Five Guys

When I get sick and can't eat a real meal for a week or so, I start to crave a burger and fries. And maybe pizza too. Basically, I want exactly what I can't have. And I want it badly. Specifically, I usually crave Five Guys to satisfy my urge. The last time I got really sick was when John had to come out house hunting to California because I was so ill. A week later I got Five Guys. I was sick for two weeks just recently, and I am oh so lucky to be in New York to get my favorite recovery treat. Five Guys was an essential stop on my food tour of New York.

In the corner there is a huge stack of bags of potatoes. Their fries are made fresh and they get new shipments of potatoes all the time. In fact, at the one in Charlottesville they used to tell you on a chalkboard where today's potatoes came from. This time I was too excited to be getting my food to worry where the potatoes were from.

Also, I have no idea who these five guys are. But I would like to thank them.

They have giant vats of free peanuts to feast on before you begin really gorging. I usually don't partake in these (trying to cut down on the calories har har), but I figured why not. In Virginia they let you strew the shells all over the ground, but that's not the case in Manhattan. Perhaps too many people with peanut allergies got in big trouble.

Here is my "little hamburger" as they call it. It's "little" because it only has one burger patty. Ha! You can get all the toppings you desire, and I definitely recommend the "grilled onions," which are more like carmelized onions in my opinion. When you order your burger they yell back to the grill guys to tell them to put on another patty - so your burger is made fresh, just for you. No heat lamps here.

Their fries are perhaps their crowning glory though. Thick cut and delicious. They have Cajun fries too, which Kyle got, and I steered clear of. He was sweating a bit by the end.

In-n-Out has nothing on this place in my opinion. Their burgers aren't as good and I've never had very good fries there. I am hoping that one of these days Five Guys makes it out to the West Coast. But perhaps one of the reasons I love it so much is because I don't get to have it often.

They also have a shtick where they basically fill your bag with fries as overflow from your order. You get the cup full of fries and then basically a double order at the bottom of your bag. Dangerous.

This is how you know they're good. Yuuuum.