San Francisco has a reputation for being a land of vegetarians. Lies, all of it. This is a city for meat-eaters, and burgermania has swept the burg, from Umami Burger to Super Duper to Roam, which just opened its second location on Fillmore Street.
So we had to check on Roam's patties: Are they something unapologetic carnivores will appreciate? (You could ask if they were "manly" enough, but we don't want to perpetuate gender stereotypes.)
They are. For starters, bison (and elk!) sit prominently on the menu, where you get to build your own sandwich -- and bonus points for that. While Umami's chest-pounding stands front and center with the "Manly Burger" and its beer-cheddar cheese, you don't have to dig far to get to cave-dweller heaven at Roam.
Our vote is a tie between the gleefully monstrous Heritage (with applewood smoked bacon, fontina, butter lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions and herb mayo) and the Sunny Side (a cardiac arrest-in-waiting made with an organic free-range egg, aged white cheddar, caramelized onions, greens, tomato and sweet chili sauce). Throw some fries next to that and you might lose your verbal skills.
Plus, Roam has a wide selection of shakes, with a base made by Straus Creamery. We'd say you should "wash that burger down" with one, but actually, you might need a house-made prickly pear soda to wash the shake down.
You can bet that even super-carnivore Ron Swanson of Parks & Recreation would approve.
Roam Artisan Burgers: 1923 Fillmore St. (at Pine), (415) 800-7801.
