The Fast Food Restaurant Alton Brown Can't Stop Thinking About

Alton Brown is a celebrity chef everyman; from hosting top cooking shows like "Good Eats" and "Iron Chef" to dabbling in voice acting for animated series like "SpongeBob Squarepants," he's done everything from teaching millions how to perfect the Thanksgiving turkey to educating viewers on new dishes with the excitement and pomp of a sports commentator. 

While the food icon is known for loving fried chicken, he's also partial to a good burger and a donut from Gibson's in Memphis (via Eater). In fact, like many other famous cooks and chefs, Brown has his favorite fast-food guilty pleasures. While Wolfgang Puck may prefer ice cream, Brown prefers something much more savory. 

Joining several other prominent American chefs, Brown participated in a survey by Esquire in which he dished the goods on his favorite fast food. Other chefs picked both regional standouts like Wow Bao or Mighty Taco or national chains like Chipotle or Popeye's, Brown's guilty pleasure is a West Coast favorite. The celebrity cook is a huge fan of In-and-Out. In particular, he can't get enough of the establishment's single animal-style burger and chocolate shake, calling it "greasy but oddly clean-tasting at the same time and the sauce actually is 'special.'"

For Alton Brown, the combo reminds him of his childhood. The James Beard Award-winner told Esquire, "The shake tastes the way shakes tasted back when I was a kid. It makes me tear up just thinkin' about it." In-N-Out wasn't just the clear winner for Brown either, with the regional chain topping Esquire's list as the best fast-food spot according to the chefs they surveyed.

In fact, the burger chain seems to be a fan for many chefs and celebrities alike. For instance, Gordon Ramsay also loves to stop by the drive-thru and order a Double Double, as he recounted to Tasting Table. Likewise, Chef Carl Yeh and Karla Lomeli both are fans of the restaurant as well, according to Insider. 

The beloved chain recently made headlines after the company announced that it would be expanding Eastward for the first time, with plans to open In-N-Out locations in and around Nashville Tennessee, with an Eastern territory office, which could hint at further plans to expand into new parts of the country. At the time of writing, In-N-Out has over 300 locations.