Anyone who moves around in burgercentric circles knows of the battle that's been brewing for the last few years between the three major heavyweights of the high-quality fast-food burger* world. Of the three, In-N-Out Burger, founded in Baldwin Park, California, in 1948 has the longest history and certainly the most cult-like and devout following. On the other hand, Virginia's Five Guys--which has been around since 1986--has seen crazy expansion in the last few years, now boasting over 750 locations on both coast and a rabid following that is fast catching up on In-N-Out's heels. The underdog in the fight is New York's Shake Shack. Only seven years old, it's still a baby in the field, but if we're to believe the news, they're poised to expand, and in a big way (they just opened their latest location in Washington, D.C. yesterday).
But who really makes the best burger? It's a question that's debated far and wide on the internet and beyond, so we here at A Hamburger Today decided to take it upon ourselves to find the answer and declare an official King of the High Quality Fast Food Burger.
Lodging recommendations & comments:
Chef Dominique Crenn was raised in Versailles, France. She now makes an incredible Thanksgiving dinner, but when she first came to the U.S., the entire holiday threw her off.
She sat down with NPR's Steve Inskeep to discuss how she cooks for Thanksgiving.
"I was a little bit lost when I came here," she told Inskeep. "I had no idea what Thanksgiving was about."
In France, turkey is eaten at Christmas. So the American phenomenon of Thanksgiving turkey and dressing mystified her.
"Oh, a month before Christmas, we're gonna eat Turkey?"
But now, she's hooked. Crenn has been celebrating Thanksgiving for about 20 years. "This is a pretty cool holiday," she said.
An Indian mother is set for an entry into the Guinness World Records after eating 51 of the world's hottest chilli in two minutes.
Anandita Dutta Tamuly, 26, gobbled up the "ghost chillis" in front of visiting British chef Gordon Ramsay in the north-eastern state of Assam.
Ms Tamuly told Associated Press she "felt terrible" - because she had managed 60 in an earlier local event.
Mr Ramsay tried a chilli but said "it's too much" and pleaded for water. He is in Assam for a television shoot of a global food series.
Stuck at LAX for a few hours on a layover and hankering for one of the best burgers in all of California? Well, you're in luck.In-n-out is, in some ways, the Culvers of California.There's an In-N-Out Burger just around the corner from the airport, and Gadling knows a little trick to get you there for free.
An In-N-Out is located on nearby Sepulveda Boulevard right next to the Parking Spot--a parking structure that conveniently provides free shuttle service. All you have to do is wait under the red "Hotel and Courtesy Shuttle" sign outside of any airport terminal, and when the yellow and black polka-dotted Parking Spot shuttle swings by, jump on board. It will take you literally next door to In-N-Out. Follow your nose through the back door, across the parking lot, and right inside where you need to order a double-double and fries to enjoy the best layover of your life.
There are a few things to be very careful about, however.
The general temptation when considering breakfast out in Door County is to visit one of many restaurants, including Sister Bay's Al Johnson's and the Sister Bay Cafe across the street. Just this once, resist and drive over to Ephraim where Good Eggs is literally whipping up egg wraps. These wraps, which can include bean salsa, mushrooms, peppers, cheese, onions, potatoes and chicken are simply delicious. This is rather high praise coming from someone who does not eat eggs. Check out these photos (click for larger versions) and stop.
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But in two visits we found a lot of things to like at Papa Phil's.I've been a few times and agree with Getto that the pasta sauce is quite good. Well worth a visit. Map.
I've always been a fan of pasta with white clam sauce ($12.95). And every version I've had of the dish has usually included clams, butter, garlic, white wine and oregano. Papa Phil's rendition had all of those things, with a few spoonfuls of cream added. It's a variation that's served in some parts of Italy and it worked very well. That cream gave the sauce a satiny rich backdrop against which the flavors of clam, spices and wine each made notable appearances.
Most of the pasta dishes at Papa Phil's allow patrons to pick their fresh-made pastas. I chose linguine for the clam sauce and didn't leave a single noodle fragment on my plate.
On travel recently in New Jersey, I came across an excellent and inexpensive "Pakistani/Indian" restaurant: Maizban, located southwest of Newark in South Bound Brook [Map]. The Aloo Gobhi ($2.49) was wonderful. Highly recommended.
 | Odessa Piper, who recently sold her L'etoile Restaurant, has been seen on recent Saturday Mornings (Farmer's Market) at the Cafe. I told here that I thought she was moving on. She mentioned that she would be cooking more often, which, I think, is good for Madison. |
Our wonderful farmer's market supports Robin Good's statement that we should "Buy local and Live Free". Good provides a useful illustration:
It’s gotten to the point where much of our nourishment depends on a handful of giants.Yesterday's winter farmer's market included a big stack of tomatoes, potatoes, cheeses, honey, spinach, apples, eggs, pork and beef.And they’re shipping foods an average of 1500 miles to reach your plate, a practice that strains anyone’s notion of “fresh.”
But a quiet revolution is in the air, and we the eaters hold the power for change.
The typical Tom (tomato) is exhausted by the time he gets to market.
1500 miles from field to fork — that’s the trek made by the average fruit or vegetable these days. Because of the need to hold up over distances, our foods are bred, not for taste but for transport — their ability to handle the long haul. And what do we eaters get? Tired tomatoes
The Madison Department of Public Health has posted it's 2004 Food Cleanliness Achievement Awards [PDF] I'm pleased to see Himul Chuli on the list. Judith Davidoff and Samara Kulk summarize the results, and list a few restaurants that had some difficulties.
Marigold is open until 2:00 today - might be worthwhile, if as predicted the badgers can't keep up with Georgia's speed in the Outback bowl. Map. Reviews, links here: alltheweb | Clusty | Google | MSN Search | Teoma | Yahoo Search
Dave Winer is in Santa Fe. The excellent India Palace restaurant features delicious East Indian cuisine. The Fodors says:
Even seasoned veterans of East Indian cuisine have been known to rate this deep-pink, art-filled restaurant among the best in the United States. The kitchen prepares fairly traditional recipes -- tandoori chicken, lamb vindaloo, saag paneer (spinach with farmer's cheese), shrimp biryani (tossed with cashews, raisins, almonds, and saffron rice) -- but the presentation is always flawless and the ingredients fresh. Meals are cooked as hot or mild as requested. Try the Indian buffet at lunch. AE, D, MC, V.
-Fodors
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Detroit's Cyprus Taverna: More on this later. Needless to say, it was quite an excellent dinner (try the lamb special & the vegetrian plate). [map]
Dinner tonight at Wasabi on State Street. Excellent as always.
