Just feet away from the busy intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing stands the newest in burger joints, Joe's Best Burger.
It was under construction for a while and finally had it's Grand Opening a couple weeks ago. Yaas and I had the pleasure of going there for our first taste.
The red and white color scheme, and the small menu (Single, Double and Triple burgers being the options) along with the numbered waiting system with benches instantly reminded me of In N' Out Burger in California.
One twist on the food is their option of either raw or grilled onions. The lady asked me my preference, and I didn't know of this option at this point. That, along with her accent, made me have no idea what she was saying, and all I said was "No onions," and I was unable to test out the onion options.
They had a big crew of people making the food, also reminiscent of In N Out. Another similarity was the French fries. They were freshly made fro freshly cut potatoes, except here, the cuts themselves were a lot thinner. This resulted in a lot of small broken pieces of fries that we just inedible unless I used a fork.
Another feature that I like are the big flatscreen (did society adopt "flat screen" as a single word, yet?) televisions on the walls. Some of the screens showing various cable TV shows (Food Network and Fox News if I recall correctly), along with some entertaining ads for the eatery. Those screens also showing a competition of burger racing to the end, allowing patrons a few seconds of betting to see whether or not the Single, Double or Triple burger wins. Anyone who knows the airplane race at Shea Stadium during Mets games knows the fun that can be had, and it's a clean alternative to pickle-races on the windows.
Another great feature is that Joe's Best Burger really takes pride in the freshness of their food. One of the television ads explains how they don't like freezers or microwaves and other signs of the typically processed food at their competitors. They make sure that you can taste the freshness, and you really can.
Overall, I enjoyed the place. I'd hate to continue to compare it to In N Out, but it's a smart idea to bring such a concept to New York City. Although it doesn't have sunny outdoor seating like it's Californian counterpart, La Guardia Airport arrivals do go overhead just like at In N Out's LAX location. It was refreshing to see a local place take on that more simple approach to fast food. I just wish the fries were cut a little thicker. I think it would make a world of difference.
I plan on going back to eat it again today.
