B is for Bud's Giant Burgers

Moving one letter down the alphabet, we come to the letter B. According to the Vallejo telephone directory (December 2006 edition), there are a mere handful of B restaurants including the venerable B & W Cafe, several iterations of Burger King, a Black Angus and Bud's Burgers. The title of the post tells the middle of the story, the beginning and end being decidedly more complex.

The Process:
I'll confess that for many, many years I’ve wanted to visit the B & W café, but have been put off by several factors. First, it’s proximity to Funville, one of Vallejo’s two bookstores. Ayup, it’s an adult one, the other bookstore being, you guessed it, a Christian one. Second, the lack of a game enough dining companion, and third, uh, well, just plain inertia. Several times over the years I’ve gone so far as to contemplate the scenario of coming into work early to sit at the counter and eat a plate of steak and eggs with the bottomless cup of Joe. I’ve always dismissed the thought pretty much as soon as I see the sun rise and realize that I can eke out another hour of sleep before having to show up for work.

B & W turned out to be a tough sell to the crew, too. I called early enough to avoid the nearly inevitable lunch crush, asking what was on the lunch menu and whether it was possible to have a menu faxed over. Hamburgers were on the menu as was broccoli. A mysterious sounding lunch box, too, was a possible lunch option. No one was convinced enough to want to venture a visit, so when Cougar was cajoled to call over to get some more information, she asked about the lunch special. Big mistake, I’m thinking. The woman who I’m assuming was the owner, cheerily replied “Liver and onions, how many would you like?” To which Cougar replied dryly, “terrific,” thus sealing the fate on the B & W café for another decade at least.

We chose the venerable Bud’s Giant Burgers, beloved Vallejo institution practically since the beginning of time. It’s been a few years since the gang has all ventured down Sonoma Boulevard to stop in at Bud’s, and it’s the sort of place folks are thinking about when they say something like, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Same friendly folk, same giant burgers, same beefy smell. I don’t really know the history of the place, but I do know a Burgermeister and his wife when I see them.



This picture of a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Bud sits proudly next to plaques proclaiming Bud’s to be the best burger in Solano County for 8 years running. This picture of the picture is not for sale, by the way.

The Chow:
Tuna and I were elected to pick up the chow. (Note: whether eating in or taking out, it’s probably best not to wear something that has just been cleaned.) Cougar and Hula Girl stayed behind, directing traffic in the office.



Here’s a picture of the menu. Standard burgerhouse fare, so of course I order the steak sandwich and bring another one back for Flower, supersizing it into the meal with soda and bucket o’ fries. Tuna and Cougar play it safe with the supersize cheeseburger/fries/drink combo. Rumor has it that the fries are cooked in beef lard. That’s too much information, even for me, so I kept my mouth shut and didn’t ask the obvious questions.



Soda choices today were limited, as you can see. I’ll not say that Bud’s is falling on hard times, but somebody’s not fully minding the store. I had the root beer, delicious and caffeine free.







The food is presented simply, in an old fashioned style with a twist: the fries arrrive in an environmentally sound Styrofoam cup. Anyone noticing a theme developing here?

Random comments after the meal (A free Bud’s meal to anyone who can correctly match the comment to the diner):

“That made me feel sick.”

“I don’t know what to say about that burger, but thank you for getting it.”

“Was not so good, it’s sitting in my stomach making it churn.”

The Wrap:
It’s good to revisit old friends, but sometimes it's best to leave before the meal is served.

The Rating: 2.3 out of 5.