How can I describe my most loved burger? When I stepped off the plane from China after having been there an entire year, the first thing I did was look for the shuttle at LAX that would take me to the nearest In & Out Burger. My love of this place was consolidated around a decade ago during my mission to California for my church. While I enjoyed Cali, In & Out in a sense capstoned the experience for me. The burger was delicious, the fries were quite good, and in the days before I recognized my inability to process lactose, I downed it with their signature shake. This review is not about In & Out though.

Others, many of whom have the knowledge to make such a comparison, stated that 5 Guys had a burger that was up there with In & Out. I decided eagerly to try this hypothesis out, despite my somewhat low expectations. I found the burger to be almost as good as In & Out. It was certainly kicked up a notch by the selection of options to put on the burger. I chose grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, and jalapenos to marry up with the traditional cheese, lettuce and mayonnaise. Perhaps the only thing that could set 5 Guys above my beloved is the cajun seasoned fries. They just fill the bag up with them and overload you with a potato avalanche of tastiness. On this factor, In & Out is left far behind.

The only real issue that I had with 5 Guys was the price. The burger was $5 & something with a $2 drink and a $2.50 bag of fries. It was definitely going for the artisan burger feel while In & Out provides its food at more reasonable prices. However, while I hesitated to pay $11, I was certainly not disappointed by the burger. In my quest for burger perfection, I may have to try Mugshots in Baton Rouge as well. Several people indicated to me that they prefer this place to 5 Guys. I will certainly have to see how they compare to In & Out.