So far, Nicole and Sarah have given their thoughts about Alan Richman's GQ list of "The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die." (A .pdf of the entire article is available here.) Since Sarah and Nicole have both hit at least a few spots on Richman's list, I figured it was time I start catching up, especially since I live only minutes away from the restaurant that occupies the number one spot on the list, Le Tub, in Hollywood, Florida. Le Tub has had roughly the last half a century to garner praise for its burgers, and the evidence, in the form numerous framed and yellowing newspaper clippings, is obvious throughout the restaurant. The rest of the decor is also worth mentioning. The rickety, open-air bar and restaurant sits perched on the Intracoastal Waterway, and it's as if the entire place has been whittled from a huge chunk of driftwood and is now held together by little more than fishing nets, banyan roots and the occasional rusty nail. And, of course, there is a bathtub planter outside, as well as a variety of toilets and toilet seats strewn about the lush, overgrown property.

And no, I'm not talking about that scene in Casino Royale (those who have seen the movie will know what I'm talking about).

This is a recipe from Ian Fleming himself. The author gave James very specific tastes, and the new issue of British GQ gives the recipe. Speaking of specific, there are some very precise instructions on how to make these eggs, even down to what type of bowl to serve them in, so, as Q would say, pay attention 007!

In this month's issue of GQ magazine, food guru Alan Richman took a glossy, 8-page look at the food of New Orleans post-Katrina. The idea sounds like a good one, so why is the article so controversial? The problem is that the piece was not gushing, not exactly sentimental and, in parts, not accurate about the city and its food.

To date, the vast majority of the pieces about New Orleans have been stories of survival and of working to restore the city to its former state. People rebuild their homes and lives. Restaurants struggle to clean up, reopen and attract customers. Richman writes some about the touching, uplifting parts and the grassroots movements of people to get their lives back in order, but does not write exclusively about the uplifting parts, in fact stating that "New Orleans shouldn't exist," referring to it below-sea level elevation right on a vulnerable coastline. In another controversial assertion, he says that Cajuns originated in Canada, which is true, contrary to what some of his critics have said. However, Richman also states that he doesn't think Creoles ever really existed, but the term applied to a definite and large group of people in the city. He explains his position in the GQ podcast, by the way.

Back during the summer last year, I remember reading an article in GQ by Alan Richman. (You don't want to know why I had my hands on a copy of a men's magazine.) In the article, Richman listed the Top 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die, and called out the California Burger at Houston's as Number 6. When I read that, listed in there with the likes of Peter Luger's Steak House in New York and The Counter in Santa Monica, I balked. Houstons?? It's a chain!

But apparently, New York Times restarautn critic Frank Bruni found himself at a local outpost of the chain, tried the burger, and liked it. He said, the burgers, made with eight ounces of ground chuck, were extremely satisfying: slightly charred, very juicy, cradled by a fluffy bun, cooked precisely to the requested medium-rare doneness."

Who knew? And to think the man didn't even like In-n-Out.

This is the best fast-food hamburger there is: a double-double from In-N-Out Burger, the popular California chain. Actually, with its two juicy, 100% pure beef patties, hand-leafed lettuce, tomatoes, secret spread and two slices of American cheese (not processed cheese) on a freshly baked and toasted bun, the double-double is better than a lot of non-fast food burgers, too.

I suggest that you compare the In-N-Out classic to GQ's list of the 20 hamburgers you must eat before you die. The list was compiled by Alan Richman, food critic and author of Fork it Over, who seems to be a reputable enough source, though I am still hard-put to take culinary advice from a men's style magazine. I have personally eaten at three of the 20 places on the list, though I can only say that I clearly recall two of them, and did not find the burgers to be of any higher quality than the double-double. I think GQ needs to add another spot to their list.