Saturday, August 23, 2008

Five Guys Burgers

I was hanging with Devin friday night in the west village and we happened to walk by 5 Guys Burgers.
I've noticed a few articles on the internet talking about this burger joint. Surprisingly, everybody had something positive to say about the place.
So I had to go in to try for myself what all the fuss was about.

I ordered the small cheese burger with a side of cajun fries.
Inside the joint, they made it abundantly clear the meat is never frozen, and that the fries are fried in peanut oil.
2 very good signs.

Now the moment of truth. I bit into my burger and proceded to chew and savor the juice and flavor.
Quite average. A decent burger but nothing like JG Melon or Shake Shack. Devin made a very good point saying the burgers reminded him of a Wendy's burger.
The fries were well seasoned with a house blend of dry spices. (Quite heavy on the garlic powder) But I didn't get the nice crispiness of something fried in peanut oil.

If I happen to walk past a 5 Guy's burger joint next time, I will do just that... Walk past it.


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4 comments:

Unknown said...

harsh! but what does it really take to make a decent hamburger ?

Aramis said...

Like most quality sandwiches imho it comes down to the following qualities.

1) Juiciness
2) Flavor - gotta be beefy and not buried in condiments
3) Crispy - potentially with the beef being nicely charred or via some thinly sliced red onions
4) Soft bread

A place that kicks massive ars and fits those qualities is JG Melon. Went again this past Sunday and as usual it was f'n awesome.
http://dudesonfoods.blogspot.com/2008/03/cant-get-enough.html

Rob said...

It might be my uneducated DC palette speaking, but coming from the home of Five Guys I can tell you that they are not all created equal, and as the NYC stores are new they are probably not a fair representation of the company as a whole.

That being said people have different likes and dislikes when it comes to burgers and what gets you off might not be what they are offering. Still, I personally give Five Guys high marks for fresh ingredients, low prices, and a thoroughly unpretentious atmosphere. Also, free peanuts while you wait.

Aramis said...

I 100% agree. I actually never went to the Five Guys in NYC, but I know that quality of chain restaurants vary from each location. Popeye's at one location maybe heavenly, while another one could be pretty p!ss poor. Any who, me thinks we need to pay Athos a visit in DC and check out what the hub-bub about the Five Guys is all about...