A TRIP TO IN N OUT

Everyone's heard about California's famed In N Out. And it was one of the few places Tom requested that we visit. Truth is, I had only been to In N Out once. And it was when I was in high school. I remember having an amazing burger, but I also remember being starving when I had it, so I'm not sure if it was the burger or my hunger that made the experience so memorable. But I gave up red meat soon after and was never to return. I knew that In N Out made veggies burgers (a burger minus the patty) and even my friend, Raj, who's a vegetarian, praised the merits of In N out, so I didn't mind a visit.

But first we went to once of my favorite places in the world, the Santa Monica Farmer's market on 3rd St. I already talked about this place the last time I was in LA, but I also wanted to show you a picture of adorable mini heads of cauliflowers and purple cauliflowers. If only I was in Boston, I would've bought these for dinner. And as Tom can tell you, I spent many hours of my trip tracking down the best Satsuma Tangerines. I love Satsumas, yet they're rarely sold on this coast. So I decided I was gonna bring some back, and picked up a few from one of my favorite vendors at the farmer's market. I mean really. If your only other choice was paying $5/lb. for Satsumas at Formaggio, wouldn't you have brought a box back, too?

Our next stop was In N Out with my older sis. Here's the iconic logo. We arrived pretty early, at 11, but there were already people in there ordering. As many of you may also know, the menu is pretty short, they like to keep things simple. But there is also a secret menu that isn't published anywhere. You just have to know about it. I ordered my veggie burger (not on the menu) while my sis and Tom both ordered Cheeseburgers "Animal style". We also got a side of fries and drinks. And all that for less that $12. You can't get that kind of deal anywhere in Boston. Here's our food:

My veggies burger was actually pretty good. I think it was cause the bun was grilled, so I didn't miss the meat. But I did want grilled onion, which were lacking. I think I'll order the grilled cheese next time. The fries also weren't spectacular, but I do think Tom enjoyed his burger, so it was worth the trip. He also wanted to go to Taco Bell to compare, but we didn't have time for that. It'll just have to wait until next time.