Chef Profile

There's no real secret when it comes to building a better burger, if you're asking Nabeel Bahu. Along with his brother, Nadeem, they opened the first R.G. Burgers in the Carmel Crossroads eight years ago. When they opened their second store in downtown Monterey in June of '98, they did it by remaining true to the same tenets that continually bestow "Best Burger" and "Best Fries" awards to R.G. Burgers in local readers' polls. If there is a secret, it's just about treating a hamburger with respect. "Every restaurant menu has one," Nabeel explains. "We take burgers seriously."

At "Real Good" Burgers, they don't consider themselves in the "fast food" business. "We consider ourselves to be in the restaurant business--that's our background--that specializes in burgers," Nabeel says. The brothers got their start early on, training with their restaurateur uncle Fuad Bahou at the former Chutney's, in the Carmel Crossroads. "That means our food is restaurant quality, geared toward quick service," says Nabeel. "You're not going to find a burger for 99 cents here, but why would you want to waste the calories and cholesterol on a lousy burger? If you're going to do it, do it right. What we've done is to put together a menu that allows you to eat as healthy as you want."

That means outside of having around 15 burger choices (with the option of beef, turkey or falafel patties or grilled chicken breast), there are seven entree salads, such as grilled lemon pepper or blackened Cajun chicken, tuna, or grilled falafel salad with tahini dressing. Soups like Mexican chicken or Brazilian black bean are homemade, fresh every day. There's also several vegetarian sandwiches (teriyaki eggplant melt with grilled onions and Swiss, mushroom and grilled eggplant, grilled cheddar cheese with ortega peppers and tomatoes), and a chicken Reuben, made just like the traditional kind, only with grilled chicken breast. R.G. sauce, the homemade concoction that's "everything you want to put on a sandwich," is the condiment of choice, and frequently requested as a dipping sauce for French fries, savorily seasoned, and served crispy golden. Hot dogs are old-fashioned, quarter-pound all-beef, served with sauerkraut or chili.

Signature Dish

It gets its start as a six-ounce, hand-formed, fresh, extra-lean, all-ground beef patty. From there, R.G. Burgers are char-grilled, and plopped onto a soft Kaiser roll. "When it comes to doing burgers the right way, you have to keep in mind the right proportions. The bun has to be the right size," attests Nabeel. "Not too much fluffy white bread. We don't use any fillers in our burgers, either, so you're getting just the right amount of extra-lean beef." Leaves of hand-portioned lettuce, a slice of tomato and red onion, pickles and R.G. sauce take it to the finish line. A kids' menu offers a burger and fries (made the same way with smaller portions) and a drink for $3.95.

Although beer and wine are offered on the menu at the Carmel branch, at 207 Crossroads Blvd., true aficionados know that a milkshake elevates the burger-and-fries experience to an epiphany. These are eat-'em-with-a-spoon shakes, made with three and a half scoops of ice cream ("If you're going to do it, do it right," says Nabeel) and whole milk. Choose between almost 20 flavors (strawberry-banana, mocha, root-beer) or keep it simple and make it a malted.

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