Fine Dining - Septemburger 2024 Kick-Off Spectacular: Steak 'n Shake vs. Rally's, Freddy's vs. Culver's, Whataburger Review

Episode Date: September 4, 2024

Your chance at $500 is here! Septemburger is once again upon us, and this time I've scoured the nation for 8 fast food burger chains to compete in the annual contest I'm joined by a slew of guests: my own Dad, I Think You Should Leave's Steve Moulton, and my friends Kellie Baldwin, Herbert Amaya, and Ashley Robinson Click here for a direct link to the Septemburger 2024 Bracket Google Form (due by end of day September 10th, 2024)! Septemburger Rules explained: 24 burgers across 8 fast food/fast casual restaurants are sampled First round matches pit basic burgers against basic burgers (the #1 on their menus) to see who has the fundamentals Burgers are given a score by Michael & guest, which are averaged and compared to their opponent each round Winning chain advances to the next round, while the loser is eliminated from the tournament (therefore, their other two burgers don't factor in) Semi-Finals & Finals conducted on a FREE episode on September 30th on the "Fine" Dining Patreon First Round Match-Up: Steak 'n Shake (#2 seed) - The Original Steakburger vs. Rally's Drive-In (#7 seed) - The Big Buford First Round Match-Up: Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers (#3 seed) - The Freddy's Original Double vs. Culver's (#6 seed) - The Butterburger Scoring the Whataburger at the #4 seed, Whataburger "Fine" Dining is now on video! Head on over to my YouTube to watch this episode! Music by: James McEnelly (@Ramshackle_Music) Theme Song by: Kyle Schieffer (@JazzyJellyfish) Segment Transitions Voiced by: Sandy Rose "Fine" Dining is on Patreon! Get an extra episode every month (my Ess-a-Bagel episode just dropped, where I went with my girlfriend Joyce as she reeeeally wanted to try NYC bagels), extended Yelp from Strangers segments every other week, merch discounts, download access to our music including the 7 singles from our Olive Garden musical, and more! Patreon Producers: Joyce Van, & Sue Ornelas   Get the 5 Survival Tips for Casual Dining at www.finediningpodcast.com!   Send in your hamburger stories at [e-mail].   Follow the show on TikTok and Instagram @finediningpodcast   Let me know where I should go next by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, PodcastAddict, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. I read every one!   Next week on "Fine" Dining: In-N-Out Burger! I'm joined by Raj Rawal Ever work at In-N-Out Burger? Send me your stories at [e-mail].

From this point forward, the word cheese will be bleeped because Michael finds it offensive. Ladies and gentlemen, the month you've been waiting for is finally upon us. It's September-ger. Eight hamburger juggernauts and fast food and casual dining will enter the sesame seed arena and duke it out for this, the Septemberger Championship belt. Like Outback Steakhouse last year, who will have their name forever etched in glory and who will be left in the grease trap?

Tonight we get not one, but two steps closer to finding out as we have the clash of the Custard, Wichita, Kansas' own, Freddy's frozen custard and steak burgers against the pride of Wisconsin. I'm talking about Culver's! But it doesn't end there. Our first bout of the night, the fight for the best bite. Pitts Mobile, Alabama's rallies drive in against the Midwestern Titan. Steak and shake.

Head on over to linktree.com slash fine dining podcast to access and fill out your September bracket by September 10th. You could win $500 if you are correct. In all of your bracket picks, you will be put into a drawing. You've got nothing to lose and victory to gain. But be sure to listen to this episode first as I give you not one, but two correct answers to the first round matchups in the Septemberger bracket, as well as a preview of how I feel

about one of next week's participants, Whataburger, ahead of their match with California's own In-N-Out Burger. And we'll close out September's first round with weeks three and four featuring perpetual trash panda White Castle as it takes on New York staple Shake Shack. And then all of this will conclude for free,

a free release on my Patreon, the last day of the month of September, semifinals and finals. And now without further ado, hit the super special September Gers theme song Hey Burgers and Tart, one burger leaves Take a look at the menu, nothing but beef So fire up that grill and fry up your soul We're looking for something that's better than meaty oak Something's better than mediocre It's time for a burger in September

Yes, it's time for the test, there can only be one Victor of a burger in September Yeah, we're looking for some perfection on the bun Just be the best burger that you can be Somewhere between heaven and ecstasy I can see that hunger is in your life Now before we jump into these matchups, it's important that you know the rules for Septemberger. Each restaurant in the first round will present its basic burger, its number one on the menu hamburger offering.

To get out of the first round, I need to know, can you get the basics right? Each burger in a head-to-head matchup will be given a score by me and whoever the guest host is. We will then take the average of the two scores will be given a score by me and whoever the guest host is. We will then take the average of the two scores, put them against each other, and whoever has the higher average advances to the next round, while the other is eliminated from the competition. Any restaurant advancing to the semi-finals or the finals will then see specialty burgers from their menu brought into the equation, where they will be evaluated to their fullest potential. Let's introduce the first burger.

into the equation where they will be evaluated to their fullest potential. Let's introduce the first burger. Attention bowling fans and gourmet enthusiasts. Prepare for a perfect game as a true champion rolls into the alley. No bumpers. Hailing from Steak and Shake, the number two seed in the tournament,

introducing the sleek and skillful Steak and Shake Original Steak Burger. This master of the lanes brings you two meticulously seasoned and seared beef patties delivering precision and taste in every bite. Positioned between toasted buns, this steak burger is layered with crisp pickles and fresh onions, each element perfectly aligned for maximum flavor impact. As it takes to the lane, watch this burger make its mark, aiming to strike out hunger and leave you cheering for more.

Get ready because while this burger is not made of turkey, it's here to try and score one. Okay, so for the number two seed, we are from a hotel room in Dallas, Texas, because this show is on the road. This show gives the people the info that they need and Septemberger is crawling all over the country this year to try and bring you eight burgers from different localities. The number two seed, I rated it fairly high because the best burger I've ever had here, I really enjoyed and I had a lot of nostalgia for.

This place used to have a location right down the street from me in Burbank, and I took it for granted, and then it went away as soon as a Shake Shack moved in, because I guess they didn't want to have name confusion between the two. But the number two seed is steak and shake. Steak and shake, uh, was our March Patreon episode. Dad, you joined me on that. And this is kind of a continuation here as we talk about it's ranking in September, its score, its effort, it's whatever.

So hello, dad. This is my father. Hello. And, uh, Michael, you can't live on whatever. So hello, Dad. This is my father. Hello. And Michael, you can't live on memories. These are distant memories. Steak and Shake has a long way to go. Here's the thing.

I thought that it didn't like totally live up to the memory, but I don't think it was bad. We're going to get into it though. This first match up that Steak and Shake, the number two seed has to overcome is rallies. Rallies, aka checkers, depending on what part of the country you're in. So let's talk about it. Let's talk about how Steak and Shake did. Round one of Septemberger, the burger that they enter into the tournament is their most basic.

The original Steak Burger is what it was called. Now, for those of you who've never had steak and shake before, they do really thin patties. And, uh, I guess we probably could have benefited from looking at the Yelp reviews and stuff, because a few people were like, get doubles at the very least. And of the three burgers we got only one was a double the other we kind of made and it was a self-made double yeah one well no the Western bacon was a proper double the garlic burger was a

MacGyver double as we call it chemically modified chemically modified to have two patties and by that it means we cut it into quarters and then doubled up the meat on one. Anyways, we're not there yet. Let's talk about this first round burger. Although based on how you felt about it, we may not get a chance to hear about the second and third round burgers

because it's gonna have a tough hill to climb this first round. So. I think fundamentally the big issue I had with the base burger was the the burger itself Not only was it thin it sort of resembled fried So it was very thin, you know, I saw that often in the Yelp review well, I showed a red em as well I combed through a lot of Yelp reviews and you're not the first to make that comparison. Well, I know you don't like sh**, so I thought, well, you wouldn't order fried sh**, second of all.

If that was the burger, it looked a little feathery. A little feathery? Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it's the Smash burger style and usually a smash burger though is like a two-inch burger that they smash down to an inch. That's not my experience with it. Either way, thickness is not a knock on it for me personally, but that's why I'm bringing in a second voice. That's why you're here to balance out my my nostalgia and my biases and my tastes.

You know, I'm not the end all be all. I need, I need second opinions as I go on this September girl journey. So let's talk about what was on it. It was onions. It was pickles. And it was ketchup. You just got a steak burger with, with, with a few veggies.

I thought when I bit in, it was pretty good. I don't think it was great. I don't think it set anything on fire, but I thought it was pretty good. I wasn't going to leave the home and take my kids to go get a bag of burgers at this place. I think it was adequate. It was, the bread filled me up a little bit, so that was good. It was food.

It was food. It was sustenance. It was by definition edible. It was sustenance, yes. But, you know, not a horrible taste, but it wasn't ringing my bell. Wasn't ringing your bell. So if you have to score this first round burger,

where are you putting it? Well, I was thinking of the average. So in this one, the base burger was average being 5.00. That's right. And, and, uh, and therefore this fell a little bit under an average burger. I gave it a 4.23, 4.23. I'm in full disagreement mode with you, but wouldn't be the first time. Wouldn't be the first time. I thought this was solidly in the good category,

especially for like a fast food burger. I would take this over a McDonald's. I would take this over a Burger King. They have a seasoning salt that they season their steak burgers with as they cook them. You can also ask for it to put it on their fries, which if you listened to the Patreon episode, I raved about it. But I really like that seasoning. I went 7.03.

I was over seven on this burger. So when you put our two scores together, the first round entry into Septemberger, Steak and Shake, coming in with a 5.63. So rallies is going to have to contend with a 5.63 against steak and shake. Let's see how they do. Ladies and gentlemen,

get ready for a heavyweight contender that's sure to pack a punch. Stepping into the spotlight with twice the power and all of the attitude, hailing from the number seven seed rallies drive in, it's the one, the only, the big Buford Burger. This isn't just any burger, it's a double dose of deliciousness with two seasoned all beef patties grilled to juicy perfection.

It's stacked with crisp shredded lettuce, juicy slices of fresh tomatoes, and crisp dill pickles. But the real star in this lineup, the sharp sweet crunch of sliced red onions that take every bite to the next level, topped with a perfect blend of creamy mayonnaise, tangy ketchup, and a kick of mustard, all sandwiched in a toasted sesame seed bun.

This burger is here to satisfy your hunger and dominate your taste buds like never before. We're moving forward with our number seven seed, kind of bottom of the barrel, Rally's. Ooh. I am back with Steve Moulton, who joined me in the May Patreon episode to go to rallies. Steve, how's it going? Going well. How you feeling? We just ate three burgers.

We ate some of three burgers. We each ate half of, we each ate a burger and a half, but three different burgers. Uh, and we'll get to see does rallies advance. Can rallies beat the benchmark set by steak and shake in round one? This is our first full match of September. Let's go into it. The basic burger at rallies is called the big Buford, which is just like a Southern name. Just a dude named Buford. Buford.

This burger had lettuce, onion, tomato, pickle, mayo, and mustard. Sounds about right. Sesame seed bun. I actually thought that the bun was a very strong part of this. The sesame seeds worked. All right. You know, they put in work in a way that I haven't seen sesame seeds do in a while. There you go.

Like, did you agree with that sentiment? Did you not really notice them or did you not care? I don't think I noticed the sesame seeds at all. Really? Yeah. I thought that they gave it just a real textured bite that, you know, it had some mileage with me. That said, you know, the round one of September, we're just doing the basic burger.

Right. And the big Buford, I think it cheats a little bit. It's a double, usually, you know, usually a place's basic burger is just a single. So you get a heftier bite. And I thought all of this worked to its flavor. The balance of the different tastes of the different ingredients, everything tasted fresh. I thought this place was gonna bomb.

I really did. I thought this place was gonna come in real low. It worked for me. I went 6.86. Wow. For the Big Buford. I don't know why it worked so well for me, but it really did.

How'd you feel about the Big Buford? I wasn't crazy about it. Really? I Big. I don't know why it worked so well for me, but it really did. How'd you feel about the big Beaufort? I wasn't crazy about it. Really? I think, I don't know. Maybe I just got like a bad piece of it or something, but, um, the, for me, all the vegetables just kind of came together as just kind of a mush. I didn't particularly notice how good the bun was. Now, to be fair, I did ship this thing in half with a plastic fork, cause they

didn't have a knife to properly cut it. Maybe that had a lot to do with it. So I may have squished some of the ingredients while cutting this burger in half. But also, like, I mean, I could see there was a pickle in there, but like I didn't really get pickle flavor, which I love. Maybe the reason I liked it so much is I did feel that the pickle was very subtle. Ah.

And I'm not a big pickle fan. Oh, see, I want a pickle that lets you know that it's there. You want a blast of that sour taste? Whatever kind of pickle it is. I want it strong. And I felt like the pickle was weak, the onion seemed weak somehow. We're talking red onion, thinly sliced.

And I was like, this could be a bigger slice of onion right here. Okay. So much like Steak and Shake, I've got another case of, I really liked this burger. And I was with someone who wasn't crazy about it. Was not crazy about it. Uh, what's your, what's your score on it? Well, my score is 4.44 for the big Buford from me, for my half.

Okay. When you mix the scores together and average them out for the big Buford from me, from my half. Okay. When you mix the scores together and average them out for the Big Buford, it comes out at a 5.635. Whoa. The score for the basic burger at Steak and Shake was a 5.63. Whoa, are we rounding that 635 up to a 64?

We are rounding it up to a 64, but even without that rounding. Right. This beats Steak and Shake by 0.005. Wow. Which is an insane way to start September, given that that's how September, 2023 ended what the finals came down to Outback versus islands. Holy moly.

And their burgers had a differential of point zero zero five starting off already with an upset rallies inching past not even inching centimeter in the meter in past Wow steak and shake nobody would have believed it off to a wild have you had steak and shake before once and I remember not being terribly impressed. Really? Yeah, I think for the price I was just like, really? Really?

Okay, okay Tim Robinson. Well, look I dumped water in the guy's face. I'm allowed to do the impression. That is true. He is on I think you should leave. Multiple episodes. I got too hyper. Yeah, alright well let's move on to the next September

Grimacep. Get ready to witness some smooth moves and sizzling style hitting the stage with nothing but pure flair and finesse. The eight wonder of the world because I ate it. Hailing from the number six seed, Culver's, it's the Butter Burger! This icon steps onto the dance floor with an all beef patty that's seared to juicy perfection showcasing its bold, pure flavor. Nestled between lightly buttered toasted buns, it's the epitome of simplicity meeting sophistication. But here's the twist.

Dipped ever so slightly in ketchup, each bite adds a pop of tomato-based rhythm that makes the crowd go wild. Watch as this butterburger busts out the moves, turning a classic performance into an unforgettable show of taste and texture. Get ready to cheer because this burger's gonna pop and lock its way into battle. I am here with Kelly Baldwin, you might remember her,

from my Culver's episode, and we're about to talk about Culver's. Let's talk about Culver's. Let's talk about Culver's, the first round burger. The Butter Burger. Which is very clearly two words, and yet on their menu, they make it one word. They smush it, it's a compound word. Yeah. And I'm not sold. It makes me feel like there's gonna be a

stick of butter in the burger. I expected a lot of butter. It's not an appetizing name to me. Butter is tasty but Butter Burger feels like... Like maybe they made the whole patty out of butter. It feels like a burden on my digestive system. I'm gonna really take a breath before I dive in. Yeah. So let's, you know, why don't we? Why don't we dive in?

Buttersplash sounds so scary. I mean, take a breath. Oh. I was focused on the butter still. I actually have installed like a Nickelodeon slime-esque system. Oh, man. This butter butter you're getting buttered later Yeah, I mean do they have enough what floor signs in the restaurant? Perhaps not. I don't know All right, that's our intro

Welcome to Culver's welcome to Culver's so Culver's a Wisconsin based fast-food chain that prides itself on being the slowest fast food restaurant because everything is made to order. And we went there and we tried three burgers so we get to see are they going to advance. Let's talk about the round one burger, the butter burger. This is a plain burger. They don't put- Oh, it's meat and bread. It's meat and bread.

They don't put anything on it. There's nothing. You have the option to get. But that, like you have to ask for it to be added. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not the default. I don't think it comes with, yeah, it's not the default. No, it's basically a, it's a starter burger.

Yeah. And that's what round one is all about in September. Yeah. What's the basic go-to? Let's talk about it. So their burgers are thinner. Their patties are thin. Yeah, like a smash burger.

It's approaching smash burger territory because it also has kind of like the griddle, gristle on the sides, which I liked. I do too. I usually do prefer a thinner burger because you get that texture on the outside from the little crispies and crunches. So I usually prefer that in a burger.

That being said, I think in order to compensate for the thinness, you need to pack it with flavor. And do you feel that they fell short on that? A little bit. It wasn't like, oh, I'm gonna throw this away. No. Uh-huh, and do you feel that they fell short on that? A little bit. It wasn't like, oh, I'm gonna throw this away. No, like I ate most of it, but I wanted a little bit more kick,

a little bit more punch in the meat. So I'm gonna, I guess, reveal to you, this isn't like a deep dark secret or anything. Oh my gosh, this is a different show. I'm so sorry, okay. I, for my entire childhood, would only eat burgers, meat bun, ketchup. So this is right up your-

This was up my experience zone. So this is the bar that I can measure every burger by. Okay. When I first moved to LA in 2012, I was crashing on a friend's couch. He had four other roommates, and four of the five of them were in a self-imposed, like March Madness style burger bracket

with 32 different places in Los Angeles. That's a commitment. And I joined them. Naturally. Once I arrived, I wasn't there for all of them. I probably got to experience maybe a dozen of the 32 burgers. And I got the nickname, The Purist,

because I had a baseline of consistency at every place I went by ordering it the same way, meat, bun, ketchup. So everywhere we went, I knew what their burger with meat, bun, and ketchup tasted like. So yeah, it was noteworthy on their end. That's what Culver's gives you for the basic burger. A lot of these places that we're going,

it's meat, bun, mayo or mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion. It's the basic fixings. And that was the next level at Culver's. So the round two burger, the Culver's Deluxe, that's what they had. So the Butterburger Plain, I did like the meat, the little singe. I didn't love the buttered bun. I thought that the butter flavor

was a little too strong for me. Because I like butter as a means of toasting. Like the way that it kind of creates that little char. But not like a principle flavor. But when it's a principle flavor, it pulls it down a little for me. I mean, this was still, I would say it was a good burger. Agreed, I agree.

I think this was a better than mediocre burger. I'm just gonna give my score. Give you your score? How about you just give your score? And I will say, after my initial bite where I wasn't having any ketchup on it, for the rest of my bites I was dipping in ketchup. And I saw you do that and I followed suit.

I think that the ketchup definitely added just a little something. Something that was needed. Yeah. And my score is kind of gonna balance the as they serve it bite with the plus ketchup bite. So for the Butter Burger, I went 6.31 out of 10. Okay.

6.31, that's what I would call good, not great. And I think it's for a round one burger, for a pretty plain burger from any of these fast food places that I'm doing, you could do worse than a 6.31, so I'm not mad at a 6.31. Not a bad showing. Yeah. I went a little bit lower, so without the ketchup,

I put 5.35. 5.35. lower so without the ketchup it was I put five point three five five point three five And then with the ketchup that jumped it up to like a five point seven five. So what's your what would you call your final score? Let's do five point five five that's kind of a happy. All right five point five five And I'm going to average that with my score, what'd I say, 6.31? Yeah. When you put that together, for the first round in September,

Culver's gets a 5.93. Okay. High end of mediocre. High end of mediocre. It feels fair to me. Yeah, I think so too. It feels fair to me. You know, approaching good. I liked it a little bit more,

but again, this is the baseline of how I eat burgers. So I'm very used to it. Okay. So yeah, so Culver's the number, what'd I say? They're the number six seed. Number six seed, that's right. Number six seed for Culver's. So let's hop on over to their competition.

Ooh. The number three seed. Oh my. And see how it goes. Basketball fans and burger connoisseurs alike get ready to witness a slam dunk of flavor! Now taking to the court with unrivaled grace, agility, poise, and power. Get ready to witness from the number three seed Freddy's frozen custard and steak burgers, it is the Freddy's original double. This all-star isn't playing games.

It's here with a double team of sizzling steak burger patties, each expertly seasoned and seared to perfection. It's got the dynamic duo of tangy pickles and grilled onions, adding layers of flavor that score with every bite. Drizzled with Freddy's specialty mustard and cradled in a warm toasted bun, this burger brings its A-game every time. Watch it dazzle the crowd with its unbeatable taste and crispy texture. It's here to make plays and win hearts one bite at a time.

I went to Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers with my friend, my pal, my compatriot. That's good enough. Herbert? Herbert. You guys have heard him a couple of times throughout the show. I've gone with him to many of these restaurants.

You've joined along for a lot of the adventures I've gone on. Yeah. And we went to Las Vegas and on the way we stopped in Victorville for Freddy's frozen custard and steak burgers to cover for the June Patreon. And this is my first time having it. It got the number three seed spot in the September girl tournament off of recommendations of people that I trust because those those seeding rankings are due to how good is the best burger I've ever had at that chain. So Freddy's got placed highly but I'd never had it before. Right. So and you hadn't, right? I actually have had Freddy's before.

Once before in Farmington, New Mexico. Just on a work trip or something? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Nobody goes to Farmington, New Mexico because they want to. You know what I mean? I don't remember what I got exactly, but it was pretty good, but this was a couple years ago,

so yeah, I could remember. Kind of wiped it from your memory? Yeah, yeah. To open up Freddy's, we get the basic burger at each place, I could remember. Kind of wiped it from your memory? Yeah, yeah. To open up Freddy's, we get the basic burger at each place, right? Right. So for Freddy's, it's called the Freddy's Original. And this burger, pickle, onion, mustard,

and the beef patty. Right. Didn't have a ton on it because again, we're going, what's their number one? That's what I'm ordering for round one. And I really liked it. I will say the patty was very seasoned, a little on the salty side, but not enough to bother me.

I mean, I also, I like salty things. So it doesn't bug me at all. I thought that the patty was super fresh. The bun was soft and squishy in a way to where like the burger juices kind of seeped into it, but not in a way to where it made it inedible. Right. Yeah. Yeah. The bread had a very kind of briochey sort of quality to it. It was very absorbent.

Right. Yeah. I was all about this burger. I know you preferred a later round burger, but what was your thought on this? I mean, I just thought it was a little plain. It doesn't come with all the fancy bells and whistles, but for my preference, I felt like the patty was a little too seasoned. And then, I don't know, maybe it was the portion that I ate, but the pickles and the onions were just kind of like sad. I felt the opposite. I thought that the pickle was super fresh, super crisp.

I thought the pickle added a lot. I mean, and I'm not even a guy who, at the start of this podcast, not this episode of the podcast, but the series, I would not eat pickles. Over the course of the past couple of years that I've been doing the show, I have started eating pickles and I thought this was a really good pickle. I mean, it was fine, but I was a pickle version before that. And I am, I got my pickle cherry popped.

Yeah. Yeah. No, I don't like the sound of that. Like what was sad about it? I mean, I don't know. I guess even though it was just supposed to be their kind of go-to burger, like I said, I was expecting more. Like, I thought that the bread was just kind of sad, too. Dang, I feel like, well, we split the burger in half. It wasn't even like they prepped mine better. Right, yeah, I know. But it's just, you know, it wasn't bad. I'm not saying it was in half. It wasn't even like they prepped mine better. Right. Yeah, I know. But it's just, you know, it wasn't bad. I'm not saying it was garbage because it wasn't, it was, it was still pretty good.

But I was just, I guess it was, you felt it wasn't like the top form they could have offered for that burger. Right. Right. I guess my expectations were a bit too high and they missed the mark, but you know. All right. So I guess I wanna know where that puts it with a score.

Because for me, another thing that makes Freddy's interesting, and there's only one other place in the bracket that does this, is the steak burger style. I went to Steak and Shake as well, but it's that real thin pressed beef patty with kind of the... It's almost like a smash burger. With the singed edges a little bit.

And I think it might be, all right, I do love a thick cut gourmet burger, but as far as fast food goes, they're not offering that. You know, those are the things you get at like, a Fuddruckers rest in peace, or you know, like... So for Freddy's. And and steak and shake, I like that style. Yeah, for fast food, the patty wasn't the disappointing part.

I guess it was just the whole package. You know, it's just like, oh, we're different. I thought this was very good approaching. Great. I went seven point five four. My score, even though it sounds like I'm like approaching great. I went 7.54. My score, even though it sounds like I hated it, I didn't. I gave it a six out of 10, which is definitely something, you know, if... Six on the dot? Yeah, yeah.

For this specific burger, yes, six on the dot. It's better than average, and I won't think less of you if you were to order it. You know what I mean? Why would you? That'd be crazy. It's a fast food burger place. You're going to order the burger. Yeah. So when you add our scores together and average them out, Freddy's Steak Burgers advances in September with a 6.77 for the round one entry, beating out Culver's Butterburger, which only got a 5.93. Damn, all right. Which I liked, my co-host for that one

liked it a little bit less. You should get friends that like food more than you, so that, you know, pass the time. I mean, she liked food. She really enjoyed, like, the custard there. And, you know, we talked about the custard here, but this is not, this is not custard burger, septem custard, sept custard derger. I just had a stroke.

My soul just left my body and left my dead body behind. Your face just start sagging. I smell burnt pennies. I feel like I'm mixing up concussions and strokes. Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the contender that's here not just to satisfy but conquer your cravings. Stepping into the arena from deep in the heart of Texas with unmatched flavor and undeniable swagger, it's the number four seed, the Whataburger! This burger brings the heat with a 100% pure beef patty, seasoned and cooked to

perfection. It's stacked with the crisp crunch of fresh shredded lettuce, the juicy burst of ripe tomatoes, and the bold tangy kick of dill pickles, but the real MVP, a punch of finely diced onions that add just the right amount of bite. All of this flavor-packed goodness is wrapped up in a warm toasted bun and topped with a generous spread of zesty mustard. Get ready to savor every second because this burger is here to win your taste buds over. We got a review, the number four seeds basic burger and it's going up against the number five seed next week. That'll be in and out burger, but for now, what a burger, the basic what a burger.

It comes with pickles, onions, tomato, lettuce, and mustard. I bit into this thing, and you know what? I thought. What did you think? I thought, yeah, this is all right. Yeah, it's okay. That was about it. Yeah.

I don't know. What were your thoughts? I truly am not a fan of the mustard with the pickles. In general or theirs? Theirs. Okay. I think it would taste better if they had a different sauce. Obviously, in previous episodes, we had the creamy, the patty melt.

The other creamy pepper sauce. Yeah, that sauce is a better signature sauce than using some mustard. But so if they get to the second round, that'll be what we're reviewing for the next round, the avocado bacon burger. But for this round, I'm going to be honest. I'm not even in good territory. I'm still in mediocrity when it comes to the Whataburger basic burger. I thought that the pickles and the tomato

were both a little too wet, like soggy almost. So the consistency was really weird. I'm gonna go 5.98. I actually went lower than you. Did you really? I rated it a 4.86. 4.86. Let's do some real quick math. 4.86, 5.98. Yeah.

So, Whataburger, the basic Whataburger scores a 5.42 for round one of September. Slightly above perfect average, but it's not really soaring to the heights that some people might, might want it to. That said, if it can scrape by to the final round, the patty melt was very good. The avocado bacon burger, I thought was pretty good. So we'll see. But in the meantime, y'all are going gonna have to wait.

And there you have it. The number seven seed Rally's Drive-In upsets the number two seed Steak N Shake by five thousandths of a point. And the number three seed Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steak Burgers steamrolls past Culver's, the number six seed, to get to the second round as well. Will Whataburger have what it takes to overcome California's favorite In-N-Out burger next week as the closely ranked four and five seeds get into a dog fight? And don't forget, now that you know Freddie's frozen custard and Raleigh's drive-in advance, you can put that as your answers in the bracket, which is a Google form. So you're really just like clicking little, you're filling in bubbles that say,

I want Freddy's to advance. I want Rally's to advance. It's easiest that way. So head over to linktree.com slash fine dining podcast. Click on the September bracket, fill it out. $500 could be yours. And a huge thank you to my five guests this week. My own dad, my buddy Steve Moulton,

Herbert Amaya, Kelly Baldwin, Ashley Robinson. Y'all are the best. Thanks for coming on this journey with me. Thanks so much for listening. I'll see you next week with an In-N-Out Burger episode. Have a fine day. So So So so Have a fine day!