Maybe I don’t have the pallet for it or maybe it’s better with all the fixin’s, but after having In-N-Out Burger for the 3rd time in my life this recently, I still don’t see the hype. For those unfamiliar with In-N-Out Burger, it’s a burger chain mainly on the West Coast of the United States. While it is a chain, it prides itself on using never-frozen meat and all that jazz. Burgers are cooked to order and slathered with their “spread” sauce. All the ingredients are fresh and delicious, but I still don’t think they are anything special.
Burger places seem to be all the rage these days with new specialty shops popping up all the time. In the Chicagoland area we have recently been introduced to Five Guys Burgers, which a lot of people considered the In-N-Out of the East… I don’t think so. In addition to Five Guys we also have a variety of one-off burger joints that have popped up on their own. Places like Meatheads, Smash Burger and even Edzo’s in Evanston have created their own little twist on the not-so-fast food burger joint, but in most people’s eyes In-N-Out is the holy grail.
I honestly think it’s because we don’t have them out in this part of the country. Everyone always wants something they can’t have, more than something they can get on every street corner. And since I’m writing this with the taste fresh in my mouth, I can honestly say that In-N-Out reminds me of Culver’s. They tasted almost identical to me with the little bit of toppings I get on them, which could also be part of the draw of the other places. I prefer my burgers with american cheese, ketchup and mustard…. that’s it. I know it’s a little boring, but it gives you a much better idea as to the taste of the actual meat itself. And in this case I don’t think that In-N-Out burgers taste any better than Culver’s. I would also venture as far as to say that Five Guys burgers are better than In-N-Out, but saying that would probably get me shot so I’m not going to say that. What I will say though is out of all of these burger places I’ve had around the Chicagoland area, including In-N-Out on the West Coast, I have to say that Meatheads is my favorite of the bunch with Edzo’s coming in a close second. Just something about the burger itself was so incredible that even after sucking down what seemed like a gallon of pure grease, I still wanted more.
So maybe I just “don’t get it”, but I really don’t find In-N-Out all that amazing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great burger, but I see no reason why people should be worshiping this place like it’s the end-all-be-all of burger joints. So what is it about In-N-Out Burger that you all love so much? Help me understand….
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