I would consider myself a self proclaimed burger connoisseur. When it comes to burgers, I think less is more. So, I am not generally impressed by burgers that are all complicated with HELLA ingredients. I like my burgers to be very minimal with just the patty, cheese, onions, and pickles. Ketchup and mustard can also be great, IF they are used sparingly.

You must be wondering why I am having this small rant about burgers. Two weeks ago I attended a release party for this burger called the S.O.B. This acronym does not stand for what you may think it does. It actually stands for Sweet Onion Burger. A release party for a burger might sound a bit excessive, but it does rightfully deserve an event. The S.O.B. was release at Local Kitchens in San Bruno. Local Kitchens is a food commissary / food hall that houses smaller up and coming restaurants under one roof.

Shot on: Fujifilm XT-30II, XF 16mm F/1.4

The S.O.B. was created by the celebrity chef, Alvin Cailan. For those of you that are not familiar with Alvin Cailan, he is most notably famous for founding the infamous Eggslut in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Seoul, and many other locations. Cailan is also known for many other accolades such as being the host of The Burger Show on YouTube, owner of Amboy Quality Meats in Los Angeles, and author of a modern Filipino cookbook also named Amboy. Most importantly Cailan is a Filipino American. I look at Cailan as a hero of mine, representing and spreading the Filipino culture through his culinary creations and his cook book that also contains stories from his upbringing.

I was very lucky to get a quick chance to meet Cailan and have him sign my book. At first, I was little apprehensive to meet him, because of the saying “Never meet your heroes”. I have met tons of celebrities through my previous lines of work, and have become disappointed to realize and experience first hand that a lot of them are total assholes. But, Cailan was the complete opposite. He is such a super chill and down to earth person. I felt kinda bad that I just bombarded him the second I saw him, but he was nice enough to let me inside to have a quick chat amongst his friends. I was at complete awe and was star struck that I was meeting him and getting his autograph. I also could have had the chance to meet Tway The Bae, but I didn’t realize she was one of the friends that Cailan was hanging out with when he signed my book.

Alright, enough of my side rant and adoration, and back to talking about this burger. The S.O.B. was so good that I went back the following week to have it again. The burger is a smash burger with caramelized onions, a pickle, cheese, and a sweet onion aioli sauce. Yes, I did mention how I really enjoy the traditional toppings of a burger, but this burger was very simple with the ingredients and had a different level of flavor. If I try to explain the flavor, it wouldn’t do the S.O.B. the true justice it deserves. I highly recommend to give it a try if you’re at the Local Kitchens in San Bruno. As for the event itself, it was chill and had a pretty solid turnout. I wasn’t expecting it to catch that much attention because it was in San Bruno, which is a very random location. I met with my best friend and his wife. We all got to try the burger for free for being among the first 250 people to attend the event. There were activities like cornhole, a prize wheel, and a live DJ. I loved how this event happened during Filipino American History month. Chef Alvin Cailan doing it for our culture!

Here are some photos of the event and the actual burger itself. ‘Til the next one, enjoy!

S.O.B.

Charles M. Schulz Museum.

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