Eddie Pensier writes:
Vegetarians, look away.
Here’s a list of the best hamburgers in the USA, state-by-state. They run the gamut from gourmet delicacies to fast-food to pub food. Toppings range from the common (cheese, pickles, bacon) to the outrageous (pastrami, crabcakes, foie gras). I defy you to read it without serious hunger pangs and wanderlust ensuing in short order.
Have any UR readers or bloggers tried these meaty masterpieces? Agree or disagree with the list’s picks? Let us know in the comments.
Link thanks to DC Thornton.
Hamburger from the Tolly-Ho in Lexington, Kentucky: dressed with the world’s most infelicitously named condiment: “Ho Sauce”.
Related
- More burger chat, from me and Paleo Retiree and Blowhard, Esq.
Blowhard, Esq.
Callowman
Sherbrooke
Eddie Pensier
Enzo Nakamura
Epaminondas
Fabrizio del Wrongo
Fenster
Brundle Guy
Glynn Marshes
Paleo Retiree
Atypical Neurotic
Question Lady
Sax von Stroheim
Sir Barken Hyena
The Mistaken
Uncouth Reflections 
I grew up two miles from the first In-N-Out. My undergrad was across the street from In-N-Out’s headquarters.
I once dated a girl, born in Australia, who said that “In-N-Out isn’t very good.” This is like going to France and saying “croissants aren’t very good,” going to Mexico and saying “tacos aren’t very good,” or going to the Wailing Wall and saying “Jews aren’t very good.”
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I found the Jews at the wailing wall to be a bit over the top myself.
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No offence but I’m kinda of agreeing with my compatriot.
While good food is available in the U.S., the overall standard is pretty poor.
Seriously.
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Oh sure, there are lots of terrible restaurants here, no argument from me. In-N-Out is not one of those places, though. (OK, the tomatoes are terrible but then tomatoes are usually terrible everywhere in the US.)
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Respectfully disagree. Having lived in the USA for 30 years and Australia for 10, the quality is fairly equal across the board, but for variety, Australia has a long way to go.
And as for the hamburgers down under, I’ll let Sasha say all that needs be said.
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Eddie, where did you live in Australia?
Sure, if you go gourmet (especially in the yuppie bits of town) then you’re gonna get all sorts of dietary sacrilege, but your standard “fish and chips” shop here does a mighty fine burger. BTW, with normal coloured cheese.
Also, tinned beetroot and pineapple is de rigueur for a proper burger here. The food snobs can choke. Sometimes the manufactured stuff is better. Think of the aberration that are “organic” hot dogs.
I’m pretty unpicky when it comes to food so I tend to be dismissive about my own tastes. However, the U.S. is a popular travel destination now for Australians, and when the topic of what people think of the food in the U.S. is like, nearly everyone, and I mean everyone, agrees that apart from cheap prices and large servings the food is pretty poor. It ain’t just my prejudices.
That’s not to say you can’t find a good meal in the U.S., I’ve eaten much better this last trip than before, is just that the “average standard” is much lower.
Variety?
Here’s Heston Blumenthal on the subject.
http://media.smh.com.au/news/national-news/heston-blumenthal-why-melbourne-5315237.html
BTW, this isn’t Australian Parochialism here. I have absolutely no criticism of American wines. Nearly all of the stuff we had was superb.
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I’ve lived in Canberra for the last decade, and visit Sydney regularly and Melbourne semi-regularly.
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>>However, the U.S. is a popular travel destination now for Australians, and when the topic of what people think of the food in the U.S. is like, nearly everyone, and I mean everyone, agrees that apart from cheap prices and large servings the food is pretty poor.
The U.S. is a pretty big place. Which cities are they visiting? Which cuisines are they trying in those cities? The food in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and New York is great at all price levels and it’s not hard to find. Have these people contact me before their next visits!
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I’ve lived in Canberra for the last decade
Oh, I’m so sorry.
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Pastrami on a burger is not outrageous!
But it is delicious.
-Utah and Eastern Idaho.
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A close friend who I grew up with and who has lived on the East Coast for the past 10+ years writes:
“Besides In-N-Out the only place I’ve been to is Louis’ Lunch in New Haven, CT. I thought the burger was very forgettable and bland. There’s a smugness to the place too. They’re definitely resting on their laurels. [My wife] felt the same way and so has everyone else I’ve talked to who’s been there. They claim to have invented the hamburger but I find that hard to believe. The 5 Guys in Somers is about 100 times better. Dollar for dollar In-N-Out is still the best as far as I’m concerned.”
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Best I ever had was at Milt’s Stop and Eat in Moab Utah, after a cold winter’s day hiking in the Needles @ Canyonlands Park. Local beef, cooked to perfection in a sleazy little diner in Nowheresville USA, home fries, red ketchup bottles and milkshakes. Classic.
http://www.miltsstopandeat.com/
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So I’ve had Au Cheval, and it is good, but Kuma’s or DMK or even M Burger are just as good:
http://chicagoist.com/2013/05/31/chicagos_best_burgers.php
Chicago knows beef and so it’s not surprising we have good burger places. The whole grass-fed thing is big here, as are other various trends in hamburger eating:
http://www.timeout.com/chicago/food-drink/best-burger-in-chicago-which-restaurants-serve-the-best-hamburgers-and-fries
For some reason, In-N-Out has yet to come to the Chicagoland area (there was a rumor that Kayne was going to bring a franchise here, but so far nothing). This is ridiculous — I have California envy just like everyone else and I want to try your damn burgers!
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>>For some reason, In-N-Out has yet to come to the Chicagoland area
The business is still family-owned and they’ve always been reluctant to expand. Entering a new geographic area means they have to build their own meat processing plant because their hamburgers are never frozen.
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off topic a bit but i really don’t like these websites where you have to click each time you want to see a new x. “top ten destinations”, consisting of a picture and some text, takes 10 clicks when a scroll down would be much easier. plus, the text and pics are often embedded in other junk and are not centered on the screen, so that each time you click you have to recenter. and even worse on a phone than a computer. and in the case of this list, it’s fifty clicks for fifty states. bah humbug.
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“off topic a bit but i really don’t like these websites where you have to click each time you want to see a new x. “top ten destinations”, consisting of a picture and some text, takes 10 clicks when a scroll down would be much easier.”
Yep. That gives me the shits too.
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