In-n-Out: Overrated.

[Piotr Rasputin]

I've become a hamburger wart since the pregnancy cravings kicked in. Agree with YDYDTTM that Kuma's is the best (non fast-food) hamburger joint in existence. However, I just discovered Cookout, which opened in Richmond a few months ago. It's mostly a Carolina chain, but holy shirt, the food was great. Drive-thru line was out of control on a Sunday at 4pm. Plus, they offer something like 30+ types of shakes. Anybody else been?

Wait . . . you're pregnant?

Man, I miss everything.

 

[Care Bear]

Yeah, I only mentioned it on one other thread. We find out if it's a boy, girl or acronym in about three weeks.

 

[F8vortex]

http://www.beacondrivein.com/
It's not a chain but is easily the best burger I have ever had. Definitely worth going out of your way for.

 

[MileHigh]

Yeah, I only mentioned it on one other thread. We find out if it's a boy, girl or acronym in about three weeks.

Congrats.

 

[buckweaver]

Without this board, I never would have heard of Whataburger and I've lived all over the country.

I'm surprised at this. You can see their roofs from 42 miles away on a clear day.

I think about 75 percent of them are in Texas. And if you've ever driven the length of I-10, you'll see a bunch because that's where the rest are.

Great 2 a.m. food.

 

[Orange Hat Bobcat]

I've become a hamburger wart since the pregnancy cravings kicked in. Agree with YDYDTTM that Kuma's is the best (non fast-food) hamburger joint in existence. However, I just discovered Cookout, which opened in Richmond a few months ago. It's mostly a Carolina chain, but holy shirt, the food was great. Drive-thru line was out of control on a Sunday at 4pm. Plus, they offer something like 30+ types of shakes. Anybody else been?

http://www.cookoutnc.com/

First, congratulations, Care Bear. Fantastic news. Wish you the best.

Second, Cookout is good for selection and price. The burgers were good, but not spectacular -- better than McDonald's and Burger King, maybe equal with Wendy's, well below In N Out and Five Guys. When I still lived in N.C., we always picked up Cookout on Friday or Saturday nights after we finished the paper because a) it was open all night, b) you could get a burger with two sides (and by sides, I mean a corn dog, five chicken nuggets, an order of hush puppies or, if you wanted to get creative, a full order of chili-cheese fries, which was a double side) and a drink for $5, c) you could get a burger with two sides and a shake for $6, d) they also had grilled chicken and e) yes, those shakes were ridiculous. My favorite is still the peanut butter chocolate, which always had a layer of real peanut butter at the bottom of the cup when you were done. You needed a spoon to get it out.

Damn, and I wonder how I gained 30 pounds in 30 months when I was down there.

 

[YGBFKM]

I've become a hamburger wart since the pregnancy cravings kicked in. Agree with YDYDTTM that Kuma's is the best (non fast-food) hamburger joint in existence. However, I just discovered Cookout, which opened in Richmond a few months ago. It's mostly a Carolina chain, but holy shirt, the food was great. Drive-thru line was out of control on a Sunday at 4pm. Plus, they offer something like 30+ types of shakes. Anybody else been?

http://www.cookoutnc.com/

First, congratulations, Care Bear. Fantastic news. Wish you the best.

Second, Cookout is good for selection and price. The burgers were good, but not spectacular -- better than McDonald's and Burger King, maybe equal with Wendy's, well below In N Out and Five Guys. When I still lived in N.C., we always picked up Cookout on Friday or Saturday nights after we finished the paper because a) it was open all night, b) you could get a burger with two sides (and by sides, I mean a corn dog, five chicken nuggets, an order of hush puppies or, if you wanted to get creative, a full order of chili-cheese fries, which was a double side) and a drink for $5, c) you could get a burger with two sides and a shake for $6, d) they also had grilled chicken and e) yes, those shakes were ridiculous. My favorite is still the peanut butter chocolate, which always had a layer of real peanut butter at the bottom of the cup when you were done. You needed a spoon to get it out.

Damn, and I wonder how I gained 30 pounds in 30 months when I was down there.

Peanut butter chocolate, you say? Interesting.

 

[Care Bear]

Thank you, OHB!

Yes, the price was the killer. A BBQ platter, small hamburger w/fries and two shakes totaled $8. That's absurd! The burger quality was not Five Guys, but I found it much tastier than McD's, BK, etc...

Edit: I shared that order.

 

[sportsguydave]

I've become a hamburger wart since the pregnancy cravings kicked in. Agree with YDYDTTM that Kuma's is the best (non fast-food) hamburger joint in existence. However, I just discovered Cookout, which opened in Richmond a few months ago. It's mostly a Carolina chain, but holy shirt, the food was great. Drive-thru line was out of control on a Sunday at 4pm. Plus, they offer something like 30+ types of shakes. Anybody else been?

http://www.cookoutnc.com/

I've been in the Carolinas for a year and a half and haven't gotten around to trying Cook Out yet, though it's in several of the towns I cover. That and Five Guys are on my list of things to try before I leave.

As far as great burgers, let me throw one out that I don't think I've seen mentioned yet: Fuddruckers. I miss that place. Third-pounder, medium rare with Wisconsin cheddar, cheese fries and a large Diet Coke to even things out. Sportswriter heaven.

 

[Bubbler]

The best burger in the midwest is at Greek Islands in Omaha. The Greek Islands burger is a regular burger with gyro meat on top with an entire pat of feta cheese on top of that.

It's awesome, but I can only eat about one per year.

 

[Care Bear]

Fuddruckers. Oh, yes. Best cheese sauce to ever come out of a dispenser. Winner.

 

[RickStain]

I could be wrong, but I bet if you gave people In and Out burgers in a blind taste test, it wouldn't do much better than something lame like Wendy's.

But give people the idea that they are getting something from a special, SoCal-only, cool place that pays their workers well and only uses local ingredients and is generally the in thing to do, then suddenly the burgers taste fantastic. Our brains like to screw with us.