Now Serving: Fatburger

Fatburger is west coast burger chain, with nearly no presence on the east coast. Just a single spot in the Baltimore area (Columbia, to be exact), and that's as far south as they go. Next closest locations are either Atlantic City, New York, Detroit. After that, Denver. So while Fatburger is recognizable name in pop culture, (Remember when Ice Cube had a Good Day? It's because of Fatburger at 2 in the morning). I've chosen to review it, as the location here is so isolated, it should make it a destination burger joint.

And I say should, because I've been here several times, all mid-afternoon, to a basically empty restaurant. This location opened to some fanfare in 2008, when former Baltimore Raven Orlando Brown bought a franchise, and had plans to open 10 total, which never came about.

But still, I have no idea why the place hasn't caught on. Is it because people don't know it's there? It's sure not because they offer an inferior product. Before I knew about the Baltimore location, it's one of the things I looked forward to when I vacationed in Las Vegas. It has an old school burger stand feel to it.

Fatburger is a gluttons haven. I mean, you don't have "fat" in your name and have a reputation for health food. The menu is simple. S, M, L, XXL, or XXXL. (The XXXL is a 24 oz burger, more on that later). Expected toppings, and add ons with cheese, bacon, fried egg, chili, mushrooms and guac (each costing a little extra, and they aren't skimpy). Today, I just got "Large Fat" with the works, and a side of Fat Fries (thick, steak cut). And the burger is just beautiful.

Today's burger

 

They use fresh lean beef (fat, and lean). I can find nothing to complain about here (except the works comes with pickles and pickle relish, creating a bit of a flavor redundancy. I ordered with a side of "Fat Fries" (Thick, steak cut, barely pictured), which are some of the best you'll find anywhere. All food is cooked to order.

My insides were so happy

Now, the XXXL challenge is to eat the 24 oz of beef in just one sitting. I've completed this challenge. I ordered mine with the works.

And Cheese
And Bacon
And Chili
And a Fried Egg
And it took me 45 minutes.

The current world record holder demolished 16 (!!!) Patty's in 35 minutes. He's the real MVP.

 

Come here with an appetite. But, most importantly, come here. We have an absolute gem in our back yard, and should take advantage of it.