Michael Halligan posted pretty much the Silicon’s Manifesto “Fuck you, pay me” blog post the other day about why YCombinator founders are behind the curve in competitive salaries. He notes:

YCombinator founders do very well, so I don’t blame them for drinking the kool-aid and being put-off by somebody who doesn’t want to work 60-80 hours per week to make them wealthy. They’re too blinded by their peers success to understand why anybody wouldn’t want to work for them. Most of them are children fresh out of college, so they wouldn’t understand why anybody would care about benefits and time-off. They’re working 100 hours a week and want you to as well.

I’m a co-founder of a YC company, and I sympathize with his points. But two things drew red flags:

Their product means nothing to me, it’s not going to change the world, but that’s OK…All start-ups today are about supporting advertising in one way or another.

Michael mentions also:

I’m a senior engineer with 20 years of experience and can command a pretty good salary…I would like to buy a house in the next two years, which means I need a good salary.

To boot, he has a lovely daughter to support.

The reason why startups is a “young man’s game” is because they have everything to give. No kids, no mortgage, no dream of buying a house in two years. We live on ramen. What I’m trying to get at here is that it’s not for everyone.

We put 100 hour weeks into our startups because we believe. Time is our enemy, and we must show the world how amazing of a product this is. This unfortunately is something Michael doesn’t have as noted above, which is why he came off a little “mercenary” to me. Michael seems like an extraordinary candidate that MVP/medium-sized startups simply cannot afford. I’m sure all the YC companies would love to have his skill set, but the culture fit seems out of place.

This part is written to Michael directly. 20 years of experience sounds like you’re around what? Close shave under 40? It’s not too late to work for outstanding tech companies like Google and Facebook who can compensate you appropriately. The former was recently rated the “Best Place to Work in America,” so you can’t be THAT worse off.

There was no reason to be condescending and categorizing us as “children fresh out of college” (I’m 28, for what it’s worth). Most of us are trying to make a positive impact in the world, and I hope you can see that we’re trying.

And as for the “worthless stock options,” I suppose you can always start your own company. But your financial planning for the house takes precedence, so why would you ever do something so insane and stupid as startups?

Again, the theme for this burger guide is that there isn’t really the best way to make a burger, there are just bad ways to go about it. In my search for the burger, here are San Francisco’s gems for you to enjoy**!

10. [NEW] Fresh Ground Burger at Monk’s Kettle. Mission.

We start the list off with a bar burger, which are special unicorns that I’ve come to appreciate through the years. The Monk has probably the neatest, staunch dry burger on this List. The onion jam tricks you into thinking it’s a wet one, but a sturdy acne bun takes you back to its core. The white cheddar and bacon don’t even interfere with the patty.

If you’ve lost your way, let this burger hold your hand and guide you.

9. Truffle Burger at Umami Burger. Marina.

I hate writing about Umami. It’s a chain, but heaven knows how hard I’ve tried to quit Umami Burger. The awesome ambiance, your great menu selection of sweets & savories. Your 6-ounce patty that’s always medium rare topped with a mild truffle-infused cheese and glaze. That “secret” Umami sauce slipping its way into my mouth. As LA Burger describes it:

There’s no lettuce, tomato or anything else to get in the way of experiencing the fifth taste sensation of umami found in truffles – their rich, earthy, full-bodied deliciousness.

It’s sickening, I tell you.

8. [NEW] Beef & Bacon Burger at Broken Record [Defunct], now Ricky Bobby. Lower Haight.

The pedigree for this humble burger is deceiving. The patty itself is chuck the chef sourced by the genius duo James Moisey and Shane LaValley, ground on the premises with a secret sauce mixture of bacon, the way you lard a pot roast with pork fat. The kitchen has moved to Lower Haight, and at this time of writing, just opened! Pro tip: don’t forget about the lobster mac and cheese to share.

7. [NEW] Bourbon Steak Burger at Bourbon Steak. Union Square.

Let me first introduce, at $22, it is by far the most expensive burger on the list. Michael Mina just hypes up everything his restaurants, but our group of burger taste-testing crew think they’re onto something with this one. The unique challah bun is slathered with a “1001 Dressing,” a takeoff on Thousand Island but with one more ingredient: sriracha. Nicasio Reserve white cheddar cheese is added, along with onions caramelized in butter in a cast-iron skillet. The fries have been tossed in soy oil and dusted with barbecue spices, sparingly. Inside SF write this about its hamburger:

The hamburger is made from aged prime steak and wagyu fat trimmings ground with a ratio of 80 percent lean-to- fat. The 8-ounce patty is then seasoned and placed under a 900-degree broiler and basted with Bordelaise butter.

When it first arrived, it was actually lukewarm, so I was already peeved about it. I tried to dislike it. But its pedigree was simply put, too big. Too grand. The moisture and just sheer texture of the eat and despite the tiny serving of fries…worked. I must make a revisit of this burger as soon as I’m done writing, but it’s indeed a bold, frightful burger.

6. [NEW] The “Mission Burger” at Mission Bowling Alley. Mission. 

This burger single-handedly converted me to the church of Monterey Jack cheese. A half-pounder aged and granulated patty, it has been a legendary pet project of Anthony Myint of what he called “technique-driven comfort food.”

The byproduct of Heston Blumenthal’s “granulation” process, the patty simply astounds. I would immediately push this into the Top 5 if it weren’t for the mediocre outing of string-cut fries. However, word on the street is that they’ve changed their fry setup, so this requires immediate revisiting.

5. Classic Burger at the Street. Nob Hill.

The rock of SF’s burger scene. Medium rare with fire roast onions, gruyere cheese with kennebec fries. The gruyere cheese wasn’t overwhelming the burger despite its thickness seeping into the patty, and the onions played a pivoting supporting actor in bring everything together.

Truth be told, this burger is my litmus test for all burgers I’ve eaten..and will eat. It’s a good cut above the diner-esque burger, but not super fancy where we get caught up in its sourced, organic DNA.

Until the day I die, it will always sit at at number 5. My unique, ace burger.

4. [NEW] House Beef Hamburger at Zuni Cafe. Hayes Valley. 

Though many critics complain the flat bread doesn’t really hold the burger together that well, hold off on the vegetable servings and you should be fine. The cheese was coming through EVERY bite as I walked through the savory section of the flavor pyramid. Serious Eats sums it up succinctly:

The restaurant buys fresh-ground beef—about 20 percent fat—that they regrind in-house to make it finer. The beef gets salted and peppered and is left to “cure” overnight, a technique meant to seal in the juices.

If it weren’t for the weird potato string fries, it’d sit Top 3 automatically.

3. “Le Grande” Burger at Wayfare Tavern. FiDi. 

Out of all the burgers on this list, it has a lot going on between those buns. A generous disc of roasted onion, the six ounces grass-fed beef that uses a proprietary grind for the basis of its unique flavor, smoky thick-cut bacon, subdued by the rich and mellow tones of the Mt. Tam Brie…oh wait, there’s also a Petaluma egg on top it all.

Amazingly, it never overwhelms the beef, but everything overwhelms your senses. Its girth, the bacon strips lazily sticking out from the sides, and the generous cone of fries sprinkled with parsley flakes in a metal cup with the bed of vegetables fight for your attention as you pass in and out of the different layers of Le Grande.

At a cool $19 (plus $2 more for the egg), it’s the 2nd most expensive burger on this list. Disregard this note, and spare no expense.

To boot, this place is a first-class gastropub with delightful cocktails, the detail and final details of this burger craft displays its pedigree. Exceptional.

2. Burger and Kennebec potato fries at the bar at Spruce. Laurel Heights.

Our former Number 1 has slid back a notch to a still-noteworthy Number 2 due to two things: a) 2012 kitchen changes of the guard, and b) time. I’ve eaten this every time I’ve gone to Spruce for birthday dinners, dates, etc. and ultimately my weakness for wet burgers gave in. But Serious Eats chimes in:

The Spruce burger’s bun is a buttered English muffin that is made in-house. Since it’s on the thin side, the overall effect is not overly bready. The meat is from Niman Ranch and is ground on site. The burger is served plain or with cheese and is accompanied by a complex herbed aioli with capers, house-made zucchini pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce. You also get delicious fries that are fried in duck fat.

Don’t get me wrong, Spruce is the pinnacle of fine burger dining. The love-at-first-sight effect is still there, and will always have a warm place in my burger-whispering heart.

1. Hamburger at 4505 Meats. 1 Ferry Building. 

Ryan Farr, you beautiful bastard. He uses custom ground grassfed aged beef, cooked perfectly, bastes the homemade Parmesan-scallion sesame seed bun in butter, and in the summer finishes it with a slice of heirloom tomato, Gruyere cheese with secret sauce. I got the egg because who wouldn’t? It’s small, but fits my belly perfectly. They even shot porn with it.

Pound-for-pound, the best burger I have ever had in my life.

Sound off in the comments and let me know what you think!

Honorable Mentions:
Most Disappointing Burger: North Mountain Wagyu Burger at Alexander’s Steakhouse. SOMA.
Most Interesting Burger: Hamburguesa at Don Pistos. North Beach.

I’d like to thank @ryanjordan, @melotones @chanian, @chenosaurus, @soffes, @machado, @abbott, and @randypang for being such great sports and helping me with the notes, feedback, and forming burger committees.  
 

* To see last year’s humble list.

** I’ve tried 62 places in alphabetical order: 15 Romolo, 4505 Meats, Alexander’s Steakhouse, Bill’s Place, Bin38, Bistro Gambrinus, Bistro Burger, Bistro SF, Bix, Bluestem Brasserie, Bourbon Steak SF, Boxing Room, Burritt Room & Tavern, Broken Record, Buckshot, Chez Maman, Custom Burger, Dark Horse Inn, Fifth Floor, Fish and Farm, Foreign Cinema, Frank’s Bohemian Cafe, Ganim’s Place, Go-Getter’s Deli, Gott’s, Greenburger, Hall of Flame Burgers, Hillstone, Hops-N-Hominy, Hotel Utah, In-N-Out, It’s Tops Coffee, Magnolia, Mars Bars, Marlowe, Mission Beach Cafe, Mission Bowling Alley, Monk’s Kettle, Mo’s Grill, Murphy’s Pub, Nopa, Oola, Oz, Paragon, Pearl’s Deluxe, Q Restaurant & Bar, Roam Artisan, Rocco’s, Rosamunde Sausage Grill, Sam’s, Seoul Patch at Moma’s, Serpentine, Southern Pacific Brewery, Spork, Spruce, Street, Super Duper, Umami Burger, Wayfare Tavern, Zeke’s Diamond Bar, and Zuni Cafe.

The keener eye recognizes the “Pinch,” typically halfway through the script, after the Catalyst and right before the Climax. This is the point of no return for your main character where motivation is strengthened and what they have to do is made perfectly clear. The struggle within the character to understand their purpose to fight to the crisis, where all hope seems lost.Classic stories involve what we call the Big Five: Premise, Catalyst, Crisis, Climax, & Resolution. You know, the Premise where the hero is stuck in a rut, then the Catalyst out of his control descends upon him (e.g. giant robot destroying the world), which brings him to the key Crisis decision to rise to fight it. BIG FIGHT for the Climax, and then the terribly happy/sad Resolution.

Turns out, this happens in real life too. And history has shown the different responses to what different historians have called, “The Wilderness Years.” Examples:

• Bobby Fisher. The de facto greatest chess player of all time. The pure positional game in chess “energized him,” naturally understanding where every piece must go. His Wilderness Years drove him into the darkest chapter of his life. He never recovered, wandering aimlessly and died in an Iceland hospital, estranged from family and friends.
•  Winston Churchill. Regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century, he was ousted in 1928 from the Britain’s Conservative government for the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign. Churchill assumes his career is over. But his maverick journey of being attacked relentlessly for unpopular views about the King’s abdication and Hitler’s threat highlighted his Wilderness Years, culminating to his ascension in 1939 as Prime Minster. He’d serve twice, winning a Nobel prize, and after his death was named the Greatest Briton of all time in a 2002 poll.
• And the one that Silicon reveres, Steve Jobs. We’ve all heard from time and time again his 1985 to 1996 hiatus from Apple, as if the only meaningful times in Jobs’s life were those spent in Cupertino.

In fact, this middle period was the most pivotal of his life. And perhaps the happiest. He finally settled down, married, and had a family. He learned the value of patience and the ability to feign it when he lost it. Most important, his work with the two companies he led during that time, NeXT and Pixar, turned him into the kind of man, and leader, who would spur Apple to unimaginable heights upon his return.

To reflect, where are you in your story? Are you having trouble raising a round? Lost a key co-founder? Company deadpooled?

Embrace it. This is where your character must be sharpened by iron, to be tested right before the Climax, where you’ll face the toughest thing you’d have to face in your life.

“Don’t fear failure. Not failure, but low aim, is the crime. In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.”—Bruce Lee

Let’s get these out of the way:

• Public Transportation from the airports (OAK or SFO) is terribad. Unless you’re willing to spend a $40-$70 cab ride (depending on the competency of your driver slash getting stuck on the pleasures of 101), you’ll be taking BART. It is not rapid, it is not ideal.
• Layer up. Because we’re on a peninsula, the weather during night and day is +/- 20 degrees, easy. Top it off with sudden wind bursts and fog rolls, it’s funsies.
• People are weird here, a lot homeless. Compared to other major metropolitans, San Francisco is a bit more “weathered” (read: old), not as aesthetically pleasing, and there is a healthy population of homeless people here. Because of the current tech boom that’s occurring in Silicon Valley, there is a wide disparency between engineers/investors and lifers that have arrested Mission since the 80′s. To label it as “socioeconomic tension” is just surface area.

That said, bar none, it is one of the most health-conscious, high quality of life food-cities in the United States. New York is generally the “what you pay is what you get.” Here in San Francisco, even if you were a total nub you actually have a very high chance of wandering into a restaurant that serves pretty awesome food for a very reasonable price. It’s weird.

Without further ado, here are the five must-eats for the full palette of San Francisco.

5. Prime rib at House of Prime Rib, Nob Hill. 

The old guard of San Francisco. Husky restaurant with amazing salads, amazing cuts. Reservations are a must. An awesome alternative is Swan Oyster Depot, also in Nob Hill. Lunch only though.

$~37 for the House of Prime Rib Cut; takes up a dinner or lunch.

4. 1 Ferry Building on Thursdays and Saturdays preferably. Embarcadero. 

It’s next to the piers, it’s an amazing food center for San Francisco. You can almost not go wrong with anything that comes from here. Notables: II Cane Rosso, Slanted Door, Gott’s and Hog Oyster Island get my nods. If you’re on a layover or need a day to kill, look no further. Oh sorry, there is probably one of the best Farmer’s Markets here too on Thursdays and Saturdays. Bonus: Alcatraz Tours are nearby. Please book the night tours in advance. 

$ Spend majority of budget here; can easily take up an entire day.

3. 18th Street Pentakill. Mission. 

The only time you were ever slip into hipster regime, but it’s worth it. You can check out Tartine Bakery (pictured), Delfina (both sides), Bi Rite Creamery, El Farolito, Ike’s Place, and Dolores Park for the whole day. This is the option for those who don’t have the budget to really blast Embarcadero, but prefer a more desperate, artsy feel of the city.

$3.75 to ~$75 at Delfina; can easily take up an entire day.

2. The Meal.

Yeah, the dress shirt and heels come on. Aziza, Benu, Range, Zuni Cafe (pictured), or Foreign Cinema (brunch only) come to mind. In this author’s humble opinion, Gary Danko and Michael Mina get too much hype. Be one of the cool kids. Reservations are a must.

$~75 – $400 for two. Easy.

1. Secret Breakfast at Humphry Slocombe, Mission. 

Humphry represents all the innovation, love, and weirdness of San Francisco. You simply cannot find an ice cream shop like this any where else in the world, let alone the United States. All the good and bad of this city has been poured into this shop. If you love this, you’ll love San Francisco. The true test.

$3.75/two scoops

Bonus: Chinatown and North Beach. Golden Gate Bakery, Fortune Cookie Factory, and Don Pisto’s.

Let me know what you think of the picks and whether there was something/someone I have dreadfully wronged. I’ll try to answer the questions I get in the comments as well if you’re more into other genres.

Related: 5 Must-Try Burgers in San Francisco 

Startup Digest founder Chris McCann succinctly stated, “Startups are unimaginably difficult.”

All my friends back out East who are stuck in their respective rut as the corporate cog always say, “Wow Abel, you got it so good. San Francisco is the new heart of the startup scene, and you’re working at a Y Combinator company, surrounded by the best talent Silicon Valley can recognize. Plus, that food you’re eating.”

I don’t know how it is for the younger entrepreneurs in this city, but sometimes I’m tired of saying the same party line, “Oh it’s all grand, we just broke profitability a few months ago! Exciting times!” While all the above is true, I turned 27. My golden parachute savings have been ransacked. We’re burning through money. Because our startup might just die any moment, I don’t have much job security. I’m single nowhere near indicators of a serious relationship. Your balls may not be in a vice, but they sure are dangling in the winds with no clear indication of a safe landing.

Despite all this, no one is excited as I am to see where this journey leads. I have never met so many smart, amazing people in a short space of time, and never has anything else been as this rewarding.

As the poker gods would say, ship it.

In my search for the burger, I’ve actually come to learn more about myself. And I hope the list that I humbly present to you may find culinary revelations in each of these masterpieces.*

Honorable Mention: Truffle Burger at Umami Burger. Marina. 

Despite the fact that it’s a chain not from San Francisco, I am personally a fan. It’s technically located in our city so I’m allowed to blog about it. Actually, screw you, I can write whatever I want.

The place secretes the vision of serving you an awesome burger. Despite the raves for their flagship Umami Burger, I believe their best candidate has been the Truffle Burger all along. A 6-ounce patty that’s always done medium rare topped with a mild truffle-infused cheese and glaze, and nothing else allows their master “secret” Umami sauce shine through. The simple trappings of the Truffle allow the beef to come through. As LA Burger describes it:

There’s no lettuce, tomato or anything else to get in the way of experiencing the fifth taste sensation of umami found in truffles – their rich, earthy, full-bodied deliciousness.

I think the house-made ice cream sandwich was the final nail in the coffin. Crowd pleasers, believe.

5. Burger at Fish & Farm. Civic Center/Tenderloin. 

To be honest, this burger would’ve been so much higher on the list if not for the fact a) the spokeswoman for this establishment abhors this burger (she said it brought in and I quote, “a lower class of patrons”), and b) the service has been its greatest flaw.

Strangely, its pedigree is not “gourmet” if you really break it down. It’s probably one of the “wettest” burgers on this list. 7×7 notes:

The Niman beef is not ground in-house and the grilled Acme brioche bun becomes one with an umami-tastic “secret sauce”— spiked with fresh green peppercorns and heady with horseradish—dripping down the sides. The lily is gilded with grilled onions, housemade pickles, melted Cabot cheddar and a steak knife thrust, rather thrillingly, into the center.

Conclusion: come for the “Farm” and not so much for the “Fish” and you’ll be in great hands. I tearfully await the day they remove this beauty from the menu. In the meantime, bring extra napkins. The Seven Years of Plenty just showed up early.

4. Classic Burger at the Street. Nob Hill.

Medium rare with fire roast onions, gruyere cheese with kennebec fries. Do this, and you can’t go wrong. Street has built itself an impressive following of hip patrons, bringing out the louder version of Nob Hill. It’s a local favorite, and considering the kitchen set up this is an even more impressive feat than captured on film.

The gruyere cheese wasn’t overwhelming the burger despite its thickness seeping into the patty, and the onions played a pivoting supporting actor in bring everything together. Truth be told, this burger is my litmus test for all burgers I’ve eaten..and will eat. It’s a good cut above the diner-esque burger, but not super fancy where we get caught up in its sourced, organic DNA.

Definitely a great scene grab of Nob Hill and the transitional state of Polk Street. My unique, ace burger.

3. “Le Grande” Burger at Wayfare Tavern. FiDi. 

Out of all the burgers on this list, it has a lot going on between those buns. A generous disc of roasted onion, the six ounces grass-fed beef that uses a proprietary grind for the basis of its unique flavor, smoky thick-cut bacon, subdued by the rich and mellow tones of the Mt. Tam Brie…oh wait, there’s also a Petaluma egg on top it all.

Amazingly, it never overwhelms the beef, but everything overwhelms your senses. Its girth, the bacon strips lazily sticking out from the sides, and the generous cone of fries sprinkled with parsley flakes in a metal cup with the bed of vegetables fight for your attention as you pass in and out of the different layers of Le Grande.

At a cool $19 (plus $2 more for the egg), it’s the most expensive burger on this list. Disregard this note, and spare no expense.

To boot, this place is a first-class gastropub with delightful cocktails, the detail and final details of this burger craft displays its pedigree. Exceptional.

2. Hamburger at 4505 Meats. 1 Ferry Building. 

Ryan Farr, you beautiful bastard. He uses custom ground grassfed aged beef, cooked perfectly, bastes the homemade Parmesan-scallion sesame seed bun in butter, and in the summer finishes it with a slice of heirloom tomato, Gruyere cheese with secret sauce. I got the egg because who wouldn’t? It’s small, but fits my belly perfectly. They even shot porn with it.

If they had a sit-down version of this, it’d be fighting with the #1 spot right now. However, the experience of taking in the Bay and the bustle of the Farmer’s Market is a human story of its own.

Pound-for-pound, one of the best burgers I’ve had.

1.  Burger and Kennebec potato fries at the bar at Spruce. Laurel Heights.

Frankly, if I played for the NFL, I’d eat at Spruce every week. It’s baller, but the bar burger is an anomaly that equates to possibly heaven manna. Serious Eats breaks it down:

The Spruce burger’s bun is a buttered English muffin that is made in-house. Since it’s on the thin side, the overall effect is not overly bready. The meat is from Niman Ranch and is ground on site. The burger is served plain or with cheese and is accompanied by a complex herbed aioli with capers, house-made zucchini pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce. You also get delicious fries that are fried in duck fat.

Whiskey tango foxtrot ponies. And the venue, service, everything falls into place for you when you eat here. It’s the pinnacle of the modern experience of eating high-class burgers.

Check out this list, try ‘em out, and we’ll keep talking.

*I’ve tried 29 places in alphabetical order: 4505 Meats, Bill’s Place, Bistro Burger, Bistro Gambrinus, Bistro SF, Bix, Buckshot, Custom Burger, Dark Horse Inn, Fish & Farm, Hall of Flame Burgers, In-N-Out, It’s Tops Coffee, Ganim’s Place, Gott’s Roadside, Magnolia Cafe, Mission Beach Cafe, Mo’s Grill, Nopa, Pearl’s Deluxe, Roam Artisan, Sam’s, Serpentine, Spork, Spruce, Street, Super Duper, Umami Burger, and Wayfare Tavern.

The day is finally here. For those uninitiated, Facebook has filed their $5 billion IPO. The actual S-1 Document is here. But for a lot of us netizens, should we care? Here are some highlights you can spout to impress conversation.

Snapshot Numbers

• In their 2004 S1, Google reported a net income of $106 million on $962 million revenue. Facebook is $1 billion on $3.7 billion. Wow.
• It’s been profitable since 2009.
• $3.9 billion cash and equivalents on hand.
• Zynga accounts for 12% of the company’s revenue.
• 3,200 employees.
• 845 Million users. 57% are MAUs (Monthly Active Users).

Quotes & Interesting Tidbits

• “Our culture emphasizes rapid innovation & prioritizes user engagement over short-term financial results.”
• “Facebook was not originally created to be a company.”
• “We don’t build services to make money; we make money to build better services.”
• They cite Microsoft – an investor of the company – as a competitor. Awkward.
• Mark Zuckerberg’s father “provided [Facebook] with initial working capital.” In return, Zuck’s dad was issued an option to purchase 2 million Facebook Class B shares.
• Even Bono can now become a billionaire after all his floundered Elevation investments in deals-gone-bad like Palm ($408 million), Forbes Media ($300 million), and his beloved Spider Man musical ($65 million).

Things You Should Worry

• Biggest concern: can it keep growing at this pace? Depends on whether you believe in Brazil and India.  The former grew 268% in 2011 to reach 37 million MAU. The latter grew by 132% over last year to reach 46 million. USA grew at 16% still, but it’s reaching saturation point. Contrary to various other data sets, there is literally no three-month period where it didn’t gain users in every single region.
• Mobile Revenue? None.
• Censorship/Regulation Policies. They’ve been squirrely in opening/closing the network all the time. Now add international censorship and government laws into the mix, something that Twitter is learning painfully.

What Needs to Happen 

1. Facebook must become the next Facebook. The existing model doesn’t work; the “ads and fee” revenue model is beyond simplistic and will simply not do. It’s an amazingly efficient profit machine considering their revenue models, but a new product is pivotal.
2. On an interesting note, buying Facebook shares is actually a great indirect stake in Zynga’s efforts to get into the online gambling business. That’s a $6 billion industry (if you use old 2003 numbers; it’s bigger now).
3. The Hacker Way will be rough. But I am convinced as the majority stakeholder, Zuckerberg will lead Facebook to their AdWords cash cow.

Don’t buy FB as a speculative add, but rather for the long haul. If you buy into Zuckerberg’s ability to build bigger wheels on this company, buy lonnngg.

I am.

With OpenTable announcing that they’re shuttering their daily deals leg, we tally another casualty. Facebook has formally withdrawn from the Deals Wars, BuyWithMe had a horrendous execution of laying off half of its workforce to be an acquisition target for Gilt, and everyone watched a general industry shakeout.

Add Silicon Valley tightening its Round A/B funding, you might say the sky is falling. Oh wait, I failed to mention there was a company called Groupon…is that still IPOing? As a Partner at Munch on Me fighting within this fierce sector, I hope to lay out some personal observations. These are obviously my own opinions, and do not reflect Munch on Me’s organization beliefs whatsoever.

- Owner Relationships. Once you work with the restaurant business, it eerily becomes apparent that it’s a yacht club. I can’t even begin to tell you how much name-dropping is used, and for hundreds of years the restaurant business remains unchanged in building relationships to get the best seat in the house. The company that will win this Deals Wars is the one that is about building merchant retention and partnerships. Groupon may be realizing this, though how they are to shake off their stigma, only time will tell. Merchants > users.

-  The game now for us fledgling startups is to build an amazing member portfolio/sales staff, and pray that we get acquired. There is absolutely near-zero economic moat, and clones abound. Acquisition > IPO.

- CPA = Win. The last piece is the biggest part. Groupon spent about $7.99 to acquire each subscriber who actually redeemed a daily deal in the Q1 2010, according to regulatory filings. By Q2 2011, it tripled to $23.46. Munch on Me, though I can’t disclose actual numbers, is killing that number. And by killing, it’s almost cents per customer. The scary thing is that Munch has been solely a word-of-mouth experience, though we did venture briefly into flyering and public transportation ads (maybe more on that later in the future).

- I believe the front runner on hyper-location/customer loyalty is FourSquare. The 4.0 rollout of real-tie geolocation alerts along with their wretched gamification badging is a pretty lethal combination. Their CEO Dennis Crowley is already saying daily deal sites “are version 1.0 of great things you can build with the Internet that help local merchants drive foot traffic into the door. What we are doing with Foursquare is version 2.”

- ScoutMob has the best deals out of all the sites, Munch on Me included. Whoever is working within their organization knows San Francisco’s foodie landscape, at least. And it bugs me every day, because we know how they’re doing it. They’re just paying the baller merchants, so I can’t imagine how their CPA is looking. However, still jelly.

Bottom line, this industry has yet to fully mature. You hate it but face it, it’s the food stamps for the middle class. The daily deals space is on-pace to grow to $3.9 billion by 2015, and some are already projecting $6 billion. And it looks like Amazon might’ve not been so dumb after all grabbing a $175 million share in Living Social. During their investor trade how, Groupon was making it very clear they weren’t afraid of their competitors, but that’s about to change soon.

Drew Houston founder of Dropbox said during Startup School, “You can’t be a billion dollar company without a billion dollar market.” Someone is going to get this right.

AUTHORS UPDATE: Wow, Amazon just wrote a net loss of $558 million on LivingSocial. The human capital-intense structure is broken in the current daily deals model.

Because I’m playing with such a deep roster, my choices were rooted heavily on quality at the price point it was given, along with the service, ambiance, etc. It got bonus points if it was a “San Francisco first” culinary experience as well.

10. Egg Custard Tart at Golden Gate Bakery, Chinatown. 

Of course I’d start off this list with a dessert. Their famous egg custard tarts are so good they almost charge twice as much compared to the normal street prices with impunity, but it’s worth it. It has all the trappings of a good Chinese hole-in-the-wall: a) it looks like one, b) they “go on vacation” and close whenever they want and c) there’s no website whatsoever. The crust is airy, yet moist with a hint of crisp. It’s always insanely fresh so make sure you give it a few minutes to cool. Bottom line, Golden Gate Bakery has saved what has become a tourist trap of a Chinatown.

~$1.13/piece.

9. Meatballs with grapes at Aziza, Outer Richmond. 

If I could write about some of the gems in San Francisco, Aziza would start the conversation. It also has the rare distinction of being a one-star Michelin restaurant at superb prices compared to its other brethren. On the outside it has very humble décor and a rather busy street of Geary, but you’ll be surprised at the level of service and white table-level porn it provides. It stands to be the best Moroccan restaurant I’ve ever eaten in this city.

$12

8. Morning bun at Tartine Bakery, Mission. 

I consider this one of the Bakery Trinities with Flour from Boston and Momofuku from New York. Tartine is Mark Bittman’s favorite bakery in the U.S., and for good reason. Aside from the accolades, this bakery alone takes two spots on the Big Eat List which is quite the feat. The flagship pastry, the morning bun, is a delightful piece of citrus infusion with cinnamon syrup and light sugar.

$3.75

7. Burger and fries at Spruce, Laurel Heights. 

I personally enjoy dry burgers over facial-fests (the Fish & Farm folks got a helluva messy burger if you’re into that), so with that in mind I give you the classiest burger in San Francisco. The presentation and sauce opened my eyes on how a burger can be eaten…sans cheese, with bursts of flavor. For clarification, Spruce recently made the Michelin one-star list for San Francisco this year, though that was after I went to eat there in 2010.

$16

6. Nick’s baja-style fish tacos at The Taco Shop at Underdogs, Outer Sunset. 

I never knew fish tacos could be this amazing. It’s just a myriad of different textures and you get a taco made with one grilled corn torilla, one soft tortilla, monterey jack cheese, pinto beans, pico de gallo, and guacamole. Simply heaven for a dollar more compared to the average street price. There’s no point of Taco Tuesdays, cause you’ll always want it Nick’s way. In addition to the rowdy sports bar crowd, there are plenty of teams to flat screens to serve your ADHD. Best fish tacos in the city as far as I’m concerned.

$5.25

5. Scotch egg at Wexler’s, FiDi. 

The Sacramento/California St downtown is teeming with big names from Michael Mina’s to Perbacco, yet this is my favorite one. Everyone at this restaurant ordered the Scotch egg. Its BBQ sauce mixed with chili and honey was a nice kick to the crispy texture. The ambiance in there is ridiculous as well, prepare to have an amazing date there. Wexler’s is one of the most unique dishes I’ve ever had the privilege to be served.

$12

4. Prime rib at House of Prime Rib, Nob Hill. 

It is still up to debate on where the best steak cut is in the city amongst my friends, but for prime rib there is only one for its namesake. The oakwood bar and old money that seeps into this place defines the very neighborhood it dwells in. For the old San Francisco experience, it’s a hell of a set-up: cows that have been dead for only 22 days, or the top 2% within the meat market. If you somehow finish your prime rib, they’ll give you another one for free. This was one of the first stops I did early in the Big Eat List, and remains one of my best eating memories.

$~37 for the House of Prime Rib Cut

3. Super burrito at Taqueira Cancun, Mission.

Many will flock to its more famous cousin, El Farolito but I’m sticking with my guns on this one. If you want a bean-heavy, meat-oriented meal, head over to Farolito. But the little beef bits, the beans were subtle..all were mixed in the perfect divine mixture here. It is, in this foodie’s humble opinion, the best burrito in San Francisco.

~$5, depends on what you get in it

2. Angels on horseback at Anchor & Hope, SOMA.

Though impossible to get a walk-in table without waiting for hours (reservations are a must), it’s surprisingly tucked in an alley way on Minna St right before Mission. The service was impeccable; they served one dish late and apologized by giving it to us on the house. And to boot, this is the perfect example of how bacon makes everything better. For those curious as to what this actually is, it’s essentially smoke bacon-wrapped oysters (Rémoulade) with dipping sauce. It is awesome, and the gem of SOMA.

$13

1. Secret Breakfast at Humphry Slocombe, Mission. 

I began the countdown with a dessert, so it would be fitting that it ends with one. I never grow tired of this alcoholic delight and to me represents the culinary apex of San Francisco. Daring, tasty, and annoyingly hipster. If I was more baller, I’d probably default to the Bi-Rite Creamery where it has more refined, developed flavors and the overflow from Delfina gives the theater crowd. But Humphry Slocombe is on some bizarre razor test to try insane flavors (Evil Ale, Eight Ball Stout, and Pink Grapefruit Tarragon to name a few)…and it succeeds brilliantly with the Secret Breakfast.

$3.75/two scoops

Honorable Mentions

Carnitas at Nopalito, Lower Haight. I felt like Nopa’s sister restaurant was a breath of fresh air for Mexican cuisine. The atmosphere and quality of the meat was all very impressive. It was an open presentation of braised pork, orange, bay leaf, milk, cinnamon and beer with a side of cabbage salad, pickled jalapeño and salsa de tomatillo. It’s a great outing for carnitas, and my favorite. $15/~3 tacos

Soup Dumplings at Shanghai Dumpling King. Outer Richmond. The most legitimate Asian experience outside of Chinatown in San Francisco. It stinks now that everyone knows about it it’s super crowded, but head on over there during a weeknight and you won’t be disappointed. $5.25/10 pieces.

Sesame Balls at Yank Sing. SOMA.  A high-end dim sum joint in SoMA catered to the elitists, I initially was skeptical. However, the high quality of the dim sum itself and even selling me that sesame balls are AMAZING (even though I hate them) was in short a foodie’s miracle. It’s one of those places that screams, “OVERPRICED,” but you’ll be smiling once you slide your credit card over. $9.30/4 pieces.

Comments? Do you think a restaurant was wronged? Let me know of any “gems” you guys might know of and I can add it to my to-eat-and-photograph list!