It seems we're getting inundated in these parts with chain burger joints. First came Five Guys, then Elevation Burger, and now Boardwalk says it'll open 50 stores in Florida. So that got us thinking: Which chain burger joints should also be heading to South Florida?
Below is a list of the top burger joints we ought to have.
In-N-Out Burger
Quality:
There's perhaps no chain more loved by its regulars or more
frequently mentioned by chefs and celebrities as a place they go to
indulge. It's a simple recipe copied now by many fast-food joints: good
buns, good patties, quality toppings. Ordering is simple: hamburger,
cheeseburger, or a double-double, which, many will argue, is the
nation's best
fast-food burger.
Nearest location: Yuma, Arizona, 2,465 miles
How badly we want it: Five out of five burgers
White Castle
Quality:
The slider-style burgers at this Wichita-based chain have been made
famous by stoner movies and stoners themselves. The patties taste almost
more sausage-like than ground beef, and the onions have sort of a
reconstituted texture. Sure, this doesn't sound like much of an
endorsement, but if a White Castle opened in South Florida, you can bet
those who grew up with the tiny, greasy burgers would flood the place.
Nearest
location: 900 miles, Nashville
How badly we want it: One
out of five burgers
Hardee's
Quality:
In the commercials, Hardee's likes to drop its big burgers in front of
the camera to show just how much stuff you're getting for your four bucks. No squashed bun here. No paper-thin patty. Pickles? Yeah, you'll
get quarter-inch slices. The quality is more Applebee's than McDonald's,
which, yeah, is still Applebee's. But Hardee's has saved many a road
tripper from lesser chain burgers.
Nearest location: 110
miles, Fort Myers
How badly we want it: Two out of five burgers
Culver's
Quality: One day long ago, somebody decided to top a burger with bacon and
realized they were on to something good. The same must have happened
when the folks at Culver's started using butter to griddle its amazingly
thin burgers. (CORRECTION: As noted in the comments below, Culver's isn't cooked in butter, but they put the stuff on the buns.)That butter gives the meat a nutty, sweet flavor and
a juice that drips down your arm. The patties are so thin --
it's how they eat burgers in the Midwest -- that the edges even get a bit crispy. Yeah, the rest of the burger's ingredients are good too,
but did we mention the butter?
Nearest location: Murray,
Kentucky, 1,004 miles
How badly we want it: Three out of five burgers
Taylor's Automatic Refresher
Quality:
The secret here is that Taylor's is staffed by chefs in training from culinary schools. They assemble burgers so perfect that they seem
almost out of place at a fast-food joint. Take the bun: It's
brioche-style, cut right in the middle, so that the top and bottom are
the same size; it has a chewy exterior to hold the thing together and a
soft interior to absorb those great burger juices. It's one component of
an amazing burger.
Nearest location: San Francisco, 2,580
miles
How badly we want it: Five out of five burgers
Any
we've missed?
