Double Double Animal Style, In-N-Out Burger - Vegas, USA

There is a charm to In-N-Out that does not exist anymore in the modern burger chain. It has the vibes of a 50’s throwback rustling up fresh burger goodness for its loyal customer base. I can only imagine this is what McDonald’s would be like had Ray Croc not taken the helm. And that in it self is the reassurance that this place is special. This is a chain that has not franchised, not sold out, but instead retained every last value they stood for on day one. It shows with its employees, it shows in the atmosphere and good grief it shows in the food.

Coming from the original line of fast food restaurants, you order at the till in In-In-Out and wait for your order to be called out. In this way, it’s like any other fast food joint. Hell, even when the food lands in front of you on a red tray, the expectation is simple fast food. When you take a bite, however, you realise it’s so much more…

I ordered a 'Double Double Animal Style' with fries and a drink. It came to a modest $10, just about the cheapest you’ll find a large meal for on the Vegas Strip, without eating complete garbage.

Just holding this burger in your hand is enough evidence of where the similarities end between In-N-Out and every other average fast food chain out there. The freshness of the ingredients, especially that tender bun become abundantly clear.

The ‘Double Double Animal Style’ comes with two mustard patties, lettuce, tomato, two cheese slices, onions and ‘spread’, served between a toasted bun.

I’m a classic burger kinda guy. Fancy ingredients and highly stacked burgers can be fantastic when done right, but winding it back to the essentials and doing it well is just as exciting. The ‘Double Double’ at In-N-Out is perfection of the ‘classic burger’.

Starting at the patties, the mustard infusion (one of the key changes when making your burger ‘Animal Style’) takes the flavour a tier above, but does not overpower. Yes, the patties are served well done and are the classic XX sizing, but the flavour does not suffer, especially with that mustard coating.

Lettuce, tomato and onions sit well in any burger, but help build that fresh feeling to the ‘Double Double Animal Style’. Paired with the fresh toasted bun, there’s a prevalent theme here; one that feels alien when you’re in a fast food joint. Can it really be that fresh?!

Between the cheese and the spread, the flavours are just beautifully balanced. The latter feels like a simple burger sauce concoction, whilst the American cheese oozes over the sides of each patty.

The key to this burger is balance and freshness of ingredients, paired with simplicity. The In-N-Out ‘Double Double Animal Style’ burger is, without a doubt, the best fast food burger I have ever consumed and deserves a perfect score for that reason alone. What I’d do to have one of these in England...

Patty Master Musings:

• I planned to hit In-N-Out once during my trip. We ended up there almost every single day.
• Did I Dip It? Good grief no.

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