how did that work out?

the best meal i ever had in my life was at Bar Crudo on Divis in SF. owners pivoted to a taco place, for reasons unfathomable to me. had a dinner that blew my conception of food open, went to a show nearby after.

got home at 3AM and made myself a bit of sausage and toast and to my surprise the experience of my prior meal persisted, and in contrast my late night snack seemed like it was made of cardboard.

Taste-wise, delicious!

It is a bit odd to wear a tux or suit to an In-N-Out at midnight, but after a few times you get used to it.

What's the main allure for you?

The burgers, for sure. I've never been a fan of their spongy fries.

I'd be happy to eat elsewhere as well, but there aren't a lot of options at midnight.

For some reason I don't really understand, while I can't stand McDonalds in general, their fries are better than any of the "fast casual" places like Shake Shack, In-n-Out, etc. that I've encountered.

McD partially fries and freezes their fries before fully frying them. [1] That probably makes them more crispy and tastier to many (myself included). In-N-Out uses fresh potatoes, which means no fry-freeze-fry.

Five Guys has very crispy and tasty fries — especially the cajun style — that are not double fried. [2]

1: https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/this-is-how-mcdonalds-mak...

2: https://www.delish.com/uk/food-news/a37315383/how-five-guys-...

I admit I don't remember Five Guys fries as anything exceptional but maybe I haven't ever had them. Admittedly I find Five Guys pretty overrated and expensive generally so I eat them even more rarely than burger places generally.

The burgers are overpriced compared to In-N-Out, but the lines are much shorter as a result. Fries aren't cheap, but 90% of the time a 'small' fries at Five Guys is bigger than a large anywhere else.

I always order fries "well-done" at In-N-Out now.