Food: 50 States, 50 Burgers.

[athelind]

Food Network has posted an article about the "one burger you absolutely have to try in every state."

Most of the states have burgers from this classy little bistros, or that hole-in-the-wall diner, or some other one-of-a-kind location.

California? A Double-Double from In-N-Out Burger.

They aren't wrong, mind you.

...I may have one for lunch.

Comments

[terminotaur.livejournal.com]

A double-double?

Hehehe, to a Canadian that has a very different meaning. When you said that I thought "Tim Hortons merged with In-N-Out?"

(BTW it means a coffee with two cream and two sugar)

[toob.livejournal.com]

I really heartily recommend Main Street Burgers, in Los Gatos. Best fucking burger I've ever had.

[tugrik.livejournal.com]

I took your recommendation and tried it tonight.

It was indeed a tasty burger... but it wasn't a $15+ per-person burger, in my humble opinion. For about 2/3rds that price there's comparable fare to be found at Happy Hound a few miles away.

Directly comparing the two, I'd say HH had a better burger while MSB had better fries and malts. Though at $5/ea it was quite the pulp fiction flashback with that malt. :)

Tasty, tasty vanilla malt. Mmmmm....

[cpxbrex.livejournal.com]

When we were living in Maine, Adrienne didn't understand why I was, like, "Man, I miss California hamburgers."

Now, of course, she's, like, "Mmmm. In-n-Out."

John 3:18!

[toob.livejournal.com]

John 3:18?

[cpxbrex.livejournal.com]

Sorta hidden on a lot of the packaging of In-n-Out burgers are various Bible verses. The founders are, like, Mormons or something.

[cpxbrex.livejournal.com]

Tho' I checked and it's John 4:16. ;)

[toob.livejournal.com]

"Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither."?

Maybe it's 1 John 4:16 -- "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."

That would make more sense. And weird -- I knew they were a Christian org, but I didn't know they were planting Bible verses!

[cpxbrex.livejournal.com]

It's pretty subtle, but they're there. On the cups, they're on the inside of the lip on the bottom of the cup, for instance. You're not going to see it unless you really look for them. But they're on all the wrappers - burgers, fries and cups.

[toob.livejournal.com]

ZOMG we're surrounded!!

[athelind.livejournal.com]

And it's JUST the Book/Chapter/Verse references, not the text. As 'rex says, it's subtle. Tasteful, even.

[r-caton.livejournal.com]

Get 'em reading and they'll want to know what comes next....
Subtle!

[andreal.livejournal.com]

You wicked, wicked dragon. Now I'm craving one!

*looks up WeightWatchers points values*

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Just be glad I didn't mention St. John's, and their bacon-cheese fries.

...oops.

[dutchmouse.livejournal.com]

We have a Red Robin near us in Des Moines. They have an excellent selection of boigahs. :)
I've been curious about the In and Out Burger ever since I saw the Big Lebowski. I mean, apparently, the joint is good enough to mention in a Coen Brothers film. If I ever visit, we're going to the In and Out. I can only assume the place is constantly busy.
Ever since I left Texas I've been missing Whataburger burgers. All fresh, all the time. No time under a heater. At all.
Dammit, man. I want a burger now.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Red Robin is quite tasty; we have them out here, too.

In-N-Out is an entirely different animal. It's most definitely a fast food burger, as opposed to the Sit-Down Restaurant Pub Burger of the Red Robin variety -- but it's what other fast food burgers STRIVE to be.

It compares favorably to Whataburger (having eaten at both places semi-regularly at different points in my life). In-N-Out is all fresh, too -- they don't even have FREEZERS. Fresh ingredients, shipped every day.

I'd give I/O the edge, personally. When I think of Whataburger, I kind of absently miss it. When I'm stuck in a place without a nearby In-N-Out, though -- I CRAVE.

[r-caton.livejournal.com]

What is his "American Cheese" of which they speak? Cometh it from an aerosol?

I've just fried up a Tesco Barbeque Burger... humungous things intended to grill from frozen in 12 minutes, the grill is on the fritz so I fried it in about 4 minutes... in a wholemeal roll, sweet chili relish on top, sweet onion relish below and a bit of Sainsbury's medium cheddar and tomato puree in between the two halves of the burger (too big for a roll in one piece)

ver' nice matey.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Pasteurized, process cheese slices.

It's SCIENCE CHEESE.

[araquan.livejournal.com]

I love the statement that it "...meets the legal definition of cheese."

[auryanne.livejournal.com]

Stone me if you want, but I don't really think In & Out is that great.

(For one thing, they don't have bacon or avocado, the two ingredients I require in an excellent burger.)

There's a place here in my town called Hamburger Central that has some pretty darn good ones.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

As I said to Dutch, I consider "Sit-Down Pub Burger" to be an entirely different species than "fast food hamburger".

Honestly, there are fast food burgers that I like as well or better than I/O, or find myself in the mood for more often. I/O, however, has that "quality you can taste" thing going for it: I can TELL that the ingredients are fresh, and that this is Good Quality Food entering my body.

It's also "Iconically Californian".

[auryanne.livejournal.com]

Yeah good point, Hamburger Central is sit-down :)

I do really like In & Out's fries though.

[tugrik.livejournal.com]

I agree, actually. I'm the one oddball amongst my friends who really doesn't "get" the whole I/O experience. They're overly greasy and the whole buns-on-the-grill bit makes for that nasty, grease-fried-rim effect on the bread.

Admittedly, getting one 'protein style' with grilled onions is quite flavorful, and I'll agree with Athelind here that the actual beef used is decently high quality as ground beef goes... but the overall burger itself? Just not my kinda burger.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

For me, I/O is one of those things I have to be in the mood for -- but when I'm in the mood for it, it's What I Want, No Substitutions.


I will ALSO, on occasion, get that same Nothing Else Will Satisfy Me craving for a Wendy's Triple (No cheese, Catsup & Mustard ONLY, do not taint my meat-and-grease experience with that damned rabbit food) -- and I have NO illusions that that is anything resembling "quality".

Hell, on rare occasions, the Crave is for a blasted Quarter Pounder.

[tugrik.livejournal.com]

Weirdly, the only burger I've had in the bay area that came across as wow, this is seriously good quality meat! was one at Kirks.

One.

I have no idea what they did 'right' that day, or if it was my own perception systems being wonky at the time... but I've yet to have another burger from them that's the same quality. Go figure.

One I do happily recommend, though, is the Kobe Beef Burger at the local British pub (Britannia Arms). There's one in downtown SJ and one down by me in the Almaden Valley. While not super-super special, it's been consistently really dang good.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

My experience with Kirk's can be summed up by the word "blaaaah!" It was not a happy burger.

And... I suppose I should try another Britannia Arms at some point. My experience with them is colored by my five years in Monterey, where the main drag had TWO British pubs -- the Britannia Arms and the Mucky Duck -- but the GOOD one was the THIRD one, just OFF of Alvarado. The Arms was a distant third compared to the Crown & Anchor.

Oh, jeez. I've GOT to head down to Monterey now.

[dutchmouse.livejournal.com]

I mostly just wanna eat there because they mentioned it in the Big Lebowski. :)

[araquan.livejournal.com]

Hmm. The 2x2 is what I had when I went there the day after we'd met up. Fisherman's Wharf location.

[kinkyturtle.livejournal.com]

When I go to San Jose for Further Confusion, I like to go to In-n-Out and order a Teleia burger. Of course, they don't call it that there; that's just my name for a double meat animal-style. :}

[araquan.livejournal.com]

Looking at that article again, I see I've eaten at the place that's listed for here... Never gotten a burger there though. It's a barbecue place and that's what I get when I go there. I may have to try the burger someday, however. But maybe without the sauerkraut. I don't care for that stuff. c.c