You sous-vide the equivalent of an ultra-thin smashburger or otherwise fast-food style burger?
How big were the burgers at the kitchen you were talking about?
No, I sous vide 1/4 pound burger or larger. I usually buy ~1 pound steak, trim off any fat. then grind it and make 2 burgers.
The burger the guy made me was outrageous. Twice the size of what others were eating. He told me he made the type of burger he likes.
Mostly because they tend to be crispy, which I don’t care for, but also because I associate crinkle fries with the frozen ones you make at home or get at the middle school cafeteria.
It’s funny because if I recall my high school French correctly, Cheval means horse 
Burger and fries is $16. There is a post on Reddit trending the other day with the bill for a burger, fries and soft drink for $24. I think it included a small tip.
Where I can specify I order burgers medium-well due to concerns about commercially ground meat. Fresh ground I’d go for medium-rare.
Some years ago I read an article by one of the big-time radio reporters during WWII, I forget who. About a week before D-day he was invited to the White House for a one-on-one briefing he had to keep under his hat until the big day. Arriving at 9pm he talks about an hour with FDR and then the President said, “Say, I’m hungry. You hungry? Let’s get something to eat,” picked up the phone and ordered a couple of hamburgers.
About twenty minutes later they arrived with some potato salad on the side and, “It was the best damn hamburger I’d had in my life!” A while after that the meeting was over and as he was being led out he asked to detour through the kitchen where he raved to the chef. The guy pointed to a big chunk of prime rib still sitting next to the grinder.
I used to adore Fuddruckers. Back in the day, they were the only place that would make a medium rare burger and it was outstanding. Today, the closest location is over 400 miles away, so no more Fuddruckers.
I remember one time being at a somewhat fancy restaurant near Disneyland and ordering a medium-rare burger. Judging by the reaction from the other guests at my table and the waiter, you would have thought I asked them to sacrifice a baby at the table. I sure miss the days when you could safely purchase a burger without it being cooked to the texture of a hockey puck. Now, my only alternative appears to be grinding my own.
Having said all of that, if I have to get a burger from somewhere, it’s usually In and Out or The Habit.
Is there any chain that makes a good lamb burger?
I used to love me a big greasy burger loaded with toppings. But something changed maybe a decade or 2 ago such that they didn’t satisfy me as they had in the past. Maybe my metabolism changed - or just my tastes. And it seemed as though burgers went in for so much excess. Way more toppings than you could eat with your hands - without a bib.
But combined with that, it is just SO ridiculously easy to grill burgers at home that surpass anything you get at the store. Buy quality meat, your choice of buns and toppings, and in less than 15 minutes, you’ve got a delectable burger (for WELL less than $10!)
I will give you the fries, tho. Can’t do those as well at home. Used to LOVE Red Robin’s all-you-can-eat steak fries!
I know a couple of guys who LOVE Culver’s. I’ve eaten there maybe 5x - don’t see the appeal. Plus, always seems to take A LONG TIME.
They started in Santa Barbara. I like them. I like the fried pickles and the teriyaki burger. The fries are decent, and the shakes are very good. They are very salty, though, so I don’t go there often.
I like Shake Shack. To me, they taste very much like In-n-Out (which I also like).
My favorite hamburger chain is The Counter (they’re a bit more like a restaurant than a fast food place, but I love their burgers. They used to have Canadian bacon as an option for a topping, which made them perfect. I’d get mine with just the patty, Canadian bacon, Swiss cheese, and a fried egg. Mmm, tasty! Now, I get them with the egg and Swiss cheese, which is almost as good.
I don’t know what it is about fast-food or fast-casual burgers that makes me like them better than homemade, but I’ve never been able to get a homemade burger to taste right.
I liked them the first several times I had them (love the number of choices), but on subsequent meals I just found them waaaay too salty (my same problem with The Habit). So, even though I like their burgers, I don’t eat there often.
Another place nearby The Counter is the Burger Lounge. I like them better than my sister does, so I don’t get them as often as I want. And they have grilled onions (which I’ll always get if they’re available). I just checked their menu and saw that they’ve added a grilled cod sandwich. Maybe I’ll have to go back soon. 
OK, that’s the opposite of the burgers I’m talking about and are typically served at fast food establishments. Most pubs around here (Chicago) will happily make you a medium rare burger with their “pub patties” (anything 1/3 lb and up). At least I’ve never had any issue. It’s only when I’m traveling I ask whether the kitchen will make it medium rare. And I agree. If you’re getting a larger sized burger, then it’s medium rare (or rarer) or bust for me! No way I want something 1/2 pound well-done in my mouth. But for fast food, dealing with 1.6 oz - 4 oz patties, it’s well done until the edges are caramelized for me. Helps if you start out with at least 80-20 meat, preferably as fatty as 60-40. I’ll take those six days out of seven.
Oh my, the dearly departed Burguesa Burger had that as an option (well, ham, pretty much the same thing). Their La Monumental was:
special creamy sauce (actually not thousand island dressing!)
avocado
onion
tomato
lettuce
refried beans
crunchy tostada
ham
cheese
patty
cheese
patty
I am still sad about them being gone. They were amazing.
In highschool I had a friend whose parents had sheep. They also had gas on their property, so their gas was free. All their appliances were gas, including their refrigerator and freezer.
They ate lamb/mutton most days. My friend’s mom always offered me a lamb burger and I always accepted.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a lamb burger in a restaurant in the US. It’s rare enough to see leg of lamb, and even then it’s something special for easter.
Weirdly enough, my favorite burger of all time was called the “CBS Burger” (Canadian Bacon and Swiss) and it came from the on-campus burger joint at my college (Cal Poly SLO). I have no idea what they did with it–it was just a generic burger with no “special” ingredients, but it tasted absolutely amazing. The funny thing is, I got an on-campus job working at the place for a while, and I made the darn things. But when I try to make one at home, it never tastes the same.
I figure it has to be something about the beef patty that I’ll never be able to duplicate. I would go back there and get one, except the place is long gone now.
In my experience, any sit down place with “all you can eat” usually just means you’ll never see your server again. This has been my Red Robin “bottomless fries” experience – I think the server starts crawling under the tables to avoid me as soon as the fry basket hits the table.
At first I thought you were talking about this place in South Lake Tahoe, but they appear to be independent of the chain I assume you meant; they just happen to have the same name. I assume they predate the chain which is why they’re allowed to use the name.
But if were talking local chains, Sacramento has Squeeze Burger (Or maybe I should say Sacramento had Squeeze Burger, since it appears the only remaining location in Sacramento proper is at the airport). The original location, now closed, was featured on one of the early seasons of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and Guy Fieri considers them to be one of the best burgers in America. Although that location had to close because it couldn’t meet ADA requirements, there are several Squeeze Burgers dotted around NorCal. I’m not sure what kind of franchise agreement they’ve got, because while they all use the same Squeeze Burger name and logo and feature the signature burger with the cheese skirt, they all seem to be independent of one and other with their own web sites and different menus apart from the signature burger. The one in Galt appears to be run by the people who owned the original one in Sacramento.
My favorite food truck Low Key has local beef burgers (ground in house) with caramelized onions, bacon, jalapenos, pepper jack and their signature jalapeno-pineapple sauce for $14. Hand cut fries are $3. It’s in the parking lot of a lumber yard, but it’s worth it. Come visit!
Dang, those look good. I’ve never had food from a food truck, but I’m willing to give it a try
Check out the breakfast burritos! Best I’ve ever had. Cooked to order, caramelized onions, peppers, 3 eggs… Nom nom.