Favorite Place to Get a Burger?

[PatrickRsGhost]

You know, I find it odd that White Castle has barely been mentioned in this topic. I've never been there, but White Castle is one of the original hamburger places. They're widely held to have invented the hamburger sandwich (So are others, of course).

They were the first hamburger place, having started in 1921. They pride themselves not only in that, but have a very rigorous dress code the employees must adhere to: be clean-shaven, hair combed neatly, uniform just so, and so on.

White Castle seems to be almost everywhere, yet I haven't seen one. I have had the frozen ones, and they taste more like Krystal than the frozen Krystal burgers do. One of those boxes of 6 says it feeds two people? Please. Two boxes might feed three people, if you cook up some french fries and/or some other side.

[Nath]

They were the first hamburger place, having started in 1921.

http://www.louislunch.com/history.php

[Anonymously Famous]

Yeah, the history of the hamburger is pretty heavily disputed.

[Giant Speck]

It's like the ice cream cone, only with meat.

[Nath]

Yeah, the history of the hamburger is pretty heavily disputed.

The hamburger is too obvious to really invent. Really, some bread with a blob of meat in it? Probably invented about 20 minutes after the invention of bread, each time bread was invented.

[Bakemaster]

http://www.louislunch.com/history.php

I never imagined I would read something so pretentious from a friggin' burger joint.

Where's that girltmwank.gif when you need it?

[RoadieRich]

My favourite here in Nottingham has to be I Love Ostrich. It's locally-sourced, with only a single permanent outlet (but I think they're trying to expand, and perhaps already have), and they regularly take a stall to festivals.

As well as the eponymous ostrich, they also offer kangaroo and bison (and something else I can't remember at the moment). A plain burger costs £4.50, for an extra 50p you can add any (or all) of the toppings: a good mature farmhouse cheddar, stilton mayonaise and rocket, and Jack Daniels-flavoured onions. My preferred option is to go for all three, but omit the rocket, as it tends to get stuck in my teeth.

[Thesh]

They were the first hamburger place chain, having started in 1921.

FTFY

[hypnoid]

In 'N' Out, probably. I spent the first 6ish years of my life with 5 Guys, but I don't remember it, obviously. We've got one in Alberta now, though, so I'll try it out some time soon. As for local burgers, probably Burger Inn.

Burger Inn? I have determined you are in Calgary. Haven't tried Burger Inn, but for fast food style thin patty burgers, Boogie's on Edmonton Trail is well worth trying. But all other burgers in town must contend with the sheer awesome of the Alley Burger truck.

[TimelordSimone]

My favourite here in Nottingham has to be I Love Ostrich. It's locally-sourced, with only a single permanent outlet (but I think they're trying to expand, and perhaps already have), and they regularly take a stall to festivals.

As well as the eponymous ostrich, they also offer kangaroo and bison (and something else I can't remember at the moment). A plain burger costs £4.50, for an extra 50p you can add any (or all) of the toppings: a good mature farmhouse cheddar, stilton mayonaise and rocket, and Jack Daniels-flavoured onions. My preferred option is to go for all three, but omit the rocket, as it tends to get stuck in my teeth.

There is a place in Camden that I cannot recall the name of that does ostrich burgers, and they are absolutely divine. They're like £6 I think, which includes whatever toppings they have (onions and lettuce and melted cheese and stuff I think), and I usually incur the wrath of my vegetarian friend (visiting him is inevitably the reason I am in London), but it is completely worth it.

[Chuff]

In 'N' Out, probably. I spent the first 6ish years of my life with 5 Guys, but I don't remember it, obviously. We've got one in Alberta now, though, so I'll try it out some time soon. As for local burgers, probably Burger Inn.

Burger Inn? I have determined you are in Calgary. Haven't tried Burger Inn, but for fast food style thin patty burgers, Boogie's on Edmonton Trail is well worth trying. But all other burgers in town must contend with the sheer awesome of the Alley Burger truck.

Aye, verily, I was.

[Thesh]

I completely forgot about fatburger, since it has been so long since I've been to one (there's none within fast-food driving distance from my house). But now I work within walking distance from one. These burgers are good. I would argue better than in-n-out except that they are hard to compare. In-n-out has a cleaner taste, while fatburger is much richer.

Fatburger does have better fries than in-n-out, but fatburger is much more expensive.

[Screature,]

Around here, I have the choice between Burger King, McDonalds or KFC

For beef burgers, I go for Burger King. For chicken burgers, I go for KFC

McDonalds burgers....... blegh!!

[Dark567]

You poor poor creature...

[Decker]

I had a Five Guys burger for the first time in two years the other day.
It was as good as I remembered.

[Giant Speck]

I had a Five Guys burger for the first time in two years the other day.
It was as good as I remembered.

*sigh* It's on my to-do list for when I get to Vegas in January. It's right under having Chipotle again.

[Bakemaster]

I had a Five Guys burger for the first time in two years the other day.
It was as good as I remembered.

I can't help but notice what this doesn't say.

[Decker]

I had a Five Guys burger for the first time in two years the other day.
It was as good as I remembered.

I can't help but notice what this doesn't say.

How good it was? Very good.
The reason I haven't had one in two years was because that's when I moved from Rochester back to Buffalo, where there are no Five Guys restaurants. However, one just opened up here and I went there with my family the other day.

[dcb2011]

Being in the Vancouver area, I should say that White Spot is my favorite (a local, supposedly upscale, burger joint).
But I will do something blasphemous for a Vancouverite and say that I don't like it.
When it comes to fast food, I usually get a burger from Wendy's. Of all the fast food places, their burgers seem to be the freshest.

Although, I miss Harvey's.
I used to eat there when I was in Toronto; they would make them just like you want them (like Subway puts together your sandwich: you tell them exactly how you want it made).
Unfortunately, I don't know of any Harvey's in the Vancouver area. It must be a Central Canada chain.

[Gwydion]

There have been several posts about the "best burger" in Chicago, but nobody's mentioned Kuma's Corner yet. The atmosphere isn't for everyone (loud local/indie heavy metal) and the price is a bit steep, but the food is unbelievable. 10-oz burgers with a wide variety of toppings - my favorite is the "Lair of the Minotaur" - topped with bourbon-soaked pears and pancetta.

[Decker]

Please tell me that's multiple smaller patties and not one ten ounce patty.
A ten ounce patty isn't a burger, it's a meatball that never cooks right. Bleh.

[Gwydion]

Please tell me that's multiple smaller patties and not one ten ounce patty.
A ten ounce patty isn't a burger, it's a meatball that never cooks right. Bleh.

Nope, one burger. I prefer mine med-rare, so it's always cooked beautifully for me, but they'll overcook them if you ask. They sell "sliders" which are quarter-pounders iirc.

[Inglonias]

I enjoy Five Guys. I'm not much of a burger person, but the burgers I make myself are pretty tasty. The secret is putting a little steak sauce in the frying pan. (Note to self: Just because it looks done...)

Also, I find that burgers you grill yourself are basically the best kind in the whole effing world. Very tasty. Shame my family doesn't use the grill that much.

[pkcommando]

Either 5 Guys, b.good, or Uburger. It usually just depends on how hungry I am and which of them I haven't been to in the longest time. Damn, now I want a burger.

[LaserGuy]

The Works is probably the best in my part of the world. Elk burger with caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, horseradish, dijon sauce and gouda is my choice, but there's 60-odd different possible toppings, and some of them are pretty out there (peanut butter, strip bacon and fresh banana slices all on the same burger, for example).

[Giant Speck]

I tried In-N-Out when I got to Vegas; I was not impressed. I now officially prefer Five Guys over In-N-Out.

I did have a reaaaaaaaaaallllly good lamb tandoori burger at BLT Burger in Treasure Island, though.

[Thesh]

I tried In-N-Out when I got to Vegas; I was not impressed. I now officially prefer Five Guys over In-N-Out.

A WITCH!

[Bakemaster]

I also tried In-N-Out recently and was unimpressed. The burger was passable. I ordered a double meat, no cheese; the patties were pretty thin yet one of them wasn't thoroughly cooked. Now, when I trust the cook and the meat I'll order a burger medium but when you don't ask the customer for their preference AND your patties are small and thin AND you're a fast food chain the quality of whose ingredients I have no particular reason to trust, that is some bullshit right there. The bun was a little greasy and the sauce not particularly special. I'd rather have a burger from just about any greasy spoon or dive bar, even if it takes a little longer and costs a little more.

And the fries were just bad. I suspect their fryolator was either overloaded or not set to the correct temperature. They were dense, dry, mealy. No good at all.

[Giant Speck]

And the fries were just bad. I suspect their fryolator was either overloaded or not set to the correct temperature. They were dense, dry, mealy. No good at all.

The fries are what I was most disappointed with. The burger was alright. I expected their fries to be thicker cut; if the ones I had were cut any more thinly, they could have passed for hash browns.

[Bakemaster]

Yeah, I prefer thick-cut fries to shoelace fries too, but there was something up with the ones I had other than just being thin. My money's on a problem with the fryolator, but it could have been a problem with the potatoes.

[Thesh]

Usually their fries are kind of soft, and about as thick as mcdonald's fries. They would be good if they fried them twice, especially considering they are from fresh cut potatoes, but because they only fry them once they are simply OK.

[Nath]

I also tried In-N-Out recently and was unimpressed. The burger was passable. I ordered a double meat, no cheese;

I've only eaten In-N-Out a couple of times. The ingredients are above average for fast food, but nothing to write home about; it's the combination of flavors and textures that makes it work. (I mean the animal-style burgers; the regular burgers are pretty standard.) Tangy spread and pickles, rich meat and cheese, toasted bread. And onions, because everything is better with grilled onions.

I don't think I've tried their fries, but I believe you can get them animal-style as well. Not sure you can go wrong with animal-style fries.

[pkcommando]

Has anyone in the Boston area been to Griddler's yet? It's semi-new on Cambridge St on Beacon Hill. I'm not sure about finally visiting them. I've been by there a few times and I wonder how they stack up against a lot of Boston's other burger places.

[nehpest]

I'm not going to lie, I prefer McD's fries over In-N-Out, hands down.

The burgers, though... that's another story. I go for a 2X2, animal style. Throw in a chocolate shake, and animal-style the fries into some semblance of tastiness, and I'm good to go.

[Thesh]

I'm not going to lie, I prefer McD's fries over In-N-Out, hands down.

I think it's well accepted that McD's fries are among the best fries, and In-N-Out is in the "needs improvement" category.

[dubsola]

Yep, McD's fries are pretty good.

I've been smashing some gourmet burgers lately: Bar Bouloud's Yankee (beef patty with pulled pork and slaw on top) and Frenchie (beef patty with pork confit and salad with dijon on top), both excellent - cooked medium rare, perfect meat, and the extras were great additions to the standard burger. Their fries sucked though.

But the best burger I've had lately is from Honest - not at all pretentious like the above, and amazing fries - thrice cooked, really weird knobbly cuts, seasoned with rosemary - even though they're a bit weird they're absolutely delicious.

I've yet to have a takeaway / cheap burger in London that doesn't thoroughly suck, so these more upmarket places are the way to go IMO.

[PatrickRsGhost]

Anyone here ever had a Whataburger? I had one when I was down in Florida back in January, and it was probably the best fast food burger I've ever had. Not as good as Five Guys, but for quicker service than Five Guys, I found them to be superior to McDonald's or Burger King. Sadly, we don't have one here in Georgia; they seem to be mostly along the Gulf Coastal states.

[Bakemaster]

McDonald's fries are boring. Sure, they're the standard for fast-food shoestring fries, but that doesn't make them exceptional (more the opposite). They're consistent and addictive but too far removed from the potato. That's a problem I have with shoestring fries in general, though. Thick-cut is always better.

[Giant Speck]

I miss when Arby's sold "natural-cut fries". Though, Carl's Jr and Wendy's both have really good thick-cut fries now, so it makes up for it.

[Thesh]

I despise carl's jr's natural cut fries. Luckily I can still get criss cut. I also prefered burger king's old fries to their new thicker ones.

I prefer skinny fries just because of the crispiness (higher surface area to volume ratio). Fat burger has really good skinny fries, but I think it's mainly because they are always fresh out of the fyer. You can also get fat fries, but I've never tried them.