Trueburger, the new hamburger restaurant in downtown Oakland, is, well… true. Genuine meat patties made from cuts that are ground on the premises, shakes made with real ice cream (plus wonderful additions like actual bananas and peanut butter), all-beef kosher dogs that you can get topped with homemade chili and cheese, and truly nice people running the joint. What more could you ask for?

Greg Eng and Jason Low, both former sous chefs at Bay Wolf Restaurant in Oakland, wanted to open a restaurant that would appeal to everyone: young, old, middle aged, rich, working class and anything in between. Their goal was to provide high quality food that people loved to eat at affordable prices. After eating their a few times, I can vouch that they've succeeded. Eating at Trueburger is sort of like going back in time to one of those burger and shake restaurants that seemed to be in every town before fast food restaurants put them all out of business. Like Al's Diner in Happy Days or the hangout in Back to the Future, it serves American food made from real ingredients for regular people.

Located on Grand Avenue across the street and down a block from Lake Merritt, Trueburger is in the heart of downtown Oakland. When I asked Greg and Jason why they opened their restaurant in this location, they both enthusiastically told me that they live in Oakland and so wanted to invest in the city they mutually love. According to Greg, Oakland is the west coast's Brooklyn: it's a bit beat up and tarnished next to its glitzier and wealthier sister city of San Francisco, but filled with a talented and eclectic group of people who want and deserve great food.

So what can you find at Trueburger? The menu is simple and direct because Greg and Jason wanted to focus on making a few items really well. Burgers, hot dogs, chili dogs, smoked chicken sausage, shakes, fries and salads. That's pretty much it.

So far, my favorite item is the burger. Now, I should preface my review by saying that I am a finicky burger eater. I have a Three Little Bears mentality when it comes to hamburgers: not too thick (because then you can't taste the bun, cheese, and condiments) not too thin (because what's the point of a super thin burger?), but just right. Greg and Jason make their own meat patties -- the cuts they grind are a trade secret. I do know, however, that the meat is angus beef, not organic and not grass fed. All the meat is also ground at the restaurant. I've eaten two burgers there so far, and both were truly excellent. With an 80/20 meat/fat ratio that is just the perfect thickness and size, each burger bursts with real beef flavor. The buns are purchased from a local bakery in Berkeley. Fluffy with nooks inside, I could tell the buns are steam-baked and then laid on the grill just before they're served so they're crispy on the inside. The perfect vehicle for a good patty. For a little extra, you can top your burger with cheese, bacon, chili, or grilled onions.

In addition to those amazing burgers, Trueburger also has hot dogs. My daughter Sophie really enjoyed the Naked Hot Dog, which is a plain large Hebrew National dog in a bun, but the Housemade Chili-Cheese Dog with diced onions and cheddar cheese made me go weak at the knees. The chili (cooked fresh each day) is made with meat and beans and lots of other ingredients that meld together into the perfect amalgamation to sit on a dog. Topped with their cheese sauce, and you have a poem on a bun. Yes, it's really that good.

There aren't a lot of sides at Trueburger, but true to their goal, the few they have are done well. The fries are quite decent. Made from real potatoes (and not those frozen things a lot of other places use), they are soft and steamy on the inside and crispy and salty on the outside. You can have them plain, or topped with cheese sauce, chili or both. Trueburger also has locally-made pickles which are crispy and perfectly dilled. I was disappointed, however, that they didn't have onion rings as I think all good burger and dog places should have this item on the menu. Plus it's almost impossible to find a good onion ring, and I know Greg and Jason would make great ones.

Hamburgers and hot dogs aside, Trueburger is worth a visit for any shake-loving individual. Made from real vanilla and chocolate ice cream, Trueburger's shakes are thick and decadent. Yet what makes them really special is that you can add a variety of ingredients to them. So far, I've tried the vanilla banana, the vanilla caramel, and the vanilla orange cream -- all ridiculously delicious. You can also get a very nice root beer float (which my daughters loved). On my next stop I plan on trying one made with chocolate ice cream and peanut butter. Right now, you can choose to start your shake with vanilla or chocolate ice cream and then add up to 8 flavors (including malt), but once summer fruits are in season, Greg and Jason plan on adding other choices to the list. I can't wait to try blueberry and peach in June.

Oh yeah, there's also a 'Shroom Burger, smoked chicken sausage and three types of chopped salads. I can't imagine walking into Trueburger and not getting a hamburger or chili dog, but if you're interested in a healthier or vegetarian option, there's still plenty for you to eat.

Trueburger is open every weekday and Saturday for lunch, plus Thursday through Saturday evening for dinner. They have applied for a liquor license, so I'm hoping to have my chili dog with an ice cold beer in a few months, but for now Greg and Jason have an inspired selection of root beers and cream sodas on hand, as well as the standard soda fountain selection.

So if you're in the mood for a true burger -- homemade with a side of cheesy fries -- or a chili dog with a real ice cream shake, you need look no further than downtown Oakland.

Trueburger
146 Grand Avenue
Oakland, CA 94612 Map
Twitter: @trueburger
Trueburger on Facebook

Hours
Monday - Wednesday 11:00 - 2:30; Thursday - Friday 11:00 - 2:30 and 5:00 - 8:30; Saturdays 11:00 - 8:30; closed Sundays

"On Independence Day, Americans will enjoy 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. over five times."
--National Hot Dog and Sausage Council

My first reaction to this quote was "is there really a national hot dog and sausage council?"; while my second reaction was mild nausea mixed with a hankering for my own dog slathered in mustard and relish.

The all-beef American hot dog should not be confused with its namesake the frankfurter, which is a German regional sausage made from pork. Nor should you think it tastes much like an Austrian wiener, which is a pork and beef delicacy. Sure, frankfurters, wieners and hot dogs are all sausages, but there's very little that is European about a hot dog. Mass produced, precooked, and stuck in a bun it's as American as a food can get. Dirty Harry even eats one right before famously saying his "Do you feel lucky" line. So here's Clint, eating his dog, for you to enjoy.

Unlike Harry, my family and I don't eat a lot of hot dogs. Nothing against them; we just tend to eat more sausage when we want some sort of meat product in a tube, probably due to my Italian upbringing. I'm also not a big fan of processed foods. But there are certain occasions when a hot dog is the perfect meal, especially if you have a couple of hungry kids with you. Baseball games and the 4th of July top that list.

So in celebration of National Hot Dog Month, and also to better educate myself about American hot dogs, I have created an unscientific comparison of the major brands. Included in the list are organic, nitrate-free, and standard hot dogs that you can find locally. I am not recommending one frank over another as I did not try every brand, and, honestly, I've only tasted a few. Rather, I wanted to share the nutritional information and ingredients lists provided by the manufacturers so people can make their own educated decisions.

The following list is also limited to beef hot dogs as these are the traditional choice at block parties, backyard barbecues, and baseball games. Plus including chicken, turkey and tofu dogs would make the list ridiculously long. Please note that my inventory is in no way complete. I am not attempting to compare all the brands; just the ones I see most often. If I have missed something obvious, or something you really like, feel free to add the information in the comments section. Finally, I should say that I don't distinguish between kosher and non-kosher brands.

When comparing the hot dogs on the list, you should note that each brand's hot dogs vary in size. So while the Nathan's Famous beef franks look at first to have the most sodium, they are also twice the size of many of the other hot dogs, so be sure to look at the size column when comparing products.

Here are the lists. I have grouped the brands by type for easier viewing and listed the size, calories, calories from fat, saturated fat grams and sodium levels, along with ingredients lists. I was very interested by what I found. I hope you will be too.

Organic and Grass Fed Hot Dogs
These hot dogs are all made from organic, and often grass-fed, beef. No nitrates are used for organic hot dogs.

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Nitrate-Free but not Organic Hot Dogs
Non-organic beef but no nitrates are used.

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Standard Hot Dogs
The hot dogs are all beef and the meat has been preserved with nitrates and other preservatives.

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