It was a day so perfect that it seemed almost unreal, as if someone had Phototshopped away even the smallest of what would have been the day’s imperfections. One that you rarely get to experience but that you’ve read a lot about in books: the sun, the birds, blue sky — the whole shebang.

I was in Napa Valley, Calif., centering a vacation around a story I was writing on a local chef. It was a four-day exercise in excess as we tried desperately to cram as many restaurants and wineries into our short window of time. Much of it was a wine-soaked blur.

It was during this culinary adventure that I stumbled upon Taylor’s Refresher in St. Helena. It’s a classic American roadside stand, with echoes of In-N-Out and Ruby’s Diner, only — dare I say — better. The restaurant also has a nostalgic, small-town feel, sitting on an enormous manicured lawn with red picnic tables teeming with locals and visitors alike. At that moment, there seemed to be nothing more American than the old-schoolish Taylor’s.

It was October, but the warm weather and thick air immediately surrounding the restaurant made it seem like I had walked into July and was crashing a neighborhood barbecue. My meal emerged from the pickup window picture-perfect: a cheeseburger came on a sunny egg bun with bright tomatoes and textbook-perfect melted cheese, a basket of French fries in garlic butter and parsley. It was a simple meal, made with love and blue-collar honesty — no-frills American fare that will satisfy hunger and cure a hangover to boot.

To this day, I haven’t been able to eat a burger quite on par as the one at Taylor’s, though few have come close. I often wonder if my memory serves me when I tell people that it was the most amazing burger I’ve ever had. Often when you fondly remember a meal, it’s surrounded by the memory of company and other crucial factors that sway opinion. Had I eaten this burger just down the street from my apartment, would I feel the same way? If I had visited during a thunderstorm, would the burger have tasted as good? I wish I could tell you. I’ll guess just have to visit again and find out.

• Taylor’s Automatic Refresher, 933 Main St., St. Helena, Calif. 707-963-3486. www.taylorsautomaticrefresher.com. There’s a couple more locations around the Bay area, check the Web site for details.

Side note: March Madness is a month-long challenge in which I will post Monday through Friday for the entire month. I hope you will humor me in reading! Check back tomorrow for a caramel cheesecake recipe.

– Cynthia Furey

This entry was posted on Monday, March 2nd, 2009 at 5:21 pm and is filed under At the table, Restaurants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.