Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I do enjoy fast food, but after working at McDonald's for 4-5 years as a teenager, I have no desire to eat it ever again. It's amazing how little what they actually serve resembles the menu "glamour shot" photographs of the products.

http://ryanschierling.blogspot.com/2008/10/king-vs-clown.html

(From "Ugly Food," a photo series looking at processed and packaged food that anyone can purchase for one dollar or less.)

I've lived in Seattle for 6 years now, and will concur that Red Mill makes one of the best hamburgers I've ever eaten. First place, however, has to go to Westport Flea Market in Kansas City, MO. I grew up in Kansas, but hadn't been back to K.C. for almost a decade. I traveled through K.C. again in June and went well out of my way for an afternoon at the historic burger joint. You place your order at a counter (Flea Market burger, medium rare) and when it's ready, they call your name and you pick it up at the grill window, where you dress your own burger with the available table full of standard condiments. This was the exchange between me and the cook who handed me my burger and fries basket:

Cook: Ryan, I appreciate your order.
Me: (surprised) Thank you... I appreciate you making such an outstanding burger. It's been almost ten years since I've been back here.
Cook: Ten years! Where you livin' at now?
Me: Seattle. It's hard to find good barbecue or a solid burger out there.
Cook: Yeah, yeah, but I bet they make a helluva fish sandwich.