – 11:00PM
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Rumor has it a drive-thru Super Duper Burger will be opening in Mill Valley later this year.
http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/paololucchesi/2011/01/19/super-duper-crosses-the-bridge-to-plan-a-mill-valley-offshoot/
Wow. This place looks great. When I next find myself in San Francisco, I will have to try this place.
Happened to be in the area so stopped by for a burger. Really a pleasant experience, with a straightforward, easy to digest – while in line – menu board, with the taxes figured into the pricing of items. I had the 8oz cheeseburger with everything. The presentation was excellent, wrapped in paper and served on a paper lined tray. The dry bun was really the only drawback, although the cook to order burger was on the well done side, which may be either store or city policy since I was not asked. I plan to go back and will ask if a.) if they could toast the bun, and b.) if there is any chance the meat could be cooked less. For the self serve soda – for dining in – they handed out a pint glass. Definitely a well imagined space and dining experience, service was friendly and alert, and even the bathroom was clean. Only question mark was the bun, which is a concern considering the amount of thought given to making every other aspect seem simple.
Next time I am in the Castro, you know where I’ll be for lunch. et tu Enrique?
Great photos! This is officially added to my “must eat next time I’m in the city” list
Those red onions look great and for a burger that size to be under $10 in SF…I’m sold.
Stopped by Super-Duper yesterday afternoon with a friend. The name says it all! I had the 8oz “Super” with cheese, bacon & grilled onion. The patties were a perfect medium, with a hint of pink in the center, with a nice hint of char on the outside. This was, by-far, one of the juciest burgers I have eaten in a very long time. Can’t believe how easy it was to wolf down! The house-made pickles should be sold by the jar! The only downer were the fries. Standard, skinny McD’s type of fries that weren’t as crisp as they could have been. Hand-cut, fresh fries should be offered with the ground-fresh daily beef. All in all, someplace I will definitely go back to again & again!
I also heartily recommend this place and agree with this review. I stopped by soon after skimming this review and found it to be a fantastic burger! What struck me was the texture and taste of the patty which was very different, but very tasty.