Ed Rathmann of Los Gatos has made a point of finding out. The beef he's serving at his Main Street Burgers in Los Gatos is free of hormones and antibiotics and comes fresh from Harris Ranch, a cattle company in Fresno County since 1937. The restaurant's grand opening was last week.

"We've been thinking about this for a couple of years," Rathmann says, referring to his partner Glenn Thompson of Mill Valley. "We felt the community needed a quality burger place. The success of Whole Foods and the healthier food choices [people are making] grew on us. It seemed like a perfect fit." He says that recent fast food exposés make people think twice about what's in their beef.

The resulting Main Street Burgers, located at the corner of Main Street and Santa Cruz Avenue across from the Los Gatos Town Plaza, has an all-American '50s look. Red, white and blue are the colors, and baseball jerseys and caps adorn the staff, who are mainly Los Gatos High School students. Rathmann selected 12 historic mid-century photos from the town's collection, researched the history and had copies of them enhanced and selectively colorized. The selections include Main Street scenes, a Miss Los Gatos swimsuit contest and the old Hotel Lyndon, which operated from 1901 until it was demolished in 1963 on the spot where the restaurant now sits. "It was in the '50s that burgers were introduced," he notes.

Basic burgers are cooked medium-well and served with lettuce, tomato, pickles, signature sauce and grilled onions on a sesame seed egg bun for $5.99. There are nine choices beyond the basic burger, like the Aloha burger with teriyaki glaze, Canadian bacon and grilled pineapple ($7.49); the wild Alaskan salmon burger with sliced cucumber and lemon dill mayo ($8.49); the free-range chicken breast with roasted peppers, Swiss cheese and garlic mayo ($8.49); and the "bacon and blue" burger with bacon, sautéed mushrooms and Danish blue cheese ($8.99). Customers may create their own burgers by choosing a beef, chicken, salmon or veggie burger, a sesame seed egg or oat wheat bun, one of five cheeses, four toppings and one of six sauces. Children's burgers run $3.99, and they also have other choices, like chicken tenders and grilled cheese.

Salads include organic field greens grown locally (when available) with chicken breast or salmon. The fountain abounds with soft-serve ice cream cones, shakes, malts, floats and sodas, as well as teas and lemonade. A bonus for the high school trade is the student discount, good anytime on weekdays. An additional bonus is the new outdoor eating area in front of the restaurant, which will be shared with the Coldstone Creamery next door.

"Our burgers are going to taste good," Rathmann says proudly. "A lot of effort has gone into achieving that." Chef David Cohen is the creative force behind the menu. He is known locally for his creations at the Willow Street Wood Fired Pizza restaurants, where he serves as executive chef. Rathmann and Thompson also are owners of the four restaurants in that chain. The Los Gatos location is just a few doors down from Main Street Burgers.

Main Street Burgers is located at 20 S. Santa Cruz Ave. in Los Gatos. It will be open Sunday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Call 408.354.1881.