Burgers Better Than In and Out (Fresno, Moreno Valley: house, college, prices)

[Scott5280]

tkburgers.com in Newport Beach is pretty solid and you don't even have to take off the wet suit; you can check out the breaks and conditons at Blackies on the surf cam while you wait.

[eureka1]

Have never understood what people see in In'&Out. Next time you're in Eureka, try the AA Bar & Grill across from the courthouse or Surfside Burgers at 445 5th Street, parking across the street.

[Fontucky]

There are a few small burger chains out of the IE that I prefer to I/O:

• Farmer Boys Restaurants | Cookin' Up What You're Craving

• Menu | Bakers

• The other one is Gus Jr., but they have no web presence save for Yelp reviews.

My opinion of I/O can be summed up thusly: Good, but not inspiring enough to have drawn me in more than twice in 8.5 years. I'll chose them over Sonic, McDs or Gag in the Bag* any day though, especially while on the road.



*Unless I'm suffering from JitB taco cravings

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Umami burger in LA destroys any other burger I've ever tasted in my life.

[Think4Yourself]

Originally Posted by murfslaw

5 Brothers, anywhere. Best Fries

I've never heard of 5 brothers but if you mean 5 guys then, no. Their fries have universally been a greasy, mushy, mess. Not even the slightest bit crisp. If you're going to use fresh cut fries than you either have to use a high starch/lower water content type of potato (which isn't the cheapest type of potato) or you have to soak them in a vinegar solution first to help remove the excess water from them then let them sit for a couple of hours to dry out, finally you have to put them in the frier in small batches because if you put a huge mass of cold things in a hot frier all at once then you lower the temperature of the oil resulting in under cooked fries.

5 guys does none of this and worse their friers tend to be on the small side so the temp of the oil drops fast resulting in greasy mushy fries. Some of the worst I have ever tasted yet they wanted something like $4 them. No, thanks, I'll pass on 5 frauds.

[Think4Yourself]

Originally Posted by Spikett

The Habit. They put these caramelized onions on the burgers and it really adds a lot.

Habit Burger

I liked them when I lived on the central coast and I enjoy how they make them fresh to order but let's face it they use generic store bought CAFO beef with a generic store bought bun. Yes, they do well with the generic stuff but there really is nothing special about them. On the upside the prices at their original Goletta restaurant were pretty low.

Originally Posted by CAVA1990

Mr. Pete's Burgers in San Clemente.

I'll have to check that out next time I'm in San Clemente visiting family.

For my take on the best burger:

In L.A. - Unami Burger has the best high end burger. Grass fed, organic, free range beef, a true made fresh each day artisan bun, and the toppings are a delicate balance of flavors which don't over load the burger or muddy the flavors of that luscious free range grass fed beef. Order it rare because if a place will serve it rare that means they really know their suppliers and they know their beef is high quality. If a place won't service it rare then they know they're serving low quality CAFO beef.

In San Diego - Burger Lounge. High quality grass fed, organic, hormone free, free range beef raised in San Diego county on a ranch in Palomar Mountain. The buns are a piece of art in themselves and hold up well without over powering the wonderful beefy flavor of that juicy burger plus even the cheese is local and artisan while the veggies are also local and heirloom. It is a taste above and not badly priced at just $7.95 given the very high quality. All burgers are served medium rare unless you say other wise which really is how grass fed beef should be served as it is leaner than corn fed beef; perfectly juicy without being overly fatty while serving it medium rare and still pink means you really get a burger packed with full beefy flavor. For a real treat try their Parmesan cheese sprinkled fries perfectly cooked (crispy without being overly done) in duck fat dor only $2.50 extra.

Nostalgia factor from my childhood - Canada Steak Burger also in San Diego. This place has been a local institution in San Diego for almost 40 years. The next door shop is a butcher shop and the owner buys his beef there having the butcher do a custom grind of only choice cuts of meat. No pink slime or nasty left over parts get put into the grind as you'd find in most ground beef you buy in the store. Just prime whole cuts. The buns get baked and delivered fresh several times per day by the bakery across the street and are normally still warm from the baker's oven if you go during a busy time of day like lunch hour. Yes, it's generic CAFO beef but done well. This is what a neighborhood independent burger joint should be like; local small businesses working together to support each other and deliver a better quality product you can't get any where but one neighborhood.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

There are a few small burger chains out of the IE that I prefer to I/O:

• Farmer Boys Restaurants | Cookin' Up What You're Craving

• Menu | Bakers

• The other one is Gus Jr., but they have no web presence save for Yelp reviews.

I should also mention the lack of Biblical scripture references on the cups and wrappers at the above places. We atheists always appreciate that.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Think4Yourself

I've never heard of 5 brothers but if you mean 5 guys then, no. Their fries have universally been a greasy, mushy, mess. Not even the slightest bit crisp. If you're going to use fresh cut fries than you either have to use a high starch/lower water content type of potato (which isn't the cheapest type of potato) or you have to soak them in a vinegar solution first to help remove the excess water from them then let them sit for a couple of hours to dry out, finally you have to put them in the frier in small batches because if you put a huge mass of cold things in a hot frier all at once then you lower the temperature of the oil resulting in under cooked fries.

5 guys does none of this and worse their friers tend to be on the small side so the temp of the oil drops fast resulting in greasy mushy fries. Some of the worst I have ever tasted yet they wanted something like $4 them. No, thanks, I'll pass on 5 frauds.

Lemme guess. You're the french fry officianado at a McDonalds.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

I should also mention the lack of Biblical scripture references on the cups and wrappers at the above places. We atheists always appreciate that.

Y'all announce and protest too much. Doesn't change the taste of the food one bit!

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Y'all announce and protest too much.

Maybe for you Christians. My fellow atheists, pagans, free-thinkers and satanic baby killers usually aren't bothered by the sentiment.