It's not high on my list of craveable foods, but now and again, I get a real downright hankering for a hamburger with the full works. And if you're going to consume the breadth of calories and fat contained in a double fisted greasy sandwich, make it count. Have a real burger, none of the nonsense parceled out at fast food restaurants. Make it a quality burger (or go full hog with a bag of sliders).

During my current phase of rigid dietary standards, I've compromised by eating soy patties and garden burgers rather than a juicy slab of beef. But everyone can and should have a cheat day. Jewels, that pied piper of vice, got me thinking about this today. My next earned cheat day is nigh and I've been weighing carefully what my indulgence item will be. Until our conversation today, I was convinced it would be the fried chicken and collard greens at Live Bait. But after a lively discussion over lunch where we discussed hamburgers (while chewing on salad and scraping a container of non fat yogurt), I think that may be the way to go.

The question was where does one get a burger worthy of the cheat? If I were in California, it would be a toss up between In-N-Out Burger and Red's Java House in San Francisco. In New York, you can get a burger anywhere, so the choice has to be especially thoughtful. The Stoned Crow makes a delectable burger. The $50 Kobe beef burger at Old Homestead? My old favorite from Artie's with bacon and apple smoked bacon? I needed to make an informed choice, so I turned to a reliable medium--Details Magazine (Hello? You think Glamour is going to be of assistance here? Men's magazines know their meat, thank you).

According to Details, "Is the perfect burger the East Coast ideal, tender and untroubled by bones or gristle, everything you look for in a filet mignon but seldom find? Or is it the the West Coast model, swelling with vegetation, brimming with health and well-being, piled high with all that a seed catalog can provide?" Good question. Based on the consensus of multiple refined palates, here are the 20 best burgers in America (by type).

20. Hamburger Sandwich: Louis' Lunch, New Haven, CT

19. Our Famous Burger: Sidetrack Bar and Grill, Ypsilanti, MI

18. Hamburger: Poag Mahone's Carvery and Ale House, Chicago

17. Double Bacon Deluxe with Cheese: Red Mill Burgers, Seattle

16. Hamburger & Fries: Burger Joint, San Francisco

15. Build Your Own Burger: The Counter, Santa Monica

14. Hamburger: J. G. Melon, New York City

13. Cheeseburger: White Manna, Hackensack, NJ

12. Hamburger: Bobcat Bite, Sante Fe

11. Grilled Bistro Burger: Bistro Don Giovanni, Napa, CA

10. Number Five: Keller's Drive-in, Dallas

9. Cheeseburger: Burger Joint, le Parker Meridien Hotel, New York City

8. Hamburger: Miller's Bar, Dearborn, MI

7. Buckhorn Burger: Buckhorn, San Antonio, NM

6. California Burger: Houston's, Santa Monica

5. Kobe Sliders, Barclay Prime, Philadelphia

4. Rouge Burger: Rouge, Philadelphia

3. Not Just a Burger, Spiced Pear Restaurant, Newport, RI

2. Luger Burger, Peter Luger Steak House, Brooklyn

1. Sirloin Burger, Le Tub, Hollywood, FL

I don't know about you, but what I glean from this list is that Michigan, New Mexico and Philadelphia know what to do with meat. While the Kobe sliders and a visit to Luger's are both tempting, in the end I'm settling for Bruce's Burgers on 34th Street next to Penn Station. It is literally a hole in the wall with no seats and a perpetual line of people 20 deep. Still, the burgers are juicy and delicious and the soft homemade buns are piled high with fresh trimmings. It's no frills and a steal at $5.95..and it may well be the best burger you've ever had. Well worth the cheat.

What's your favorite?