I made fun of Whataburger’s new chili cheeseburger with Fritos tucked in when it appeared in my Twitter feed Wednesday night. “Do. Not. Want,” was my immediate, visceral reaction. I went to bed grousing about gimmickry and stunt food and the whole trend of sticking snack food in burgers.

But I awoke yesterday remembering the excitement and anticipation among Whataburger fans in my feed. A couple of them had already rushed out to try the new menu item. They liked it......

I remembered that Frito burgers had been a tradition in Houston — land of the Frito Pie — for more than a decade. “It’s a rip-off of Hubcap Grill,” carped one Twitter user, and Hubcap owner Ricky Craig himself popped in to note, "We have had this burger on our menu for 13 years now since day one. The Godfather of burgers has spoken.”.....

To my surprise, this was the best Whataburger I’ve ever eaten. The patties had a good, crunchy sear on them, which added some character, and they were not cooked to utter distraction, which has been my usual experience. Their clear, unassuming beef flavor was amplified by the beefy chili — which to my mind was timid stuff, without the red-chile-pepper authority I had been hoping for.

There wasn’t quite enough chili for me, either; and I longed for a second cheese slice to jack up the slidiness of the sandwich. Who makes a double cheeseburger without double cheese? I ask you.