I always try ordering rare, and have been repeatedly told I can't have one. But I've never been sure if it's restaurant policy, or a bigger official thing.

Who is this little girl in Supernatural? She looks very familiar...

I think that's restaurant policy, but I am not sure. Want me to look it up tomorrow?

I would imagine it would depend on the restaurant. I mean, I've had steak tartare in restaurants in California.

Could you check, Perkins? I'd love to know if I should just stop asking. Multiple restaurants have turned me down at this point.

Burrell, I have no idea what the dividing line would be, why steak and beef sashimi are fine, but burgers wouldn't -- but if it was possible in Seattle, someone must have a line somewhere.

Joe had a pretty rare burger at Moe's in Burbank.

And carrots.

The grindedness of burgers makes contamination waaaaaaay more likely.

And I ask for, and usually get, medium rare.

Damn, now I want a cheeseburger.

DH has been able to order a medium rare burger (which I would have shared if I hadn't been pregnant at the time). I can't recall where.

My guess? If it were my restaurant, I wouldn't want to serve ground meat rare unless I ground it myself and could vouch for the quality.

The grindedness of burgers makes contamination waaaaaaay more likely.

But steak tartare is ground too, so I wonder. It might just be a prevalent thing, not a local or state policy.

I need sleep - I read that as "...unless I ground myself and could vouch for the quality."

yuck.