Burgers and fries, that's about it.

When you do something well, why do anything else, right? While I don't buy into that school of thought, the people over at Five Guys Burgers and Fries certainly do, and they have made it their mantra. What they do is burgers and fries, and nothing else. Well almost nothing else; you can also order a hot dog with or without cheese or bacon, or cheese and bacon. Okay, so this place isn't serving up a healthy dose of good for you, but damn if they don't do burgers and fries really well; that is, they only cook their burgers well done. It's their policy and they don't stray from it, but they believe that by cooking their burgers well done every time, they are ensuring a consistent product and in their eyes, the juiciest, tastiest burger they can make.

Here's a little history list on the franchise before I get to the good stuff. The first Five Guys opened in Arlington, VA back in 1986 and growth at the beginning was slow. Over the next 15 years, five more Five Guys opened in the Washington, DC area. While they worked on perfecting their burgers they also began developing a cult following. Since then, Five Guys has opened over 450 franchises in 30 states and claims that there are over 250,000 ways to order one of their burgers. Only fresh ground beef is used, never frozen, and all of their french fries are hand cut daily from hundreds of pounds of fresh potatoes that can be seen in sacks taking up space around the restaurant. Sounds a little like In 'N Out Burger, without the drive-through.

With over 250,000 burger combinations, ordering is actually quite simple. You have the hamburger and the cheeseburger, with or without bacon. It is important to note that both the hamburger and cheeseburger on the menu come with two burger patties; if you want a single, order the little hamburger or the little cheeseburger, also available with or without bacon. Once you have your basic burger order, it's time to go crazy with the toppings. You have your choice of mayo, relish, onions, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, jalapenos, green peppers, A-1 sauce, bar-b-q sauce, and hot sauce. Add a regular fries (big) or a large fries (huge) in either Five Guys style (salt and pepper blend) or Cajun style.

On my visit to Five Guys with J, we were unaware of the regular (double) vs. little (single) size so we both ordered regular burgers; mine with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onions, ketchup and mustard, and J's with lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onions and ketchup - no cheese. We also split a regular fries, which is actually quite large. Yes, this burger was good and the fries were crispy and well seasoned. However I am not much of a fast food guy so this greasy burger left me feeling sluggish after; we're talking serious food coma.

Yes, the veggies were fresh, the burger was juicy, and the fries were good, but the caloric count of my meal based on the nutritional information found on Five Guys web site was nearly 1300 calories! What a gut bomb. I'm not a calorie counter, never have been, never will be. I also don't watch what I eat too closely. I exercise regularly, I'm relatively fit, and I eat what I want within reason. But I usually stick to healthy foods that are either good for me or make me feel good; and this meal was neither. I'm not saying Five Guys isn't good, quite the contrary, Five Guys is quite good at what they do. If you like these fast food style burgers then you are not going to find anyone within 10 miles of a Five Guys that does what they do better.

I say go to Five Guys, order a burger (a little burger if you do have a big appetite) and some fries and form your own opinion. At the very least you'll probably have a pretty darn good meal for short change.

Oh yeah, one more thing. All burgers are made to order so while you're waiting, enjoy some free peanuts, they're pretty good.

A Match Made in Hot Dog Heaven

A quick glimpse of the first photo and many people will know exactly what I'm talking about! Gray's Papaya is a fast foodies go to in Manhattan. With three locations on the West Side of Manhattan, you're never too far from a tasty grilled hot dog with onions and sauerkraut, with a fresh papaya juice to wash it down.

For $3.50 you get two freshly grilled hot dogs with your choice of mustard, ketchup, grilled onions, and sauerkraut, and a good sized cup of freshly made juice - I like the papaya but you can also choose from orange, grape, pina colada, coconut, or banana daiquiri (non-alcoholic.) I almost always stop into Gray's for a couple dogs and a papaya juice when I'm in the city. Next time your in Manhattan, stop into Gray's for their recession special of two dogs and a drink.







Locations are 539 Eighth Avenue at 37th Street, 402 Sixth Avenue at 8th Street, and 2090 Broadway at 72nd Street.

McDonald's is the Root of All That is Bad

When I started writing this post I was going to write about what Starbucks is up to to try and take some breakfast business away from McDonald's. I love Starbucks and HATE McDonald's, so I worry what Starbuck's move will do to their core competency - coffee. Then I started off on a tangent about why I hate McDonald's. I remembered an editorial published in the January 2005 issue of Restaurant Hospitality magazine that discussed how the Cleveland Clinic wanted to evict McDonald's from the lobby of the hospital - I recently learned that the Clinic failed in their attempts, too bad. The clinic is not the only hospital that has a McDonald's in it. You go to a hospital to get healthy, right? Don't you think it's counter-productive to have a McDonald's, which is the King of Unhealthy, in the same building as a hospital? Then I thought about what really disgusted me about McDonald's. The last time I ate McDonald's was over two years ago, sometime before I saw the documentary Super Size Me. The bonus material on the DVD made me ill, and I haven't stepped foot in McDonald's since. Watch the video below, rent Super Size Me if you haven't seen it, and tell me if you will ever eat McDonald's again.