In N Out Burger: A Patty Full of Meh

[MechAg94]

The local (Clackamas, OR) 5 guys definitely gave me a "meh" both times I was there. Yeah, it's a lot of food, but neither the Mrs. or I were impressed by the flavor.  Even the fries were "meh" considering they were fresh cut.  Oil wasn't hot enough is my opinion.  Limp, greasy fries are not my idea of good.  The second time, they were just as bad, but I decided to do the "cajun" variety.   No flavor, just heat and added salt.  

Unless I hear of vast improvements, we won't be back there.

We used to eat lunch at a place in Houston that had those "fresh" cut fries.  You could see them use a tool to slice up the potato.  However, they really didn't turn out that well and were not near as good as other places.  The were usually a bit bland and too greasy.  Miller's Cafe in Clear Lake does have good burgers though.

[MechAg94]

Locally, there are no IO or 5 guys restaurants.  We only have a Fudruckers.  Their burgers are pretty good, but it is the wedge fries and onion rings that draw me in.  Other than that, the local mom and pop places are all their is. 

[roo_ster]

I missed the perfect pun for the title    :
In N Out Burger: Slathered with Meh-onnaise

Also, the best burgers are almost always some local joint.  Here in Dallas, that would be Angry Dog.

[S. Williamson]

My most consistent favorite has been, and will probably always be, Backyard Burgers. They might have gone under during the recession, though.

[wmenorr67]

My most consistent favorite has been, and will probably always be, Backyard Burgers. They might have gone under during the recession, though.

I know they are still in Tulsa.

One of the best places in Tulsa is a place called Fat Guys, it is right next door to the Tulsa Oilers stadium downtown.  Good burgers, good fries and a decent beer selection.

There is also a mom and pop place called Hank's that is pretty damn good also.

[cosine]

All the salt is on the fries.    I think you've been reading the hype all wrong (but don't worry, it's fistful's fault). White Castle isn't competing in the arena of Quality Ingredients and Best Burger in the World. It's all about having a sack full of greasy, onion-smothered burgers. Personally, when I want a hockey-puck burger (and I frequently do), I prefer McDonald's, but White Castle is good from time to time.


They just built a new Christy's in my area. It is the burger heaven most of you will never know, unless you live near Saint Louis or the state of Mississippi.

That's what I was expecting, but my burgers didn't drip grease, and each had a grand total of 3-4 little onion slivers on it.  Would have lived up to the hype if I had gotten greasy, salty, oniony burgers.

[Perd Hapley]

Levy the rabble.
Build engines of siege.
Raze that Off-white Castle to the ground.

[TechMan]

Locally, there are no IO or 5 guys restaurants.  We only have a Fudruckers.  Their burgers are pretty good, but it is the wedge fries and onion rings that draw me in.  Other than that, the local mom and pop places are all their is. 

Fuddruckers is still in business?  Here is SW OH they all folded up shop and left.

[41magsnub]

Five Guys is good around here.  It's not "OMG, that was the best burger ever!" good, but it is worth the effort.

[MrsSmith]

Our 5-Guys is pretty good here too. I'm partial to burgers and chips/fries made at home though. Well, I'm partial to eating them, not so much to cooking them...

[Perd Hapley]

I should add that my coworker will never go to Christy's again. He was in the hospital for chest pains the next day.    Now that's some seriously good burger!

[TechMan]

Our 5-Guys is pretty good here too. I'm partial to burgers and chips/fries made at home though. Well, I'm partial to eating them, not so much to cooking them...

Use your beer lure.   

[PTK]

After reading through various DEA documents for the past 30 minutes or so, I checked APS for interesting news tidbits. I read the title of this thread as "In N Out Burger: A Patty Full of Meth" and wondered why I hadn't seen an article from the DEA!

[Mabs2]

What?  Has no one heard of Foster's Grille?

[Parker Dean]

Thanks for the reminder to visit Whataburger when I'm in the Houston area next week.

Whataburger has a problem.

Their burgers require somebody who knows what they're doing.

When you get a good one, it's sublime. Unfortunately the vast majority of the time it's done by someone how has little idea of how to cook anything, and doesn't care to know either, who then turns out product that's merely edible. Same with the fries. IMO they have the best in the business when done right, but again they mostly turn out limp undercooked crap that you would swear was just allowed to thaw out rather than being fried.

When I lived in Corpus it was my experience that there would usually only be one store in the entire city at any one time that could turn out good product. Even then, once you found which store it was it wouldn't last but a few months at best until people got fired, quit, or otherwise moved on and you would have to start the process of finding which one had an experienced enough crew to turn out good product. I also found in my South Texas travels that small town stores tended to be better and for some reason the Falfurrias store was consistently fantastic on Friday nights around 2 am. Go figure.

One last observation, Whataburgers, and particularly the fries, are time sensitive so you have to eat them there

[Perd Hapley]

What?  Has no one heard of Foster's Grille?

Where would one find a Foster's Grille?

[MrsSmith]

Use your beer lure.   

Tried that, but he wasn't a very good cook. Might need to upgrade my lure.

[TechMan]

Where would one find a Foster's Grille?

+1  Never heard of Foster's Grille. 

[TechMan]

Tried that, but he wasn't a very good cook. Might need to upgrade my lure.

MrsSmith, what brand of beer lure did you try?  There is a difference.  You also might want to try the wiskey lure that was suggested in your electrical post.

[Bogie]

If you are in St. Louis, and looking for the Most Excellent Burger...
 
(not listed in order of preference, just in order that I'm typing 'em)
 
Seamus McDaniels, in the Dogtown district, just south of Forest Park. Huge burger, nicely crafted, and they have Guinness on tap.
 
O'Connell's Pub - South of Barnes on Kingshighway - consistently voted "best burger" in the local alternative rag.
 
Blueberry Hill - Delmar Loop area - in a fight with O'Connell's as to who gets the listing that year.
 
There's also a Fuddrucker's in town. Meh.
 
Going west, toward Columbia, there's an outfit called 54 Grill or somesuch that isn't bad.
 
To cook a burger... Start with the cheap stuff. NOT the "nice lean" stuff.
 
BIG patties, suitably thick.
 
Get your charcoal going, nice and hot, and sear the outsides, just long enough to somewhat sear 'em... Move the burgers to a different, cooler (somewhat...) part of the grill, and put the lid on. Oh, and there is ONLY one kind of grill - the Weber. Let 'em cook/smoke until they are your desired state of doneness. Put 'em on nice kaiser rolls (not the buns from the bread aisle), and enjoy.
 

[MrsSmith]

Mmm... I remember Blueberry Hill in U-City. Had some fun times there many years ago.

And yes, adively, might need to switch to Jameson.