Buffalo Burger Catalina's $100 Burger at the Airport in the Sky
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Buffalo Burger Catalina's $100 Burger at the Airport in the Sky |
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Southern California pilots come not just for the scenic private plane airport but its signature menu item.
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The $100 Burger in the Sky
Every tourist destination needs to have a featured symbol, be it the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, church domes amid white buildings in the Greek Isles, the Hollywood sign in L.A. Just like a company logo, it's what gives a place its identity, and it serves as a destination's John Hancock signature. On Santa Catalina Island, that symbol is a buffalo. But it's not the actual buffalo that tourists see most often but the creative ways the presence of buffalos on Catalina appear to them: The Buffalo Milk drink and the Buffalo Burger. Every bartender on the island makes the former – some feel the best is at the Harbor Reef Bar in Two Harbors – but the Buffalo Burger is not that prevalent. For it, one has to somewhat seek it out, and the best place to do that is the DC-3 Grill, better known as the Airport in the Sky, high on a hill outside of Avalon.
Yes, there is an airport on Catalina, but it's hardly LAX. In fact, it has no commercial airline service. Instead, it's a haven for Southern California pilots who love to bring over their private planes, scare the bejeebies out of new passengers on a runway that contains a dip that seemingly will drop the plane right off the cliff, and enjoy one of Catalina's signature items. Many fly over just for lunch and specifically the Buffalo Burger, which they lovingly refer to as "the $100 burger," because that's what it costs them by the time they sit down to enjoy it. But oh, it's worth Every. Single. Penny. The burger is huge – the size of a buffalo, one could joke and several probably do – and, quite simply, delicious. There's not much more to it than that, frankly.
Buffalo meat is full of flavor yet it's also more lean and healthier than a hamburger. Add the cheese and in particular the scrumptious sauteed onions, grab a table outside and enjoy these three things in order: The taste, the view and the experience. It's $9.95 and comes with one side. Surfside Sam strongly urges one to go with the cole slaw; it's crispy and not at all "mayonnaisey," and if Sue took our cue, it now contains those delicious grilled onions. To be sure, the Buffalo Burger is not the only thing on the menu. There's also sandwiches, salads, chili and what many believe to be the cafe's second-best item, turkey tacos. There is also breakfast (with, yes, a buffalo scramble). In the summer, the cafe hosts barbeques with a band that brings in more than 200 flyboys (and flygals). The BBQs take place in June, twice in July and August and September (the 2011 schedule has not yet been set) and includes tri-tip or chicken, Caesar salad, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, garlic bread and hot apple pie a la mode, for $28.50. In addition to the outdoor patio and view, the restaurant has a large indoor seating area, a fireplace with (what else) a buffalo head above it, and a gift shop with aviation items.
To see a buffalo, take a walk out of the cafe to the left and look out at the far fields. There might be one – or more – grazing in the distance. And that buffalo, or any on the island, will not wind up in the basket of some hot-shot pilot. The meat is imported from buffalos in South Dakota. Walk off the Buffalo Burger by taking a 2 1/2-mile hike to an ancient Indian quarry (or take the shortcut to the left, which takes about 10 minutes). DO NOT touch the quarry, however. The cafe is open 8:30-4 (6 p.m. in summer). Transportation from Avalon is $10 each way on the Wildlands Express or Safari Bus. The Wildlands Express picks up at Avalon Plaza daily at 7:30, 10:30, noon, 2 and 4 p.m. (5:30 p.m., April 15-Oct. 15, Saturdays and Sundays) It returns from the airport at 9:30, 11:30, 1:30, 3:30 and 5 p.m. (7 p.m., April 15-Oct. 15 Saturday and Sunday). The landing fee at the Airport in the Sky is $20. An overnight tie-down charge is $5. DC-3 Gifts & Grill COMMENTS Nice article! Thanks for sharing. I've flown out to a couple of those Summer BBQ Also, I think the "$100 hamburger" is now closer to $200. The last time I rented a newer Cessna 172 at South Bay Aviation (Torrance Airport), it was about $125 per engine hour (which includes fuel). Add to that to the $20 landing fee, and the burger meal itself... But, any private pilot will tell you, it's mainly about the thrill of just being able to fly out there for yourself. – Richard from PV E-mai us here!
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