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Dining review: Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries
Posted: Nov 16, 2007 in Dining
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VENUE INFO
The five guys that the place is named for are the sons of the owners, and the rest of the restaurant's name is very close to being the whole of the menu. Forget multitasking or fusion food; this is a spot for burgers and fries.
Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries became famous over two decades with a handful of restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area before it became a franchise operation. Then it spread across the eastern half of the country like a rumor in a high school cafeteria, proving that we've all been longing for a simpler, beefier time.
The Food
Bulletin boards in the front and back of the restaurant give customers a chance to editorialize after their meals, and you find a lot of comments along the lines of -- if not as artfully expressed as -- this one: "This is why we're not vegetarians." "You rule" and "You're awesome" pepper the boards as well.
The food that inspires the adoration is not dressed up or fusion-sauced, and you don't need 14 adjectives to order it. People affiliated with the restaurant will tell you that the reason it's so good is that it comes to you fresh -- the meat never goes near a freezer, and the fries are cut in the store every day.
Only a kosher hot dog and a grilled cheese or veggie sandwich join burgers on the sandwich menu, and those just aren't the meat of the matter.
Choose from a hamburger (two patties for $3.99) or a little hamburger (a single patty for $2.99). Add cheese or bacon or both for a little more, and choose from a pretty good number of toppings, none of which crosses the line into fancy.
Burgers are about a half-inch thick and close cousins of the ones that come off backyard grills. I got mine with bacon (thick, crisp) and cheese (American). To that base I added sauteed mushrooms (canned, disappointingly), sliced jalapeno peppers (fresh, surprisingly), and sweet barbecue sauce.
A dry-erase board at the counter told us that the day's fries started as potatoes in Rigby, Idaho. Long, thick, and perfectly crisp on the outside, those fries ($1.99 for a regular order and $3.69 for a large, plain or Cajun) deserve their billing. We ordered them Cajun-style, dusted with a cayenne-heavy mix of spicy seasonings. Perfect.
The Service
We were greeted before we made it halfway from door to counter, and the cashier smiled through a quick rundown of the menu after we answered her "Been here before?" with a no.
The Atmosphere
The only ornaments in Five Guys' white, glossy-tiled restaurant are the scads of reviews that hang on the walls and bags of spuds stacked near the counter.
Eighties rock was the music of choice on the day we stopped by; we empathized with Dire Straits, shook our fists to Billy Idol and our heads at Van Halen while we ate.
The Price
$17.98 for three, including tax (but no tip -- Five Guys offers counter service). That's about as good as deals get. Any cheaper and I'd be suspicious.
Next Time
A burger and fries. Duh. Even the kosher hot dog ($2.69) doesn't compete, as far as I'm concerned.
-- Traci Cumbay / Star Correspondent
Happened to come across this place about a month ago,food is very good great prices and well worth the value.
I eat at the Fishers location all the time. When I'm not in the mood for a burger, I get the hot dog with cheese, bacon, and jalapeno. Mmmmmm...
If you're dining with someone else, don't bother ordering more than one regular order of fries. They basically pour some into a cup, then pour like 2 more cupfulls into the bag.