RON SWARNER: NEW BURGER JOINT ON 12TH STREET >>>

Dropped by the new Flip-N-Out Burger joint today during March Snowstorm 2009. This independently-owned restaurant in the former 12th Street Diner spot across from Mandolin Café had a snow-free parking lot providing little chance of me flip-n-out on my back.

I like Flip-N-Out because it has no drive-thru. No neon. No chrome. No affectation whatsoever. This is a burger joint that doesn't pretend to be anything else (although the color scheme matches The Red Hot and their sign reminds me of In-N-Out burgers).

The kitchen makes thick, hand-formed patties (with plastic gloves) â€" free of “preservatives and fillers” â€" grinds them on site, then cooks them on the grill until they're well done but juicy. The burger comes loaded with mustard, mayo, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, and grilled onions unless you ask for the other free options: hot sauce, steak sauce, jalapeno peppers, pickles, grilled mushrooms, and more. My cheeseburger was a stratum of flavor and texture, thereby elevating the importance of the interplay of toppings and folding everything â€" toasted bun, burger, American cheese, mustard and ketchup, grilled onion, sweet tomato, pickles, lettuce and grilled mushrooms â€" into a single, over-arching burger gestalt.

The two tiny napkins thrown in my brown bag was a joke. You need six white squares.

Flip-N-Out also does decent, thin-cut, crispy fries that don’t need extra salt, although mine could have been warmer.

The menu also includes double burgers and cheeseburgers, kosher hot dogs, bacon hot dogs, cheese dogs, veggie dogs, Coke products and shakes.

It should also be noted that this isn’t a fast-food joint. They don’t have an army behind the counter. Everything is prepared after you order then you carry your grub to the indoor and outdoor seating, which includes a room with two roll-up garage doors, obviously not up today.

The burger options are priced $3.39 to $5.89. The hot dog options sit at $2.49 to $4.09. Free peanuts are available in the dining room.

[Flip-N-Out Burger, 4008 S. 12th St., Tacoma, 253.267.7002]