Without a doubt, I’m a HUGE fan of Ryan Farr and his meat magic. Remember? I called him the Jedi Master for all things meat and I regularly treat our family to his seasonal meat CSA packages.
However, up until today, I’d never tried one of his famous cheeseburgers. (I heard that audible gasp. Shut it.)
He’d recently tweeted that the 4505 meat stand makes “Paleo-style” burgers so I vowed to get myself up to the Thursday Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market to try one.
But when I stepped up to order my sandwich, I saw a sign that said “no substitutions or alterations.” Whaaaa?
“Um, I know your sign says no substitutions, but can I get two double burgers with no bun and an extra egg?”
“Of course you can!” The friendly server turned and called out to one of the grill masters: “Two double burgers, extra egg, no bun please.”
One of the guys behind the grill yelled back, “Two burgers…PALEO-STYLE?”
My heart leapt!
“Nope, she wants cheese on them.”
“WAIT! No no no – I don’t! I want ‘em PALEO-style! I just didn’t want to be a pain in the ass and ask for more changes!”
The server smiled. “No problem! We’re very Paleo-friendly here. Kent, the cook back there, eats Paleo and gets very excited when someone orders Paleo-style burgers.”
Kent, I love you.
The burger was fantastic, with perfectly seasoned patties, a thick slice of ripe heirloom tomato, and nice, runny egg yolks.
When I went back to tell Ryan and Kent how much I loved my Paleo burger, they joked that Ryan is actually “Bi-Paleo.” (And if you’re scratching your head, you’re clearly not from San Francisco.)
Lunch at the 4505 Meats stand was one of the highlights of my summer FO SHO.
p.s. Don’t forget to pick up a few bags of their amazingly delicious chicharrones as an eff-off treat. Yes, I’m aware that they’re fried in rice bran oil and seasoned with sugar, but I don’t care. At all.
