A Little Frayed Around the Edges

This afternoon, I decided that it was time to try a new burger place. Near my house is a fantastic grocery store called Sprouts where I often buy produce. Every time I go to Sprouts, I drive by Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, and I always comment, "I need to try that place out." Well, today was the day. I hopped into my car, drove over to Freddy's, and hit the drive thru.

When I got up to the order window, I saw a sign above it with a quote from Freddy. "I promise we'll never start cooking until you order. Hot and fresh is always worth the wait." Freddy looks like a happy grandfatherly type, and he's got the lovingly unsteady grandpa signature to go along with his guarantee. The other thing that caught my eye from the sign was the picture of the burger. It looked a little rough around the edges and I wasn't quite sure what to make of that. Since they make all of the burgers to order, my drive thru wait was a little longer than a typical fast food joint. No worries though, I got a chance to listen to the new Coldplay song on the radio. I dig it, and I'm pretty jazzed for the new album.


When my turn finally came, I drifted up to place my order. I'm sure this isn't an accident, but many fast food establishments make their #1 combo their signature dish. Freddy's seems to be no different, so I ordered the Freddy's Original double with fries and a Pepsi. I would have preferred Coke, but that's a topic for another blogger. After a few minutes, I drove up to the window and picked up my lunch. The bag has several grease spots on it, which I took as a good sign. With a straw in my drink and a few shoestring french fries in my belly, I made my way back home.

I should preface my actual review on the burger by saying that I don't hold fast food burgers to the same standards as restaurant burgers. That being said, I've had some incredible fast food burgers and some incredibly bad restaurant burgers. I threw on this week's Modern Family episode and opened my bag. Freddy's put this burger in a cardboard container like you'd see on a Big Mac or something. I like that. The burger doesn't get mashed in a bag with other items.


I cracked open the box and saw what seemed to be a decent burger. The edges were definitely a little rough. I'm not entirely sure how they do that. Maybe they form the patty and kind of smash it on the grill or something. The frayed edge definitely gives the burger a distinct look. My burger had two patties, two slices of cheese, mustard, some pickles, raw white onions, and a buttered toasted bun. My first bite was just okay. The frayed edges go way over the boundaries of the bun, and I got a mouth full of burger but not much else. After the first few bites, I didn't have to deal with the edges anymore. This is where I started to enjoy what I was eating. It was a pretty simple burger with only 4 toppings, but it works. The onions weren't overpowering, and the mustard and pickles complimented nicely. Just enough cheese, and the patties were thin enough that you weren't overloaded with beef.

Overall, I was pretty happy with my burger. It had some character with the frayed edges, but the flavor was the clincher. I can honestly say that I've never had a burger with that specific combination of ingredients. I'd consider going back, but I'm a huge Five Guys fan and it's hard not to think of them when I want a quick bite.

If you're interested in checking out Freddy's, go here:
http://www.freddysfrozencustard.com/