[clutchcargo777]

While I appreciate your input, could you PLEASE learn the concept of paragraphs? Your wall of text hurts the eyes.

[MAXIALE02]

If thin is your thing. Then I highly recommend FatBoy Burger. They are a small mom and pop shop andd they aim to please.

I was buying grass fed a couple of years ago and I know of the quality you describe; along with the right amount of fat percentage....yum. I've been working on perfecting my homemade hamburgers and a few tips that have worked for me is to just use pepper to char and not to add salt til after the char (crust) as the salt metabolizes the outer layer making the inside undercooked and the out side rubbery. Might be best just to make it at home.

[Retired at 44]

Originally Posted by butterflybird

... Either meat has changed over the last 30 yrs or something has gone terribly wrong ...

I suspect there are two issues:

• The meat has changed over the years
• Your tastebuds have changed over the years

[OmegaSupreme]

Not a fan of Wagyu, wherever it's from.
A Beef With Kobe

Best tip for In-and-Out, get grilled onions on your burger. Forget about the animal fries, their normal fries are unbeatable

[johninvegas]

Butterflybird,

First, I remember the burgers of your youth. I, too, grew up in California in the 50s. There used to be a diner in Long Beach owned by a former railroad man. He had a U-shaped counter that he had built a model railroad track around. When you ordered your burger and fries, he would send them out from the kitchen on a flat car and stop the train in front of you. As a kid, it didn't get any better than that!

The burgers I used to like back then, and into the 60s, had what I would guess was a 1/3 lb patty. Condiments came on the plate and you could use what you like and leave the rest. Bun was plain, but steamed, and if I remember correctly, had a slight amount of butter on the outside. As you say, the meat had a better flavor.

I truly believe that the current fascination with bacon on everything comes from the fact that the meat most fast food restaurants use has no particular flavor. So they use bacon, cheese, jalapenos, anything to keep you from noticing that the beef has no flavor.

My suggestion for you is to try 5 Guys. They have a small burger and a large burger. Try the small burger, ask for lettuce, mayo, pickles and nothing more. It reminds me of the old-style burgers I used to like.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

That article is old, before Bobby's Burger Palace (Bobby Flay) opened next to the Monte Carlo. I tried it in April, and it was well worth the $19 for a burger, fries and soft drink. I'll have to remember some of these other places when I go next time and give a couple more a try. With the great choices for burgers there, I wonder how In-and-Out can stay in business.

No burger anywhere with fries and a soft drink is worth $19 unless the thing is wrapped in Gold. Burgers were meant to be a yummy and fun sandwich people ate for lunch or a light dinner. Why the idea it should be a gourmet, special event? Give me just a basic In&Out burger any day.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by nmnita

No burger anywhere with fries and a soft drink is worth $19 unless the thing is wrapped in Gold. Burgers were meant to be a yummy and fun sandwich people ate for lunch or a light dinner. Why the idea it should be a gourmet, special event? Give me just a basic In&Out burger any day.

The beef used in that Bobby Flay burger cannot be purchased anywhere in the Las Vegas valley (except Artisinal, at more than $80 per pound.) The reason that burger is $19 is the cost of the beef.

Cheap food uses the cheapest ingredients they can lay their hands on. Then they add fat and salt to make it taste good (and get people hooked on their fat-and-salt-laden product). Nobody in this country seems to think about where their food comes from. (Aside from the shrink-wrapped package or the Happy Meal box.) If you saw where that three-dollar burger beef came from, it would probably churn your stomach. Bon appetite!

PS -- If I had my way, every junk food junkie in America would be taken to a CAFO and forced to eat a happy meal while watching what goes on at a CAFO.

[Golfinnova]

Being a DC guy, I'm always biased to 5 Guys. The key is to order the smaller portion burger and fries because they will give way more than expected, plus once you dip them in the malt vinegar, heaven.

In-N-Out: Sorry, but absolutely the worst fries on the planet and I have had them every way possible. Burger King has better fries than In-N-Out.

Tommy's: Simple burger and very good fries. If the new one on Craig didn't open, I would drive to St. Rose rather than eat at In-N-Out.

Smashburger: Not bad at all, nothing special. I would say the same about Steak and Shake, Freddy's

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by Golfinnova

Tommy's: Simple burger and very good fries. If the new one on Craig didn't open, I would drive to St. Rose rather than eat at In-N-Out.

People go to Tommy's for the chili, mostly -- chili burgers, chili fries, chili dogs. Quoth my friend from SoCal, "You have two Tommy's in Las Vegas and you're still screwing around with In-N-Out? What is WRONG with you?!?!?!?"

[delgadobb]

Going to have to try Tommy's.

My current favorite burger is the Nor'Easter at the All-American Grille at the Rio. (Tip - 25% local discount w/Nevada ID) It's not on the normal menu; I discovered it once by accident on the late night menu. If you ask for it during normal hours, they will make it for you - think it's about $15 before locals discount. Why is it interesting? The burger itself is decent but not earth-shattering - the key is they add a fried egg AND pastrami to the burger, which is a very interesting mix of flavors. I generally get swiss cheese with it, but one of these times I'll see if they'll do blue cheese. Highly recommended.

One trend seems to be calling everything 'Kobe' burgers or 'Kobe' sliders, when none of them likely fit the description. That said, I've tried a few at different places & they tend to be better than the average burger. The Kobe Burger at Grand Lux Cafe at the Venetian is pretty juicy & flavorful. The Shiitake mushrooms & caramelized onions probably have as much to do with the good taste as the beef.

At Gordon Ramsay's BurgR, I tried one with Duck Breast bacon & it was pretty good. Most impressive thing there, though, is that they have La Fin Du Monde (strong French Canadian beer) on draught. (The name translates to the End of the World.)

A couple times I've tried Five Guys & haven't been impressed. I mean, it's nice the extras are included, but In-N-Out or Jack-in-the-Box are just as satisfying for a lot less $$.

One burger you can't find around here is the Juicy Lucy like I've had at the 5-8 club in Minnesota (think cheese built into the burger before it's cooked). However, I've heard that Rambo's Kitchen on Fort Apache has something similar.

For me, I'm still in search on the burger I had at my grandmother's growing up. We'd drive out to her farm & she'd make the best burgers in her well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. She made the buns from scratch & that was the best greasy burger ever made. If I can find a place that makes a burger even close to that, they'll have my business indefinitely - and I don't eat burgers much anymore.