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Five Guys Burgers

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Jenise

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Five Guys Burgers

by Jenise » Sun Jun 27, 2010 12:45 pm

One of these opened in Bellingham recently and judging by the signage inside, they're nation-wide so I thought I'd mention that we'd tried them. And won't be going back.

We shared a single burger and fries because we were more curious than hungry. The burger was just okay: I chose the toppings that would cause it to compare to our beloved In n' Outs--single meat patty, w/cheese, tomato, lettuce and fresh onion, no sauces--and there was really no contest here, In n' Out reigns supreme. The fries? Egads. I've never seen so many, which would normally be a happy thing except that these were the heaviest, limpest, greasiest fries I've ever had--all cooked to dark brown but not a crispy one in the bunch. You could have squeezed all the oil out of the bag they came in and had enough to fry a taco. And worse, about two hours later, both of us had some tummy issues that we both were certain was caused by alll the fat in those nasty fries.

How in the world have they been so successful?
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Jeff Grossman

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Re: Five Guys Burgers

by Jeff Grossman » Sun Jun 27, 2010 12:59 pm

Sounds like you had a bad visit.

There is a Five Guys in my nabe. I find the burger decently thick and juicy; the fries are OK (no better than that). I am not a fan of the chain because they only do the meat well and the whole meal isn't cheap enough... I think I have lots of other choices at that price point.

Your episode reminds me of a bad meal I had, many years ago, at my favorite diner -- vertigo, was the transient result -- and I said to my Mom that I wasn't going back there again. She said, "If you eat at a place often enough you're bound to get a bad meal."
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Re: Five Guys Burgers

by Redwinger » Sun Jun 27, 2010 1:14 pm

We walked into one of these joints once and walked right back out the door. Guess that was a wise decision.
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Re: Five Guys Burgers

by Robin Garr » Sun Jun 27, 2010 1:49 pm

Five Guys came to Louisville within the past year or so, and a lot of people who'd known them in their original zone (the started in Northern Virginia) were excited. I went and thought they were okay to pretty good - they claim their burgers are greasy, and say that with pride, so I suppose a fan of In & Out might find them on the fatty side.

Here's my review - it was one of several short reviews in a potpourri report:
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/burge ... ones-oh-my
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Re: Five Guys Burgers

by Jenise » Sun Jun 27, 2010 1:57 pm

Robin Garr wrote:Five Guys came to Louisville within the past year or so, and a lot of people who'd known them in their original zone (the started in Northern Virginia) were excited. I went and thought they were okay to pretty good - they claim their burgers are greasy, and say that with pride, so I suppose a fan of In & Out might find them on the fatty side.

Here's my review - it was one of several short reviews in a potpourri report:
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/burge ... ones-oh-my


Going with the single patty I didn't find the burger greasy, just the fries. The burger was just fine, though not as good as an In n' Out where my single patty of beef seems to taste beefier than I found this. I also like the way an In n' Out burger's grilled bun will always be a crispy around the edges, and the lettuce refrigerator cold.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Re: Five Guys Burgers

by GeoCWeyer » Sun Jun 27, 2010 7:02 pm

They can't be any worse than Smash Burger. While I do love the ice cream and malts I can pass on the burgers and sides. My guess is that they call their product smash burger because a round ball of ground beef is smashed down and held by a meat weight. The burger spreads out nicely but it makes me wonder if they aren't using 70-30 instead of 80-20. Whatever the reason they are just too greasy for me.
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Re: Five Guys Burgers

by Lou Kessler » Sun Jun 27, 2010 7:53 pm

I always wonder why people would buy hamburgers in a restaurant in their own neighborhood? My wife grinds up some boneless chuck, I cook the burgers on the barbeque to a nice medium rare and we have a choice of toppings and a nicely browned bun. I'm no cook but I've neve eaten a better hamburger. In and Out is the best fast food hamburger I've eaten but it was on the road and not much else around.
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Re: Five Guys Burgers

by ChefJCarey » Sun Jun 27, 2010 8:06 pm

The closest decent burger to me is 15 miles away - Burgerville. But - and this is important (in that you could eat more burgers if you want) - they are grass fed beef. Which, in effect, means the omega 3 to omega 6 ratio is MUCH better. Grass fed beef has about the same amount of omega 3s as oily fish.

The best meat I've found for grinding for a burger - I've used it in several restaurants - is brisket. My nearest store, Roth's, has a very decent Painted Hills ground beef that is grass fed and 10% fat (I'd like a little more to tell the truth).
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Edmund Mokhtarian

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Re: Five Guys Burgers

by Edmund Mokhtarian » Sat Jul 03, 2010 2:36 pm

It's odd that you hated Five Guys, because it's all the rage on the East Coast. Their Cajun Fries are a huge fan favorite, too. When I was in DC, they'd constantly get picked for best fries in the whole city, though I didn't really care for them that much.

As for the burger, I'm on the opposite side of the tracks. I actually prefer Five Guys over In-N-Out. It's the same type of burger, but Five Guys just has a few more toppings to jazz their version up, and I really like that they wrap the burger in foil to keep it warm.

Most of my friends swear by In-N-Out, so I know I'm definitely in the minority on this one. I guess it's just a matter of individual taste.
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Re: Five Guys Burgers

by Jenise » Sat Jul 03, 2010 6:15 pm

Edmund Mokhtarian wrote:I guess it's just a matter of individual taste.


Sure it is, and you're never wrong about what you like. And I can understand about the toppings--though I deliberately eschewed anything beyond the standard in order to avoid that swaying me. Now if they were to offer Hatch New Mexico roasted green chiles and arugula in place of lettuce, they'd have me talking. :)

But I promise you, the fries I had the other day would never have won best fry from anybody--I don't think there's anybody on the planet who prefers limp and greasy. Old potatoes (would explain the dark color and limpness) might be at fault.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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CMMiller

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Re: Five Guys Burgers

by CMMiller » Sun Jul 04, 2010 12:15 pm

I've eaten there several times at some of their DC area locations and I agree, they are way overrated. My experience was similar to yours, although perhaps not quite so soggy on the fry front. Like In-N-Out, their burgers seem good mainly by comparison to other huge fast food chains.
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Jay Miller

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Re: Five Guys Burgers

by Jay Miller » Sun Jul 04, 2010 12:42 pm

We had a Five Guys replace the Fatburger near work a few months ago. A huge improvement IMO. I'm also not a fan of the fries but a double cheeseburger with fried onions, fried mushrooms, pickles and ketchup or mustard (depending on what mood I'm in) can really hit the spot if I'm working late. Of course it's about 20 points on Weight Watchers.

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