A Hot Dog Is a Sandwich - What's The Best Fast Food Burger? ft. Daym Drops

Episode Date: June 30, 2021

Today, we're joined by Daym Drops, an American food critic, YouTube celebrity, and host of the Netflix show Fresh, Fried, and Crispy to discuss: what's the best fast food burger? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This, this, this, this is Mythical. McDonald's sells approximately 75 burgers every second. But is that the burger that has us asking for seconds? Let's discuss. This is A Hot Dog is a Sandwich. Ketchup is a smoothie. Yeah, I put ice in my cereal, so what? That makes no sense.

A hot dog is a sandwich. A hot dog is a sandwich. What? Welcome to our podcast, A Hot Dog is a Sandwich, the show where we break down the world's biggest food debates. I'm your host, Josh Scherer. And I'm your host, Nicole Handizadeh. And today we're joined by Dame Drops. Dame is an American food critic, YouTube celebrity, and host of his very own Netflix show, Fresh Fried and Crispy,

which released earlier this month and I have been thoroughly enjoying. That is an understatement. I binged almost everything in one night and then my girlfriend's like, no, I'm hungry. That's not how she sounds. That's how I imitate her. And I was like, welcome to my entire world. Uh, but truly Dame, it's, it's a fantastic Netflix show. And I know, you know, as a one YouTube dude talking to another YouTube dude, you're always rooting for the YouTube dude. Uh, I mean, I remember seeing you in the Burger King commercial and being like, that's Dame. He's in it. And then now the Netflix show. It's fantastic, man. You are an absolute ray of damn sunshine on that platform.

And we're honored to have you here. Oh, man, it's a pleasure to be here, man. Thank you. Thank you. 100%. 100%. So your Netflix show, I mean, it's all about fried food. And I know that that has been a big part of, you know, you doing all the fast food reviews in your car. But today we are talking about the best fast food burger, which is especially fitting because the first episode of your show that I watched was your Five Guys review, which I'm sure a lot of people say that. And I mean, I remember not to date myself, but I was in college and my Australian teammate came up to me and he was like, have you seen the Five Guys burger guy? And I was like, what the hell are you talking about? And we all like watched it in a dorm room and was just blown away, man. I mean, you have just always radiated that energy and you're bringing it to Netflix.

But today we got business. We're talking about the best fast food burger. All right. Let's get to it. Let's get to it, man. I'm curious. You're the vet here. Hit us with the pick.

Hey, look, man. For me, and like I tell individuals all the time, best fast food is fat burger bro what was last night fat burger yes yes whoa whoa whoa yes hold up hold up hold up you're you're you're a connecticut guy fat burger that's like that's that's our turf like you're picking an la joint yeah you're best of all time i have to travel to get the best burger the best fast food burger i have to travel to get the best burger, the best fast food burger. I have to travel. Yes. Tell me why, man. Break down the Fatburger for me, because I got my own thoughts. I mean, we've probably both eaten Fatburger a whole lot, right?

I've had Fatburger twice. You've only had Fatburger twice? I've only had Fatburger twice, and I'm sorry I've only had it twice. You're missing out. I know. Well, now I'm going to go get it. Was it one of the Magic Johnson Fatburgers? No, there was a Magic Johnson Fatburger. Magic Johnson owns like a majority of the Fatburgers in LA, right? Is that a thing thing is that a common knowledge that people know this is a fun fact for me personally yeah it was like yeah it was a huge thing dame break that break down the fat

burger burger and what makes it the best in the game i'm telling you something you know me i mean you've probably seen a few of the videos i need that sba that soft bun action right like it has to be fresh you know and i don't necessarily have to have sesame seeds. It just kind of adds to the consistency when you're going for that bite, right? But let's get right to the beef. Let's just bypass anything else you can put on a burger. If that beef isn't close to the feel that you get

when you're biting into a Wagyu type beef, right? Because you know when you're getting that Wagyu, you know you're getting that high quality. Fat Burger delivers a quality of beef that's been seasoned up just right, right there Because you know when you're getting that wagyu, you know you're getting that high quality. Fat Burger delivers a quality of beef that's been seasoned up just right there on the grill and you can taste it. It makes you feel as if you're at a family cookout

and you're saying, Unc, let me go ahead and get that Supreme Burger. And then Unc whips you up that Supreme Burger and then you go in for that bite and then the juices are literally attacking your taste buds before they start sliding down outside. I mean, for me, my beard's going to catch it all. But right before they start sliding down the chin piece.

The flavor saver. The juices. Yes, the flavor saver. But the juices of a fat burger get me excited each and every time. And that cheese, I mean, it's processed cheese, right? You can take it. You can leave it. But if you love cheese, that cheese has to wrap.

It has to wrap. It has to hug the beef. That's exactly what Fatburger delivers. The type of cheese that's hugging the beef. You get your onions up off in there for extra flavor. You get a little crazy. You might want the mustard. You might want the ketchup. I don't know.

But I have to get my bacon. They don't give me that little faking bacon, that old extra soft bacon that disrespects a burger. They give me the extra crisp action. The bacon with rigor mortis. It's stiff. It's on your burger. It's crunchy. And it's coming for you each and every time.

Damn, damn. Paint me a poem with your words. I'm salivating. So thanks a lot. But I mean, no, so you,

you hit on a lot of points that make fat burger really unique. One, it's like, it's so fat burgers, a regional chain from Los Angeles. Magic Johnson owns like half of them uh but they're small enough to where they can still cook everything fresh and not worry you know what i mean like you're in mcdonald's you got 30 000 locations across the world right i know they just start they just started doing the quarter pounders fresh uh cooked in stores which that was a huge thing but fat burger they're out there

they're they're grilling the greasy burgers from scratch. So you're still getting that juice. They're actually cooking bacon. Like you said, they don't have that like that, you know, that Subway bacon. Oh, don't we all? We know it. They open the plastic.

It looks like a wilted rose. It's like a science project. Like a kid, you know, you do the leaf printings. Yes, exactly. You close the leafs in a bookmark. That's how they make their damn bacon at subway so i respect all that about fat burger the thing that i don't like though is their actual flavor profile of the condiments that go on the burger i'm a condiment guy i think i agree

with you fully about the juicy beef and the bacon and that is extra special but for me the fact that mustard comes by default on their burger that is not a fast food burger taste profile that I enjoy. I agree with you that it's like a cookout burger. You go to the cookout, you got the mustard and the ketchup there. I'm like a vehement anti-mustard guy on burgers. But that is personal preference only. So Josh, does that mean you run away from the McDonald's burger?

Because you know they have the ketchup and mustard on there as well. I do. I don't love McDonald's standard burger. However, so being a Californiaifornia guy thousand island right the in and out spread that's what in and out's not my official answer i do love in and out but i have a feeling nicole's gonna go in and out on that one what makes you say that okay fine yeah okay hit us with it yeah you know it's in and out and i'm not gonna lie about it i'm an in and out animal style cheeseburger girl. Always

have been, always will be. Not to say that I don't love other fast food burgers and I don't enjoy their fast food burgers. That's just my go-to. I'm a born and bred California, Los Angeles girl. And that's just who I am. That burger is a reflection of who I am. And that's it. Thank you. That's a big part of this. Like when you ask someone, what's the best fast food burger, especially people who are all like, you know, this is a huge part of all of our lives. We do a lot of fast food stuff here. When you ask someone what's the best fast food burger, you're asking them to share a piece of their identity. That's big too.

You know what I mean? When you say fat burger, what do you think that signals to other people that you want them to think about you? I need them to know that I am authentic. When I scream fat burger, fat burger for me is authenticity. It's locking and sealing a deal well before I get to fully understand the burger and take it all in. And when you're dealing with me, we are locking and sealing a deal during communication before you take me all in, in a way where you're like, yo, I love this man right here. You know what I'm saying? Like he has a love song about him. And food is their universal language.

And me, I might not be able to use all the magical words when describing food that folks tend to look for. I can give you an experience that can't nobody else give you, though. Amen. You really do. When you can actually experience food on the next level, that's something else. You can't even break that down properly because to experience food, you have to have a different appreciation for food, not just something that's textbook. I'm talking about something that's reality. You live it every

day. I not man, not to just like be a shameless corporate shill here and plug fresh fried and crispy, but I'm gonna go ahead and do that. Shout out Netflix. Uh, but no, no. One of the reasons I love the show so much is that your genuine love of food comes through so hard, right? I remember not to crap on any, let's call them Consumables Channel. I'm talking about Food Network. You watch so many Food Network people. You watch so many Food Network people

and they're like, the unctuousness of the burger was rivulating on the palate. And it's like, shut the hell up. Tell me how this burger tastes in your mouth. Give me something real. And it's like, shut the hell up. Tell me how this burger tastes in your mouth. Give me something real. And I get that from you, the genuine love on everything. From hanging out with Chicken Charlie, who that dude is an OG in the game.

Josh, he's amazing. He really is. He's done so much for the game, which seems silly to say for the fried Oreo dude. But it's really true. I remember how much eating he did a Krispy Kreme jelly donut spicy chicken sandwich. This must have been back in like 2004 at the Orange County Fair. And that was like, to me, a thing that changed the entire paradigm of how I thought about food. Right.

Because like it seems like a crazy stunt food on the surface. But then you actually think about it. You get that spicy spicy juicy chicken and it was like really well brined. I mean it tasted like the only thing I can think of is Carl's Jr.'s very heavily peppered chicken. I do love that chicken. I do love it too and then you get like the sourness of that jam and it just like plays off together but it's just so craveable and you're just crushing it with like a funnel cake next to you and you're about to throw up on the tilt the world i mean to me that's that is like a genuine food experience that i will never forget hey josh can i just slide some kudos your way i like to give individuals their flowers while they're still here the way you sat down the way you hit that symphony of

that particular sandwich i'm gonna call what it is you made me want it and you're talking 2004 we're in 2021 you made me want it right now today right talking 2004. We're in 2021. You made me want it right now, today. Right. And I mean, that's the particular, that's the thing like we're doing on YouTube or hell even on this podcast, you know, it's trying to give people like that vicarious experience, right?

You want them to feel like they're in that car eating a burger with you. And it is such a skill that, you know, it doesn't come with SAT vocab words, right? It comes with the genuine want for other people to have that experience. It's the passion of the food. Yeah. Yeah.

The passion of the food. That's the sequel to The Passion of the Christ. You know what it is? You can't be afraid of the food. Sometimes you're going to pick something up. You know it's going to make a mess. If you have that taco that looks like it's an explosion in your hand that's already happened, you know when you take that bite, it's going to get all over if you do not have a bib.

There's a lot of individuals that are out there that are afraid to take that full-on bite. They will go in for a nibble. Me, I'm going in for the bite so I can break this thing down properly. I can give you the layers of the taco down to the crunch, right? And make you want the taco

whether you even want a taco or not. It's a good metaphor for life. Don't nibble at life. No princess bites. No princess bites. No princess bites. We're not doing that. We're not doing that with food. Food is a whole attitude. Right. And it's an attitude problem if you don't know how to handle it. That's true. But I always I have a very particular method of eating hamburgers. Some people think it is derivative of Guy Fieri's hunch, but I don't think so. To me, it's a purely unique style, and I call it the mouth vacuum.

I fully believe, especially if you have a nice juicy burger, think about a fat burger, and you gotta sink your teeth in, or like slurping ramen noodles, right? That's like a big cultural thing in Japan. You gotta slurp the noodles. That's how you get all the taste. You gotta bite into the burger, and you gotta mouth vacuum it. You gotta go...

There's gonna be Some residual condiment action Right Running off the burgers The juice Probably And I don't want that To go by the wayside I don't want it

Soaked into the bun I want it in my mouth So you gotta mouth vacuum it Mouth vacuum Josh what's your burger? I really wanna know What's your fat Can we go back to In-N-Out Can we go back to In-N-Out?

Can we go back to In-N-Out real quick? Sure, no problem. Because Dame had a strong reaction when you said In-N-Out. Why did you have a strong reaction? And I want to know your thoughts. I broke In-N-Out down in comparison to Fat Burger, like maybe a couple L.A. trips ago. And I always said that In-N-Out, for me, if you do not go animal style, and though it is made to order, it's just overhyped McDonald's burger to me. Yeah. When I get those flavors, when I i take that bite it's a little bit larger and again it's

going to be more on the fresher side of life when dealing with in and out the prices are comparable to that mcdonald's so i can understand why everybody loves it nobody wants to spend nine to twelve dollars for a burger you get for three or four bucks, right? It is what it is. However, I'm going in for that four-piece suit of a burger versus the tank top and shorts, which is In-N-Out. That's what I'm doing. That's what I'm doing. I'm going for that casual bite. It's a casual bite, but you know it has a lot of flair when you look at it.

You know that it has a lot of spark. You know it's going to get attention when it steps in the room. That's a fat burger for you. And our burger is going to be in the room, but it's going to be sitting in the back corner somewhere playing on his phone. Whereas Fat Burger is going to be on the main stage getting the folks hyped and excited about that very first bite. That's Fat Burger to me. I have to eat Fat Burger is what you're trying to say. I'm just saying.

It's been maybe like eight years since I've had fat burgers. They got a banana milkshake there that I'm obsessed with. I think if we're talking best milkshake of the game, fat burgers, banana milkshake, I'm a huge fan. In-N-Out for me, In-N-Out is, it's resting on its cultural laurels, right? Agreed. In-N-Out doesn't,

it doesn't need to be better than it is because it's already so popular. They've gotten comfy. They've gotten comfy in their spot. And as anyone knows, get comfy in your spot. Someone's going to come up and pass you. That said, I love In-N-Out because it reminds me of, I mean, growing up in California, right? You just won an NJB basketball game in seventh grade. And, you know, the team mom takes you all through the In-N-Out drive-thru.

So it's a very nostalgic flavor for me, which I really love. But like Dame said, people always compared In-N-Out to Shake Shack shack which to me is a terrible comparison i don't get that right it's like when people could it's it's like i'm gonna do a sports metaphor and nicole's gonna hate this but it's like when people compare i don't know like uh bill russell to like lebron james it's like with all due respect to bill russell fantastic athlete we now have like science on our side, you know, and LeBron spends $2 million a year on nutrition and rehab and Bill Russell's like smoking cigars in the locker room, stuff like that. So, I mean, Shake Shack was founded in, I think, early 2000s. In-N-Out was a McDonald's contemporary, right? They started in the freaking 50s in Baldwin Park, Baldwin Hills, California.

Baldwin Park, I believe. And so, I mean, they were making this back when humans were smaller and they were just eating eighth pound burger patties. You know, the little discs that aren't going to have that snap of the fat burger or like a Shake Shack or whatever. But that said, this is a good interlude into my favorite burger that's coming a little bit later. Started in 1969, Santa Barbara, California. I'm switching up my choice at the last minute because I was about to say the western bacon I was about to say the western bacon from Carl's Jr but then I was like I don't I don't want people to think

that I'm choosing a pure national fast food outlet so I'm gonna hit you with I'm gonna hit you and I believe you've reviewed this before the habit the habit oh wow okay I see where you're going I see where I forgot all about them. Wow. I'm hitting you with The Habit on this. So The Habit founded one, went to school at UC Santa Barbara right next to the original Habit that still has the hot dogs and the chili cheese fries before they started franchising. But now they're trying to make a nationwide push.

And I think they damn well deserve it. Yes. That is two words that I think is one word. And that's charbroiled. It is really good. So it's one of the few places. charbroiled. It is really good. So it's one of the few places. So you go to Carl's Jr. and Burger King.

They both do the charbroiler as opposed to the flat top. However, they're so national that you're getting the preformed beef. You're tasting the propane chemical agents that OSHA has in the Burger King. So if there's a gas leak, they don't all explode in there or whatever. You're tasting the chemicals. When I go to The Habit, I taste just that pure, fired beef. You get the American cheese on there.

They got that thick cut bacon. And then another two words, Nicole. Avocado. I have two words for you. I have two words for you. Fast casual. Free ranch dressing. No, no, no.

The Habit is a fast, casual restaurant. It's not a fast food restaurant. That's a good point. It's a great burger, but you got to. No, no, no. The Habit is a fast casual restaurant. That's a good point. It's not a fast food restaurant. That's a good point. It's a great burger, but you got to stick to the prompt, Josh. You got to stick to the prompt. It is a very good burger, and I agree with you, and I love it. Screw it. I'm going buttery jet.

Buttery jet. Never heard. Never heard of it. All I have to say is I love it. It's really, really good. It's one of my favorites. All right. Break it down for me.

I reviewed Jack in the Box food before, but i do not recall doing a buttery jack jack okay so jack in the box is about the to preface this i think all fast food burgers and all fast food places have their core competencies that they do well right yes they wouldn't exist capitalism would simply not allow them to exist if they all sucked as much as people say they suck right Right? Of course. You know what I mean? Yeah. That said, Jack in the Box is probably about the lowest level of food I could go. Oh, shoot. I know. Their tacos, Jack in the Box tacos. And again, this is a conflict because I said the Buttery Jack is one of my favorite fast

food burgers of all time. Maybe my favorite. Maybe. For today's exercise, we will call it my favorite. Okay. But Jack in the Box, like their tacos, their chicken teriyaki bowl, their chicken fajita pita, they have strayed so far in their branding from what like their intended goal was. I don't even understand why they have that on the menu.

So, I love that the Buttery Jack brought Jack in the Box back from their like original idea, which was to have the, Jack in the Box is the inventor of the ultimate bacon cheeseburger with two kinds of bacon. They got the crappy floppy bacon, but they also got the bacon bits melted right into the cheese. They're the progenitor of the sourdough Jack Nicole. When Burger King came out with the sourdough cheeseburger,

that was because of Jack in the Box. He put some respect on the clown's damn name. They're not just the court jester for the Burger King out here. No, no, they're taking swings. And then they had one of the biggest failures in fast food history with the food truck inspired menu where they tried to make a banh mi sandwich

at the Jack in the Box. So they're the underdogs here, right? And also they do have some of the lowest corporate confidence rate from franchisees. Like they're all pissed off at Jack in the Box. But to me, the buttery Jack was the first great thing that they did other than the secret menu item that we had at Jack in the Box but to me the buttery jack was the first great thing that they did other than the secret menu item that we had with Jack in the Box but that's a different story

but the buttery jack right they took the artisan bun that looked a bit like a mini challah it's really pretty it's a pretty bun she cute it looks good in the commercials she cute I'm sorry and then they got they got like that wilty lettuce they got the it's not even crunchy water they got the w got like that wilty lettuce. They got the, it's not even, it's not even,

it's not even crunchy water. And they got the wilty water. We got the crunchy water that lost all the crunch. And that was just a little bit like green water. And then they got those tomatoes that are like kind of white.

Yeah. The tomatoes are not red. They're white. Come on. This is grown in a lab. But then, but then Dave, the saving,

and they got like the most, Jack in the Box has the most gray hockey puck-esque patty in the entire game. Where you can physically see the machinery in the factory, the marks that it has left on the burger. However, when you take all of that and you drown it in butter, my first bite of the buttery jack, I bit into the wilty water. I bit into that white ring of death on there. But then the butter exploded onto my tongue and i was like yes salvation is here and his name is the buttery jack i rest my case i'm not gonna lie i

good it's good it's just one of those burgers man you know it's one of those guilty pleasures i get it it's that it's that moment you had with that burger that'll always remind you of what was good yeah what i mean yeah it just reminds you of what was good. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It just reminds you of what you once had. Wow. Well, you know what? I can promise you guys this much. My next trip out there to the West Coast, I will get the buttery jack and do the review.

Please, please. I can't wait for it. I'm curious what, so I mean, you've done a lot of like limited time, you know, item stuff. Is there any limited time only burger that really stands out for you? Wow. Oh my goodness. I've had so many i know right they all run together they do they go hard oh man you know what it is for me when i have my wendy's baconator with with a pretzel bun

right because the wendy's and my burking out here, they know me well. So they always kind of overload my bacon situation on any of my burgers. But when it comes to bacon... That's celebrity. Nah, not at all, man. Not at all. That's just a whole lot of YouTube. That's power.

That's power, Dave. Get that out, man. That's a whole lot of YouTube over here. That's amazing. I wish I had that kind of power at my local Burger King slash Wendy's. I will always say this. When it comes to bacon for a QSR, quick service restaurant, I always say Wendy's comes first.

Because they have the type of bacon that has a very different level of crispiness to it. And it doesn't matter if you go there in the morning, if you go there for lunch, if you go there for dinner, it's always the same. Sometimes other locations are hit or miss based on the time you get there. Wendy's Bacon is so sincere, so serious, and they have that crisscross that goes on my actual Baconator itself with the pretzel bun. That's my thing, right? Hit that with a little bit of barbecue sauce and a little bit of mayo on the bottom bun because I always flip it for flavor. You put your pinky up, you give it a little bit of high class. You flip a burger upside down,

and then when you go take that bite, Josh, as you know, your condiment game has to be strong. You're getting all those flavors rushing in at once and the pretzel bun flavor. And I mean, that little combination is perfect alongside of the Wendy's bacon that's A1 in the fast food game. Yeah, Wendy's has the best bacon.

I agree 100%. Well, they like started, so I'm like obsessed with the history the fast food game. Yeah, Wendy's has the best bacon. I agree 100%. They like started, so I'm like obsessed with the history of fast food and the way that these brands have all tried to like outdo each other and find their own niche, right? I feel like at some point Wendy's was like, screw it, we're the chicken sandwich place. They had a robust

chicken sandwich menu like when I was growing up. They had the Dave's, you know, the quarter pound, the double, the triple, but they weren't doing anything special in the burger game, but they had these like Asiago Ranch chicken club sandwiches, whatever. But then the Baconator came out and Wendy's was like, yo, screw it. Chick-fil-A, they're expanding nationally. They got the chicken game on lock. We're going to be the bacon place now.

And they did it. And they're freaking good. It's amazing. But now they're like dead last in the chicken sandwich wars. Yes. Yeah. Let them stay there. I know.

They didn't even try they did not even try but you know what they said that they set out you give them an e for effort because they sure enough took to twitter to talk all the junk in the world but that's what but that's what the one these twitter account does right it's yeah it's gonna jab at everybody moving that's out there however they couldn't stand the test of time when it came to the chicken sandwich because when popeyes came out swinging nobody was touching them, although they all tried one after the other. They stood in line, that chicken sandwich line, and they were rejected at the door every single time. It's wild how, like, hearing the story.

So, I mean, I know you just reviewed Burger King. They screwed up our Burger King Chick King order, which I'm mad about. When do they not? That's fair. We don't work near a our Burger King Chick King order, which I'm mad about. When do they not? That's fair. We don't work near a great Burger King. You know, there's like the A-Team Burger Kings, where it's like they're the ones going to the conventions trying to recruit. No, we live near like a D-Team Burger King, which is cool. They're all trying their hardest, but, you know, they just can't really get it right sometimes.

Yeah, they try their best. Yeah, they try their best. Whatever their best is. I will never complain. I'll gladly pay for my order. But anyways, I was pretty impressed with Burger King. I think they got a good shot. KFC, they

tried to clone the Popeye's chicken sandwich and just took a swing and a miss. I haven't had Church's out there. I've never had the chicken sandwich from Church's. Because Church's did a redesign of the chicken sandwich. Carl's Jr.'s did a redesign.l's junior missed mcdonald's i haven't had zaxby's but i heard they were trying never ever had haven't either no they're

yeah they're they're down south that's the thing we miss a lot of these regional spots can i talk about a plate a regional spot that i really dislike sure and this is i've had it now like six times because i've been to austin texas six times oh my gosh and you all know where this is going i'm taking it to whataburger whataburger is okay okay with all due respect i've only been there like past 3 a.m um but but in my defense that's typically when fast food tastes the best uh but uh no i've never had anything that I thought was remotely good at all from Waterbury, including, I mean, people talk about, they're like, no, no, no. The problem is you got the thick patty Texas toast bacon Gouda melt. What you got to get is the chicken honey butter biscuit.

And I don't know what happened. It could be circumstances of my state of mind at the time. But I took a bite and I almost gagged I almost gagged at the text I know which is crazy I have the strongest stomach in the world but the texture of that honey butter it was like Vaseline

and it had such an intense I get my heart here I mean someone else tell me I'm wrong on this but I've never had Whataburger oh my god it was like so you go to KFC. KFC is honey sauce that they give you. Yeah.

It's 7% honey, I believe. And they disclose it on the packet. It says 7% real honey. The rest is corn syrup. The Whataburger honey butter sauce is like 2% tops honey. And definitely no butter. That's like palm kernel oil and just like shellac uh i've never had anything good from whataburger and i i want to see what others are seeing

i don't know i've never been to whataburger i can't help you i can't help you reach salvation for my my trip to whataburger was uh it was definitely a late night um i just went i just went basic i didn't even get crazy with it it was a you know bacon cheese burger and it was it was just okay it wasn't anything that i wanted to tell anybody about that was out there with me like there was no conversation to be had yeah i think i did one review of what a burger and i was just like all right well if i never have the experience again it's not the you know the end of life for me i'm good i'm okay yeah there's there's so many of these regional spots that people like absolutely insist on i mean in and out is probably the prime example of it

but what a burger but i mean even get into i was visiting a buddy in oklahoma we went to a place called brahms that i could not even remember the name of last time i tried to bring it up but he was like man brahms is the best they got like the best ice cream and they do the shakes fresh and then i got it and i was like ah so like most fast food burgers just kind of taste the same like if you break it down unless you're doing something special yeah these places are all within that like 90th percentile all tasting the same that's why i love when places do things different how do you guys feel about spicy burgers this is always one thing that i've always asked people like do you guys like spicy on your burger because

i don't always love spicy on my burger i feel like whenever there's the addition of any sort of like jalapeno or like sriracha or anything that it kind of takes away from the beautiful harmonious burger experience some people are really into it though so for me right if by chance it's like a spicy sauce and a mild spicy sauce it could be a nice mouthful flavor addition for the burger itself. But when you lather a burger with, okay, now you have the sauce,

you have the jalapenos in there. You got some chili peppers. They, they, they found some demon pepper. They want to talk like it gets a little ridiculous. And you take away from the whole entire meal. At that point,

you're only going in for effect. You're going in for that shock value. It is not to enjoy the burger anymore. It's more for, okay, how much pain can you take? I'd like to issue a counterpoint to all that. No, no, I agree with you all. One, I think it's funny when fast food restaurants, Wendy's did this a couple of years ago,

where they're like, ghost pepper fries. And then Taco Bell did the same with their rattlesnake fries that has supposedly scorpion chili in it. But the problem is you can't add enough ghost pepper or scorpion to a fast food audience to actually make it really spicy. So it's like you're just going for the shock effect. Like you said, you're going there for the branding. However, one of my favorite burgers of all time is the Carl's Jr. El Diablo Thick Burger.

It had the jalapeno poppers on the burger. Oh, shoot. I'm trying to think that I do that one. I don't even, I don't know if it went nationwide. Okay, so maybe this will jog your memory. It came out alongside, at least in California, a burger that I think is the worst burger of all time that had Lay's potato chips and a sliced hot dog on it.

Oh, come on, bro. It was called the Most American Thick Burger from Carl's Jr. The commercial was incredibly offensive. Gross. And it had a hot dog, and the hot dog that I got was like cold, and the hot dog water soaked into the chips. Come on, man. Stop right there, young man.

Stop right there. Come on, bro. I almost love bad fast food burgers as much as I love good ones because to me, it's like a moment in time, right? We're never going to have that most American thick burger ever again. We're never going to have, they had this weird,

like, it's supposed to be like a pro-immigration commercial, but it was still like naked chicks playing volleyball. Nice. And it was like, brought to you by Carl's Jr.

And I'm like, what type of political moment are you trying to capture right here? This is bizarre. But it came out the El Diablo thick burger. Here,

I'm reading it right now. Cheesy jalapeno poppers, slicedapenos pepper jack cheese bacon and a fiery habanero sauce and it it almost was it good you didn't even know that there was a beef patty in there it was just a mush of spice and cream and crunch and i got i loved it i loved it i loved it so much for me that burger did you ever have the uh in the Box burger with the grilled cheese sourdough sandwiches as the buns? Did you ever indulge yourself on that? The munchie meal. It's the munchie meal grilled cheese cheeseburger. That was crazy.

One day I was driving home because I lived in Marina del Rey, but all my friends were like in like mid city. I lived in Marina Del Rey. And I was like, stop making fun of me. And then I was, you know, I was just like, you know what? It's like two o'clock in the morning and I'm driving and I don't want to be here. I'm going to get damn burger. And then I did it and it was the best thing I ever ate.

Yeah. But I will never, ever, ever eat it again. It was one of those experiences where I'm just like, this is just a one time thing for me. I'm never going to do this again. That was like so screwed up, but so good at the same time. Let it exist as a single

beautiful moment in time. Exactly. Marina Del Rey girl. Josh, let me ask you. The laziest fast food burger you've ever had where you knew they didn't put any thought

into it whatsoever. They just threw it together and they just threw it against the wall to see if it stick all right so there's one i i have not been yet because the closest sonic is like 30 miles away but i really want to try it because i have a feeling this will be the laziest fast food burger it's their new bacon jam burger have you seen that no so sonic they got this new bacon jam cheeseburger, and it's three ingredients. It's bacon jam, which you know a fast food restaurant, anytime they're calling something a jam,

it's more like a goo. Yeah, of course. So there's just going to be this brown goo on top of a burger with cheese. I don't want to try that, but it reminds me of when McDonald's came out with the CBO, the cheese, beef, and onion. Yeah.

Cheddar beef and onion. Cheddar beef and onion. Yeah. Which to me, that was like the epitome. There was a gray goo, a slice of white cheese on the thin burger disc. And to me, that is the laziest burger. Like I'm imagining an employee just like squirting a little tub of like onion goo on there. Bro, I am.

What's yours though? I love, I love, I love my people at Burger King. I do. When they had the French fry burger on the dollar menu, I did that review. It was so bad. I threw it away in the trash in the video. That's how bad it was. Because I already had an issue with their fries to begin with.

And of course they found I guess their throwaway patties to use for this French fry burger. It wasn't even the regular ones. It was some throwaways. We had extra. Let's toss them out there with these water fries. That's what I was calling them. That's what it was like.

Yeah, man. And they just found whatever extra excess bun they could. They didn't even bother toasting it. That's how real it was. They didn't bother toasting it. And they just go ahead and shot that out to the public. I tore them apart for that one. That was the laziest burger I've had.

And some executive got paid a six-figure bonus for going yes hey we should do a french fry burger yes yes that was rough that's beautiful uh dave you got any closing arguments for your best burger i love what you said about fat burger man especially as like a native californian man i i love someone plug in plug in our spots and i got you've inspired me to go there same look again for me it's always about the experience it's about you know getting me, it's always about the experience. It's about, you know, getting there. Presentation is always nice, but at the end of the day, it is what it is. It's all going to go on the inside. I'm not going to be sitting there looking at a burger all day long. Right. So I need the flavors. I need to know when I take that bite and that it was really made at that moment. It wasn't something that was shipped and frozen.

I love that about fat burger. I love the fact that they said they don't ever plan on expanding because it's not about shipping meat from miles away. It's about, hey, listen, we're right here. We're within the community. If you want us, you have to come to us. So every time I want a Fatburger, I have to take that flight. But I know when I get off that plane and I know when I take that drive over to the local Fatburger near the airport, I am going to be excited because I'm going to have a moment with a whole lot of flavors in an extremely thick burger. You can get as crazy as you

want. Go double XL, triple XL, quad XL, just get wild with it. And if you want the Red Ring of Death and the crunchy water, knock yourself out. I don't need it. I'll just replace that with more beef, with more cheese, with more bacon, with more onions. And even though, Josh, I know you don't care about the mustard. I love my mustard.

Slap that mustard up on there, right? Give my ketchup up on there because I need all of that connecting together because I want my taste buds to explode. And then I want them to cry at the same time because they feel the joy, the pain, and the love that has gone into this burger of perfection. Got them all jacked up on fat burgers. Yeah, let's get fat burger for lunch. Honestly, I ain't got anything to do after this.

We're doing it. Yeah, we're doing it. We're doing it. And that's, I mean, that's the biggest endorsement of them all, man. Boom. All right, Nicole and Dane, we've heard what you and I have to say.

Now it's time to find out what other wacky ideas are rattling around there in the Twitterverse. It's time for a segment we call heard what you and I have to say. Now it's time to find out what other wacky ideas are rattling around there in the Twitterverse. It's time for a segment we call Opinions Are Like Casserole. All right, Nicole, we got a little bit of housekeeping to do before we actually get into the opinion. So we are taking a three-week break, you know, kind of like a How Stella Got Her Groove Back sort of situation. We're going to, you know,

go to, where did she go, like Bahamas, Cancun? I don't remember. I've never actually seen it. I've heard it's good. Oh, I've seen it. Yeah? Yeah, but like,

I don't remember the details of it. Anyways, point is, we are not going to publish any new episodes for three weeks. We're going to take a little break, time to reset,

but we're going to come back at you with plenty more bordering on incoherent food debate topics. And we're excited for that. Very excited. Very excited. All right, Nicole, you want to jump into it? Sure.

I'll take this one. At 2DeathFox says, pineapple and feta on pizza is the best pizza topping combo. How do you feel about that, Dane? For me, I've had pineapple pizza before. I wasn't like 100% excited about it. It does change that flavor profile of a pie itself. Like if that sauce is extremely good and that cheese

is just right. You know, you got it nice and melted. You're getting all the flavor and I'm only going in for the crust. I'm just like the pineapples, I'll just push to the side. The feta is a win because it already comes with its great flavor. So I can definitely go that given direction but I never tried it myself personally and I'm open to anything at least just once. So I can definitely go that given direction, but I never tried it myself personally,

and I'm open to anything at least just once. So I think I'm gonna go ahead and try it, and then I'm gonna revisit this question. I wonder how many people have actually tried this. This sounds delicious. This sounds right up my alley. Like that salty feta bite with that beautiful, sweet, juicy pineapple

just on a beautiful base of pizza makes a lot of sense to me it is missing red pepper flakes yeah you need the spice you need the spice to go with the sweet it's missing which is why i love like pineapple and jalapeno some sort of spicy cured meat on a pizza to me is really great i have more of a problem with the fed on this i knew you would i knew you would okay one i don't like uh i've had so many like watermelon and feta and mint salads and i do not like that combination. There's something about the graininess of the feta with the wateriness of the watermelon that doesn't jibe with me.

However, I also don't like cooked feta. Because when you cook feta, it like loses that moisture, it loses the beautiful texture, it gets grainy and chewy. I don't cook feta on it. Keep your feta off my delicious plain pineapple pizza. I see. All right, next up we got at Cara Dana. Bananas and sour cream with a little sugar is an awesome snack. Banana, sour cream, and sugar. Oh, okay.

You know what? That's a wow. Is that like that late night get right when you're feeling a certain kind of way? You feel an extra wavy and you're like, you know what? let me just go ahead and get a little crazy because the banana by itself. All right, great. Getting your potassium in there. It's a win. But you toss some sour cream on there.

And that flavor alone. I don't know. It's sort of like I've been watching individuals with the whole entire watermelon and mustard. Again, you can have some crazy combinations that are out there. That's truly one of them. And what else did they add to the sour cream and banana? Wasn't there one more ingredient there? Sugar.

Sugar. Okay, so that sweetness, man. Yeah, that sweetness right there. Sweetness with a little bit of sour. Wow. And I guess you can get that savoriness somewhere, but it's just highly deep-rooted and it would throw me off but you know and I said I try everything once I lie I lie

I'm gonna I'm gonna hit you with an even grosser counter to that that I was introduced by I dated a girl whose family came from Louisville Louis Kentucky, and her dad literally worked for KFC corporate. That's why they lived in Louisville, Kentucky. And her mom introduced me to bananas with mayonnaise and peanuts. Oh, get out of here. That's worse than this. It is a Southern delicacy and it is delicious. It's the saltiness and the acidity of the mayonnaise, the crunchy peanuts and the sweet banana that I did not know that about myself until I ate that.

And then it changed my life. And so, you know. What kind of mayo? What? What kind of mayo? I imagine if you're from the South, you'd use Duke's. But I mean, she probably used like low fat Trader Joe's because she was California. Oh, boy.

Everyone has that thing. Everyone has that weird thing. Yes. I get that I grew up in a household where my dad loves sour cream And he makes little sandwiches with bread Sour cream, jam, and sugar So this is very familiar But the banana, the texture of the banana

Makes absolutely no sense If it was like a raspberry Or a strawberry That makes more sense The banana throws me off more. Yes. Yes. I agree.

I agree. Okay. Yo Adrian. Oh, yo Adrian says, spinach and kale and soup is the worst soggy, slimy, leafy business. It can GTFO. Yeah. Yeah. I don't really.

I hate this whole trend of like rustic soups with like kale and like you dip your bread in it. I don't like that. I don't understand that. And it doesn't speak to my soul. I mean, in my culture, I'm Persian, Dame, if you couldn't tell. We make a lot of stews and we do a lot of green stews. And you got to cook it down to the point that it's like obliterated. You need to fry it first and then cook it down in the stew for hours and hours and hours.

Spinach and kale can't do that. Yeah. It just can't break down enough to give you a beautiful soupy texture. And it just doesn't work for me. No, they mix the salads with the soups. It doesn't make sense. Keep the salad separate from the soups. I wish I was that girl that liked the rustic soups.

I can't. I can't. Yeah. No, don't get me on those Pinterest soups. Dan, we know how you feel about lettuce. How you feel about kale and spinach?

Well, kale, yeah, we just kind of run in the opposite direction. Spinach, though. Mom's raised me pretty heavy on spinach and I never really had a problem with it

because it was like I went from spinach straight on over to collard greens and I was still happy at the end of the day. Yeah. It was just a great, nice chew to it.

I had a little bit of saltiness going on. She would always toss in a little bit of that pork fat just for a little extra flavor and that was her way to get me to eat my greens right get my little veggies in me so the spinach is a win the kale i could definitely leave alone i never liked it i tried it a few different occasions just to have it kind of different ways and each and every time i was like i'm all set here because it was too bitter for me it just it just never worked yeah yeah it never worked yeah it's got that really dark that

dark green bit you know can't enjoy it it's different from like you eat something like a mustard green a collard green a turn green it's got this like it's a little bitter but it's got that bright pepperiness it's a nice bitter whereas kale is it's got that you have to massage it you have to massage the kale you got to break up the cellulose massaging that can get for days if you have to massage your food it's not worth it right i'm not even gonna get into it with you all right oh here we go all right we we covered this on the podcast but dame i want your opinion on this we got little raccoon one two three bagel bites are better than pizza rolls oh oh yes yes and i'm i'm going with the bagel bites yes sir i'm definitely going with bagel bites because you just get more of that

extreme bite that thickness to it and me personally i love a mean bagel bite and then it always has a nice little uh what i like to call the the ghetto cheese you know not getting any strong mozzarella on this but you're just going to get enough so you can actually trick yourself into thinking, oh, I'm taking down a pizza right now. A little small, a quick popper. You could be watching your favorite movie. It really doesn't make a difference.

Playing your favorite video game. Those bagel bites are going to disappear in seconds. In seconds. Pizza roll is just not enough. Right? Every pizza roll leaves you wanting. Wanting so much more so every pizza roll you eat so much more and then you have an attitude bagel bites you don't get an attitude after you

take them down you're looking for more that pizza roll you're already mad after the first bite my favorite thing about bagel bites is that they can't legally use the term mozzarella cheese so like literally like like you said about the cheese like it is literally so processed processed they can't even call it's literally called like imitation mozzarella product and i've never i have never said i'm like obsessed with food labels i have never seen that one on any product but that said i agree i think they're delicious i love you talk about flipping the burger to get different parts hitting the palate to me that's the biggest difference bagel bite you get you get the cheese you get the sauce hitting the palate first that's the biggest difference. Bagel bite, you get the cheese, you get the sauce, hitting the palate first. That's important to me.

Definitely. I like both. I used to be at pizza rolls only, but I like both now. I'm a big fan of both. I feel like we bullied you into liking both. Yeah, it's fine. It's fine. There's some elevation to have here. Nothing I'm not used to.

Humans Are Featherless Bip says, microwave bread is better than toasted sometimes. How do you feel about that one? Toasted for me? I've had microwave bread. What I call struggle bread, right? Definitely it's a situation where you're going to try something. I remember tossing some butter on bread, toss it into the microwave, and it definitely changes the consistency of it for me.

I just love the crunch on toast. No matter what you put on it, whether it's regular jelly, whether you have jam, whether you have some kind of preservative on there. I mean, the flavor hits different and you get that crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch every single time. I can't do that with something that's microwaved. I'm not going to get a crunch. It's just going to be

soft. It's going to be mush. It's going to be balled up and I'm just like, ugh, no, I'm not happy here. But with toast, I am happy there. Lightly toasted or damn near burnt, I'm happy either direction. I feel that. Nicole, tell this man what you do with American cheese, bread, and a microwave. Okay, so sometimes I like to take

American cheese and Wonder Bread and I like to put it in the microwave for nine seconds and then I fold it up and then I put hot sauce on it and then I eat it. That's what I do and I'm proud of myself. She went to culinary school, by the way. But I still love toast.

I love toast. But something about that mush, that cheesy white mush. With a little bit of hot sauce. A little bit of hot sauce. It's like my comfort meal. It's like a ravioli at that point. I'm making ravioli. I'm making microwave ravioli, everybody.

Okay, we can respect it. I went through a weird phase of my life where I stopped toasting my burger buns and instead I'd wrap them in a wet paper towel and microwave them for eight seconds. Oh, goodness. Because I've since seen the light, and we did this test where we tried to figure out scientifically the best way to make a burger, and we tested side by side one flip versus multiple flips, different cuts of beef, all that. And then we tried toasted versus untoasted bun next to each other.

Toasted bun crushes, crushes untoasted bun. But that said, I still do like the idea of just pure, soft, pillowy bread sometimes, like a White Castle Slider, right? A White Castle Slider. There's no toast on that, but it's satisfying in its own way because it's like a dumpling. It eats like a soup dumpling. It has that domed, like has that domed like yeah a little pillow it melts in your mouth just kind of melts in your mouth you know you have your your onions that are up off in there again for that that flavor that little bit of pop and it's just so tiny and whether you go with a regular hamburger or cheeseburger it doesn't matter because the moment you're holding it you it

really starts to bend you get to see a bend on your thumb yeah the butt of the bread is going to start bending and holding over until you take that bite. And you're like, okay, this is White Castle, right? Keep a bathroom there, by the way. I'll never forget the first time I went to White Castle proper. It was in Cleveland. It was a hybrid church's chicken, White Castle. Wow. And I felt like, yeah, it was on a road trip, too.

We were going to Pittsburgh. And I was like, this road trip is going to need a lot of stops like we gotta the one where you gotta pick out the nice gas stations because you're like it might be here for a while you know you gotta find the good ones with the outdoor bathroom so no one's gonna bother you right exactly uh here we go okay we got at mckenzie beach underscore peanut butter on breakfast sandwiches is the only way to go. Egg, bacon, cheese, peanut butter. Ew, I want to be nasty here, but I want to try that, B. I love peanut butter to begin with, but I can imagine, because I like my bacon, egg, and cheese

on croissant, all right? There's something about that flakiness right there, the butter on the croissant, toasted up lightly, nothing too crazy. But my eggs have to be fried hard. I don't like a runny egg. I don't need that sunny side of action. American cheese and, again, my bacon

extra crisp. But to hit that knife with some peanut butter and put it right on top of the croissant, that sounds a little freaky. Yeah, I'm on for it. That's real freaky. Yeah, I'm on for it. I love that, man. You can't see this, but Damon shifted his stance. I did. You know the stance?

I have a shoulder he should this sounds good with a schmear of grape jelly for me more so than peanut butter yeah yeah a nice schmear of grape jelly but i can't do the peanut butter it gobs up the bacon and cheese i can't do it oh you know where i like mustard yellow mustard is with grape jelly on a breakfast sandwich. Oh, like Scrapple. Like Scrapple. Dude, that's where it comes from. Damien, you ever had Scrapple? No, I have not. Please, break that down for me. This is going to be a little bit less poetic, so it's an Amish delicacy

from Pennsylvania. They essentially grind down all the internal organs of the animal that they would otherwise throw away. So think about like Spam, except minus all of the good things about spam. And then they add cornmeal and oats to it to solidify it. And then they like deep fry it till it's really crispy. And all those like fatty organ meats are kind of leaking out.

I'm not selling it too hard. However, all my family is from like Mennonite country in Pennsylvania. And I had at the Reading Terminal Market in in Philadelphia a Scrapple breakfast sandwich and it was just this like unidentifiable fried disc that tasted reminiscent of pork in the sense of like if you got the best cooked meal during the Great Depression

you know where you're like look I understand this is depression food but like you're really good at doing what you do that's what Scrapple was to me and so it was a really beautiful moment and they put grape jelly and they put mustard on it with cheese and an egg and to me it was beautiful did I sell you on it?

no not really but I can see with the addition of the jelly on that how it can help mask whatever flavor that you actually get from the Scrapple itself so it's not as bad like it almost sounds rather enjoyable because you still get the sweetness from the jelly. You're still going to get that nice flair that you're looking for.

And it almost shifts the meal a little bit. That's what still excites me. If I go to a steakhouse and have a steak and forget that it's a steak just because that flavor, just getting so much butter on that, or maybe it's a little bit of garlic because of the topping that you chose,

but it just kind of changes the meal just a little bit. I get excited about it. I do. And like, not to just tie this back into poetic crap about fast food, but that's one of the cool things about all these fast food places doing different burgers. I mentioned like 90% of them are really, really similar, but then you notice the nuances. And when you eat as many burgers as all of us have in our lives,

you notice the things, you know what I mean? You notice that someone's grilling the bacon up fresh. You notice the charbroiled flavor. You notice the cut of lettuce or where they, you know, put it on the burger that really gives it a difference. It is like the universal palette from which all Americans paint. Ooh, I like that, Josh. I took one art history class.

I got like a C plus. Pretty proud of that, though. All right. On that note, thank you so much for listening to Hot Dog Sandwich, and thank you so much to Dame Drops for being our amazing guest. Dame, tell the people where they can find you. Hey, listen, man. On Instagram, it's at OfficialDameDrops. Of course, on YouTube, Dame Drops.

You know what I'm saying? I mean, the biggest and best thing that's going on right now on Netflix is Fresh, Fried, and Crispy with your main man, Dame Drops, showing a lot of love to the local mom and pops out there, letting them shine. We dealt with a whole entire pandemic. We lost a lot of great food that was out there in different cities, man. And we're just trying to bring the attention back as you guys make your way out there into the world, man. Be sure to support the local businesses and be sure to watch Fresh, Fried, and Crispy right on Netflix. Yeah, 100%. Can't endorse Fresh, Fried, and be sure to watch Fresh Fried and Crispy right on Netflix. Yeah, 100%.

Can't endorse Fresh Fried and Crispy enough. Also, if you generally want to support YouTubers making the jump to other platforms, I mean, Dames and OG have been watching them for forever and couldn't root for a better dude. And dude, Mazel Tov so much on the success, man. Thank you. Truly, it's awesome to see.

Thank you both. Absolutely. Oh, sure, were we supposed to say something too? Yeah, we gotta wrap up. We it's awesome to see. Thank you both. Absolutely. Oh, are we supposed to say something too? Yeah, we've got to wrap up. We have a podcast to plug. And if you want to hear more from us here in the Mythical Kitchen, we've got new episodes for you every Wednesday. If you want to be featured on Opinions Are Like Casseroles,

you can hit us up on Twitter at MythicalChef or at Hendizadeh with the hashtag OpinionCasserole. And of course, if you want to share pics of your dishes, hit us up on Instagram at Mythical Kitchen. We'll see you all next time. Let's go get a burger. Fab time. Let's go get a burger. Fat burger. Let's go get fat burger.

I'm like sweating, I'm so hungry. you you