Five Guys

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Wed Oct 03, 2018 7:26 pm

Sorry, this isn't about toolio and his renfaire hareem.

There's a Five Guys burger place about a half mile from my office. I needed to get some gas at lunchtime today and there's a station next door, so I thought I'd give it a try for the first time.

First of all, you'd have to be making big $$ to eat there regularly. A "regular" cheeseburger, "regular" fries and "regular" drink runs to almost $17.00 with tax. Add $1.00 for bacon on the cheeseburger.

I ordered a "little" bacon cheeseburger" (probably 1/4 lb) with the works (minus the mushrooms) and by itself it was $7.98.

It was, well, OK. Lots of toppings available, but they all seem kind of bland. The bun was sort of sticky and sweet.

For about the same price as the little bacon cheese burger, at In n Out I can get a double-double, fries and a drink. Much fresher flavors.

No contest.

Goober McTuber · Post by **Goober McTuber** » Wed Oct 03, 2018 7:37 pm

Mikey wrote:For about the same price as the little bacon cheese burger, at In n Out I can get a double-double, fries and a drink. Much fresher flavors.

No contest.

Or at Culvers, with fresh never frozen beef. Five Guys is over-hyped and over-priced.

Left Seater · Post by **Left Seater** » Wed Oct 03, 2018 7:49 pm

Not of fan of either Five Guys or In and Out. We don't have much in the way of In and Out at home, 1 only I think in SA, so maybe their stuff isn't up to Cali standards.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Wed Oct 03, 2018 8:36 pm

Is Five Guys decent? Sure.

Would I go out of my way for it? Definitely not.

Is it a bit over priced? Yeah, probably.

Why do I state things in the form of a question? Because I almost always know the answer.

Shlomart Ben Yisrael · Wed Oct 03, 2018 9:19 pm

Left Seater wrote:We don't have much in the way of In and Out at home...

That's because your ol' lady never spent an enchanted evening with Marty...

Shlomart Ben Yisrael ~ Marriage Counsellor

Shlomart Ben Yisrael · Wed Oct 03, 2018 10:49 pm

Mikey wrote:Sorry, this isn't about toolio and his renfaire hareem.

88 wrote:Five Guys sucks ass...

L45B · Post by **L45B** » Wed Oct 03, 2018 11:12 pm

That Dr. Garth Blasey-Ford-Algar lady CLAIMSS$$$SS she was eaten by Five Guys.

Wolfman · Post by **Wolfman** » Wed Oct 03, 2018 11:46 pm

I'm not really big on fast food burgers. Never tried 5 Guys, probably never will. Had a Culver's once and it was quite nice for the price.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Thu Oct 04, 2018 12:45 am

Chains in general suck ass. I will credit 5 guys for using the KISS model. They are essentially what McDonald's was 50 years ago, except over-priced.

Local burger joints are the way to go. In Nashville it was Fat Mo's. There are a number of local bar and grill type places near me that do a pretty good job. If you are ever visiting the 88s, there is a brew pub in stumbling distance of casa 88 that had some pretty good stuff, although, I think I have been experiencing some angina pain since eating there.

5Gs do charge a premium and have done a decent enough job convincing people to pay too much for an ordinary burger. Rack them, I guess.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Thu Oct 04, 2018 3:51 am

I suspect that Fat Heads is owned by a couple of cardiologists.

Rooster · Post by **Rooster** » Thu Oct 04, 2018 5:56 pm

Five Guy's fries tend to be overly salty. I have yet to go to one and not throw the impressively generous portions of french fries away because they dumped an entire container of Morton's on top.

Rooster · Post by **Rooster** » Thu Oct 04, 2018 5:57 pm

My favorite? Cook Out, which is a Southern burger chain.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Thu Oct 04, 2018 9:44 pm

There was a local chain in Birmingham which claimed to have received some national run when I was there a few times for work in the early 90s.

Sam, any idea what it was?

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Joe in PB · Post by **Joe in PB** » Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:52 pm

In California they are renaming it to 5 LGBTP.

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Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Thu Oct 04, 2018 11:04 pm

Joe in PB wrote:In California they are renaming it to 5 LGBTP.

:?

BSmack · Post by **BSmack** » Thu Oct 04, 2018 11:22 pm

smackaholic wrote:I suspect that Fat Heads is owned by a couple of cardiologists.

That is no joke. I found out that the doctor who pulled out my gallbladder had gone into business with a couple of cardiologist and it bought a whole bunch of fast food joints throughout the local Rochester area. Talk about one hand washing the other.

trev · Post by **trev** » Fri Oct 05, 2018 5:49 am

I would eat 5 guys, but would not go out of my way to do so. Not impressed.

You know where I have eaten on many a roadie and never tried their burgers?
Jack in the Box. The pictures look good but I'm just too scared for some reason.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Fri Oct 05, 2018 12:03 pm

Five Guys is good but expensive as noted. Get the junior hamburger and don't get fries and soda or else you'll end up looking like shutyomouth.

Left Seater · Post by **Left Seater** » Fri Oct 05, 2018 12:12 pm

schmick wrote:5 guys is alright, it's better than Whataburger but not close to In N Out

Couldn’t disagree more. If I am eating a fast food burger, Whataburger is first choice by far.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Fri Oct 05, 2018 12:43 pm

Silly dipshit, I may mop jizz, but I don't consume it.

Softball Bat · Post by **Softball Bat** » Fri Oct 05, 2018 12:46 pm

Trev, Jack in the Box sucks.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Fri Oct 05, 2018 8:13 pm

trev wrote:I would eat 5 guys.......

I hope Marty doesn’t read this.

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smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Fri Oct 05, 2018 8:15 pm

Jsc810 wrote:Dr. Shaquille O'Neal owns more than 10% of 5 Guys.

Shaq is about 3 guys by himself.

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trev · Post by **trev** » Fri Oct 05, 2018 11:14 pm

Softball Bat wrote:Trev, Jack in the Box sucks.

Once in awhile, you have to eat a Jack taco. Or chicken sando. Come on, now.

I know KC Dave drives 60 miles for their tacos. Not that I would.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Fri Oct 05, 2018 11:21 pm

5 Guys is good for what they are. What were you expecting from a fast food chain?

Around here, Burgerville once ruled. But they make 5 Guys seem low-priced, and at a couple of the Portland stores, the workers formed a fast food union (demanding a $5 an hour raise across the board... minimum wage in Portland is $15). They're circling the drain in a stunningly rapid fashion.

We have Killer Burger. ALL burgers come with bacon (even the veggieburger... a Portland invention). And many come with peanut butter sauce (which others now mimic -- don't knock it until you try it). Also have Little Big Burger.

I ate Whataburger in Texas... thoroughly unimpressed.

And Trev -- listen to Pops -- JitB is fucking awful, even by big cheap chain standards. I live right by one, and won't go, even if desperate for food -- I'll take 7-11 hot dogs over Jack In The Box. And since it's across the street from the best tacos for miles around There's a Taco Bell across the street too, which I'll starve before I eat there), fuck that.

But for the money, I'll go to the tavern and get a better burger, and drink beer and watch sports.

trev · Post by **trev** » Fri Oct 05, 2018 11:35 pm

Taco Bell is just the worst and we have several Mexican shops around here anyway that we can eat at or get take out.

This isn't about a tavern/pub burger. That is always better than any fast food burger.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Fri Oct 05, 2018 11:53 pm

trev wrote:This isn't about a tavern/pub burger. That is always better than any fast food burger.

Not so fast...

Sin,
Buffalo Wild Wings

BSmack · Post by **BSmack** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 1:17 pm

Dinsdale wrote:Not so fast...

Sin,
Buffalo Wild Wings

Went once. Fair to middlin would be charitable. Can get better from any pizza or hots place around here. Too homogenized for my blood.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 2:49 pm

BSmack wrote:
Dinsdale wrote:Not so fast...

Sin,
Buffalo Wild Wings
Went once. Fair to middlin would be charitable. Can get better from any pizza or hots place around here. Too homogenized for my blood.

CNYer has little to boast about, sadly.

That being said, they have the right to be wing snobs. A little over 20 years ago, I spent a week in Utica. Utica is a dreadful shithole, but it did have a sports bar that made amazing wings. I think there is some sort of wings gestapo that polices CNY. If they find someone making substandard wings, they end up sleeping with the fishes.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 5:42 pm

smackaholic wrote:I think there is some sort of wings gestapo that polices CNY.

You do know the modern incarnation of hot wings came from Western New York, right?

Right? (Say yes, or I have a feeling a pile-on will ensue).

Left Seater · Post by **Left Seater** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 11:20 pm

And yet they still taste like what I imagine shit might taste like.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:00 am

I remember getting some wings about 25 years ago in a town (I guess you’d consider it CNY) called Circleville. All I remember is we landed in Newburgh and had to drive through Middletown to get there (some really creative place-naming there).

This place was apparently well known for its wings. You could choose your heat level from 1 to 5. I asked how hot the 5 was and they said basically if your mouth isn’t calloused you probably don’t want to go there. So I took them at their word and ordered a 3. Should have ordered a 6. I guess if you grew up eating jalapeños and stuff you tend to have a different perspective on heat than if you’re more used to eating bagels with cream cheese and Philly cheesesteaks. The flavor was good though.

Left Seater · Post by **Left Seater** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:12 am

Mikey wrote: This place was apparently well known for its wings. You could choose your heat level from 1 to 5. I asked how hot the 5 was and they said basically if your mouth isn’t calloused you probably don’t want to go there. So I took them at their word and ordered a 3. Should have ordered a 6. I guess if you grew up eating jalapeños and stuff you tend to have a different perspective on heat than if you’re more used to eating bagels with cream cheese and Philly cheesesteaks. The flavor was good though.

I hear you. There was a place in Philly where they claimed their salsa was world class hot. My wife and I thought it was good, but lacking heat to be called world class. Waitstaff used to lurk to watch us eat it with tortilla chips before the entree.

Jalapeño = not hot.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:29 am

You’re right about jalapeños being not hot, though some are hotter than others. Back then though we didn’t have the variety of hot peppers we have now (didn’t know an habaneros), and you sort of develop a tolerance over time. At one time I thought Tabasco was pretty hot. Now it seems like salty vinegar. My son gets some stuff made from ghost peppers and another made from Carolina reapers. He swears they both taste really good but I’m not quite ready just yet. I’m still pretty happy with my El Yucateco XXX Habanero sauce.

Left Seater · Post by **Left Seater** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 2:30 am

No doubt some are hotter than others. These places that the cooks have wear gas masks are just silly.

Do you grow any of your own?

kcdave · Post by **kcdave** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 11:28 am

trev wrote:
Softball Bat wrote:Trev, Jack in the Box sucks.
Once in awhile, you have to eat a Jack taco. Or chicken sando. Come on, now.

I know KC Dave drives 60 miles for their tacos. Not that I would.

10 years ago it was 201 miles from my house.
3 years ago it was about 60.
Now, its only 32.
New one being built will cut it down to 28 by years end.

No, I'm not obsessed or nothin'.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 1:50 pm

Dinsdale wrote:
smackaholic wrote:I think there is some sort of wings gestapo that polices CNY.
You do know the modern incarnation of hot wings came from Western New York, right?

Right? (Say yes, or I have a feeling a pile-on will ensue).

WNY, CNY, same difference more or less. I should have just gone with "upstate", which is defined by lack of a subway station.

I used CNY in my statement as I was referencing a stay in Utica, which is about as C as CNY gets. I do realize that the name Buffalo is not a reference to the animal from which they come.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 1:59 pm

Mikey wrote:I remember getting some wings about 25 years ago in a town (I guess you’d consider it CNY) called Circleville. All I remember is we landed in Newburgh and had to drive through Middletown to get there (some really creative place-naming there).

This place was apparently well known for its wings. You could choose your heat level from 1 to 5. I asked how hot the 5 was and they said basically if your mouth isn’t calloused you probably don’t want to go there. So I took them at their word and ordered a 3. Should have ordered a 6. I guess if you grew up eating jalapeños and stuff you tend to have a different perspective on heat than if you’re more used to eating bagels with cream cheese and Philly cheesesteaks. The flavor was good though.

Growing up in Northern Mexico, it is understandable that you are acclimated to real heat from food. I do not think that wing quality is defined by its Scoville rating.

Wings can be good and not hot. They can be good and hot. They can also be firebreathing and taste like ass. It's been over 20 years since I was at that joint in Utica with the good wings. Zeb's was the name, I think. I don't recall hot hot or not, I just remember that without exception, they were great.

BSmack · Post by **BSmack** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 6:41 pm

Dinsdale wrote:
smackaholic wrote:I think there is some sort of wings gestapo that polices CNY.
You do know the modern incarnation of hot wings came from Western New York, right?

Right? (Say yes, or I have a feeling a pile-on will ensue).

Invented in Buffalo, perfected in Rochester. Neither are in CNY. But 'holic was talking about Utica, which is the asshole of CNY. At least they don't serve wings with ranch dressing.

Mikey, you were in the Catskills or Hudson valley.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Mon Oct 08, 2018 12:16 am

Left Seater wrote:No doubt some are hotter than others. These places that the cooks have wear gas masks are just silly.

Do you grow any of your own?

I don’t grow any yet. We have space and plans for a bunch of raised beds that will definitely include several varieties once they get built. Right now it’s a matter of insufficient time.