Rocky's Crown Pub

A couple of months ago I was happily chewing on a burger in a PB bar when an acquaintance showed up, saw the burger and gasped: "You're eating a burger ? Here ? This is not the right place. If you want a good burger, go to Rocky's". Talk about a burger Nazi, I thought. Then I forgot about it until I read in the Union Tribune that the "king of the burgers" in PB was... Rocky's. A few weeks afterwards I went to a barbecue where I noticed that a friend was proudly sporting a Rocky's T-shirt. He confirmed that yes, it was the best place in PB for burgers. I figured it was time to check what all the hype was about.

So last Friday we did go to Rocky's for, well, burgers.

The place was pretty full and buzzing, but although we were obviously not part of the regulars, it was very easy to get the bartender to take our order and he was very friendly. The menu is pretty simple: there is the 1/3 lb burger, and the 1/2 lb burger. Oh and yes you can opt to add cheese ("white or orange"). That's it. They also have a couple of beers on tap, including the Rocky's, which turned out to be a very nice ale, rather on the sweet side. So there we sat, anxiously waiting for the famed (cheese)burgers while sipping the (very good) beer. They finally came and I took a bite of mine.

So how was it, you ask me. Was it that extraordinary ?

Well, it was a good burger. Fresh ingredients and well cooked meat, prepared exactly as a burger should be. But it was just that. Nothing unexpected, nothing extraordinary. I have to say that for $4.95 (1/3 lb burger) it is very good value. However I do not mind paying a little extra for something more exciting, like the lamb and red beet burger at Bare back Grill, or the burger with prefectly melted onions in Cass Street Bar.

So if all you want is a just a burger for a good price, go to Rocky's. For anything beyond that you might have to look elsewhere.