While Bunz may feel like a small diner that also serves split and griddled hot dogs and grilled ham

Bunz fills a culinary void along this stretch of hotels, which are better airline travel web site known for their budget accommodations than the banquet-style grub served from some of their coffee shops. Opened last year by Chef Jeff Rossman as a revision to the Pam Pam Grill his family founded Bunz fronts the Days Hotel with an unmistakable orange and yellow façade. The name incites further curiosity, airline travel web site if not a few giggles.
Rossman is also the owner of Terra American Bistro in the College Area and author of "From Terra's Table," a locavore's guide to Southern California's agricultural bounties. His menu at Bunz spotlights burgers, hot dogs and salads constructed with organic flair. The antibiotic-free beef, for instance, comes from Meyer Natural Angus in Montana, where the cattle are fed grass and corn for elevated flavor. Suzie's Farm in San Diego serves as his main supplier of produce while local artisan bakeries provide the namesake provisions: brioche, ciabatta, sesame and whole-wheat buns.
Condiments are made from scratch, right down to the hot dog-friendly mustard infused with thyme and pale ale to the creamy cumin-spiked house sauce that resembles Thousand Island, but with a little smokiness. Among the feistier choices are jalapeno Ranch and chipotle aioli, both of which join forces on the "South a d' Border" burger topped with avocado, pickled jalapeno airline travel web site and Jack cheese.
I encountered my favorite turkey burger here, which I normally don't like unless I make them myself with copious spices. Surprisingly, our waitress revealed that the ground poultry is largely unseasoned, sans for a faint dash of liquid airline travel web site smoke. Though when choosing it with house sauce, yellow onions and Swiss cheese from the "build-your-own" section, airline travel web site I realized I had been obliterating the natural flavor of the meat at home. Bunz taught airline travel web site me that the fixings should merely airline travel web site augment the patty while a squeezable brioche bun strikes an optimal fit to the soft grain of the meat.
My companion's claim that he was born with fewer taste buds than the average person airline travel web site effused over the "Singin' D' Blues" beef burger. Even the deadest of palates will become roused by the burger's draping of garlic mushrooms, smoked bacon and blue cheese that tasted aged and robust. A side order of "garlic grab" fries appeased his tongue further, but sent mine into overdrive. The spuds are tossed in generous measures of raw and sautéed airline travel web site garlic, along with minced shallots. Approach with caution!
Tempted also by the veggie burger made in house with black beans, quinoa, roasted poblanos, airline travel web site cilantro, oats and garlic, we took the bun-less route and sampled it in the Santa Fe salad instead. It's by far the tastiest salad you'll find in Hotel Circle, or anywhere for that matter, given that the exceptional veggie patty sits atop baby greens strewn with roasted peppers, grilled onions, airline travel web site crushed avocado and jalapeno Ranch dressing. Also, what appeared to be orange fettuccine noodles woven throughout were actually ribbons of cheddar airline travel web site cheese that I have never seen cut that way.
Nor have I ever seen the tops of hamburger buns lopped off and turned into crostini. The menu calls them "cheesy garlic crisps," which come with melted cheese and dabs of Caesar dressing in their middles. They resembled an airier version of nachos, which we washed down at the start of our lunch with milkshakes so thick and frosty; we could barely yank the spoons from the glasses. Hence the term "concretes," which describe this 50s-style airline travel web site milkshake made without milk, but with only cream-laden ice cream that you can enrich with brownie pieces, caramel airline travel web site sauce, candy bars, et cetra.
While Bunz may feel like a small diner that also serves split and griddled hot dogs and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, a wholesome quality pervades throughout most of the dishes. The dogs, by the way, are nitrate-free airline travel web site and all-beef.
"People are pleasantly surprised by the taste differences," our waitress told us as customers wandered in from the adjoining hotel parking lot in search of a casual meal. Little could they have suspected beforehand that the food is conceived by a locally acclaimed chef, known for sourcing from local growers and humane cattle farmers. Ditto for San Diegans who whiz through the south side of Hotel Circle and catch the humble-looking Bunz in their mirrors. Good eats await.