My First Time at In-N-Out

Let me tell you a story.

I had a weekend trip planned for Phoenix. My wife and I were going up there so I could pace my buddy in his 100k race. This was the plan all along. We took our flight out on Friday and had pretty much a full afternoon and evening in the Phoenix area. The race was last Saturday so everything was looking like it was going according to plan. Then we got a call from my mom around 7pm. Our daughter had a 104.1 temperature. So, like I imagine most parents would do, we found the earliest flight we could get the next morning and headed home. we weren't going to have my folks, who are more than capable, have to deal with that kind of sickness. We wanted to be with our daughter and she wanted us to be there with her. My buddy running the race, who is also a dad, fully understood. My folks understood. We had to be back to take care of her. My job, as the at home parent, is to make sure my kids have the care they need, especially in a situation like this. And for those of you wondering, my buddy ran and crushed the race that Saturday, and my daughter, who was diagnosed with flu and strep, is feeling better. Her fever broke yesterday and now she is saddled with a nasty cough, but she is moving around and acting more like herself today. I say all of this to get to the point of what I wanted to talk about today, which is In N Out Burger.

I mentioned we made our flight before our daughter got sick, and we had an afternoon in Phoenix. My wife had been there before and mentioned that they had an In N Out Burger. She has been before, but I have not. I had actually kind of given up on the fact that I may never have this very popular fast food chain. I truly have no reason to go to the West Coast right now, although I'd love to, so the thought of trying this well known food spot was not really on my mind. That changed last Friday. We found one very near our hotel, we hadn't had lunch, we still had time before check in, so my wife decided it was time for me to try it. I was stoked going in. I have heard so many great things about their burgers, so I was eager to try one.

When we walked in, we ate there, it looked like your classic diner joint, which was very appealing to me. The staff at this location was incredibly friendly and made me feel like a regular the moment I stepped into the store front. I ordered the Double Double, which I have to assume is the regular pick for any newcomer, some fries and a soda. They gave us the cup to fill our drink, which was a bit of a letdown. For some reason I thought they had a soda jerk or something like that, but that's a me issue, not In N Out. After I filled my cup and sat down, all that was left was the waiting, and it felt like a bit of a wait. I don't know if this is just an Arizona thing, because the people who I have heard talk about this place that live in LA talk about how fast the customer service is. But they do make the stuff to order, so I did not fully mind the wait. After about 10 minutes, they called our order and I was ready to devour this food.

I went with my burger first and it was as good as advertised. The meat was flavorful and juicy and plentiful. The bun was soft and delicious. The veggies, we got them all on the burger, tasted fresh and fantastic. The pickles and onion had a nice crunch. The tomato was nice and firm. The lettuce added a nice freshness. The secret sauce was very, very good and added a whole separate flavor to the seasoning on the burger. And the cheese was melted and gooey. This was a fantastical mess of a burger and I couldn't get enough of it. My wife had about a quarter of her burger left and I about finished what was left on the table. I have eaten a lot of burgers in my 43 plus years, and the In N Out Burger is one of the better ones I've ever had.

The fries on the other hand were odd and not for me. First off they don't look as fried as other places. They also don't salt the fries, instead opting to give you a salt packet on top of the napkins they put on top of the boat of fries. And when I bit into my first one I was puzzled. They didn't have a snap. They were soft through and through. I told my wife, who does like the fries, that they tasted like they took mashed potatoes, shaped them into fries and then put them in the fryer for half the time other chains do with their own fries. I tried a few more, they're fries afterall, but I stopped after about seven. I wasn't into them. The texture was weird and off putting in my opinion. I have heard others say the fries are hit or miss and they were a miss for me. But that burger was so damn good that I am more than willing to overlook my distaste for the fries.

I implore anyone who is heading to a city with an In N Out Burger to try the burger. You will not regret it. I will definitely be looking to find more In N Out's on my future travels. I am a fan of the burger from here on out. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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We Came, We Saw, We Ate: Shake Shack vs In-N-Out

East Coast, West Coast? Where will I be the tastiest?

SeedSing loves a good old american burger. Ty was recently in the south to try the legendary Whataburger. Today Tina is going to look at the most famous East Coast and West Coast burger. Do you have a thought? Come on over the SeedSing and tell us all about.

Over the last couple months, I had the opportunity to sample the east and west coasts’ favorite burgers:  Shake Shack and In-N-Out Burger.  Since I live in a city where neither is available, my only allegiance is to my own tastebuds.

First things first:  Shake Shack is a New York City native, and In n Out hails from Southern California.  I was in neither NYC nor LA this summer.  Rather, I sampled Shake Shack at two locations in DC (the first was a restaurant across from the National Portrait Gallery, the second was at Nationals Park).  For In-N-Out, I visited two locations relatively near Las Vegas (the first in St. George, Utah, and the 2nd in Summerlin, NV).  Visiting twice is important to even out any flukes, and to gauge consistency.  I’ll review the burger joints on 5 criteria:  Burgers, fries, shakes, prices, and “other”.

Burgers

I’m given to understand that the way to eat an In-N-Out Burger is “Double Double Animal Style.”  I did this twice.   (Typically, I don’t get cheese on a “good” burger, but I wanted to do it the right way, so I made an exception at In n Out.)  My initial impression was that the meat itself was above average.  I really liked the way the cheese melted into a gooey sort of sauce, melding with the “spread” and grilled onions.  My one major hang-up was In-N-Out’s bun.  It was bland and dry.  I originally thought maybe just mine was stale, but my husband thought his was dry too.  And the same thing happened at the Summerlin location, so… points for consistency, I guess?  But dry hamburger buns are not my cup of tea.  The Animal Style burger, with all its added moisture (spread, cheese, onions, mustard, etc) just couldn’t overcome it. 

At Shake Shack, on the other hand, the burgers are SUBLIME.  It was the same consistent burger at both locations (impressive, considering that one is in a stadium).  The meat is perfect, just the right amount of beefy and fatty.  It’s smashed on the grill to get the little crispy bits on the edges.  The potato bun is slightly sweet, dense and soft, perfect for containing the glorious burger juice.   As I noted before, I didn’t get cheese, just a regular “Shackburger” which has shack sauce, lettuce, and tomato.  Heaven. 

WINNER:  Strong Shake Shack

Fries

At In-N-Out, we got one order of fries “animal style,” one regular.  The fries we got in St. George were near perfect.  Fresh from the fryer, hot and crisp.  Good ratio of crispy outside to fluffy inside.  The animal style fries were “meh” to me.  Although I liked the spread on the burger, I didn’t care for it on the fries.  I realize that’s just personal taste, and my husband did really like the animal style fries.  The bigger issue, to me, is that at both places, my lovely hot fresh non-animal fries came with a little salt packet on top.  At first I thought that was strange, until I tasted them, and realized that they are woefully underseasoned.  And they know it, which is why they gave me salt!  Hell, no, people.  Season your food, and give it to me the way YOU think it tastes best.  If I don’t like it, I’ll ask for no salt next time.

Shake Shack’s fries are crinkle cut.  This is polarizing.  My husband is anti-crinkle, which I suspect is because he associates crinkle with Ore-Ida and school lunches.  I, on the other hand, am a woman of science.  I understand that the crinkles are increasing the overall surface area of the fries, and thereby, in an ideal world, making them crisper.  And the Shack’s fries were wonderfully crisp and well-seasoned.  They also are available with a weird off-kilter cheese sauce that I happen to love, but that my husband clearly did not.  So if my husband were writing this, he’d probably give the French fry win to In n Out.  But he’s not here, and so…(Ed Note: Tina's husband is one of my favorite people, so I am going to side with him.)

WINNER:  Somewhat Shake Shack

Shakes

I do not often get milkshakes.  I mostly cannot wrap my head around drinking ice cream, it seems too indulgent.  I think I get one milkshake a year.  In-N-Out had a shake machine.  Now, if I am going to drink 500+ calories, it’s going to be a genuine hand-dipped milkshake, not a pale machine imitation made with mix.  So I didn’t even try a shake at In-N-Out.

Shake Shack has hand-dipped milkshakes.  My son had vanilla near the portrait gallery, and chocolate at Nats Park.  I sampled both and was underwhelmed.  They were cold and sweet, with good consistency, but lacking in flavor.  I found myself wishing there was a Steak n Shake nearby.

WINNER:  Meh

Prices

In-N-Out is less expensive, there’s no question about it.  Two Double Double Animal Styles, two drinks, one animal fry, and one regular fry set us back around $17.  Not too shabby.

On the other hand, two of Shake Shack’s single burgers, two orders of fries, and two drinks totaled up around $25 near the portrait gallery.  (In fairness to Shake Shack, I will not include the Nats Park prices in this assessment.  I don’t know if Dodger Stadium has an In-N-Out, but if one exists, I’m guessing I can’t feed two people on 17 bucks there.) 

WINNER:  In-N-Out, but since I really shouldn’t be eating these meals all that often, the extra expense at Shake Shack might be a feature, not a bug.

Other

Décor:  In-N-Out looks more like a traditional fast food place, whereas Shake Shack has a more upscale classy look.  Both were clean and pleasant.  No clear winner or loser.

Service:  Quick, competent, and cheerful each time.  Can’t ask for anything more.  Another tie.

Soda selection:  Shake Shack has Diet Coke and Coke Zero.  In-N-Out just has Diet Coke.  Point to the Shack.

Overall selection:  I sort of admire In-N-Out for essentially saying “we have burgers and fries and that’s it.”  I’m fans of the concept of doing one thing and doing it well.  However, Shake Shack has a few more options which make it a little friendlier to a group.  They have chicken, a Portobello burger, flat top hot dogs, and ice cream as well as burgers and fries.  It’s still a small, focused menu, but I appreciate the added variety.  Another point to the Shack.

Exercise of first amendment rights:  Ok, so this may just be me, but given the choice, I prefer that my lunch packaging not proselytize.  Granted, In-N-Out’s preaching is subtle, just Bible chapter & verse hidden on drink cups and wrappers.  It’s pretty easy to ignore, but I still want my food to keep its religious beliefs to itself.  (Exceptions made for kosher hot dogs & the occasional Chik-Fil-A.)  Yet another point to Shake Shack.

Clubby insularity:  I shouldn’t have to do research on the internet to know what’s on your menu.  Enough with the “secret menu,” In-N-Out.  Just tell me what you have.  Hey, Shake Shack is really cleaning up on the “other” category.

VERDICT:  Strong Shake Shack

All in all, both provide a very good burger and fry experience (unlike Five Guys, whose fries are unapologetically BAD.)  But if you made it this far, you have probably guessed that I’m a Shake Shack gal all the way.  Considering that there are more Shake Shacks within a day’s drive of my house, I think the ultimate winner is ME.

Tina S

Tina S has now entered into post-vacation food detox. 

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