What's Good

There are some who swear by a greasy breakfast for a hangover. But what if it's already past the dreaded 11:00 a.m. cutoff by the time you roll out? No worries — you can still catch the sunrise at Surfside Burger Shack (445 Fifth St., Eureka). The Sunrise burger, that is ($7.95). Humboldt grassfed with a fistful of bacon, pepper jack cheese and a fried egg. And maple syrup. The bacon is substantial (no skimpy slice, this portion could fill a BLT) and the pepper-speckled egg is cooked but still runny enough to basically act as a sauce — a rich boost to the grilled flavor of the meat. Get the syrup on the side and just try it on a bite. Really. It's like when the your breakfast sausage rolls into a pool of syrup and you're sitting there at the table secretly happy inside, telling no one. 

Another $3 gets fries or rings or "frings," the half and half option. A voice, a reasonable voice, is telling you not to do this. But the fries are hand-cut (fresh, unfrozen potatoes!) with the skins on and the rings are dipped in homemade batter whipped up daily. All are fried to a caramel brown because this is not a delicate zucchini blossom — this is a plate of fries and rings piled like a collapsed mine on top of a burger that would give a cardiologist the sweats. Also the mind-expanding discovery of a fry (or a ring!) dipped in syrup — hot and cold, sweet and salty, crisp and sticky — is something you have to experience, especially if you are a person who sometimes accidentally drops a fry into your milkshake.