Man these guys are crazy! Crazy smart. More on the story here.

develop for some films… i always go this store these day…

kodak行って写真の現像。。。最近の日課です。

Went to In-N-Out, again…

そして、In-N-Outへ。。。これも日課です。

lIMITEd eDITIOn

Can you blame me? I haven’t had one since… well, I can’t remember. However, I’m certain that I haven’t had one this year. Is it about time to get me my first burger of 2010, or should I wait for tomorrow right after my first 10k at the Condura run to go and get ‘em?

The golden arches are calling me…

friends from japan!

enjoyed it!!

lIMITEd eDITIOn

My first trip to the City of Angels, when I was still a Jayhawk, I was riding around getting the lay of the land when my stomach started growling.  I was down on Sunset Blvd., when I spotted a burger joint that doesn’t exist in the Midwest.  I rolled into the drive thru, passed the crossed palm trees, and was shocked to hear a “Welcome to In-N-Out, how are you today?” 

“How are you today?”  Well, um, not bad I guess.  Thanks for asking.  Then of course, “What can I get for you?”  You want to talk about the little things that make up Business and Image 101, in 10 plus years, I think I’ve only had two visits to In-N-Out where I thought the service felt flat out ‘rude’.  I know a lot of people who are Fatburger fans.  And don’t get me wrong, I’m down with Fatburger too, you definitely get what you pay for there.  But at In-N-Out, the fries taste like they were cut from real potatoes, the burgers taste like they came from real meat, and the whole vibe is very, very “California.” 

It’s only been recently I learned about the Bible verses printed quietly on the paper products.  Again, interesting (and cool) way business to express a strong belief/feeling in a subtle way.  Business/Image 102.  As far as the theme song,

“In N Out, In N Out, That’s what a hamburger’s all about!”

Do I really need to say anything?

Um. Can you say amazing? Nothing like a fine wine and a delicious… cheeseburger… right? Right.

I’m dying to check out LearnAboutWine’s ‘Blind-Date Tasting’ series- and no it doesn’t actually involve going on a blind date, thank god. It’s just another wine-tasting in some super fabulous Downtown Loft, but instead of just sipping on a glass all night, you’ll get the chance to taste 20 different 1 oz pours.  And here’s the catch, you won’t know what you’re tasting until after you’ve tried and noted your favorites. Sounds like fun. And then there’s the added bonus of an In-N-Out Burger, and you’ve got yourself a perfect Friday night.

The next Blind Date Tasting, Cab and Burgers, will be held on February 12th from 8-10pm at the LearnAboutWine loft in my beloved #DTLA.

The In-N-Out Wine Tastings

530 Molino St

(Via)

I went to school again today to try and crash more classes with no luck. I’m really hoping and depending on this TTh math class to come through. After trying to crash classes, I was walking to the parking lot when someone offers to give me ride to my car in exchange for my parking space. I, myself, have done this many a time. It’s a typical trade in a busy parking lot such as my school’s. I hopped in and noticed the driver was pretty cute. He was a typical college bro. Another thing I noticed was a slight hint of a urine smell. As I sat there in the passenger seat, the smell grew in strength and potency. There was nothing more I wanted at the time than to vacate the vehicle as soon as possible. If it wasn’t for that damn urine stench, I probably would of ‘forgot’ where I parked for a while!

PICTURE: After class, I went to In-N-Out and ordered a #2 with spread and onions only.

Secret Menus: What You Didn’t Know!

We all know about the In N’ Out secret menu, but did you know that there are dozens of others including ones at Jamba Juice? In most cases it’s just that the chef will make you something special should you request it and if they have the ingredients. In others, well, you’ll have to see for yourself.

First up: In N’ Out. We all know the basics of the In N’ Out Secret Menu which isn’t so secret since it’s posted on their website. But according to an article on Badmouth, there are a few other items… http://www.badmouth.net/in-n-outs-secret-menu/

In-N-Out Burgers is a West Coast institution. And one of the keys to their success has been keeping it simple. There are only four food items on the In-N-Out menu: Hamburger, Cheeseburger, Double-Double and French Fries.
In-N-Out compliments the food with the standard array of Coca-Cola beverages and three shakes: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. And that’s the menu in its entirety…

…or at least that’s what they want you to think. The truth of the matter is that there is an extensive “secret menu” available for those in the know. In fact, the secret items actually outnumber the items legitimately on the menu.

This isn’t just stuff made up by bored employees. If you order a Flying Dutchman, “Flying Dutchman” prints out on your receipt. It’s in the computer.
There is lots of information out there on the Internet about the secret menu, but no one seems to have gotten it all, and a lot of what is out there is just plain wrong. Nothing is more embarrassing than ordering a secret item that doesn’t exist.

So, through dilligent research, we have managed to produce what we believe is the definitive guide to the In-N-Out secret menu.

Click on the name of the tester to see photos of our daring taste-test staff — Mgmt.

2×4 Burger

Tester: Josef
Description: A “2×4″ is a burger with two beef patties and four slices of cheese. You can also order a “3×3,” a “4×2″ or any other meat/cheese combo your little heart desires. Rumors of a “100×100″ are widespread and thus far unproven. (Yeah, yeah. It’s been proven now. We know. —The Mgmt.) We’d love to see a photo, though.
Comment: The 2×4 was humongous, but great.

3-by-Meat Burger

Tester: John
Description: Three beef patties, no cheese. You can pretty much order “any number”-by-Meat.
Comment: Triple the meat, triple the pleasure. Do you want your colon blocked but don’t want to wait for years and years for it to happen? Well, In-N-Out has the burger for you. I miss my cheese.

“Animal Style” Burger

Tester: Patti
Description: Mustard-cooked beef patty, additional pickles, extra secret sauce with grilled onions.
Comment: I love this burger. Best if ordered without tomato. It has lots of oniony, cheesy, goodness with “special sauce” to boot. (No one ever says that the sauce is just Thousand Island dressing.)

“Double-Meat” Burger

Tester: Maureen
Description: A Double-Double without the cheese.
Comment: The Double-Meat burger was huge — very filling. I would have liked some sauce, however. It seemed a little dry.

The Flying Dutchman

Tester: Steve
Description: 2 beef patties, 2 slices of cheese. That’s it. No lettuce. No onions. No bun. No nuthin’.
Comment: Two all-beef patties with cheese. What more can you say?

Grilled Cheese

Tester: Rachel
Description: Cheeseburger without the “burger.”
Comment: I always order the grilled cheese because I don’t eat beef and veggie burgers are boring. It isn’t as boring as a regular grilled cheese. The sauce makes it better.

“Protein Style” Burger

Tester: Aaron
Description: Any burger you want wrapped in lettuce instead of that carbohydrate-laden bun.
Comment: It felt like it was missing something…oh yeah, the bun! The lettuce wrapping actually made it less messy, but I was still hungry afterward. Next time, I’ll try “Animal Style.”

Veggie Burger

Tester: Chandra
Description: Hamburger with no burger and double tomatos.
Comment: Expected a “veggie burger.” Got a bun with whole grilled onions*, sauce, lettuce and double tomato. Not bad, but rather overly simple for eating out. Won’t order it again. I’ll stick with my usual Grilled Cheese with grilled onions.

“Extra Toast”

Tester: Shireen
Description: Leaves your bread on the grill a tad longer resulting in “crispy buns,” which is not as dirty as it sounds. Can be ordered with any burger.
Comment: About the same. Maybe slightly crispier than normal — but not much.

Fries: “Animal Style”

Tester: Ian
Description: French fries with secret sauce, onions and cheese on top.
Comment: Excellent! I will definitely order these again. Mmmmm…cheesey, oniony goodness!

Fries: “Light”

Tester: Desiree
Description: French fries cooked a little less than normal.
Comment: My light fries were very good.

Fries: “Well-Done”

Tester: Patti
Description: French fries cooked a little longer than normal.
Comment: I couldn’t really tell the difference from these vs. the normal fries. Not very impressive. I don’t think I’d bother asking for well-done again.

Choco-Vanilla Swirl Shake

Tester: Rachel
Description: Chocolate and vanilla shakes in the same cup. Swirled, not blended.
Comment: It tastes like a regular chocolate shake to me.

Lemon-Up

Tester: Tevin
Description: 1/2 Lemonade, 1/2 7-Up. Since they started letting you get your own drinks, you can make this yourself.
Comment: I thought it was OK. And it tasted like a tangerine.

Neopolitan Shake

Tester: Maureen
Description: Strawberry, vanilla and chocolcate all swirled together — not blended.
Comment: I loved the Neopolitan Shake. I expected all the flavors mixed together, but they were separate.

Tea-Ade

Tester: Miles
Description: 1/2 Iced Tea, 1/2 Lemonade. Since they started letting you get your own drinks, you can make this yourself.
Comment: It wasn’t good.

Failures

Tester: Various
Description: Not everything that we found on the Internet actually existed. So here are a few imaginary items that we ordered so you don’t have to.
Wish Burger – I assume this is a reference to asong from 1957 by The Chips, where you have two slices of bread, and you wish you had some meat. It’s supposed to be a veggie burger. Our lovely cashier had no ide what we were talking about. But she did recognize the words “Veggie Burger.” So we ordered that instead.
“On the Sal”: “On the Sal” was supposed to give us all the vegetables that normally go on the burger, with secret sauce on top, and nothing else — basically a tiny side salad. Once again, the lovely cashier had no idea what I was talking about.

But ordering the non-existant “On the Sal” taught us something important:
Although she had no idea what I was talking about, the cashier was perfectly willing to give me an “On the Sal” if I could describe it to her. Evidently, the registers at In-N-Out are a little more sophisticated than the “picture of the fries” model at Mickey-D’s.

The employees at In-N-Out will do anything to a burger if you ask them.

This probably doesn’t include stripping naked and dancing around the burger while praying to your dark gods, but it might — we didn’t ask.
_________________

As well as In N’ Out, we found an entire list for Jamba Juice. We haven’t gone to check these out but from what we’ve been reading, were almost positive they exist. Anywho, turn out, Jamba Juice’s focous wasn’t always on healthy! When they made that turn, these drinks had to go. So beware when ordering them, most of them are high in sugar and made up mostly of candy and sorbets. Read more here:

http://www.examiner.com/x-14984-Chain-Restaurant-Examiner~y2009m6d28-The-Jamba-Juice-Secret-Menu

List:

• Blue Gummi Bear
• Chocolate Gummi Bear
• Green Gummi Bear
• Pink Gummi Bear
• Red Gummi Bear
• White Gummi Bear
• Andres’ Surprise
• Apple Pie
• Berry Depressing
• Blue-Topia
• Butterfingers
• Chocolate covered Strawberries
• Dirty Orgasm
• Fruity Pebbles
• White Fruity Pebbles
• Pink Fruity Pebbles
• Hello Jesus
• Reese pieces
• San Diego
• Skittles
• Sourpatch Kid
• Starburst [aka Pink Star]
• Lemonade Lightnin’
• Strawberries Dreamin’
• Strawberries Lightnin’
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Sunny Delight
• Thank You Jesus
• Tootsie Roll
• Tropical Tango
• Melonade wave
• Now and Later
• Orange Dream Machine
• Pacific Passion
• Peanut Butter and Jelly
• Penis Shooter
• Pineapple Dreamin’
• Rainbow Sherbert
• Raspberry Dreamin’

But that aint all folks! You’re in for a real treat since you’ve read all the way down to here. Follow these links to see more on various secret menus, you’ll be surprised!

“The Really Big Guide to Secret Menus – The Consumerist”: http://bit.ly/4RKxj2

“10 Secret Menu Items at Fast Food Restaraunts – CNN”: http://bit.ly/9mn1r

Mental Floss Blog: http://bit.ly/6ZnZ2r

That’s all for now! Until tomorrow…

Tastefully yours,

FOODIE & CO.

The title says it all. Except that I am surrounded by meat. Nothing but delectable, juicy, mouth watering meat all around. I thought that I had gotten through the worst of it, but I am having some real cravings lately. It didn’t help that we went to my favorite fast food yesterday (actually the only one that I’ll eat sober) and I had to have a grilled cheese. Alicia if your reading this…its not even close. In and Out is a burger place, pure and simple. This is one item off their “secret” menu that they can lose. What made it even worse was that I teased myself and gave my tongue a taste of a Double-Double with no double at all. It was enough to bring a man to his knees…in tears.

This is not what I wanted to order.

All in all I guess it was better than starving. I am really bitching about what I wanted instead of what I had, which wasn’t all that bad for quick veggie fare. I also had a chocolate shake, so my life really is good. Dani and I both enjoyed lunch at a fast food place without having to compromise or just order fries. Although the fries were great!!

In other veggie vow happenings I made it through the work awards dinner. Watching everyone eating prime rib was rough, but they provided a decent veggie lasagna. I can’t wait for this challenge to be over! Dani has promised to make me a great flesh meal in our new house since we should be mostly moved by the end of the week.

Stay tuned..

Ambition. Ingenuity. Innovation.

Harsh shadows begone! Creativity with your flash begone! Now you can bounce better, diffuse light better, and lose a lot of flash power without even trying.

Introducing flash diffusers:

Number two on our list of stuff photographers like belongs to flash diffusers. You may have spotted one of these bad boys at a recent wedding. It made the photographer look twice his size and twice as legit. Or maybe you had the worst of luck catching one in the face at a local celebrity event. Heck, you probably use one yourself to try to outdo the competition.

Sure, it might look ridiculous carrying a $59.95 plastic, translucent rice bowl on the top of your flash. People might laugh and say, “What is that big funnel for?” or “Why do you carry tupperware on top of your flash?”

They can laugh all they want. You know better than they do.

Let’s take a look at a prime example.

Popular photographer Gary Fong, as many of you may know, invented the one and only Gary Fong Lightsphere that swept photographers off their feet world-wide. Now you can be one step ahead of the pack and take your photography to a whole new level!

Just take a good, long look at that fine nylon polymer in all its upright glory. I can already see a smile forming on your face, as the key to infinitely better photos is just a simple Paypal click away.

Finally.

Control your light. Bounce effectively. Impress your friends, your relatives, your co-workers… Impress other photographers!

Make your bride happy.

You can almost feel it…

Speaking of fine nylon polymer, it reminds me of a peculiar scene in Napoleon Dynamite. It’s kind of how some people feel about flash diffusers in general:

Fine Nylon Polymer. Yours Truly, Uncle Rico

But before we continue to bash praise this piece of photography accessory, let’s start a history lesson, shall we?

A few millennia go, the Sto-Fen Omnibounce was invented. This is what started the whole diffused flash craze. Think of the talking Elmo doll. Or the Teletubbies. *shudder*

Yes, this magical cap of mystery fit snugly on your flash (unless you had the misfortune of owning a Canon 580ex II), and everyone around you would point and whisper amongst themselves, “Wow, now THAT guy is a professional!”

Though it’s ideally used at a 45 degree angle with a white ceiling above you (it’s not called an Omnibounce for no reason), some photographers still use direct flash with it. True, direct flash can be used outdoors as a proper fill. But is it worth losing the extra stops of light? I don’t know. Buy one and let me know!

For those of you who don’t have the money to shell out $19.99 for one of these mini lamp shades (of course, you can still afford $3,000 of photography equipment) you can always try an alternative solution:

Hey, it’s the photos that count, right? I can’t tell you how many different species of this gadget infiltrated the CES convention earlier this month; guys pushing through crowds, trying to invest in Microsoft while waving their paper diffusers in the air… Who wants to bet that they also refuse to pay for lemonade at In-N-Out and would religiously mix the free lemon slices and sugar packets in their free cup of water? Of course, we shouldn’t judge.

Here are a couple more household alternatives for those who are in the same boat:

Sto-Fen's hobo cousin, the Styro-Fen!

Warning: Eat yogurt first before applying to electrical device.

We will leave you with one lasting photo. This one should make every photographer jealous, including you. Yes, you: the one who needs an edge over everyone else. Well, now you’ve got some ground to make up.

Who needs weather-sealed equipment anyway?

In-N-Out Burger’s cult status was confirmed for me by a story I read by a well known branding expert who teaches restaurant marketing at a major university in the Midwest.  She was in swank Newport Beach during the Christmas holidays attending a wine tasting holiday party. You know the type–lovely food, cool guests, wonderful wines, affluent old friends.  It was going quite well when all of a sudden around 10 pm dozens and dozens of Double-Doubles appeared…hot, juicy, neatly wrapped and ready to be paired with…well, a Pinot Noir. It caused a sensation as tray after tray of ready-to-eat burgers circulated through the re-energized crowd of guests leaving a trail ooh’s and aah’s in its wake. Apparently, In-N-Out Burger even has an “In-N-Out-mobile” that you can schedule to visit your event…if you have the foresight to schedule months in advance. And Yes, they have had it running years before the Kogi craze ever came on the scene.

Every now and then, it’s important for every restaurant owner and brand to ask the question: “What legendary stories has our restaurant marketing team inspired lately?” Great brands really do inspire their own type of brand folklore. Passionate guests with powerful brand loyalty make brands legendary by passing on their powerful stories.  Word of mouth restaurant marketing is the best marketing a restaurant could ever hope for.

In-and-Out Burger possesses hundred of those legendary tales. And many people have their own stories. Yes, the ingredients are fresh, the menu very simple, the workers all fresh faced youngsters right out of Mayberry. The food may not be exceptionally outstanding, but the mystique created and collected and preserved by loyal followers makes the difference…right down to the little bible verses imbedded under the bottom cup rims.

All this made me realize that this really is the hallmark of a powerful brand…a brand so powerful that it breeds legendary stories by passionate fans with powerful reactions. Nordstrom used to inspire this kind of legendary story…it still occasionally does.

What is the legacy and legend your restaurant is producing today?

I went to Las Vegas over the weekend for an affiliate marketing conference.  It was a fast trip.  In- on Sunday morning, N-Out on Monday afternoon.  Did you catch that?

In-N-Out Burger is perhaps one of the greatest fast food burger places ever.  If you’ve been there you know what I am talking about.  If not, you need to go.  There are four things that make it great:

1. It isn’t available here, in the Minnesota: scarcity makes it more of a novelty.

2. Fresh fries: they cut their potatoes into fries right at the restaurant.

3. Secret menu: while the published items are: cheeseburger, hamburger, fries and shakes…there exists a secret way to order.  Here is a sneak peek at a couple of things I have figured out: 2×2…3×3, etc. is the combination of cheese slices and meat patties.  Animal style is added veggies, pickles, sauce and grilled onions.

4.  Faith of the owners: In-N-Out is a family owned company and they print Bible verses on the paper products they use to serve the food.

I was able to catch a 2×2, animal style with fries and a strawberry shake for lunch on the way to the airport.

Oh, and here is our cab driver’s impression of Homer Simpson:

Just beyond the city, at the edge of a natural preserve is a lovely wooded enclave just far enough off the beaten path so you can enjoy the soothing quiet of country living.  Here the sounds of the city fade, and seclusion in your comfortable home begins.  Welcome to Clermont.

These pdated apartment homes offer an array of versatile one, two, and three bedroom floor plans.  Individual homes feature such thoughtful detail as dual-tone walls, ceiling fans, and an optional fireplace.  Life is made easier with a full-size washer/dryer, microwave, internet access and individual room temperature controls.  Extra-wide window expanses welcome natural light, and an extra-large terrace or deck provides views of spectacular sunsets.

Newly restyled, Clermont provides a welcome retreat.  Here you can enjoy peace and quiet that refreshes the spirit.  Perhaps you’ll take a stroll down to the 14-acre wetlands, watching as the sun slips behind towering pines.  If a vigorous workout is more to your liking, try out the fully equipped fitness center.  Mild weather brings neighbors to the volleyball court and playground.  you can also swim in the seasonal pool, and relax year-round in a bubbling spa.

Let the cares of the day drift away.  You’re at home in your private leafy enclave… Clermont.

At-Home Features
Beautiful wetland views
Washer/dryer in every home
Private patios/decks with storage
Energy-efficient ceiling fans
Accent walls
Wood burning fireplaces (optional)
Deluxe appliances
Over-the-range microwave
Linen closets or pantries
Vertical blinds
Individual room temperature controls
Extended cable available in every home
Internet accessible

Community Highlights
Garages or covered parking
Resident business center with internet access
Seasonal pool, year-round spa
State-of-the-art fitness center
Playground
Picnic area with barbecue
Hike & bike trails nearby
Easy access to MAX & bus line
Easy access to Hwy 26
15 minutes to downtown Portland
Convenient to all major shopping areas

727 Sq. Ft. for $550/mo.

We’ve made it.

Athena and I left Florida on the morning of Tuesday the 5th.  On the first day, we made it out of Florida with a great feeling of relief.  The number of asshole drivers decreased significantly once we got to the I10.  We pushed on and made it to Baton Rouge and stayed at my first La Quinta Inn.

The next day we entered Texas and attempted to leave it behind as well but landed in Fort Stockton when we couldn’t go any further.  Texas is just incredibly dull with bits of annoying city traffic along the 10.  That night we had a terrible time with Taco Bell.  We wanted Chinese food but would settle for something fast and cheap in walking distance in the crusty, rundown, off-ramp town.  The Taco Bell was apparently closing, but still open nonetheless.  There were several employees left all cleaning and moving around in view.  No one was really paying any attention to our order until the manager called attention to it.  The nacho cheese had been put away for the night and Athena’s crunch wrap called for it.  She didn’t care.  It had already been a good 10 minutes.  We were already tired and weary and Athena was growing impatient.  It really shouldn’t have taken so long.  We got our order, finally, and left.  When we got to the hotel to eat, we found the food was just stuffed in the bag.  The tacos were upside-down.  My quesadilla had chicken instead of steak and was all mangled.  Pathetic.

We didn’t sleep well and didn’t wake up to an alarm.  We intended to leave early to make up for the extra Texas and get into California at a decent time.  Our next stop was in Temecula with Athena’s aunt Karen.  We made it by 10PM PST, which is like 1AM from what we were used to.  Driving west has the added strangeness of 4 hour long twilight.  It offers more daylight, but the effect it has on your mind and body is disorienting.

I don’t want to offend Karen if she were to read my blog or if word got around her, but I intend to report things as a matter of fact.  She has 4 dogs, a cat, 2 boys, and a boyfriend.  My allergies acted up immediately.  In the morning, I had to go for a walk with Athena to kill some birds.  I needed fresh air to clear my sinuses and I desperately needed to stretch my legs and muscles.  The car was packed to the brim.  I had leg room, but I could not recline.  We stayed the entire day enjoying a breakfast buffet with Karen, lunch at Hana Sushi with Athena’s Grandma Sonny, and the evening with Milly at the mall.  We stayed the night again and left for Long Beach in the morning with a stop to In n Out for lunch and Lady of the Lake for a bumper sticker.

What is Popular is not always Right.
What is Right is not always Popular.

We also made a stop in Irvine to meet up with Anji.  It turns out that the University Town Center acquired a new shop called Tokyo Lifestyles.  It was sooo coool.  I wish it was there when I had been going.  It had Japanese style amenities and useful things.  They have great cleaning supplies useful for small spaces like apartments.  They also have intricate cookware things and tools.  Additionally, they have a lot of cool toys, gadgets, and decorations.  I was big into that and still am, but I would have been a lot more willing to spend money on those things when I was renting or even dorming there.

Upon arriving in Long Beach, I gave my parents hugs and overlooked the welcome sign and presents left on the table at the entryway.  We got settled in my old room which had been rearranged in a very elegant manner that made the foldout love-seat bed useful.  We had dinner with my parents, my sister Emily, and her boyfriend Settha.  It was a very nice meal with tri tip roast, cheesy potatoes, Caesar salad, and garlic bread, as requested.  We went for a walk and then to bed.

The next day we spent time with Kyle.  We walked to Starbucks and met for coffee.  We had a long chat before a woman that had sat down across from us on a bench outside interrupted us.  She was all affronted by Kyle’s mention of gay sex (mere mention and not description).  She asked, “Do you mind that others can hear your conversation?”  We all looked at her puzzled for a moment and I said, “We don’t mind, if you don’t.”  She replied with, “I do mind!  I don’t think it’s appropriate.  There’s a little girl over there that can hear you, and…”  Athena just said, “If you don’t like it, you’re free to leave or go inside.”  And she got up and left.  The little girl wasn’t hers and her mother didn’t care.  The mother, sitting nearby even mentioned, “I don’t know what her problem was but all I’m thinking is I’m glad I’m not in my 20’s anymore.  It sounds too exciting for me.”  Kyle continued his story, talking a little quieter.

We went to Pick Up Stix for lunch.  We all had house specials.  It was a little sub-par for them; I think mine was burnt.  We played Ugly–a card game that has gotten ugly on more than one occasion.  It’s a 3-player game, so one person inevitably feels “ganged-up-on.”  But Athena was picking it up and I was remembering strategies.  I think I won every round, but we weren’t keeping score even though it’s supposed to be an on-going thing.

We got back to Kyle’s house to play games.  Kyle didn’t have Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but he did have a new Mario game for the Wii.  It was a version of Super Mario Bros. 3 from Super Nintendo, but it allowed up to 4 players in co-op mode.  It was awesome!  We were a great team and it was great fun.

That night, Athena and I went with my parents to SuperMex for dinner.  Florida severely lacks in good Mexican and Chinese food.  We found one really nice Japanese restaurant but only went once as a Happy New Year/we’re getting out of here celebration.  I missed good Mexican food.  Athena and I shared a combination plate (still digesting the last bits of Panda Express 2 item combos).  It was so good.  So much of our California stay had been centered around the food we’d been deprived of.

The next day we met up with Lynette and Pat in Irvine.  We were going for Guppy Tea House, but it wasn’t open for lunch until 11:30, and we were early.  We walked around and all the restaurants around were assorted Asian themed and other foreign foods, but they were all closed or expensive.  The revolving sushi place opened but we didn’t go because I wasn’t confident that I could find enough to eat.  So, we went to Panda Express!  I didn’t want Guppy Tea House anyway.

We made plans to see a dollar movie and invited Kyle and Milly.  We drove to Tap-Ex (Tapioca Express), an old boba hangout of Athena’s.  We walked to the theater and checked out Barnes & Noble.  Kyle and Milly met up with us and we went to see Where the Wild Things Are.  It was pretty good.  I found out later that it was one of my favorite childhood stories.  It seemed strangely familiar, but I didn’t relate to it.  I think the perspective was very well done, but I didn’t appreciate the amount of violence–even though it was the childhood concept of violence where no one really gets hurt and it’s all in good fun.  Drop kicks to the face just don’t seem appropriate.

Athena and I got back to my parent’s house, which I still consider home, in time for dinner with them and Jun-ki, the ALI student renting a room from my parents.  We had pulled pork sandwiches and assorted kitchen sink.  We went back to Kyle’s for a bit more Mario and came back to watch home videos of me as a baby.  Athena got a call from Milly, crying, going through a rough breakup.  I watched me from infant to about 3 years, still fighting allergies, something my mom and I have in common.  We were both sniffling, but I don’t know how much of my mom’s were tears or allergies.

One more night and we were off to Grass Valley.  We made it in good time with some daylight left.  David, Sara, Athena’s friend,’s dad treated us to dinner at a local Mexican food place.  It was similar to, but different enough than, SuperMex.  It was yummy.  We got back and made a bed out of odds and ends.  David was being evicted–details unknown to me–so the furniture was sparse.  We ended up with table clothes, rugs, blankets, and a couple pillows.  Athena managed to royally screw the internet, but David and I fixed it right back up.  Athena didn’t try again.

Next day, we spent time at the Land with Athena’s dad, EJ.  I was forewarned of the strangeness, but it ended up being fine.  EJ was old, but interesting.  He talked to us for hours.  We intended to walk around, but ended up listening to his music and stories and opening gifts from him.  We were given books, art, and a game, all made by EJ and signed.

We met up with Sara and toured Nevada City.  We met up with Athena’s half-sister Layla at her shop.  We talked for a while and then went to Sushi Q.  It was very expensive, but nice and tasty.  We had a good time, but didn’t get as much done as we’d hoped.  We went to downtown Grass Valley to walk around, but it was short lived.  It wasn’t very big, not much to see, and much less open.  We ended up returning to David’s house and hanging out a bit longer before going to bed.

We left in the morning for Portland.  We made very few stops and no full stops to eat.  We had snacks and such, so that we could eat on the move.  We were not going to settle for any La Quinta’s outside of Portland.  And we did make it.  It was already night by the time we made it into downtown Portland–we didn’t have the 4 hours of twilight traveling north.  We checked in and prepared for the next day.

We had a list of apartments to check out–instead of roommates.com listings.  We found the apartments to be about as affordable and much more reliable.  We starred 3 of 6 to look at and went to the cheapest first.  Bethany.  We were excited about Bethany.  It looked really nice, and had this section 42 thing that made it easier for low income people to afford housing.  Being unemployed, this sounded fantastic.  That was until they tallied our “expected gross income.”  If we both worked minimum wage, full-time, we would be making $35,000 per year.  The cut off for two people is 33 combined.  We left with mixed feelings and a completed application, just in case.

Next, we went for Cornell Woods.  We didn’t find it.  We ran into The Oaks, which looked run down and “skeevy.”  But, we passed Clermont, which was also starred on our list, and went there instead.  Our first question was, “Are you under section 42?” No.  Second question, “Do you have a bathroom?  We want to rent from you and will be right back.”  Turns out, they were having a special.  If we applied in the next 24 hours, we would lock in at $550/mo., which was cheaper than Bethany.  We applied and were quoted a 1-2 day wait–as opposed to the 3-5 days from Bethany for their audit.

We heard back the next day, after I had already called the front desk to extend our stay at La Quinta.  We were approved and can move in tomorrow morning at 10:30.  Whew.

Mission One: Complete.

Can you feel it?  The epicenter of the burger world seems to be shifting lately.  NY and LA, the old guard as it were, are making way for the new – as in New Mexico.  Late last year, the New Mexico Board of Tourism launched an interactive map to help visitors find the finest purveyors of the state’s indigenous Green Chile Cheeseburger; and the reigning intercontinental heavyweight champs of the burger blog world, A Hamburger Today, recently launched a series featuring burgers from The Land of Enchantment.

Ever since George Motz introduced the world to The Bobcat Bite in Hamburger America (youtube video) I’ve been craving an authentic Green Chile Cheeseburger.  Sure, I’ve tried canned chiles to create my own at-home version, but something is missing.  Unfortunately, several factors are working against me as family/job responsibilities coupled with the fact that I live in Philadelphia make a quick visit to New Mexico an impossibility.   I needed to get closer to the burger so I figured I’d go the vicarious route and talk to a native.

New Mexico’s most famous living resident might very well be Marc Maron (I’m just going to assume we’ve all forgotten about Bill Richardson, right?).  Host of one of the most popular podcast’s in the Apple iTunes Store, WTF,  Maron seemed like the perfect guy to ask what makes a Green Chile Cheeseburger so special.  A few days ago we finally connected and talked about burgers and being a foodie, and along the way he was kind enough to recommend a few of his favorite burger joints.

Burgatory:  So what can you tell me about green chiles?

Maron: Green chiles, well that is what New Mexico is known for.  You can get it in a can, Ortega’s or whatever, but it’s not the same as fresh roasted, Northern New Mexico green chile…at chile time…you can get it along side the road, they harvest it then roll it around in these giant roasters so the peels fall off then bag it.  My stepmom Rosie, she’ll freeze a ton of it…it’s a very specific flavor and it really only happens there.  It’s pretty great…

Burgatory:  Are they spicy?

Maron: It can go any way…you can get it really spicy or you can get mild but there’s still that underlying flavor that is pretty unique.

Burgatory:  When you think green chile cheeseburgers, which place comes to mind?

Maron: I grew up eating at the Frontier Restaurant and I go there every time I am back.  They make a great green chile stew and they also make a pretty great green chile cheeseburger.  It’s not your chichi, two inches thick, Kobe beef ‘bit of business’, it’s a flat patty like you get at a diner, maybe a 1/2 inch thick, all of them are consistent, they’re all made fresh but it’s not a gourmet burger, but they put a wad of green chiles on the top and then they use shredded cheddar cheese.  So it definitely has a unique flavor to it, nothing tastes like Frontier.  But if you’re going there expecting some sort of rare to medium-rare, drippy, bloody burger so you can be a snob about it, that isn’t going to happen.  If you want a dirty, green chile cheeseburger, that’s the place to go.

Burgatory:  So is Frontier your favorite burger joint?  I know you split your time between the east coast and the west coast…

Maron: Well there are different kinds of burgers…you’ve got your fast food type of burger, or diner type of burger or you’ve got your fancy burger.

I try not to get too involved with it, but I definitely love In-N-Out Burger out here (in California).  Again not a great burger in terms of grade of beef or thickness or that kind of stuff, but for a dirty fast food burger – the best.

In New York… Jackson Hole out in Queens was good and Paul’s on 2nd Avenue always had a great burger…the blue cheese burger at Paul’s is just awesome.

Burgatory: Do you consider yourself a “foodie”?

Maron: I like to cook and generally I’m not out there pushing the envelope with cooking, I just have a knack for it and I’d rather cook than eat out.  I find cooking very meditative and it captures my focus and I do it to step down all of my anxieties.  We have very little control over most things in life but if you get going with cooking at least you have control for a half-hour.  I come from an eating disorder laden family and I think it’s my way of acting out against my chronically skinny mother.

Burgatory: I know you’re a fan of the Food Network and you even did your own web series “The Angry Chef,” (youtube video: Jonny Cakes – NSFW) was that your idea of what a Food Network show starring Marc Maron would look like?

Maron: Yeah, I would have liked to have done it there.  I didn’t really pursue it much because I’m not much of a cook and they kind of take themselves pretty seriously over there…

Burgatory: They don’t usually cook with a lit cigar in their mouth either?

Maron: Yeah, the lit cigar thing would probably bother them and maybe some of the language would bother them…I think the angle of the Angry Chef (youtube video: Minestrone – NSFW) was to cook your hostility and anger out of you…that while you are cooking you talk about what’s bothering you and get it out during the cooking.  You can get pretty aggressive during cooking, which they sometimes do on the shows but they don’t really take a therapeutic angle, they take a cooking angle.

Burgatory: And there’s not a lot of talk about ex-wives?

Maron: Well I am sure that there are plenty of those guys that have plenty of that to talk about,  but they don’t have the guts to be honest, all they can do is honestly cook and I even question that sometimes…you don’t ever see those guys prepping food, do you?   No.  Do they ever throw a bone or a thank you to the 6 or 7 culinary students that want to be chefs in the back diligently cutting Emeril’s onions?  No.

Burgatory: Are there any parallels between cooking and comedy?

Maron: I used to talk about how I missed being a grill cook back in college because there is a sense of reward that is fairly quick with some cooking.  When you flip an egg successfully, you know you did it, so there can be a relatively immediate gratification element that I think it shares with comedy if you are doing it right.

I can’t thank Marc enough for taking the time to talk.  A lot of the conversation we had isn’t represented above and at some point I will probably put up the entire raw audio, but it is a tough listen because of the quality of the sound via Google Voice.  Marc tours the country often and he has a slick website with all sorts of worthwhile info and merch.  His coolest relationship might very well be with justcoffee.coop, a Madison, WI based coffee roaster that offers a WTF Blend coffee which is ridiculously good.

Yesterday’s post about Applebees redesigning their restaurants got me to thinking about other dining experiences, and how they are an extremely important part of a restaurant’s brand. As a recovering fast-food addict I naturally thought about the dining experience with quick service restaurants. One of my favorite fast-food joints is In-n-Out burger. Those in California, Arizona, and some of Nevada know what I’m talking about. For those who don’t In-n-Out heralds back to the original quick-serve burger joints, they offer just burgers, fries, and drinks with a premium on quality and freshness (www.In-n-Out.com). The most interesting thing about In-n-Out is that literally every restaurant looks almost the exact same. There are a smattering of original drive-thru only stores, and some modern, but they all at least have the same decor, furniture, and employee uniforms. Many even share the exact same layout. I have found that this consistency gives me a sort of confidence when I go into any In-n-Out, whether I have been to that particular one or not. It looks the same, smells the same, and feels the same, and always matches with my high opinion of the brand.

Now contrast that to McDonald’s. Obviously McDonald’s is uber-successful, but I don’t get the same feeling of consistency when I go to one. Some are really fancy where you want to eat inside, some are in malls, and some even inside of gas stations. The decor, uniforms, furniture and overall feel are left up to the franchisee within McDonald’s guidelines (In-n-Out are all company owned). The food is usually the exact same (with international exceptions of course), but where I am comfortable that I can walk into any In-n-Out and feel right at home, every McDonalds throws a different experience at me. Ultimately this may come down to a comparison of branding from company owned restaurants vs. franchises, but I will take In-n-Out any day of the week, assuming I’m in the mood to deal with a line.

Do you think there is value in high brand consistency in restaurants, or should every one be able to customize and take their own interpretation of the corporate brand?

Late night grubbin’ #1 Double-Double baybeh! :]

↓click this out

lIMITEd eDITIOn

Damn the day I ate a fancy burger.

I had never been one to really care much about burgers. The best for me at the time was In N Out. Some say I should try Fatburger but I haven’t ever gotten over the name (nor the lore of Fatburger chefs back in the day grabbing fistfuls of ground beef from buckets on the ground and throwing them on the grill).

So, one day I had Father’s Office and though my life didn’t change I definitely never ate a fast food burger again except for the occasional (and I mean occasional!) late night nosh after bar hopping. I loved that burger and constantly compare fancy burgers to that moment I had it.

Well over 7 years ago, the Counter came into my life. My boyfriend at the time didn’t understand why I enjoyed my burgers so much there. Fancy burgers weren’t in existence then. And the seemingly outrageous pricing was over-the-top. Now, we hardly blink (though we do still grumble) when a burger is over $10, nay, over $12.

I hadn’t gone to the Counter (in Santa Monica) in years. I was off chasing the fancy burger dream. However, I knew they had been franchising madly and now there’s a new one in Pasadena which is much closer to me.

I went this week and from previous experiences, I knew I didn’t want a bun because once you start ticking off all the toppings and such, it becomes massive. I always opt for a “burger salad.”

burger salad

The base burger was $9.50 ($8.50 with bun) and 3 $1 additional toppings, it became $12.50 which wasn’t bad.

Look at this bacon!

close up on bacon

Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.

I got the smallest beef patty (1/3 lb), 4 free toppings (pepperoncini peppers, roasted red pepper, grilled onions and olives) plus avocado, bacon and sundried tomatoes.

Was it the best burger salad I ever had? Well, I seem to recall loving the Santa Monica location more. This one was okay. I think having Umami Burger the night before at Umami Urban may have short circuited my brain as I loved the pork belly burger I had.

I did enjoy my Counter meal though. And the space was definitely like the other one. I felt calm and happy.  Service was very friendly and there’s easy parking available.

We also got sides, of course.

fried pickles

I thought the pickles were okay. I wouldn’t order them again because I prefer the fried pickles at Pure Luck.

50/50

Fries were whatever after the got cold but the sweet potato fries were great hot or cold. They could have been a little thicker but I think the thinness is why they were still crispy cold.

The Counter Pasadena

140 Shoppers Lane
Pasadena CA 91101

626 440 1008

I’m finally back from my sojourn to the Bay Area (OK, I’ve actually been back for more than a week), and as promised I have what I feel to be the definitive review of three of the West Coast’s most significant micro-chains: In-N-Out, Burgerville and Five Guys.

To be fair, there are only a handful of locales in which any of these three restaurants compete directly. Portland has both Five Guys and Burgerville, and there are several California, Nevada and Arizona cities that feature Five Guys and In-N-Out. Best as I can tell, Burgerville and In-N-Out are separated by several hundred miles. All three are currently expanding, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see all three of these places going head-to-head throughout Washington, Oregon and even Northern California.

In any case, I can’t think of a more apt comparison — at least on the West Coast — than these three. All of them pride themselves on made-to-order, hand-crafted, never frozen patties, selling them at reasonable prices and promising a more-than-fast-food experience. Of course, they achieve these things through different means.

The only nationwide chain of the three is Five Guys — which, according to Wikipedia, boasts more than 450 locations. If it doesn’t seem that way on the West Coast, that’s because there are only two in the Pacific Northwest and a few more in California. This is the only one of the three which offers franchises.

In-N-Out, with about 240 stores, is the next biggest. They’ve recently expanded into Utah, but as of yet, still have not crossed into Oregon or Washington. The company remains family owned.

Burgerville is easily the smallest of the bunch, claiming 39 locations, massed mostly around Portland, Ore. As such, the farthest north the chain has gone is Centralia, Wash., with its southernmost location being Albany, Ore. (This may soon change, however. According to a Tacoma News-Tribune story dated Feb. 13, 2009, Burgerville is planning to expand as far north as Seattle.) Burgerville is also family owned.

I apologize for belaboring my point, which was, of course, to determine which of these three chains offers the best burger. I will detail arguments for each of the three, but may as well tell you now that I still find In-N-Out to be superior. This will come as no shock to those who know me, as I’ve long been a fan of the California-born chain and on several occasions have found myself in the middle of lengthy debates over its merits. Ranking them, I’d put Burgerville a close second and Five Guys a distant third.

In-N-Out

Overall: There’s really something to be said for a restaurant that knows what it is. On In-N-Out menus there are essentially four items. Burgers, fries, milkshakes and sodas. The burgers are offered with one or two patties and cheese or no cheese. That’s it. The fries come in only one size. There are three flavors of shakes, chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, and there’s only one size. Drinks offer the most choices — there’s even a choice between pink and yellow lemonade — but still only come in one size.

Of course, there’s also the “secret menu.” I don’t know that it’s much of a secret anymore, after all they even reference it on their own website, but none of it appears anywhere on in-store signage. Probably the most common item is the “animal style” burger and fries. For the burger, that means adding mustard, pickles and grilled onions to a sandwich that normally has lettuce, tomatoes, fresh onions and “secret sauce.” The fries come with a heap of secret sauce, cheese and grilled onions. Other secret menu items include adding any number of patties you desire, ditching the bun and wrapping the burger in lettuce, going with a patti-less grilled cheese and having your shake Neopolitan (mixing all three flavors). You can also have hot peppers added to your burger.

What I ordered: I went with my usual, double-double animal style, regular fries and made an Arnold Palmer out of their brewed iced tea and pink lemonade. This sets me back about $5.50.

Burger: The double-double provides the perfect amount of meat, probably the rough equivalent to a 1/3-pounder. I really like their secret sauce, some variation of thousand island. The lettuce is always crisp. The tomatoes never soggy. The cheese is nothing special, good ole-fashioned ‘Merican. The real clincher is the savory/sweet combination of the pickles, mustard and grilled onions. None of the other two could touch In-N-Out on this front.

Fries: If there’s one area I’m more indifferent about In-N-Out’s product, it’s their fries. They are about as fresh as can be. They are sliced only seconds before they hit the fryer and served within minutes of coming out. But, there’s nothing real special. I like them fine, but hardly ever feel compelled to finish the heap they are served in. If you don’t eat them fresh, by the way, don’t bother. Their shelf life is so short, it’s almost not worth ordering them if you plan on eating anywhere but the dining room or parking lot.

Experience: I have no idea how they do it, but In-N-Out has to be one of the most heavily staffed fast-food chains in the world. I swear even at slow times, it seems like there are 20 employees running around, always looking busy. They wear crisp white polyester/cotton uniforms and aprons. They are always ready to help. They seem genuinely happy to be there. I suppose it helps that no one is making less than $10 an hour. They get full benefits, including vacation and 401k, and if they stick with the company long enough to become a manager, they usually make around $100,000 a year. In California, at least, these are almost unheard of qualities.

Burgerville

Overall: If In-N-Out were actually interested in changing with the times, you’d have to imagine it would look a lot like Burgerville. Whether its wind-powered restaurants and headquarters, locally sourced products or a seasonal menu, there’s a lot to admire about Burgerville’s business practices. The food ain’t bad, either.

Unlike In-N-Out, Burgerville has plenty of menu options. Beside the standard burgers, they offer bacon, black-bean veggie patties, chicken and fish. They also have several salads to choose from, sweet potato and yukon gold fries, turkey sandwiches, milkshakes and smoothies, and even offer a breakfast menu.

When I was there, Yukon waffle fries, hazelnut milkshakes, a peach chutney chicken sandwich and some kind of peach salad were the seasonal options.

I especially appreciate the use of local products, such as Tillamook cheese and Country Natural Beef. Oh, and they now serve beer and wine!

What I ordered: Pepper bacon cheeseburger, Yukon waffle fries and soda. This cost me right around $8.

Burger: If you’re going to offer bacon, you may as well do it right. I want some actual meat in there, not just a crispy slice of fat. I’m happy to report that Burgerville is serving up the legit stuff. Nice thick cuts of pepper bacon. The burgers, I’m guessing about 1/4-pound per patty, are solid. They don’t do grilled onions or special sauce, two minuses, but there’s really nothing to complain about. It tastes fresh and clean.

Fries: I wish I’d ordered the standard fries, just for comparison’s sake, but I couldn’t pass up the Yukon waffle fries. They were awesome. Less starchy than the standard russet, but still nice and crisp. Easily, the best fries of the these three places.

Experience: Again, it’s like the 21st-century version of In-N-Out. The employees are still nice and helpful — our cashier mistakenly charged us for one soda instead of two, and then just gave us the second one. The big difference is that they actually you NOT to bus your own table. The reason? They want to make sure the trash is properly sorted: recycle, compost, trash. Again, the pay is not what you’d expect at a fast-food restaurant, especially when it comes to healthcare. For $15 a month, every employee working at least 20 hours a week is eligible for no-deductible health care. For $30, they can have their kids covered too. There aren’t nearly as many employees as in an average In-N-Out, but they don’t seem overworked, either. Aside from the uniforms — which seem much more standard fast-food issue — they probably inch out a little ahead of In-N-Out here as well.

Five Guys Burgers & Fries

Overall: Without a doubt, this is the most hyped of the three restaurants. Throughout their Seattle location, at least, there are newspaper and magazine articles proclaiming the superiority of Five Guys. Supposedly, this is President Obama’s favorite burger spot.

At first glance, the menu seems pretty simple. The burgers come in two sizes and offer cheese or bacon. There are hot dogs, fries, soda and shakes on the menu, as well. Simple enough, right? Well, they throw you a bit of a curveball. It’s a nice gesture, I suppose, but I’m one of those people who just wants to order something pretty simple. I don’t want to go through a list of ingredients, picking and choosing what I think will go well together. But that’s exactly what the little amendment at the bottom of the Five Guys menu has you do.

Mayo, relish, onions, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, jalapenos, green peppers, A-1 sauce, bbq sauce, hot sauce.

There’s a lot of options in there. I get that they want their menu to look simple, but, and this is especially true if it’s your first time, it really isn’t. I know everything up there is pretty standard, but I, for one, would appreciate some suggested combinations. And A-1 sauce? Really? If I had one suggestion, I’d say let me order grilled onions or grilled mushrooms, but put out a condiment bar and let me stack my own burger.

What I ordered: Little bacon cheeseburger, cajun fries and soda. They don’t post prices on their website, but I’m pretty sure it cost about $8.

Burger: First thing you need to know about Five Guys is that the burgers come in two sizes, regular and Little. The regular, is two Little patties, which are probably about 1/4-pound each. So, a Little burger is actually a pretty standard 1/4-pounder.

The burgers come wrapped in tinfoil, which comes in a brown sack, regardless of your intentions to eat in or take away. I just found that unnecessarily wasteful. It was also a little messy, since my inclination is to avoid biting into the aluminum foil by removing it in its entirety immediately, leaving no safety net on which the juices are allowed to fall.

Even though I ordered a Little, I still found the bun to be too small. It certainly gives the impression of a larger burger, and I suppose it cuts down on calories, but I found it off-putting.

The patty itself was totally fine, no complaints. But the bacon tasted like it had been sitting out too long and was not as meaty as I’d prefer. The onions were obviously made to order, and as such, were not given nearly enough time to properly carmelize. Overall, I found the burger totally unimpressive, at least by the standards that have been set.

Fries: In a word, overseasoned. They certainly give you plenty — a 20 oz. cup with plenty left over in the bag — but even though they are very fresh, there’s way too much cajun seasoning on there. Actually, I’d say there’s way too much salt in the cajun seasoning, too. I’d go as far as to say that I wouldn’t even order the fries next time I went.

Experience: Since we’re using In-N-Out as the standard, I’d say this is probably what In-N-Out would look like if it was manned by people who weren’t really invested in the product. They put on a good show: Every time someone walks in, there’s an employee alerting the crew of how many new customers just got there, the entire operation is on full display to the customers and, judging by the ages of those behind the counter, they are attempting to staff with people that are a cut above McDonald’s.

Still, I couldn’t escape the fact that the employees just weren’t that into it. The cashier didn’t seem nearly as versed in the menu as those at the other establishments. There were fewer smiles. It felt like a franchise, a better-than-Subway franchise, but still a franchise. I seriously doubt anyone working there is planning on making a career out of Five Guys.

As for the motif, I really don’t think the bags of peanuts and the “just toss the shells on the floor” thing works in a burger place. In a dimly lit sports bar? Sure, knock yourself out. I also found the chest-beating nature of the endless promotional magazine articles to be a little much. Let the food speak for itself.

I had a dream last night that was pretty long and complicated.  Get ready.

I was on my way to meet some friends at In-n-out by my apartment.  I don’t know if it was night or day, but it was dark.  I think it may have been morning.  I was driving there, but not in the car I currently drive.  I was driving my 4-runner, which was totaled a while back, but in my dream of course, it was in perfect condition.  When I came to the railroad tracks before In-n-out (which are actually there),  the first set of the railroad blockade was open, allowing me and the car in front of me through.  But then the second one on the other side was closed.  So, we got out of our cars in order to open it so we could get through since there was no train.  When I got out of my car, I spotted In-n-out and for whatever reason decided that it was close enough for me to walk to, so I would walk over there, place my order, then go back to my car, (which was still in the middle of the road) and drive back to pick up my order.  About this time, my friends would hopefully arrive.

I grabbed my bag and whatever else I had with me and scooted over to In-n-out on a razor scooter.  When I went inside and ordered, a few of my friends were already there.  I placed my order, and asked for a water cup.  I went and filled it, drank some and went to place it on my table where my friends were.  By time I put it down, it was mostly empty.  I went back to fill it up.  I really wanted to go get my car and just come straight back and eat and not have to worry about refilling my water cup.  I had spent so much time doing this that my order was called and with it was a cup of coke.  I don’t remember ordering it, but I took it anyway.

Then I remembered my car was still outside and had been for some time.  I realized I should probably move it before someone ran it off the road or it got towed.  I ran back to the car (no scooter this time) and hoped in. On the way I noticed my blinking lights (since I had put my emergency blinkers on) were out on one side.  I made a mental note to fix that later.  I don’t know if my car was having issues and wouldn’t drive forward, or if it was already set to reverse, but when I floored it, I went backwards.  By time I realized what had happened, I was very far in the wrong direction (away from in-n-out) and still going very fast.  I turned around to look behind me to make sure I wouldn’t hit anyone.  I put the car back in 1st gear, and began to give it some gas while I was still drifting backwards.  This only made me go backwards faster.  After several attempts at shifting gears, I was still accelerating backwards.  I couldn’t stop the acceleration and kept going.

The road I was driving on kept going and went up with a hairpin turn at the top, then came back down the same direction.  It was some sort of turn around.  I went up this turn around at about 70mph.  Or at least that what it felt like.  There was one other car on this turn around.  He was going backwards as well.  I was scared that I wouldn’t make the turn correctly (since I was going backwards) or that I would hit the other car.  Miraculously, I made it through the turn very fast and didn’t hit the other car.  Once I had made it back to where the in-n-out was, I pulled a 180 and began driving forward.  I got out of the car and talked to the other driver.  We were amazed that we made that turn so perfectly.  Then I noticed on the right side inside my car built into the dashboard was a piece of plastic.  I removed it from its snap-in place in the dash and after looking at it, decided that it was an ice scraper.

Then I went to in-n-out and ate my double double.