After seeing various Five Guys locations around Manhattan, I decided to give them a try. The word of mouth on this burger is surprisingly good, New Yorkers rave about it like Californians rave about In-N-Out Burger. I'm here to report that, just like In-N-Out, this burger is serviceable albeit overrated. Don't get me wrong, I liked the burger but I just wasn't crazy about it. For fast foot it's good, better than most, but just like all the others what you're tasting is not the meat but the meat-flavored oil they use to cook the burgers in. This is just a theory of mine (since I'm in no mood to go a-Googling on how these burgers are made), but I'm pretty sure its the case. This burger even tasted a lot like In-N-Out, perhaps they get their oil from the same place.
One neat thing about Five Guys is you pay a flat price for a burger and then all the toppings are free. This allows for an entirely customizable burger experience. With all of this power at my fingers I opted for grilled onions, ketchup, pickles and lettuce. I think I chose wisely, as this is a very no-frills burger that doesn't stretch the pallet too far. As I mentioned before, the flavor came from the grease, and so my bun was greasy on the top and the bottom--SBB's dastardly cousin. It wasn't overly bad, but make sure you pack extra napkins with this burger, which I should mention comes as a double patty delight. For cheese, the standard is American cheese, which is the standard cheese for fast foot burgers' cheese.
The fries were over-cooked and not good, I do not recommend them or the Cajun variety, which were overly seasoned. To wash it all down, I had a Troeg's Amber Ale. A fine ale indeed.
And now, a haiku entitled: five-seven-five guys.
What is this "fast foot" you speak of?! Does not sound particularly appetizing : p
ReplyDeleteP.s. Interesting tidbit I read in my nutrition book, "using ''natural flavor'' as a synonym for beef extract is within federal Food and Drug Administration guidelines." It was in correlation to the beef extract additive in Mcdonalds french fries, but I wouldn't doubt that it applies to hamburgers as well!
Now I just need to go about getting some of that 'natural flavor' in spray bottle form. Look out ladies, I'm wearing my meat cologne.
ReplyDeleteThey are starting to open these in the bay area, people say it is better than in n' out. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI address the In-N-Out association in the wordy part. Since there is nothing terribly special about the burger, I recommend taking advantage of the craze 5 Guys will no doubt generate and just enjoy the shorter lines at In-N-Out.
ReplyDeleteWhich would win in a blind taste test?
ReplyDelete