NYC-Five Guys Burgers and Fries

I found myself in SoHo, Manhattan today, wandering the streets in the sweltering heat. Watson and I had been perusing the local vintage stores trying to find a replacement deerstalker hat, as my old one has grown a tad too worn-in. In any case, we were simply ravished by early afternoon and happened to see a quaint building with a boldface-lettering sign: Five Guys.

Now I don't presume to know who this quintet of gentlemen is, but my stomach and brain seemed to only notice the substantial crowd of people eating inside. In about fifteen minutes we had placed our orders, gotten our food, and were seated at a small wooden table. The general rapidity of the food-preparing process was most impressive. The restaurant itself evokes a 50s diner complete with red and white checkered decor and the omnipresent, glorious smell of fried food wafting in the air. Few can resist the ambience. The menu is pretty limited, but boasts quality standard American fare: burgers (normal and little sizes), hot dogs, fries, and typical refreshments. I wanted to test the apparent claim to fame of this restaurant by ordering a little burger (not the conventional definition of little, mind you--this is a standard sized burger) with lettuce and tomato. Toppings can be very distracting when assessing a hamburger, and I wanted to get at the source of the tastiness: the meat.

The simple sesame bun was slightly grilled and gave a nice crunch to the burger. The tomatoes and lettuce were very fresh, but pretty typical for most fast food locales--I personally prefer leafy green lettuce. The meat, albeit being a relatively thin patty, was well done and juicy. Very scrumptious, indeed. The proof lies below in a closer dissection:

Since I had a simple meal, I cajoled Watson into ordering a more elaborate combination. He also had a little burger with tomato, lettuce, grilled mushrooms, and ketchup. For those looking for an extra touch of umami bliss, get ketchup, but the meat is flavorful enough to do without. And for a heightened dining experience, I suggest adding the grilled mushrooms as they are prepared very well. We also shared a cup of homemade fries--I would call them a hybrid between the classic shoestring and the homefry. In other words, perfect. Lightly salted, thin enough to feel light, and thick enough to enjoy the fluffiness of the potato.

In conclusion, I highly recommend Five Guys for a quick and tasty meal. It is a highly-acclaimed restaurant chain already, and it's no mystery why. Make no mistake, Five Guys is not the common fast food restaurant and is, rather, several notches above. Watson and I thoroughly enjoyed the friendly and warm atmosphere and look forward to returning, should we ever be in that part of the world again.

CASE CLOSED: 4/5 rating

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

296 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10014 (Other locations @http://www.fiveguys.com)