While driving to work this past week, I recall hearing that by February, 50% of those New Year's resolutions have fallen by the wayside. So I thought it was time for our Fourth Burger Week. I had my doubts at first because it seems that we've covered a good bit of ground. From iconic burgers served at places like Rocky's, Hodad's, and Nessy, to "pub burgers" at joints like The Waterfront, to newer places like Burger Lounge and The Counter, I wasn't sure I had it in me. But after trading emails with Cathy and Ed from Yuma, I realized that there's always another burger somewhere down the street.
A couple of months back, Five Guys Burgers opened up in San Diego...... part of a West Coast expansion of an East Coast favorite. This prompted a whole slew of Five Guys versus In N Out posts and articles. Some of my favorite Food Bloggers like The Catty Critic and Passionate Eater weighed in on the debate.
Thus I put a visit to Five Guys on my "list".......... then my trip to Madison and Chicago came up. An acquaintance of mine who had tried the San Diego location of Five Guys told me that for some reason, in his opinion, the burgers at Five Guys in the Midwest and back East taste better. He told me to check out one of their location in Chicago if I had the chance. And I did indeed have a chance, as I came across a Five Guys in Mount Prospect on my last morning in Chicago.
Even though I arrived right at opening time, there was already a short line. It gave me time to check out the decor, all of the declarations of the greatness of Five Guys plastered on the walls, the large sacks of potatoes, the peanuts for eating while you wait......
The menu, much like In-N-Out's is deceivingly simple; Four burgers, four "little burgers", hot dogs, two sandwiches, and two style of fries. The gimmick here is that you have the choice of up to sixteen free "toppings", everything from Ketchup to A1 Steak Sauce.
Those folks that know, realize that I like a pretty unadorned burger, just the typical veggies and maybe some mustard. Which is how I ordered mine. It all came wrapped in foiled lined paper. It's good that I was eating this here, as a burger would keep on steaming inside this wrapper had I waited too long....
I liked the look of the burger, the sesame bun was nice until it started falling apart. This was a fairly hefty burger, but I thought it over-priced at five bucks($4.99 actually)...... though I guess you could make up that difference if you got everything but the kitchen sink on it.
The meat itself wasn't seasoned, lacked any beefiness, and was on the "mealy" side. No wonder President Obama needed to order his burger with Jalapeno.
Five Guys Burgers
118 East Kensington Rd
Mount Prospect, IL 60056
This didn't turn out to be the burger I had expected. But I decided to check out the Liberty Station location in Point Loma, just to see if there was any difference. I arrived on a Sunday evening, and the place was packed.
Because I wanted to be boring consistent, I ordered the same thing as I did in Chicago. I even managed to score an open table. This is what my burger looked like when unwrapped....
What a mess....... that bottom half of the butt was pretty much a goner, just minutes after making.
At least the burger here had a bit more char to it, and was more moist than the version I had in Chicago. I still think the meat has a kind of mealy texture, and is under-seasoned. The meat here cannot stand alone, The packaging left much to be desired as well.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
2445 Truxton Rd
San Diego, CA 92106
So what about the Five Guys versus In-N-Out thing...... being that Five Guys' burger is larger, it's hard to compare. But I will say this about the burger...... For the price of one burger from Five Guys ($4.99)..... I got this at I-N-O:
Smaller, but dressed in a similar manner - two double meats, mustard instead. I enjoyed In-N-Out much more as well.....
There is one thing at Five Guys that I enjoy much more than at In-N-Out...... it's the fries. I've never developed a taste for the fries at In-N-Out.......yeah they're "natural" style fries; but just about every other place I have that type of fries have been head and shoulders above In-N-Out.
You are spot on about In-n-Out. I usually skip the fries, or split a small order among 3 people. Now I think I need to do some grilling later this week (gotta eat the superbowl leftovers first).
Posted by: janfrederick | Monday, 07 February 2011 at 01:35 PM
I didn't enjoy Five Guys either when I went but I did like their fries better. I've discovered I like In-N-Out's fries if I get them "lightly well done" - they come out a bit crispier than usual.
Posted by: Mary | Monday, 07 February 2011 at 02:16 PM
Mr. C always buy fries from other fast food joints while I wait for INO. That 5 Guys burger looks bad.
Posted by: Food detective | Monday, 07 February 2011 at 03:46 PM
I think you would enjoy Five Guys a bit more if you got a few more things on it (the bacon/grilled onions in particular are quite good). That, to me, is kind of the appeal vs. a place like In-N-Out, where your options are more limited. In any case, I don't understand why they have to be compared, it's two different kinds of burger imo :)
PS try the cajun fries if you didn't already, they're good
Posted by: Chris | Monday, 07 February 2011 at 03:52 PM
too bad about those burgers, they sure look nice photographed!
Posted by: kat | Monday, 07 February 2011 at 07:59 PM
Five Guys has been on my list ever since Dennis mentioned it but I never ended up going because the Mister had it a few times and gave it a meh. I'm more particular about my hamburgers so if it's just meh to him, I figure I'd probably wouldn't like it.
Posted by: Carol | Monday, 07 February 2011 at 08:53 PM
OMG Kirk, was that water tower/ retrofit cell tower pic for me?? JK ;) I've been strangely out of phase with burgers lately but soon as it's back I'd like to try Five Guys eventually. Thanks for sharing as always.
Posted by: Dennis | Monday, 07 February 2011 at 08:56 PM
For a franchise I found them to be surprisingly inconsistent. Over 3 visits I've had 1 decent burger and 2 exactly like your last at NTC
Posted by: MikeW | Tuesday, 08 February 2011 at 06:38 AM
I liked better the burger you got from Chicago, even if I’m really a burger fan. Too bad the meat was unseasoned. Definitely the I-N-O burgers looked a lot better, but I don’t know about the fries though…
Posted by: Motoare Reductoare | Tuesday, 08 February 2011 at 07:20 AM
Oh sadness you had disappointing burgers. I need to pay another visit to the Five Guys near me to make sure they are still as good as last time. Hoping they're not starting to falter in quality. If they are, at least I have 2 In-n-Outs near my house. :)
The fries at Five Guys blows In-n-Out's out of the water for sure. :)
Posted by: Rosa | Tuesday, 08 February 2011 at 10:12 AM
Awwww come on Kirk; it's definitely not In and Out but it's nice to have more meat on a bun. Then being in Tx I get my fair share of good burgers but it is nice to have In and Out. This is about 5 guys right ;-)
Posted by: bill | Tuesday, 08 February 2011 at 05:48 PM
Hi Jan - I've never taken to In-N-Out's fries.... and after having my share of "natural, fresh made" in Chicago..... I tihnk they could do better.
Hi Mary - I've had those fries every which way..... but for some reason I've never liked them.
Hi TFD - The squished burger was actually the better of the two!
Hi Chris - But this is burger week.... not bacon week! Before I start throwing stuff on a burger, I always like to see what the burger tastes like. Sorta like what I did the Hodad's....which is nothing without the bacon. Those were the cajun fries..... I've had both, and they are good.
Hi Kat - I'm glad you enjoyed the photos!
Hi Carol - The burger itself is kinda mealy, and it seems like they really don't season it.
Hi Dennis - LOL! I forgot about your obsession with towers..... I dunno why I put that photo there.... perhaps I was subliminally influenced? ;o)
Hi MikeW - 1 out of 3 is good.... in baseball! Not so good with burgers....
Hi MR - The burger from Chicago looked much better.... but the local one tasted better.
Hi Rosa - I usually like my burgers..... to be, well burgers, and messed up with a bunch of stuff. You're right on the fries!
Hi Bill - I'm sure you must have some great burgers there!
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 09 February 2011 at 08:26 AM
By the way, in the spirit of burger week, I noticed a "something something" burgers and brew place in Mira Mesa in the Trader Joe's strip mall. Haven't been yet.
Posted by: janfrederick | Thursday, 10 February 2011 at 11:00 AM
Hey Jan - I gotta go check it out.
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 10 February 2011 at 12:42 PM
I agree with you 100% on the In-n-out vs. Five Guys. Too bad up here in Portland we only have the latter.
Posted by: The Guilty Carnivore | Friday, 11 February 2011 at 01:24 PM
Hi GC - Yeah, I was a bit disappointed in what I got from Five Guys. It's nice to hear from you, it's been a while.
Posted by: Kirk | Saturday, 12 February 2011 at 05:46 PM
I fell in love with 5 guys at the town center in Jacksonville, Fl. If you ever mosey up to mid-Michigan you MUST have a halo burger, my mouth waters when I think about them. ;)
Posted by: Superjoy | Tuesday, 15 February 2011 at 04:49 PM
Hi Superjoy - Sounds great! I have that on my list!
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 16 February 2011 at 07:02 AM
It's definitely fast food, but they do something magically to them, lol! I crave them when I go home. They are only in the Flint area. While you're there get a Boston cooler!
Posted by: Superjoy | Wednesday, 16 February 2011 at 12:44 PM
what about fudruckers for burger week....I had a burger there for the first time a month or so ago and tought it was great...rockys in pb is still my favorite but i thought the fudruckers half pound was pretty dam good!
Posted by: frank | Wednesday, 16 February 2011 at 01:59 PM