That burger Bula my mind

It has been over a month since I had my first burger at Pearl's. I had been hearing about how they make the best burger ever for about 5 months when I finally had one. Before we went I had this brilliant idea that we would eat at as many burger places as possible to truly determine if Pearl's is the best in SF. I have to admit I didn't believe him that it was the best burger. Not because of who was telling me but because I rarely believe anyone when they tell me it is the best. I  find people exaggerate or just don't have the same preferences I do and their hype sets me up with expectations the food just can't meet. So when given the chance to go we headed down to give it a try and see what it was really all about. I figured in this great burger adventure I needed a starting point and if this was the best I would need a standard to measure all other burgers going forward.

 They don't make small burgers so we split the Bula burger, spicy pineapple teriyaki sauce with bacon, mayo and Swiss cheese. We also had a basket of Springs, half sweet potato fries and half onion rings. The burger was messy but looked amazing. The first bite was really good. It had a great sweet taste from the sauce but not overpowering. I didn't notice until was brought to my attention but the bacon was warm and obviously cooked at the same time as the burger instead of prior just waiting for my order. The meat was cooked a perfect medium well that we had asked for and had a taste that was out of this world. It was obvious they use quality meat. You can also order the burger with Kobe or buffalo meat if you prefer and want to spend extra but with the taste of the regular meat I don't think I would want anything else. Half way through he asked what I thought. I down played it at said a simple "It's good, I like it." The onion rings were some of the best I have had as well and I will get a full basket next time. When we left I finally quietly admitted "that really might be the best burger I ever had". He got a very proud look and said, "I told you". Yup he was right and next time I won't be sharing a burger I want my own!

 For a while after that I thought of abandoning the whole idea of the great burger experiment of 2011 cause I wasn't really sure if anything could possibly compare to Pearl's. I am reconsidering and think we will tackle this great challenge after all. The motivation to continue is now to prove that no one can beat Pearl's. They are definitely the overwhelming favorite in the ring and I have pity for the burger places that will have to go up against the Pearl's burger.

Macaroni and Cheese

I finally have someone to cook for and I feel like I am running out of ideas. In reality I am actually doing fine, we have lived together for just over a month and I haven't repeated a meal yet. Though to be honest there were some leftovers, some delivery and some dinners out, but I have really developed quite the list of recipes to pull from during the week. I have also added in some large weekend meals so we do have leftovers and I don't have to cook every night. I also have a definite advantage since I work at a grocery store and can spend the day walking the aisles planning dinner or dreaming up ideas as I bag up other peoples groceries. Since I seem to be pulling this off and have had no complaints on any meal so far I think it is time to share some of the success stories and recipes. I promise to share the funny missteps as they happen as well. To start with it might as well be my specialty. For whatever reason, I hate to admit that this was adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe titled Macaroni and cheese 101. I have served this for many parties, potlucks or just eaten the whole tray myself.

Spiced up Macaroni and Cheese
Claims to serve 12 but it never seems to last that long when I serve it.

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for casserole
6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for water
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
18 ounces medium sharp cheddar cheese, grated
10 ounces Gruyere, grated
3 ounces grated pecorino romano cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3 quart casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small dish melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave. Pour butter into bowl with bread and toss. Set aside.

Warm the milk in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. (keep an eye on this and don't let the milk start to burn on the bottom of the pan). Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring about 1 minute.

While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, about 8 to 12 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, pepper and other spices, 3 cups cheddar, 1 1/2 cup Gruyere and half the pecorino; set the cheese sauce aside.

Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain macaroni in a colander and rinse under cold running water, and drain well.

Pour macaroni into the prepared dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and mix together so all the macaroni is covered and it is evenly spread through the dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese and bread crumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let it rest for 10 minutes and serve.