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A jalape\u00f1o burger with fries. (Robert Eliason\/San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight)<\/p>\nABRAM CHANDLER\u2019S PATH from plumbing contractor to co-owner of Sixth Street Burger in San Jose was circuitous, but in some ways it was a short one: The restaurant sits just two blocks from his childhood home at Sixth and St. James streets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went to Horace Mann Elementary,\u201d he told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cI used to push shopping carts back to Lucky\u2019s for the 25-cent deposit. I used to go to the Taco Bell that was here before City Hall was built.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chandler had no prior experience in the restaurant business, but growing up, his family loved to eat, and he soon learned to handle himself at backyard barbecues. When the location opened at the corner of Sixth and East Santa Clara streets last year, he decided his old stomping ground needed a new restaurant.<\/p>\n
A jalape\u00f1o burger with fries. (Robert Eliason\/San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight)<\/p>\n
He originally thought of opening a deli until he discovered how labor-intensive making pastrami is. Seeing the success of famous burger chains, he switched gears to the current menu. He and his partners, including chef Ivan Plata, developed the burger by testing it out in the kitchen of local eateries like Rookies, cooking it up and handing out samples at the bar.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s not much to a burger,\u201d Chandler said. \u201cWe knew we wanted quality. What we learned was that there was a lot of room for improvement \u2014 room for better cheese, better meat and better buns.\u201d<\/p>\n
The eventual formulation took about three months to develop, but sticks to basics: 80\/20 Wagyu beef for its rich marbling, three New School American cheeses (cheddar, jalape\u00f1o jack and Swiss), potato buns from iconic Philadelphia bakery Martins and just a bit of salt and pepper for seasoning.<\/p>\n
And making them \u201csmashburgers\u201d was key from day one. The standard Sixth Street Burger patty is LP-record thin, with crispy edges that extend half an inch or so beyond the bun.<\/p>\n
There are the expected variations: single, double and triple burgers; mushroom with Swiss; grilled jalape\u00f1o; chili-cheese; and western with bacon and onion rings. Then there\u2019s one out of left field: the totally unexpected peanut butter Wagyu.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife and I are big, big Thai food fans,\u201d Chandler said. \u201cYou think of chicken satay, right? The chicken and the peanut butter sauce. We decided to throw some on a burger. It\u2019s constantly hot, ready to go and it\u2019s a good one.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Sixth Street Burger chef Ivan Plata prepares food. (Robert Eliason\/San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight)<\/p>\n
Beef tallow is one of the not-so-secret ingredients in the distinctive taste of many of the items coming from the kitchen, used in everything from the thick-sliced baloney for sandwiches to the deep-fried Brussels sprouts doused in house sauce and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.<\/p>\n
Aiden Calvey, who works around the block from Sixth Street Burger, has become a devoted customer. He always orders the triple burger sans fries \u2014 filling enough, he said, for a substantial lunch \u2014 and calls it \u201cout of this world.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s meaty, salty, cheesy in the perfect amounts for a burger,\u201d Calvey told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cMore meat than bread, which I love. Not just bread and veggies, like some places. All I need is that burger, and I am happily dancing my way out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n
For those up for even more meat than the triple, they can test their appetite and bravery with the Royal Burger, a hefty eight-patty, two-pound behemoth.<\/p>\n
Naturally, there is a challenge linked to this burger. If you can wolf it down in five minutes, along with an order of fries, you get $100 plus a Sixth Street Burger t-shirt and hat. Do it in eight minutes and you still get a hat and t-shirt.<\/p>\n
There are rules, of course. You can\u2019t pick the burger apart, an old speed-eating technique. When you finish the burger, your mouth has to be empty, and you have to wait five minutes before getting up. And the food comes straight off the grill: no cooling-off time.<\/p>\n
About 25 people have tried it and only one has succeeded in four minutes flat, according to Chandler. Being so close to San Jose State University, he said, makes it a tempting target for students who don\u2019t realize the challenge is, well, challenging.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives a reason for the kids to come in,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had three friends try it together, but they had no shot. The one guy who did it was pretty impressive, but they\u2019ll come in and say, \u2018Oh, this is easy.\u2019 But it\u2019s not so easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Smashburger Tacos with grilled jalape\u00f1os. (Robert Eliason\/San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight)<\/p>\n
The must-try on the menu is the Smashburger Taco: three patties, totaling one-third of a pound, are smashed onto a flour tortilla, flipped over and dropped onto the grill. The meat juices are absorbed by the tortilla as it cooks.<\/p>\n
When the burgers are done, they are folded into a tortilla and filled with shredded lettuce, jalape\u00f1o cheese and onion. The dish comes with Sixth Street Burger\u2019s version of San Jose\u2019s famed orange sauce and a whole grilled jalape\u00f1o.<\/p>\n
While the goal was always to deliver great food, Chandler also focused on almost indulgent customer service as one of the restaurant\u2019s hallmarks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are really big on interacting with customers,\u201d he told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cMaking them feel like they\u2019re at home. Whatever you need, we take care of that. Just seeing smiles on people\u2019s faces helps me get through my day. It\u2019s really the only thing I\u2019m looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Contact Robert Eliason at\u00a0robt@lostinthestars.com.<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s Note: The Biz Beat is a series highlighting local small businesses and restaurants in Silicon Valley. Know a business you\u2019d like to see featured? Let us know at\u00a0info@sanjosespotlight.com.<\/p>\n