Local Voices: Where's the Beef, 2011?

The Valley has always been a place where burger joints have flourished.  Many of us recall the "Triple Treat" at Burger Chef in Northridge as well as those drive-in days at Bob's up in Mission Hills. 

There was the Tiki Burger in Granada Hills and the venerable which still is an icon for burger enthusiasts who recall the day of the local burger place.  The controversy over who has the best burger  intensified this week with a literal border war on Tampa near the railroad tracks.

We all know about In-N-Out and their fine reputation, but now, less than a click to the north is Five Guys.  Now I don't know how much more of a gauntlet needs to be thrown at In-N-Out, but placing a burger stand within a pickle's throw is quite a challenge, and shows a bit of burger bravado. 

The border war is on and once the opening night hoopla is over with, who is going to be the victor?  Are we going to see a barrage of coupons offering free drinks or free fries as part of the initial sorties?  Is the community going to see a maelstrom of hamburger wrappers once the Santa Ana's kick in? 

It certainly is a first to see two beefy battalions battle it out within a few feet of each other. 

A recent poll has Five Guys as the better sandwich, but polls are always questionable.  The corridor on Tampa will be sizzling as both grills are loading up in this war to determine the Valley Burger King. 

But what is that raising its head from the West?  It is those fowl cows over at Chick-fil-a soon trying to dissuade the burger minions to leave the cows alone, and then there's the Bob's on Corbin. At least we have some Vegans out there who can be conscientious objectors in this war.

I guess this is going to be a war of attrition versus a war of nutrition as I will take the observer's post on this one and continue with my salads nearby. One thing is for sure, that this area will be the safest in town with firemen and police on scene, 24-7, partaking of the goods as they make their assorted rounds.