Hi folks! I went a little outside of the immediate San Francisco Zone this time.
I’m writing this as I sit at my table having ordered at The Marin Sun Farms Butcher Shop and Restaurant in Point Reyes Station. I am full of anticipation and a little anxiety, to be honest. I have high hopes for this place, that maybe I have finally found the burger I have been looking for: great meat, on great bread, nothing too fancy on top of it to mask the quality of the meat. And to be honest, for $15 for a burger with bacon, cheese, salad on the side, along with a pickle, these guys had BETTER DELIVER. That’s right folks, $15 doesn’t even include the price of the fries. (For an extra $2 you can swap your side salad for fries. So, that’s $17 for burger and fries.)
But, we all know that Marin Sun Farms raises QUALITY meats, so that’s why I’m excited. I swear, if this turns out to be “just another burger,” I’m going to cry.
Before my meal comes, here’s some good things to know: they’re open from 11:30am – 5pm, but that’s it, no dinner service. TUESDAY’s are like Sunday’s up here in Point Reyes – most places are closed. In fact, the famous Station House Café in Point Reyes is closed on Wednesday’s, so be careful if you come up here mid-week, you might be S.O.L.
I ordered the beet salad, the Beef Burger which comes with “super awesome bacon” and “cave aged gruyere.” I’m usually against forcing cheese on a burger, but I’m not going to rock the boat here, as it is my first time. I’ve also ordered a side of french fries that are cooked in PORK LARD, so they are pork-fries, and I’m sure all my vegetarian friends are going to be disgusted and disappointed, but I’m intrigued.
Roasted and marinated beets with arugula, pecans, and Point Reyes Bleu Cheese.
In addition to all the red meat options, they do a fried chicken sandwich, which I gotta admit I’m frickin’ tempted to order. I mean, in a place KNOWN for their meat, how awesome does the fried chicken sandwich have to be in order to hold its own?
Atmosphere-wise, it’s nothing, and that’s fine with me. It’s more of a butcher shop with about 16 tables. No white linen, nothing fancy. You can order beer and wine, they’ve got about six whites and six reds on the menu, and a decent assortment of craft beers in bottles (Anchor, Lagunitas, North Coast, etc.)
OMG, hurry up and bring me my food, dude!!!
Okay. Here it is. Here we go.
Beef Burger with “Super Awesome Bacon and cave-aged Gruyere.” The bacon IS super awesome.
Initial reaction: bummed that there is no pickle, just a few slices of pickle (see image.)
PORK FRIES: Insanely crunchy, insanely flavorful.
Beet Salad: just what I expected, which is good. Roasted, marinated beets that look beautiful, like Jamaican sunsets, with candied pecans, Point Reyes blue cheese and arugula. A nice salad.
Burger, cooked medium as I had asked. Bun was a little dry and overwhelming for the burger, like they could’ve gone smaller, or larger on the meat side. Kind of disappointed at the lack of sliced tomato or onion available on the side. Just the three pickle slices and the salad, that’s it for adornments.
Detail of burger with bacon and cheese
How’s the damn thing taste? The damn thing tastes really good. HIGH QUALITY MEAT, really good, thick, tasty meat. And the secret weapon is the Super Awesome Bacon that they put on top. This might be the best bacon I’ve ever had, seriously. It’s perfect, it’s delicious.
So, I’m a little torn. On the one hand, they need a less starchy, more delicate bun. And the price – $15 – seems just a wee bit high for me. I’d go crazy for $12.50, even $14. $15 seems like, “yo, bitch, for real, where’s my slice of tomato on the side? What’s up with these pickle slices, you can’t afford to give me at least HALF of a pickle?”
Fries cooked in LARD. Crunchy, but potato flavor lost in the pork fat.
Plus, the pickles were on the sweet side, which is a turn off for me. I’m strictly a salt, water, and then something spicy like garlic or hot peppers kind of pickle guy. Save the SWEET for dessert.
OKAY, post-meal reactions: that might be the best bacon I’ve ever eaten. I feel like I’m not done with this place yet. I have a hard time recommending it because it IS pricey, and that was NOT the holy grail of hamburgers. Also, I’m not sure french fries cooked in lard is a good idea. There’s probably a reason why, in a country with 10 million places making fries, hardly any of them are deep frying ‘em in LARD. If it was a good idea, more places would do it. It’s too much, it’s overkill. Yes, they were crunchy, but the lard flavor overpowered the potato flavor, and you could really FEEL the weight of the grease. It’s so rich, so heavy that you want to take a shower afterwards. Cook ‘em in peanut oil, or something light that lets the potato come through. Plus, you’ll make the vegetarians happy.
There are many items on this menu, including burgers made from GOAT and LAMB, so, I will continue to explore Marin Sun Farms. But, my immediate suggestion would be to BUY THE BACON, buy the meat you like, take it home and cook it up yourself. It’s more cost effective, you’ll get a meal that is more what you want. If money is no object in your life, and you don’t mind the bun overpowering your meat, then order here and pay the premium price
Detail of beet salad
It IS a butcher shop, after all :^)
Super Awesome Bacon in its raw state.
MARIN SUN FARMS BUTCHER SHOP & RESTAURANT
10905 Shoreline Highway 1
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
Phone: 415-663-1800
I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO CALL FIRST. They have very odd hours. They are closed on Tuesday.
The restaurant itself isn t that big, but that s taking into account that about a quarter of the floor space is taken up by a big butchers case that has all their meats displayed.