The Mayne Menu: The quest for the best burger in Napa

As elevating as a meal at a Michelin 3-star restaurant can be, there is no substitute when you're craving a good old-fashion American cheeseburger. That first bite when the juice dribbles from the corner of your mouth, meat perfectly seared and seasoned, the springiness of the bun, the tang of the mustard... When the mood catches you, nothing else will do and nothing else is as satisfying. So, when someone asked me, "What's the best burger in Napa?" I took it as a thrown gauntlet. But I approached the challenge with some trepidation. If you think politics is divisive, people can be outright tribal about their burgers!

I decided the only way to undertake this task was with strict scientific rigor. I collaborated with two friends, Kevin and Chris, who have won awards on the national barbecue circuit, to design a rating system and accompany me and my partner Cody on the Best Burger journey. The rating system was designed to evaluate each essential component of a burger, individually scored on a 5-point scale and averaged across reviewers. The elements included:

Meat quality: Is it the right balance of meat and fat? Is it fresh (ideally ground on site)? Is it tender?

Cooking: Is it cooked to order (we ran the gamut from rare to medium well)? Is it juicy? Is it well-seared? If grilled, does it have char and smokiness?

Seasoning: Does it have the right amount of salt and pepper? What condiments does it include (mustard, ketchup, mayo)? How does each condiment add or detract from the burger (does it complement, get lost, or over-power)?

Bun: Is it the right burger-to-bun ratio? How is the consistency (springy in the center, crusted)? Is it fresh? Is it toasted or grilled? Is it flavorful?

Accoutrements: What do they put on the burger? Tomatoes, pickles (are they homemade?), onions (raw or grilled?), lettuce, bacon, cheese? Are they fresh? How does each add to or detract from the burger?

Overall: Is the burger aesthetically pleasing? How do all the elements come together? How balanced is the overall flavor profile (umami, sweet, sour, salt)?

I asked readers and friends to nominate the best burger, which produced the following list from across the Napa Valley: The Burger Truck; Goose & Gander; Compline; Squeeze Inn; Gott's; Nation's; Brix. For the next two months, we chose one each week and ordered for lunch. Scores were tabulated and at the end we conducted an overall reviewed. The final selection was unanimous, no dissention. The clear winner was...

COMPLINE. Of all the burgers we sampled, the meat quality at Compline was the highest.

Kevin and Chris refused to give it a 5 only on principle: "We reserve that for Japanese wagu." The beef was fresh, not too lean, not too fatty, and each bite was tender and juicy. The burger was cooked to perfection, a flawless sear on the outside. Each one came exactly as ordered (the server accidentally switched two of the burgers, but they were so precisely cooked that we knew immediately and got the right burger to the right person). They limit their condiments to a house-made aioli. I have to admit, I'm a mustard man when it comes to burgers, but this aioli, rich and creamy, was the right choice for the overall burger.

The accoutrements included a thick slice of fresh heirloom tomato, house-made bread and butter pickle (not too sweet, not too sour, just a hint of spice), balsamic caramelized onion worthy of a Michelin star for the balance of acid and sweetness, and a slice of thick bacon cooked crispy and giving the burger a needed crunchiness. They used a very mild Schoch Family cheese, melted and just-right-gooey. The sesame bun was buttered and grilled, which added another layer of crunch. Overall, the burger hit every flavor note with perfect pitch dominated by savoriness. The richness of the meat and buttered bun and aioli was balanced with the acid of the tomato, pickle and balsamic caramelized onion. The tender smokiness of the burger and mild gooey cheese was complemented by the crunchy bacon and grilled bun. It was pleasing to look at and a gastronomic pleasure to eat. While it was the most highly rated, it got extra credit for the accompanying duck fat fries. These may be the best French fries I have ever eaten! I don't know how they do it, but there was an outer thin layer as crispy as any fry I've experienced, while the inside was fluffy with that wonderful starchy potato flavor, perfectly salted with a depth only achieved when fried in duck fat.

There were two runners up: Goose & Gander and Brix. Both burgers were excellent, but the overall experience of Compline could not be matched.

There was an important takeaway from conducting this review. While the best burger was Compline, at $30 (with bacon and tomato), it was also the most expensive. The two runners up (Goose & Gander and Brix) were $26 each. The remaining burgers were all comparably priced: Nation's ($9.50), Squeeze Inn ($10.25), Gott's ($10.99), and The Burger Truck ($11.99). For a good (and economical) lunch burger, Nation's and Gott's and Squeeze Inn and The Burger Truck are all excellent choices. But if you want a peak burger experience, in the end, you get what you pay for.

Compline is located at 1300 First Street #312, in downtown Napa. Both indoor and outdoor seating are available. For more information, go to: complinewine.com .

The Mayne Menu is a food review column by Tracy J. Mayne. For suggestions on where to eat next, email .

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