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THE COUNTER IN SANTA MONICA CALIF, LOCATED AT 2901 OCEAN PK. PHONE 310-399-8311 HAS THE BEST BURGERS AND TOPPINGS BAR NONE. EVERYTHING IS UNDER $10.00, MADE FRESH, CHECK OUT THEIR WEB SITE

Dude, forget those above, they suck. Seriously though Ruby Tuesday's is the only chain burger that I have eaten that will not only serve it rare, the way meat was intended to be eaten. but it is also Prime. They also have one of the best salad bars I have seen.
If you ever make it out to western Montana try a place in Hamilton called Naps, they will also serve your burger rare. One of the best I have had.

When you survey the remaining restaurants be sure to include Chili's! Chili's has excellent burgers! I can honestly say I've never had a bad burger at Chili's. Unfortunately Ruby Tuesday's depends on the location.........not very consistent between restaurants. I loved the food in Bessemer AL at Ruby Tuesday's but it was HORRIBLE at the one near Loudon TN.........
For fast food, Wendy's seems to be the best. For sit-down dining Chili's is my top pick........

I don't know if there is one nearby, but oddly enough I think Logan's Roadhouse (it's a steakhouse) has excellent burgers. Ofcourse I don't think they would cook it MR, but I think they still kick toosh.

I too recommend Fuddruckers. I am not sure if this franchise is back east but Hamburger Hamlet is also a Red Robin level burger place.

I think its also important to add that at Red Robin you can order your burger Protein Style. They serve this as a low carb option (no bun wrapped in lettuce) and with a salad instead of fries.

I've been in Texas for 2 years and apparently a great Texas burger is a very thin, wide, well-done cooked piece of meat, and sometimes topped with tostadas or beans, etc (man, that's funny!)...definitely not my "thing". However, even though MOST of the folks in Texas don't seem to know much about great burgers (for god's sake Whataburger is the most popular burger chain here and they are awful). There is a really good local place that just opened up calleD BIGZ Burger Joint. Although most locals will slam the place because it's owned by a popular local gourmet chef and it caters to the local Hummer yuppie crowd, the burgers here are thick (each patty is 8 oz), cooked perfectly as a burger should be just as the menu says "with a little pink inside unless requested otherwise" , juicy and very, very tasty. It actually gives Fuddruckers, which is by far and away one of the best burgers you can get ANYWHERE, a run for its money.