Filipinos have an unabashed desire for anything American. However, because we are speaking of Filipinos, they inevitably begin to subvert and make those totally American things into Filipino traditions. From the depths of my childhood of corrupted / improved themes is hamburgers. This thought of corruption / improvement is a constant theme in my life. Pronounciations, cooking, baking, cars are constantly changed, appended or edited to suit the Pin@y palate. Hamburgers. What a nightmare from my childhood.

Let me explain something about physiology. By the way, this is my attempt at real life explanation for a phenomenon I have observed. At the tender ages (4-21 years old), in general, an individual has very specific and very sensitive taste buds. If one has not participated in activities that destroy taste buds such as smoking, one retains said taste buds. Thus, we find that kids love sweets at the young ages, because the taste buds for sweets are right smack in the middle of the tongue. Ohh, gustatory stimulation at its best.


So when onions or tomatoes are added to eggs, the child runs away screaming in pain not only from the burning sensation of the onions, but also from the nasty smell emanating from the kitchen. But I can almost hear the lamentations of the millions and millions of you out there who swear life is derived from onions, garlic and tomatoes. Please remember that we are taking this from a child's point of view. To them, onions make one's eye water from a distance of ten feet. The idea of eating garlic is insane. And tomatoes have such a strong taste that it does not belong in an omelette. Omelettes are supposed to be eaten in its purity without any adornment.


But back to the nightmares of childhood. Wouldn't you know it? My family, which also consists of my yaya, make hamburgers by adding onions and carrots. I can only imagine that they also probably added some other spice to make sure that it tasted right.

To a child with a full blown case of unadulterated taste buds, this is hell. What is that flavor right there? Yuck, onions. Oh, maybe if I bite over here. Yuck, tomatoes.

Can you make me hamburgers without onions?

"But that would just be meat. Why would you want a burger with just meat?"

So that is not so spicy.

It's a good thing that I am the product of millions of years of evolution and natural selection. With my wit and guile, I managed to eat some other adulterated product that did not have spices. Come to think of it, my memories of what I ate seem to be blocked. Oh, yeah... I ate a lot of mayonaisse when I was a kid. I guess that is why I am so tall. All that fat and oil congealed into a mass that added height.

But back to reality. Where was I going with this?

Taylor's Referesher in St. Helena. QueenHermit and KingPorcupine have given this restaurant the blessing of the order of Chateau Galatea. Supposedly, when chefs around the Napa area are in need of sustenance in the form of ground meat grilled to perfection, they come to Taylor's.

Now, the first time I went to Taylor's, I was probably not very impressed. After all, with the history of TommyBurgers on Rampart Ave in the bullet-ridden town of Los Angeles, and the history of countless McDonalds during a strenuous week at work, and the history of my own grilling experience with steaks, and a history or Hegenburger from the wild streets of Oakland, I was pretty much invincible from the perspective of being impressed. Sure the burgers tasted like burgers. The meat was soft and juicy and properly balanced in taste. The hamburger patty melted into the meat as one concoction of balanced meaty taste.

However, this past weekend, I happened to order their Ahi Burger served rare with ginger wasabi mayo and Asian slaw ($9.99). Damn! That is one expensive burger. But it is delightful. The subtle taste of fish is delicate. But, it is so good that it tasted like meat to this unabashed carnivore on a diet. No wonder it costs $10. But if you have to splurge, forget those Liberty restaurants! Go instead to Taylor's Refresher. Sure it is open-air dining. Sure the seats are just benches. There tons of benches. Sure the flies want your food. But the key here is that it is great food.

So go to Taylor's Refresher

I have to give it a recommendation of Order of the Carnivore. Guaranteed to satisfy the Pin@y palate. You've tasted goat, mayas, tutubis and others. This restaurant is just as good as your yaya's cooking.