Fast Food Benchmark Burger ... Scratching That Dormant In-N-Out Urge!

For those of you East of Arizona, you may not know about one of the best burgers ever to come off of a flattop ... In-N-Out (http://www.in-n-out.com/) Burger.

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.

Now, If you have had one of these burgers, then read no further ...
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

Commemorative CLIF Bar ... Not One For The Record Books

This week I had the opportunity to try one of the Limited Series, Commemorative CLIF Bars that had made its way to my Local Grocer.  The only one I saw available was the "Gary's Panforte" Bar.

This concoction of "Fruit, Nuts and Spices" hit me a little caddywhompus. 

I am a big fan of the CLIF Bar flavors out there, but I can honestly say that this is not one of them.

Let's take a gander at why I am not the biggest fan of Gary's Panforte ...

The initial sight of this slab of fodder reminded me of just that ... fodder.  This was a smashed up, squashed slab of fodder we fed to our horses.  Rolled oats, molasses, grains and nuts all pulverized into this mass of dark, grainy horse feed.

Visually, this is a mess ... but then again most of the CLIF Bar products are.

Only after the spiced scent rose up to greet my nose did it make any sense ... at least to me it did.

This concoction reminded me of smelling my Mom's Mincemeat Pie that she would make during the holiday season.  Mom, don't get all riled up now, but I have never been a fan of ANY mincemeat pie.  Even yours ...

Back to the smell of this thing ... first and formost, there is the smell of ginger and allspice.  the molasses aroma only hits after the first bite rolls back to the rear of your mouth and the full nasal effect is realized.  A few chews and the ginger fades into a blend of sweet and earthy hints from the pistachios and almonds that pepper the mass.

I bought two of them at my Grocery Store just to see if I could enjoy them on separate days.  Monday's snack was a failure because of mincemeat memories ... this is why I bought two of them.  Wednesday's was easier to eat, but I am still not taken away with Gary's Panforte.

If you like mincemeat pie or a handfull of a raisin/tropical fruit filled trail mix sans the carob or chocolate, then this CLIF Bar will satisfy ... if you are like me, then no amount of eating this concoction will change your mind.  Especially when there are quite a few other flavors of CLIF Bar to choose from.  For me, it's a Crunchy Peanut Butter or Mint Chocolate that I try to carry with me.  Even the Chocolate Chip manages to make my taste buds smile.  These are the ones that I keep on hand during my rides.

Enjoy!

Ciao,

Darrell

Jerry Built

There's a new burger in town ... Jerry Built.  It is across from the Woodlands Mall next to Lake Woodlands Drive and the first mall road entrance after the I-45 crossover.

I have seen this place for a while and I finally got around to dining there with my kids this afternoon ... "Gourmet" burgers are having to fill very large shoes in my book.  sometimes a place says they have gourmet burgers, most of the time they just have overpriced ones.  Today, I was surprised by my meal.

Jerry Built says their burgers are "Homegrown." When they say homegrown, they mean it.

Their beverage bar is at the back of the place.  When I was getting my tea ... which in itself is not bad, but not outstanding ... I noticed the bakery off to the left.  These guys make their buns from scratch ... SCRATCH!  They chop all of their fresh veggies used on the burgers that day ... probably within the last few hours.  Put this together with the quality beef and you get an above average, bordering on great burger that my finicky non-burger loving daughter ate with gusto.

My son, the Burger Boy, loved the mustard cheeseburger but really had a not so lovely comment or two about the "organic" mustard.

The following really are his comments:
"Mustard is an important flavor on a burger and it really needs to be strong."
"The flavor of the organic mustard was too weak to be much of a flavor on my burger."
There, from the Burger Boys' mouth ... organic mustard is not very tasty. Go figure.

My daughter had few comments about her meal ... but her main comment was aimed specifically at the corn.


My Little Girls "Not So Sweet" Grilled Corn

She said, "My corn wasn't sweet like the sign said."

That made me pause from taking a bite from my burger.  She made a comment about her food.  She never comments about her food.  So, coming from her, my interest was piqued.  I took a bite ...
Well, she was on point with the sweetness issue. I delved in for another taste ... Again, I was also disappointed in the lack of sweet that their "sweet corn" had in it's starchy, not so juicy kernels. It was like nibbling little packets of gooey, not so tender raw corn ... sans flavor.  Chances are good that ths corn was still on the far side of raw.

Now that the problems with Jerry built have been addressed, let's get on to MY choice ...


My burger is not really a burger ... I chose the chicken as my protein ... it was uniform in thickness and cooked to perfection. The veggies included some grilled onions that really accentuated my chicken to a tee.
What really caught me were the "sweet fries" listed on the menu.
I have had sweet potato fries before ... see my blog on "The Glenn" in Denver, CO. from 2010. So, this flavor is not uncommon to me. What was uncommon was the portion size. It was a BIG ASSED LOAD OF TATERS!
Good flavor, a hint of the "sweet" from the yam and a nice finish of salt.
Put the flavorful food in the interesting decorum and you can have a fun meal while drawing on the walls.

Take a look at Jerry Built the next time you have a hankering for a tasty burger ... you wont be disappointed.

Darrell

The Glenn in Denver Colorado

Last week I had a drink and dinner with an old friend.  I let him take me to one of the local watering holes he frequents.  We ended up at "The Glenn" at 11140 Irma Drive, Northglenn, CO. 80233, (303) 255-1400.

The burgers were good ... in fact one of the best I have had west of San Antonio.  The sweet potato fries were sweet, salty and quite grease free.  I recommend them wiht any of the burgers they serve.

What caught my attention, besides the guy in the red hat, flamboyant ink spalyed up on arm and down the other, who was hitting on some MILF at the bar (and losing out all the while), was the Geeks Who Drink Quizmaster.  I believe her name was Jennifer, but don't hold me to that.  I did have a bit to drink before I left and the reference page I wadded in my pants pocket may not have made the plane trip back to Houston.

This quiz that this blogging group holds in quite a few states I might add, is amusing, quirky and very simple to do.  A General knowledge can gather you some points, and so can kissing a little ass along the way.

Even thought Dan and I only stayed for four rounds, we managed to score 14 points (skipping round 3 to eat) along the way.

I had fun, drank some fresh New Belgium beer and walked away happy.

I'll be back at least once, cause I wanna finish the quiz, and have a brewski.

Ciao,
Darrell