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| - Yes... yes.... YES!!! This, my friends, is how you make a burger.
I'd been hearing great things about 5 Guys for some time now, and the second I even looked in the front window, I have to say I was skeptical. Everything aesthetic about this place is almost jaw-droppingly bland and unimpressive. The lineup area is lined by stacks of potato bags (see the picture I posted), their overhead menu is a lot more lacking in options than a lot of places and has ZERO pictures, bold color choices or any sort of design flare at all, and the dining room is so basic and unimpressive it almost appears it HAS to be deliberately done that way. Combine this with the open kitchen style, high ceilings and lack of significant decoration and (this location at least, as I've yet to visit their other Calgary restaurant) looks like somebody took some old warehouse space and spend the bare minimum necessary to turn it into an eating establishment.
But hey, this many people can't be wrong, right? The proof was in the pudding... well, the burger (this place sticks FAR too closely to the menu as suggested by it's title to offer anything as bold as pudding.) The burger I ordered, simplistic as it was in it's list of toppings, was still so large my mouth strained to get around it, but didn't fall into the usual trapping a lot of these "thick patty" burger places do, of making it thick but sacrificing width and essencially giving you a half-flattened meatball on a bun. I watched intently as every step of my burgers build was executed - from the bright pink (FRESH!) patties being thrown on the grill, right until the moment they were placed on the bun already heaping with toppings (which you choose from a list up on the menu board, almost Subway style, rather than choosing from pre-designed burgers and having to ask to hold ingredients, and are free and unlimited.) And was so thoroughly impressed, by the time I was handed the bag with my order in it, my mouth was watering.
Now, the fries... these things are an experience in and of themselves.
First of all, a warning: order less than you think you're going to
eat. In fact, I'd say a "regular" order of fries are more than enough
for two people. The reason? You know when you open a bag from a place
and some of the fries have fallen out of the cup/box? These guys do it
deliberately. After putting the (already quite large) cup of fries in the bag, the employee then took the fry scoop and tossed a bunch more in over top, so all told I ended up with almost twice the ammount of fries I thought I was getting. These fries are just like their burgers - made the right way, there in the store, big and fresh and ready to amaze... though maybe a little on the salty side.
The one and only thing I can think of I'd like to see from this place is a little more variety in the drink department, especially a milkshake system similar to Boogies or Peter's as this is really the only thing these two burger mainstays have over Five Guys, in my humble opinion.
All in all, don't expect your eyes to be blown away... but if you're a real burger lover, your tastebuds will be. I'll be back far more often than I probably should be.
CAUTION: PEANUT PRODUCTS
Those with severe peanut allergies may want to stear clear, as peanut oil is used on the premesis (I assume in the friers) and there are boxes of peanuts in the lineup area for people to snack on while their orders are cooked.
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