Sherman's Food Adventures: In-N-Out (Fisherman's Wharf)

In-N-Out (Fisherman's Wharf)

For me, the best burger for the price has got to be In-N-Out. Only available in California, Utah, Arizona and Nevada, the thing that sets In-N-Out apart from the countless other fast food joints is their commitment to freshness. Nothing is pre-made, pre-cut (well, the tomatoes and lettuce I suppose) or frozen. The final product reaps the rewards of such dedication to quality. Sure, there are better burgers out there; but not at this price. It has been a full year since my last In-N-Out burger. In the meantime, I have yearned. The In-N-Out b"urge"r is something that is almost unbearable. So much so, I briefly considered making the 6-hour trek from Portland (back in August) to Redding for a taste.

I had originally planned to meet up with Greyelf for some XLB action after I arrived at SFO. But due to a flight delay and the usual other things we must do at the airport, I had to skip it. No matter, the backup plan was to tag along with Kim to the Wharf for that In-N-Out "urge". After arriving at our hotel on the corner of Geary & Jones, we hiked it a good 3 kms. Hey, it was a nice day and honestly, why not burn off some calories? This was only the beginning of 4 days of eating.

Kim and I ended up sharing 2 burgers and an order of fries. Starting with the basic in the Hamburger. It's nothing that will "wow" you; yet that is not the point of it all. The patty isn't exactly moist either. However, the freshness of the components make for a solid burger at a really low price. Of course a visit to In-N-Out is not complete without getting something "Animal Style". Thus, Kim got the Double-Double Animal Style. For those who have no clue what this is, it's the addition of pickles, extra spread, grilled onions, and mustard fried onto each meat patty. Yummy? Yes! Extra charge? Nope... See what I mean? In-N-Out is a good deal. The extra moisture and messiness from the additional ingredients help make the burger even better. As for the fries, they're pretty good - crisp, not too oily and starchy. Pretty fresh eats for prices that are better than McD's. That is what sets In-N-Out apart from all the rest. Too bad I don't live close to one. I guess it's all for the better. I don't want a whole new wardrobe that reads "XL".

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Fresh everything
- No charge Animal Style

The Bad:
- Good, but not outstanding (a bit too much hype sometimes)
- Locations only limited to California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada

In-N-Out Burger on Urbanspoon

9 comments:

Anson said...

Hey Sherman,

Any idea where 'animal' style comes from?

I tried to wiki it, but got nowhere. Didn't realize that the burger joint has been around since post wwii.

KimHo said...

Sherman, thanks for tagging along on this one. As you mentioned yesterday, given we were going to the FoodBuzz reception later that day, I won't have been able to sample both styles of burger had I been by myself!

Anonymous said...

lol.... your In-N-Out urge reminds me so much of Harold and Kumar's White Castle urge..... the lengths people will go to for a certain burger.......I wonder if that urge would be so strong if one opened up here and was more accessible.... a-la the Krispy Kreme craze......

TS of eatingclub vancouver said...

Love In-n-Out. Always have to get one when near LAX.

Sherman Chan said...

Anson, I'm not sure... But it's damn good!

Kim, no probs, I'm a sucker for In-N-Out! Was gonna do it sometime anyways!

I think with anything, the novelty will wear off. But I'd still go to In-N-Out because of the prices. I bet it would cost more up here though, if it existed...

TS, yup, gotta have one every time I near one!

Anonymous said...

Hi Sherman.
I have been past In-N-Out so many times driving back and forth from LA..... I never knew!!!! It looked like a kitschy burger joint. My husband and I discovered a really good burger today called the Canuck burger at Mondo Burger in Steveston. I had read about it and we finally got out there to try it this afternoon. I think you might like it as it really a beautiful looking burger at a very good price.... plus good service. Anyways, I just thought I'd let you know in case you were willing to risk a trip through Richmond to get there.

Anonymous said...

oh... my husband reminded me to tell you that the fries were really good too!

KaTyDid said...

Please be advised that this company is using your "photo" of an In-N-Out Burger and passing it off as their own.

Here is the URL: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=201826556559559&set=a.192184824190399.47748.191682244240657&type=1&permPage=1

Sherman Chan said...

@KaTyDid Thanks for the heads up!

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