Think inside the bun!
That’s what Taylor’s Refresher, in St. Helena, makes you do – think about what you are going to put in that airy, egg-y bun.
Is it going to be a juicy grilled hamburger, the one that wine–writer Robert Parker called one of the best in America, or is it going to be that memorable ahi tuna sandwich, napped with the house’s famous secret sauce.
“House” is a bit of a misnomer because “house” suggests you are “inside” a building. At Taylor’s original location, in St. Helena, you can only eat outside, because that’s where all the picnic tables are, though a few are covered.
We send all our visiting friends and relatives to Taylor’s for at least one lunch and I admonish them NOT to return to our home if they fail to order one of Taylor’s outstanding milkshakes, large enough, by the way, for two to share.
My favorite milkshake has always been “espresso bean,” but many friends return to our home, raving about the chocolate, chocolate mint, or vanilla versions. I guess, at heart, everyone’s a milkshake maven.
Taylor’s Refresher has been dishing out grilled burgers since it opened in 1949, but it only went from a modest local hangout to a seriously popular tourist attraction and mini-chain after the Gott family bought the business about ten years ago.
There are now satellite stalls in Napa town and in the Ferry Building, in San Francisco. But be forewarned: the line-ups at these locations aren’t any shorter – so don’t think of them as shortcuts to hamburger heaven.
Taylor’s Refresher, 933 Main St. St. Helena, CA, 94574. Open seven days a week. Tel: 707-963-3486 or check out www.taylorsrefresher.com for information on the Napa town and San Francisco locations.
Local Color, a regular feature of napaman.com, is illustrated by Lisa Livoni, one of Napa Valley’s most talented watercolorists.
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