Justice & Fries

For my first post, I was originally going to write about the tasty – but not at all exciting – brunch I had at Devil’s Alley this morning (Devil’s Alley is located at 1907 Chestnut St. in Philadelphia). But then I realized that it was far more important to discuss In-N-Out Burger, which isn’t found anywhere near Philadelphia. It’s even more important because Kate over at Philly Food And Drink recently wrote about her experiences there.

They’re all true. In-N-Out Burger is amazing, as far as fast-food hamburgers go. I was out in California (there’s not a single one located East of Arizona) and stopped in multiple locations – San Jose, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Woodland Hills, Orange County – and it’s always hot, fresh, and delicious.

The hamburgers are much…tastier than their competition, the McDonalds and Burger Kings. It’s clear that In-N-Out focuses on their quality. The staff is quite attentive – in Woodland Hills, I was shorted a burger, and somehow ended up receiving a milkshake as an apology.

They can be so good because they only have four food menu items…Hamburger, Cheeseburger, Double-Double (double meat, double buns), and Fries. That’s if you don’t know how to order. In-N-Out has a substantial “secret” menu that everyone knows about. Outside of the typical special items, like the Animal Style Fries (covered in “secret sauce, cheese and onions”) and the Flying Dutchman (two patties, cheese…and nothing else), the staff there will do anything to a burger that you want. That’s right – the staff there can actually make anything you want if you describe it to them.

I’ve been out that way four times now – twice in California and twice in Las Vegas – and the most important thing for me (other than seeing my friends and family) is to get my In-N-Out.

Secret Funny Story: A friend from California, when we were younger, once told me: “I’m sick of boys, I’m swearing off sex and boys for a year!” A week later, we were talking, and she started telling me about how amazing her “in-and-out” was with “Brian.”

My immediate response was “I thought you swore off sex!” She laughed for a full ten minutes – I had never heard of In-N-Out in 1997, being a life-long Jersey boy.