Burger Wars: 5 Guys or IN-N-OUT?

    

                

 Who takes top honors here?  Coloradans may not know that there is a rivalry.  You see, 5 Guys recently came to a neighboring California town to compete with the ever popular IN-N-OUT.  Do I have a right to judge here?  Can I be objective and not insert my native bias?  I think I can.  Follow this. Let me cut to the chase and declare the IN-N-OUT the overall winner.  Am I dogmatic about this determination?  Not entirely, but I'll defend myself and provide a rationale for my declaration?  In a head to head burger taste test, I will admit that I enjoyed the 5 Guys Burgers and Fries burger won me over. WAIT!  Did I just contradict myself?  Not really...Let me explain. 
     For overall freshness, the winner is IN-N-OUT.  Their lettuce is crisp and clean.  It's a very straight forward burger.  They only have a few ingredients which they cook to perfection.  It is a  fresh, perfect burger!  However, it is a burger!  Clean and fresh doesn't always take top prize.  For taste and texture I have to rule in favor of the 5 Guys burger.  They offer more topping options such as grilled mushrooms, BBQ sauce, green peppers and bacon.  The variety they offer is a breath of fresh air, especially after eating IN-N-OUT burgers for the past 20 years.  The 5 Guys burger patties were not as uniform as the IN-N-OUT patties which gave the burger an edge on texture; it's as if they were tenderized…Delicious.  Now let's talk about buns.  Get your mind out of the gutter; we're talking about "burger buns"!  I have to give it up to IN-N-OUT.  They have always used a California based, family owned bakery for their daily delivered , fresh buns. They are fantastic.  The 5 Guys buns were noticeably doughy, especially after the juices from the condiments and toppings settled into it. 
     I would like to make quick mention about the french fries.  They are pretty equal.  IN-N-OUT peels the skins, and again, they don't get any fresher!  Watching them get made is as fresh as it gets.  The 5 Guys fries are not skinned and they serve up a very generous portion.  One large order (which we get at IN-N-OUT as well) more than took care of the whole family.  They are equally delicious, just different from one another.
     Now I've admitted that I enjoyed the 5 Guys burger, but why do I say IN-N-OUT takes the top prize?  Three primary reasons:  staff, cleanliness, and value.
     IN-N-OUT has a special talent for recruiting polished, professional people and they train them well.  They are consistently pleasant and their process is efficient.  I'll be kind to 5 Guys and just say that the caliber of staff doesn't compare.  I do want to go back there someday.
     The cleanliness of the facility was of concern, not unsafe or disgusting, just notable.  The floors just felt greasy under my feet.  The bathrooms and beverage bars at 5 Guys needed attention that I rarely witnessed at an IN-N-OUT facility.  IN-N-OUT has an intense volume of customers.  If you don't get there before noon, be prepared to wait.  Despite the high traffic in both the drive through and dining hall (it's not unusual to have to stand and wait for a table) they manage to keep the place extremely clean.  On this afternoon at 5 Guys, there weren't more than 10 people in the restaurant and not more than 5 that came in after us by the time we finished eating.
     The reason, by far, that I delcare IN-N-OUT victorious is that despite the fact that I enjoyed the 5 Guys burger more, what would cost me $12 dollars and some change at IN-N-OUT cost me upwards of $28 at 5 Guys.  It doesn't matter how delicious that burger was...paying that much for lunch time burgers left a bad taste in my mouth.

Microsoft or Apple Store?

I'm sitting in the Microsoft store at the Park Meadows mall in Lone Tree, CO waiting for my wife. She forgot her cell phone, so she went shopping one way, I took the kids the other and we agreed to meet up with her here. The kids love this place, and it's the one place I can take all three of them to without complaint. I have to be honest by stating that I don't particularly understand the point of this store. It's clearly an attempt to replicate what Apple has mastered, that is, showcase their products, but that's just the thing. I don't really see Microsoft products at this store, aside from the XBOX gaming systems. I've had an XBOX for a few years and didn't know it was a Mirosoft product until a couple of months ago. They have a lot of computers in here, but you just get to use someone elses computer with the Microsoft operating system installed on it or flip through the pages of the Kindle.

Nate is playing the new Tron game, Shannon has some headphones on and is watching a cartoon, while Leah is playing on Webkinz next to me. Totally content...I love it!

I will say that it's great to be able to play all the new games for XBOX and try out the Kinect, which looks awesome. I think Microsoft would do better if they could "connect" with the market a little more with respect to products they represent instead of just showing the operating system on other manufacturers devices.  What does an operating system look like anyway? Microsoft is on the right track though with the Kinect. Can't wait to try it out at home, but right now I think Microsoft isn't a real challenger to Apple's products. They are the cutting edge of personal technology, bar none. They need some competition, but at this time their are few contenders.

California or Colorado? Where Would You Rather Live?

We're the Vance's and  we just landed in Colorado a few months back.  Things are going surprisingly well, aside from my IN-N-OUT BURGER withdrawals, best burgers ever (I'm open for debate), but I'm coping.  It's an adjustment for the whole family really.  There are many differences in living in Colorado that a native Californian wouldn't ordinarily think about. Did you know that there are different allergy types?   My son has some allergies and come to find out that on the east side of the Rockies, there are different breeds of allergies.  Go figure.  That’s just one of the hundreds of nuances that we are discovering as we explore this new land.

Having grown up in Temecula, California, where just days before the move we were enjoying the beaches of Encinitas and having lunch at the Leucadia Pizzeria (our favorite), now we're at least 19 hours from the coast. Which begs the question "What do we do now?”  Obviously we need to get out there and explore; make new friends, find new favorite activities, hang-outs and foods.

Where would I rather live?  It's hard to replace a lifetime of family, friends and memories instantaneously.  In fact, I wonder if they can really EVER be replaced?  I know that at this time we feel that we belong in Colorado and are enjoying being here much more than we expected and that there is room in our hearts for more friends and favorite things.