On a trip to San Diego, I introduced my family to this fresh and tasty piece of West Coast Legend. Granted, it almost cost us our lives as I dashed across several lanes of traffic to narrowly make the exit ... but I told them it was worth it as their pulses neared a normal rate.
I simply told them that THIS was the bestest burger ever to come out of a fast food setting and that they HAD to try one.
Just close your eyes and remember the smell of the grilled patty ...
The juiciness of the tomato ...
The tangy hit of onion ...
and Finally the crunch of the fresh leaf lettuce dancing on your tongue ...
No, just reminisce by sitting back and feel the drip of the burger on your chin as you gnaw your way through this gastronomic dopamine love-fest, sandwiched between a toasty bun.
OK ... for those of you that are still with me and not some drooling mess slumped in the easy chair or are in the middle of searching for your car keys to dash off for a double-double, let's find out what I'm talking about.
As you should know by now, my Daughter is not the kind of child that searches out beef burgers, oh no, on the contrary, she is the Quesadilla Queen when it comes to fast eats. Cheese and a tortillas are her weapons of choice against hunger. But after tasting this magical mix of moo meat served up with melted cheese on it, she declared that this was indeed the best burger she has ever had from a fast food restaurant ... Jerry Built included.
Burger Boy, aka my Son, wolfed his down in nothing flat and even commented about the properness of the yellow mustard. 'Nuff said ...
My Wife came away from this dining experience with a new sense of what a fresh made burger should be like. She enjoyed it so much we went back twice the week we were there in San Diego.
Freshness takes a toll on your payroll, but In-N-Out sees the benefit of forking over the dough for a full staff. I did a count on the number of folks that this particular In-N-Out had behind the counter ... apparently it takes 15 people to manage the production of this meat masterpiece.
The payroll is justified in the way the counter hummed with activity. The folks working there were cheery and helpful. It reminded me of a well run Chick-Fil-A.
In-N-Out is all about basic. The written menu is simple ... Hamburger or Cheeseburger ... single or double ... fries, soda or shake. That's it in a nutshell. Basic. Simple. Hard to screw up.
Then you get to the unlisted menu items. If you are in the know on all unlisted ways to have an In-N-Out burger, then you are a true connosiuer of all things In-N-Out ... I salute you!
Then there are the un-initiated ... the un-schooled in burger-eese ... the un-tapped sources of burger afficionados that have yet to revel in this diverse methodology of culinary change-ups, in other words those of you that don't live near an In-N-Out Burger stand. This is for those of you that are not versed in these burger types, the following link can give you insight to these unlisted ways to have your burger. http://www.in-n-out.com/menu/not-so-secret-menu.aspx.
I said Basic ... and Basic means exactly that for In-N-Out Burger's methodology on burger manufacture. This also extends to their side dishes.
Their sides are simple ... french fries, period. Nothing else. So simple that I should have keyed in "side," ... singular. No Onion Rings ... ever. We need to get it through our thick heads ... THERE ARE NO ONION RINGS ON EITHER MENU!!!!! The onion slices are for the burgers. Don't even try to order some Onion Rings. It ain't gonna happen ... never, never, ever. Get over it.
Now, out of all of the places for me to not be chatty about a side dish, this is one of them. Their fries are hand cut, just like a lot of burger places in your neighborhood ... I like them, but this place is about the burger, so no french-fry review this time. I will say that they are very good.
There is not much hooplah over their shakes either. They compare to just about any major chain ... its an ice cream base and flavoring. They have the Henry Ford number of flavors ... three to be exact. Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry. If you want more variety in your shakes then hoof it on over to Sonic or DQ for their cornucopia of flavors.
I would like to go on about In-N-Out, but like them I am keeping this basic.
One final thought ... not having an In-N-Out Burger in Houston is a travesty, but I make it to California every few years or so ... I'll just have to feed my In-N-Out Urge when I get there.
Ciao!,
Darrell
UPDATE - After traipsing around on their website, I discovered that I have only a four hour drive to get my In-N-Out Urge taken care of ... Dallas of all places is a new venue for In-N-Out. I cannot wait until they figure out that Houston is where the REAL burger money is found!
-D
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