RL things I love

[Ganymede]

@Thenomain said in RL things I love:

If they were more tasty than a bit of wet cardboard, I would be okay with $5.

Maybe it's your location, because the 5G near my place isn't that poor.

Still, I have a soft spot for Steak and Shake. Cheap-ass, decent burgers.

[Faceless]

@Ganymede said in RL things I love:

Still, I have a soft spot for Steak and Shake. Cheap-ass, decent burgers.

And shakes.

[Cupcake]

We have a local franchise called Kidd Valley; their burgers are the absolute best.

[Autumn]

My experience has been that Five Guys has lower variance, but In-N-Out has a higher ceiling. When In-N-Out gets your order just right, it's great, but it seems like at least a third of the time, the fries are either done too crispy or too soggy; or the bun is charred or insufficiently toasted; or the burger itself is either over- or under-done.

Five Guys is almost always Perfectly Acceptable, but it never climbs to the level of Burger Nirvana the way In-N-Out is capable of.

[Kanye Qwest]

@Cupcake Local IS best. Back in Amarillo there's a place called Buns Over Texas that is just...perfection.

[Auspice]

I have a cat who plays fetch.

Which is great and amusing until she wakes me up in the middle of the night wanting me to throw her ball.

[Three-Eyed Crow]

@Autumn said in RL things I love:

Five Guys is almost always Perfectly Acceptable, but it never climbs to the level of Burger Nirvana the way In-N-Out is capable of.

This is my experience as well. The thing is, like others have said, In and Out is actually priced as a fast food burger. And even when it's not great, it's still better than I could get paying for the same thing at Whataburger or Burger King or the like. Five Guys is a restaurant-priced burger and I'm always left with the 'Blah, why didn't I drive to Smashburger/Red Robin/etc.?' feeling. Good fries, though.

[Thenomain]

@Faceless said in RL things I love:

@Ganymede said in RL things I love:

Still, I have a soft spot for Steak and Shake. Cheap-ass, decent burgers.

And shakes.

I am so spoiled. I have Jeni's, Graeter's, and Johnny Rocket's all within walking distance, and I think UDF makes better shakes than Steak & Shake. I do have two (two!) Five Guys in walking distance, depending on how much of a walk I want, and at least one coffee shop that epitomizes "coffee shop" (Stauf's).

Now you all know where I live.

Send flowers.

---

edit: That said, In & Out Burger is absolutely the best fast food burger I have had in my life, no question.

[Faceless]

@Thenomain most of those names mean nothing to me, unfortunately. I live in a rural area. We're lucky to see a Hardee's around here. But! We have White Castle, so that makes up for it, when you're down for something outright terrible to put into your body.

One of the places that I did enjoy a lot in my life travels was Melt Bar & Grilled in Lakewood, OH. Their sandwich called the 'Lake Erie Monster' was stellar!

[Auspice]

Now I want Culver's.

Damnit all of you.

[ThatGuyThere]

@Ganymede said in RL things I love:

Over here in Dayton, the burgers are under $5. How this qualifies as being as expensive as a restaurant is beyond me.

Wow that is a lot cheaper then Five Guys is where I am at. Here it is like $7 for the burger not counting fries and a drink, price wise it is about the same point as Red Robin.
My favorite place for burgers is local and only open three hours a day, as far as chains go my favorite burgers are Steak-n-Shake though my opinions on burgers are like my opinions on beer, I like most of them so will always want to try one I have not had.

[hedgehog]

@Ganymede

Opinions on Smashburger? I found the one on University Place inadequate at best.

Best burger I've had in recent memory was from Shake Shack. I cannot eat 5 Guys anymore because they and their peanuts triggered an agonizing gall bladder attack that resulted in my being in the hospital for 4 days right before Thanksgiving 2015. Culver's varies depending on the franchise; the ones by my dad's house in WI are fantastic, the one I went to in Indiana (on the way home from Dayton, no less) was dull and did not assuage my craving. I find Epic Burger to be not so much. Red Robin's sit down restaurants are better than their express versions. Johnny Rockets in Santa Monica was better than the one in Skokie. But then, L.A. also has Astroburger, or did, anyway,

Locally, we are lucky to have Edzo's and Kuma's, both independent places. Gold Coast Dogs also has a fantastic char-burger. Still miss In-N-Out, though.

[Ganymede]

@hedgehog said in RL things I love:

Opinions on Smashburger? I found the one on University Place inadequate at best.

As a general rule, I don't look for good food near a university.

When you're back in Dayton, try going to Lucky's Bar and Grill for a fantastic burger. Blind Bob's isn't so bad either, if you're into greasy spoons. And, finally, try Lily's Bistro or Corner Kitchen for good, locally-sourced stuff. All are located on Fifth Street in the Oregon District.

[hedgehog]

@Ganymede

We did attempt to do Lucky's at one point, but it was lunchtime on a Saturday and too crowded. I am just glad we no longer have to go to The Breakfast Club. shudder

And of course they're all in the Oregon district.

[RnMissionRun]

Five Guys is awesome but damn, $16 for a bcb, small fries and small drink is a bit much

[Cupcake]

I gotta say I think Five Guys is way overrated. Someone was mentioning Checkers earlier though - and Steak n' Shake. That's the stuff. Also? Sonic. Love me some Sonic.

And then there's this place.

[RnMissionRun]

@Cupcake I find that Checker's burgers are lacking in taste and texture, and they overdo it with the seasoning that they use (which, I suspect, is mainly MSG). Wendy's has better burgers than Checkers, IMO. Sonic is 'meh', but better than DQ. We recently got a Red Robin, but I havn't eaten there there yet so I have no idea how 'gourmet' their burgers really are.

Five Guys is my first choice if I am in the mood to kill $20 for lunch. Wendy's is my second, and bringing up the rear, Burger King, with their tasty Bacon King.

[Auspice]

I quite enjoy Red Robin's burgers.

[Catsmeow]

@Thenomain said in RL things I love:

Now you all know where I live.

Send flowers.

Flowers are sooooo 2016. We'll just show up on your door step.

[TiredEwok]

Being in a position to afford the $585 plumbing bill in one fowl swoop instead of having to do payments. Yes, it put us in a bit of a tight spot for a bit and we are now behind on saving up for a down payment on a house but it is still much better than having to rely on credit or loans to be able to afford an emergency repair bill.