We Heart Burgers

Back in September, I compiled a list of our favorite sandwich places, and you gave us your recommendations. Kristen and I have been attempting to make it around to as many of these places as possible so we can eventually do a follow-up. In the meantime, who likes hamburgers? We sure do, and unlike sandwiches, we will almost never settle for the mediocre fast food version. The overloaded, too big for your mouth kind that you get from sit down restaurants doesn't really do it for us either. We have found that the places that do the burger best are old fashioned diners and drive-ins.

Ab's Drive-In
Locations: West Jordan, West Valley
What to get: The Fat Boy

Their signature burger, the Fat Boy, combines two beef patties with traditional toppings like lettuce, cheese, tomato, onion, and relish. The french fries are hand cut and cooked to order, so they almost maintain the illusion that they are healthier than your average fries. We always get coupons in the mail, and the West Jordan location is close enough to our house (and my office) that we stop in often—and I have the "abs" to prove it.

B & D Burgers
Locations: Salt Lake, Midvale
What to get: Bacon Ranch Burger

Kristen and I would often meet up for lunch when she worked for the U, and we almost always went to B & D. I can't quite pinpoint what makes this place so good—their burgers just have a distinct grilled flavor that has me salivating just thinking about it. We tried the Midvale location once, but it wasn't quite the same. Maybe it's a quality control thing. Or maybe once you take away the adjacent campus, the quaint college atmosphere becomes just plain ghetto.

Crown Burgers
Locations: Salt Lake, Sandy, West Valley, Layton
What to get: The Crown Burger

How do you improve on a hamburger? By adding a heaping pile of pastrami of course (the most sensual of all the salted cured meats). The decadently meaty namesake of Crown Burgers might give you a heart attack before you can finish it, but at least you'll die happy. Note: Other local places such as Astro Burger and Apollo Burger offer virtually the same menu, and even share similarly dated 1970's decor.

Five Guys Burgers & Fries
Locations: Sandy, Midvale, West Valley
What to get: Whatever the heck you want

I'd like to think the brainstorming session for choosing this business name went something like this. Guy #1: Okay, hear me out. There's five of us, we're selling burgers and fries, how about 'Five Guys Burgers & Fries?' Guys 2-5: Brilliant! Let's eat! Yes, their name is incredibly lame, but the food is tasty and the portions are huge. There are only a few basic burgers to choose from, but their selling point is that you can add as many or as few of their 16 free toppings as you like.

Hires Big H
Locations: Salt Lake, Midvale, West Valley
What to get: The Big H

When you bite into a Big H from Hires, everything from the patty all the way to the flour-dusted bun exudes freshness. You can tell they cooked it especially for you. And there's no better way to wash your meal down than with their homemade root beer, which comes in the all important frosted glass mug. What is it about drinking from a mug that makes root beer taste so much better?

The Training Table
Locations: Salt Lake, Midvale, Provo, Sugar House, Layton, Riverton
What to get: The Bleu Bacon Burger

The first time we wandered into a Training Table, we were so weirded out by the "order over the phone" gimmick that we abruptly left and ate somewhere else. However, when we moved to Sugar House, we decided to give it another try. Soon enough, we were eating there all the time. Kristen irrationally craves their variation of fry sauce, which combines mayo with barbecue sauce instead of ketchup. She would probably just use her fingers if we didn't have fries to dip.

Alright, now let's hear your recommendations. I'm sure someone out there is going to mention In-N-Out Burger. I haven't eaten there since I was 12 or so, but I am planning to reacquaint myself when the new Draper location opens sometime later this year.