Wednesday, October 2, 2013

5 Guys Guest Blog

So a follower of my blog by the name of Diane Morales decided to visit 5 Guys Burger and Fries, a fast food transplant from the East Coast who came over to the West Coast because they wanted to challenge In-N-Out, and below is her entry:
                                                     5 Guys Burger and fries
“The best $5 Burger Around”, it says on the window outside. So I decided to try yet another burger joint instead of El Pollo Loco, the healthier choice.  They hail from Washington DC and grew westward. They have a nice background: family started and grown, five sons etc. I walked in and it kind of smelled like In n Out except more potato.
A five dollar burger?  Who needs a five dollar burger?  Nowhere does it say how big it is. Even Carl’s Jr.'s “six dollar burger” isn’t $5 and it is too big for me to eat! Luckily their menu carried a “little burger” and so I ordered that. It was still $3.79. It was like a quarter pound burger – a regular burger.  Any bigger and it’s just too much.
Their gimmick is that you can choose “toppings”. I thought toppings were for pizza. Since when does a sandwich have “toppings”? I have always thought of them as condiments. Anyway you can choose from the standard or just say everything. They have barbeque sauce and grilled mushrooms, steak sauce, jalapenos, hot sauce- things that one usually doesn’t find on a regular burger. So instead of ordering western BBQ cheese burger or a “Santa Fe” style or a “Texan longhorn” or whatever trendy name other establishments might  to come up with, you just order a burger and tell them what you want on it. Kind of like a Subway for burgers.  That certainly saves on coming up with names and the customer doesn’t have to read an extensive menu. What they didn’t have is what stood out to me. No Avocado, thousand island dressing or bacon. Those are the things I would add to my burger in addition to the standard tomato lettuce and onion, mustard and catsup.  
Didn’t they notice all the Bob’s, Jim’s Andy’s etc charbroiled burger joints around? Not to mention all the chains? California does not need a burger joint from the east coast. We have plenty.  All are good. Their building and their website are adorned with reviews by food critics from publications from the East Coast. That’s because East coast never knew how to make hamburgers! In-n-Out got it right and they still rule!  No one makes a burger like In n Out and they don’t cost $5 either! Not even their double- double.
They also serve fresh French fries. When I got them they were dark.  First I thought they were because the peel was left on –ok, I like peel, but it could have been the Cajun seasoning – no you have to ask for that special. Maybe it was the peanut oil. Anyway they will never be great fries. Many say you can’t beat In n Out fries. Some people swear by McDonald’s fries.  Yes those are better than these. They were good; I am not a fry connoisseur so I don’t care. I do know that I love the little crispy tidbits you always get at the bottom of the In n Out fries, like a surprise at the bottom of the haystack. We used to fight over those tasty morsels.
Here, in California they are just another burger joint. Good luck. 
They also serve hot dogs. $3.59 Seriously??!!  I love me a good hot dog. But I haven’t tried theirs. I’ll have to try it. But right now, I’m going to say it’s hard to beat Costco’s $1.50 hot dog or Pink’s gourmet hot dogs or even the Los Angeles sidewalk vendor  bacon-wrapped hot dogs with bell peppers and onions.  And don’t forget the age old tried and true Weiner schnitzel hot dogs. Simple but good.  Not everything has to be so large. Did they not hear that America is too fat?  “Pacifc Coast Hotdog” makes a good dog too. Local, not fancy just good grub with all the trimmings.  Again, good luck!



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