Monday, January 11, 2010

Fresh-N-Fast - Manhattan

The Burger Wars as Spectator Sport
Some folks take their burgers very seriously, I'm just not one of them. I simply ask that they taste good and refrain from sitting stubbornly in my stomach like a monkey wrench. That doesn't mean I'm not enjoying the "In-N-Out rip-off" controversy - I am - but I'm not going to let it interfere with my analysis. You see, I've been in Paris for a long time and they ain't got no burgers in Paris. Know what I mean?


The controversy, you ask? Well, once upon a time in a far away place (California), God created In-N-Out. As a college student in California, I used to drive with my buddies from San Diego to Irvine just to get their burgers and fries. I'm not saying it was worth the drive, we simply liked road tripping as sport. Since then, In-N-Out has gained sainthood. Why they haven't multiplied across America by now is a mystery. They have a license to print money - that's how popular they are. The closest one to NY is in Las Vegas as far as I know. Along comes Fresh-N-Fast, which, let's say, "borrows heavily" from In-N-Out. I doubt I would have noticed this borrowing, but there are plenty smarter people than me, some of them even made it through law school apparently. Check this out.

Today I got myself a pocketful of dollars and headed over there for lunch. I ordered myself a cheeseburger and fries and dug in. It was definitely fresh, the burger was very nice to the taste buds. I finished it off within a few minutes. Is it big? No. Can you taste the secret sauce? I couldn't. Is it a deal at $3.99? Not really, though I doubt you can find a burger significantly cheaper in New York. Would I go back for one again? Yep, sure would. Not so the fries - they looked good to the eye but were not crispy enough for me. Left me flat.

You should check it out for yourself. Go there, keep an open mind, let your taste buds guide you. Do so soon, before the lawyers get busy....

111 E. 23rd Street
Manhattan

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8 comments:

  1. I actually thought the fries looked really good.. am sad to hear that it didn't meet up to your expectations.

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  2. Sorry Puffin, they were soggy-ish. A real downer.

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  3. oh man, I heard when they first opened, all you had to do was go in there and pretend to be a blogger, and they'll comp your meal. Guess they stopped doing that...

    $3.99 is a pretty good price for New York. But it's kinda sad that's how we talk about it now... it's always comparing it to other NY prices

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  4. soggy fries are kinda nice! they have the real potato taste!

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  5. @Small J - sorry, you're on your own with that one.

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  6. @Danny - shit! I wish I'd known, I coulda pretended to be a food blogger!

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  7. that burger bun looks suspicious!

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  8. @Sandy - suspicious like it was waiting to rob the place? Don't worry, it went in my belly!

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