I don’t think I’ve ever had a White Castle burger, except from the freezer at the supermarket. As far as I can tell, they are the same as Krystal burgers. I always eat several of those whenever I’m in Nashville (every few years). 8-10 years ago, there was a Krystal in Fort Worth, TX for about a minute.
ETA: The best hamburgers (or cheeseburgers) that I ever ate were in Arlington, TX (despite my slagging on the place in other threads). There were a few places called Jackson’s, which I guess could be described as convenience stores, but in an older style than a 7-11 (some of them would’ve still been in rural areas when they were built). More of a roadhouse, I guess, with gas pumps out front.
Anyway, Jackson’s fried their burgers, or whatever the term is for cooking them on a flat griddle instead of an open flame. I think this had a lot to do with the flavor. They were the best I’d ever had, up to that point.
There was another place called Quickway, which was more of a convenience store as we know them, but inside there was a grill called Arnie’s. My friends and I started going to Arnie’s a few months after I tried Jackson’s, and Arnie’s was even better. (Someone’s dad had told him about the place.) We went there almost every day for lunch (in those days we could leave school for the lunch hour). Back then it seemed like I could eat as much as I wanted (e.g. a cheeseburger, fries if not cheese-and-chili-fries on the side, and maybe ravioli soup if they had it that day) and I remained a scrawny 125 lbs. (Of course, I smoked back then, too.) When we were done we’d either play pinball or Super Mario Bros. and pretty soon we were on a first-name basis with the staff.
We wondered why the burgers were so good; the guy’s dad who found the place had this idea that Arnie marinated the beef in beer. We asked him about that and he laughed it off, instead suggesting that it was the sweat of his brow (from the hot griddle) that got into the meat. @IronEdithKidd: FYI this place was down the street from Edison’s, but this would’ve been about 6 years after you moved away.
I think the last time I visited a Jackson’s or Arnie’s was 1990-1991, and both had switched ownership. Years later, there was a 50s-style burger place that had been a Del Taco up until the 80s. I had not been there for a burger (or anywhere else in Arlington) since 2004, and I’m told that the 50s place is now a Del Taco, once again.
Back on topic, I didn’t really think about what might’ve been in the hamburger meat – back then, we were starting to hear about McDonalds et al clearing rainforests so they could grow beef, and I rationalized that perhaps Arnie’s was getting the meat from somewhere better.
