PIREP: Carl's Jr. Broiled Atlantic Codfish Sandich and Philly Cheesteak Burger

JOhnH said:
If you are concerned about your health enough to want your sandwiches lettuce wrapped,
why do you eat so much fast-food?
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What's wrong with fast food, if you eat the right fast food?
 
Sac Arrow said:
It is a burger thread. Okay, my favorite chain burgers, in order:

1. Habit Burger - I believe these are only in California. They have great burgers, and they do a better lettuce wrap job than anyone else. They get it. Plus they have salads and sandwiches, and their onion rings are the best of any fast food. I rarely eat onion rings because of the breading, but I will share an order of onion rings from Habit on occasion. The lack of drive throughs is refreshing.
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Not familiar with them. Must be new in the last 20 or so years.

2. Inn N Out - All I can eat here is the burgers, but two double doubles, 'protein style' (lettuce wrap) is perfect for lunch as they are rather small burger patties, but they aren't overpriced either.
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Haven't eaten at one. Been by any number of times, but I haven't stopped there.

3. Carl's/Hardees - Yes I blasted them for their fish sandwiches, but I have a love/hate relationship with them. I listed them as #3 but really they share a #2 slot. They have more choices than Inn N Out but less consistent quality. I really like the Guacamole Bacon thickburger and the Double Western Bacon burger, and often get one of each for dinner. And they have onion rings. So-so onion rings.
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I'll go for the Western Bacon Cheeseburger.

4. Burger King - It's one of those 'if I plan on actually eating the bun' places, and for years my favorite burger was the Whopper. I really like Whoppers for taste but they are now kind of overpriced plus they don't do lettuce wrap. I will, on occasion, order a triple Whopper, chuck the buns and go at it with a knife and fork. Their onion rings are mediocre. Now, recently, they have been making burgers for breakfast if you want. If I plan on doing a marathon bike ride (60+ miles) a Double Whopper with Cheese, with the buns, is a solid choice.

5. McDonalds - There is a McD's near the house, and I will have a couple Sausage and Egg McMuffs for breakfast if I'm going on an aforementioned long bike ride. Otherwise, I don't eat breakfast. I've been known to scarf down a couple double quarter pounders with cheese with the drunk munchies.
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Now, if I could merge these two - Give me a Whopper with McD's fries. That would be a great combination. I'll second the Egg McMuff for breakfast.

6. Jack in the Box - This is, again, a drunk munchie venue. We are starting to get in to the real of the places where I do not eat sober. Their burgers are tasty but somewhat greasy for me. I've probably eaten there three times in the last ten years.
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Ah, the French restaurant as we called it back in the day. Jacques in the box (said with a phony French accent). OK

7. Wendy's - This is pretty much on par with Jack in the Box although they do have a couple salads I will eat. When I was a kid I liked Wendy's a lot, but the quality of their burgers has gone down since then.

8. Five Guys - I'd go back if they lowered their prices. By 70%. And even then I wouldn't go out of the way.

9. Smashburger - Now we are in the territory of won't go back. Yeah, I don't like the greasy fried smashed concept to begin with, the place was dirty, the silverware was dirty, the side salad was a couple scraps of lettuce, and... move on.

10. Jasper's - Dry, tasteless, plain, greasy fries... difficult to choke down unless you collect enough tear packets of mayo to give it some moisture. No thanks.
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I totally agree on Five Guys. They opened one here a few years ago. Went once. Haven't been back. Wendy's is OK (at best). Not familiar with Smashburger or Jasper's.
 
The key to five guys is getting the burger with the grilled onions and mushrooms. Without these it's just a ho-hum burger, with, absolutely delectable. It changes the whole taste experience.
 
Ghery said:
Not familiar with them. Must be new in the last 20 or so years.
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As a chain, more like five years. But they purport to have been in business since 1969 in Santa Barbara. https://www.habitburger.com/about-us/

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Bill Jennings said:
The key to five guys is getting the burger with the grilled onions and mushrooms. Without these it's just a ho-hum burger, with, absolutely delectable. It changes the whole taste experience.
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I will take that under advisement. I like grilled onions and mushrooms. More so the grilled onions.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Don't get me started on Five Guys. You pay sit down restaurant price for an AM PM hot serving section quality burger. I could live with Five Guys' burgers if they were a third of the cost. And I mean live with, I found nothing outstanding about the taste, and mine were quite greasy.
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+1
 
When we go out, I don't order a burger. I can make all four of us a burger for what one decent one costs in a restaurant, and it's easy and fast. Normally we'd have them on Fridays, but it's Lent and my wife and daughter #1 won't eat meat, so sauteed tilapia is on tonight's menu.

There's a place across the street from the office called Cheeseburger Bobby's, kind of along the same line as Five Guys, but they have a burger topping bar you go through after you get your burger. Single cheeseburger, fries and a drink is $9, a lot better than at Five Guys. I don't care, I'm going to order the chicken sandwich instead.

I've been to Five Guys once, in Daytona Beach. I had gotten to the Speedway early to watch the Lamborghini Super Trofeo race (not good, guys with more money than ability) and was waiting for the Rolex 24 hour race to start. I had a good parking place and didn't want to lose it, so I walked out through the west tunnel to see what I could find. I think it's a decent hamburger, but that's too much money to sit on hard seats while surrounded by sacks of potatoes and get a hamburger. It wasn't entirely filling, either, but that might have been me, I was up before dawn to run the 5K they hold on Saturday morning before the Rolex.

#CookAtHome
 
JOhnH said:
If you are concerned about your health enough to want your sandwiches lettuce wrapped,
why do you eat so much fast-food?
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It's not fast-food. It's good food fast. ;)
 
FormerHangie said:
I can make all four of us a burger for what one decent one costs in a restaurant, and it's easy and fast.
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As can I. But a 'decent one in a restaurant' is a whole different subject. I normally eat dinner at home, and I don't go to (table service) restaurants for lunch unless it's work related. If I'm on my own, it's almost always fast food.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I never really cared for Murder Burger. They have an ostrich burger which is different, but aside from that they are pretty much like any other burger joint that gives you plain, large side frozen patties on big buns, e.g. Jaspers and the like. Okay they are a little bit better than that.



They don't use any for their standard patties but I THINK (I'm not sure) that they use soy filler in their 1/2 lb thickburger patties. The ingredients list for it states beef and spice blend. I think their spice blend is more soy filler than spice. Sometimes it's noticeable, other times it's not.

Re: the breading - it's actually not that much, compared to most breaded fish patties. It just happens to be small, greasy and not very good tasting.



They do have some good commercials. And some bad ones too. People making a big mess in their face while eating is not appetizing to me.

Don't get me started on Five Guys. You pay sit down restaurant price for an AM PM hot serving section quality burger. I could live with Five Guys' burgers if they were a third of the cost. And I mean live with, I found nothing outstanding about the taste, and mine were quite greasy.

At the risk of turning this in to another burger thread....

Wait.

It is a burger thread. Okay, my favorite chain burgers, in order:

1. Habit Burger - I believe these are only in California. They have great burgers, and they do a better lettuce wrap job than anyone else. They get it. Plus they have salads and sandwiches, and their onion rings are the best of any fast food. I rarely eat onion rings because of the breading, but I will share an order of onion rings from Habit on occasion. The lack of drive throughs is refreshing.

2. Inn N Out - All I can eat here is the burgers, but two double doubles, 'protein style' (lettuce wrap) is perfect for lunch as they are rather small burger patties, but they aren't overpriced either.

3. Carl's/Hardees - Yes I blasted them for their fish sandwiches, but I have a love/hate relationship with them. I listed them as #3 but really they share a #2 slot. They have more choices than Inn N Out but less consistent quality. I really like the Guacamole Bacon thickburger and the Double Western Bacon burger, and often get one of each for dinner. And they have onion rings. So-so onion rings.

4. Burger King - It's one of those 'if I plan on actually eating the bun' places, and for years my favorite burger was the Whopper. I really like Whoppers for taste but they are now kind of overpriced plus they don't do lettuce wrap. I will, on occasion, order a triple Whopper, chuck the buns and go at it with a knife and fork. Their onion rings are mediocre. Now, recently, they have been making burgers for breakfast if you want. If I plan on doing a marathon bike ride (60+ miles) a Double Whopper with Cheese, with the buns, is a solid choice.

5. McDonalds - There is a McD's near the house, and I will have a couple Sausage and Egg McMuffs for breakfast if I'm going on an aforementioned long bike ride. Otherwise, I don't eat breakfast. I've been known to scarf down a couple double quarter pounders with cheese with the drunk munchies.

6. Jack in the Box - This is, again, a drunk munchie venue. We are starting to get in to the real of the places where I do not eat sober. Their burgers are tasty but somewhat greasy for me. I've probably eaten there three times in the last ten years.

7. Wendy's - This is pretty much on par with Jack in the Box although they do have a couple salads I will eat. When I was a kid I liked Wendy's a lot, but the quality of their burgers has gone down since then.

8. Five Guys - I'd go back if they lowered their prices. By 70%. And even then I wouldn't go out of the way.

9. Smashburger - Now we are in the territory of won't go back. Yeah, I don't like the greasy fried smashed concept to begin with, the place was dirty, the silverware was dirty, the side salad was a couple scraps of lettuce, and... move on.

10. Jasper's - Dry, tasteless, plain, greasy fries... difficult to choke down unless you collect enough tear packets of mayo to give it some moisture. No thanks.
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I agree Five Guys is not cheap - would be even better if they dropped a couple of bucks. Haven't had a Habit Burger yet, will look for one next time we are in CA. In-N-Out is ok but i could take-it-or-leave-it. I try to avoid burger king and wendys, mcdonalds is ok occasionally, as is jack in the box. Carl Jr does have some decent burgers (western bacon cheeseburger).
Braum's is a chain mostly in OK that used to have really good burgers. They have pretty good burgers in some locations now but seems most have declined in quality over the past 5-10 years. It is worth it to find a good one.
If you ever happen to be in Hatch, NM, stop by Sparky's and have a green chili cheeseburger. A little off the beaten path but they have one of the tastiest burgers i have ever eaten. Bun, thick grilled burger, cheese, chopped green chilis, nothing else.
BTW, thanks for the great food threads (and the occasional rant).
 
The only thing more amazing than you taking that much time to write the OP is that I took the time to read it.
 
Pretty sure you're missing norcal's finest.... the protein bomb known as the Squeeze Inn

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FlyingJ said:
Braum's is a chain mostly in OK that used to have really good burgers. They have pretty good burgers in some locations now but seems most have declined in quality over the past 5-10 years. It is worth it to find a good one.
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Even if you do find a decent one at Braum's, good luck with them getting your order correct the first time. Braum's is consistently the worst at that, bar none. It's a well-known epidemic in these parts and nothing seems to ever be done to rectify the problem. You would think more places would take a clue from chains like Chick-Fil-A when it comes to customer service.
 
Tampico Trauma said:
Pretty sure you're missing norcal's finest.... the protein bomb known as the Squeeze Inn

8db4c9785cbccc6a24413202b3aff55f.jpg
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Yeeeeaaahhhh.... I've had Squeeze Inn a couple times. It's different, but the novelty wears off fairly quick.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Yeeeeaaahhhh.... I've had Squeeze Inn a couple times. It's different, but the novelty wears off fairly quick.
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When you order extra cheese it's not the only thing that wears off fairly quick.

The one in Galt definitely is the best one once the original one was shut down by that extortionist bastardo of a disability lawyer.

But much like In-N-Out and Five Guys, I'm not a yuge fan of their fries.

On the subject of five guys.... my very very Christian boss one said: "I Love Five Guys". I asked him "all at once or one at a time"

And that's how I got to know our entire HR department.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Tampico Trauma said:
When you order extra cheese it's not the only thing that wears off fairly quick.

The one in Galt definitely is the best one once the original one was shut down by that extortionist bastardo of a disability lawyer.

But much like In-N-Out and Five Guys, I'm not a yuge fan of their fries.

On the subject of five guys.... my very very Christian boss one said: "I Love Five Guys". I asked him "all at once or one at a time"

And that's how I got to know our entire HR department.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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The original one didn't close down entirely, it moved down a couple blocks. But yeah, don't get me started on that guy. He's shaken down a lot of local businesses. He's predatory.
 
Tampico Trauma said:
On the subject of five guys.... my very very Christian boss one said: "I Love Five Guys". I asked him "all at once or one at a time"

And that's how I got to know our entire HR department.
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You say he didn't see the humor in your reply? :)
 
If I had to eat burgers wrapped in iceberg I would just stop eating. And maybe just step in front of an oncoming train.
 
paflyer said:
If I had to eat burgers wrapped in iceberg I would just stop eating. And maybe just step in front of an oncoming train.
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If I didn't eat my burgers that way, I wouldn't be able to get out of the way of an oncoming train.
 
Cajun_Flyer said:
Got kinda excited when I saw, "Beer Battered Fish Sandwich"... but all I see in that pic is a sad, limp, beer-less, filet o'wtf with a small dab of some kind of suspicious mystery "sauce" squirted on it.

If Carl served me that, I'd rip him a new one.
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Filet o'wtf....that's awesome
 
Sac Arrow said:
The original one didn't close down entirely, it moved down a couple blocks. But yeah, don't get me started on that guy. He's shaken down a lot of local businesses. He's predatory.
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Whiplash attorney or something?
 
Omalley1537 said:
Whiplash attorney or something?
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ADA attorney. He goes out with a micrometer and if some ramp or disabled bathroom stall is a fraction of an inch off spec he will sue (on behalf of some random disabled person) the establishment. Normally the businesses just cave in and make a settlement. He is a locally known attorney of ill respect.
 
Sac Arrow said:
ADA attorney. He goes out with a micrometer and if some ramp or disabled bathroom stall is a fraction of an inch off spec he will sue (on behalf of some random disabled person) the establishment. Normally the businesses just cave in and make a settlement. He is a locally known attorney of ill respect.
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Lovely...what an alpha hotel...
 
Salty said:
The only thing more amazing than you taking that much time to write the OP is that I took the time to read it.
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It is a funny thing, but I do actually get paid to write. I write action adventure novels. People read them. They buy them. I love it. But the POA, it is a different animal. It is like family.

It is like family.

That is why we are here.
 
Sac Arrow said:
It is a funny thing, but I do actually get paid to write. I write action adventure novels. People read them. They buy them. I love it. But the POA, it is a different animal. It is like family.

It is like family.

That is why we are here.
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Don't forget us when you become filthy rich and famous.


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Yeah, we've got Habit Burgers here in Vegas too.. They're good.. I like in n out, but a little overrated..
 
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