400° Gourmet Burgers & Fries
Corner of Mission and Seventh Street, Carmel
The numerical name for the burger outpost comes from the restaurant's custom-made cast iron griddle produced by Hayward-based Montague Company, the oldest handcrafted stove company in the country (cookin' since 1857).
"Cast iron is an excellent heat conductor for locking in flavor," read's the project's mission statement, "and 400° is the optimal temperature for searing burgers on cast iron."
The most magnetic menu items from the spot, which will land in Carmel Plaza just off Carmel's Ocean Avenue at Mission and Seventh in all its red-tile-accented, 2,200 square-foot, 80-seat, two-story tall windows glory:
• The 400° Burger ($9.95): cheddar, lettuce, griddled onions, 400° steak sauce
• The Kobe ($13.95): soused onions, smoked cheddar, crispy potatoes, 400° spread
• The Veggie ($8.95): chopped spinach, bean and grilled vegetable patty, griddled mushrooms, eggplant-miso spread
• Sea-Salted Caramel Shake ($5.95)
