LA: in-and-out burger

in-and-out burger
7009 w. sunset blvd. @ orange
hollywood, CA 90028

tetsujustin told me to go eat a 4x4 at in-and-out burger for him while i was in L.A. i actually had an in-and-out burger before in pasadena, CA about 9 years ago and truthfully don't remember being that impressed. but my hangover this morning was screaming for some grease and i thought it was about time to give it another go.

after some preliminary research i found out that the 4x4 was a burger with 4 patties and 4 slices of cheese off their secret menu. i felt daunted by it and i'm not much for eating as a sport, but still a little hazy from a night of heavy drinking, i left the house to go meet D. there.

she said we should wait until at least 1:30 to avoid the lunch crowd. we got there right about 1:30 and the parking lot was packed. the drive thru line was at least 15 cars deep and snaked around the parking lot. there were employees taking orders with wireless handheld terminals as cars pulled up to the end of the line so they could get orders in before the cars even made it across the lot to the actual building itself. the lot was full too so there were cars just sort of hanging out waiting for spots to open. the drive thru line was obstructing other cars from pulling out or in. it was a mad situation. we found a parking spot right away (due to my amazing parking karma) and headed inside.

the joint was packed. we found a line to stand in but it went quickly. the menu is one of the simplest i've seen: burgers, fries, milkshakes, and a few other beverages. it was even fun ordering the 4x4 - the kid behind the counter looked surprised and then gave me a look like, "yeah, go for it." we waited almost 10 mins for our food to come out.

this is how my order looked in the cute in-and-out burger trays.

this is the 4-by-4. 4 beef patties, 4 slices of american cheese.

freshly baked and grilled bun, special sauce, generous tomato, lettuce, and onion.

here's a close up. the burger was delicious and really hit the spot. there was so much cheese, it oozed out of the burger. it had lots of onion on it the way i like it. the creamy 1000 island-esque special sauce was tangy and yummy.

the fries were too cold by the time i dug into them. i tasted the lightness that in-and-out fries are known for but the temperature of them just killed it for me. fries should be hot and crispy and these weren't. i thought about sending them back, but then i was worried my burger would get cold.

here was the check. what a fabulous lunch for less than $10. i can't express how comforting this meal was and how much it hit the spot. SO SO SO GOOD...