Five Guys Burgers and Fries -- Carson, CA

Locations
Main Website for Five Guy Burgers and Fries

This marks the 100th post on TheBurgerReview.  After a ton of burgers, a review of Five Guys Burgers and Fries was conspicuous in its absence.

I will say that I was not a fan of their decor, which consisted solely of great reviews.  That would be like me wearing a shirt advertising that I am a great kisser and an amazing lover.  Show..don't tell.

The Burger Breakdown...

The Beef: The patty was fresh beef...80:20--not a trace of aging. The beef was relatively mild in terms of hearty beef flavor, but it was juicy. Each patty was 3.2 ounces of fresh, never-frozen Chuck.

The Seasoning: None.

The Sear: A fine sear was accomplished via a very hot griddle.

The Preparation: The burgers at Five Guys were cooked on a griddle to a juicy Well Done.

The patties were smashed flat and seared perfectly. What really put the burger over in terms of texture was the fact that they wrapped it in foil the second that it was assembled. This allowed the ingredients to get steamy, and this caused everything to bind together in a wonderful way. If you prefer your cheeseburgers with bacon, then you should request that the cheese be melted over the bacon. Otherwise, they will stack the burger on top of the bacon, and this does not make sense. You want the bacon on top for crunch, and you want the cheese to hold it in place.

 The Cheese: American--super gooey American.

The Bun: The Standard seeded bun was Sarah Lee that one could have purchased  in any grocery store. It was soft, toasted, sweet, and compressed perfectly.

The Meat To Bun Ratio: For the Little Cheeseburger, the ratio was dead on. In the case of a regular Cheeseburger (double meat), there is a little too much meat and heft for the soft bun.

The Fries: These were peel on and the farm of origin, or at least the city of origin, has always been listed on the whiteboard. The fries were par-cooked, generously seasoned, and dark. If you like your fries crispy, be sure to specify that--sometimes the fries can be a little lank. A regular sized order ($2.99) was enough for 3 adults.

Toppings: The following list accounts for the toppings for which there is no additional charge. Bacon is extra.

• Mayo
• Relish
• Onions
• Lettuce
• Pickles
• Tomatoes
• Grilled Onions
• Grilled Mushrooms
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Green Peppers
• A.1.^® Steak Sauce
• Bar-B-Q Sauce
• Hot Sauce

The Value: A 3.2 ounce  cheeseburger was about 4 bucks.  It was a damn good value. The larger cheeseburger (double) was an equally good value. Free refills on drinks, free peanuts, and a huge amount of fries made this an excellent deal.

In spite of the seemingly average ingredients, the Five Guys cheeseburger transcended its humble, component parts to achieve a glorious whole. This was a symphony of textures. Chewy bun--crumbly beef--gooey cheese.  It was a gift to my mouth. The saltiness of the cheese was a perfect compliment to the near blandness of the patties.  While there were condiments in abundance, none were needed.

Burger Review : Totally deserving of Zagat's Best Fast Food Burger for 2010  If you haven't tried one, do so. Do so soon.

Rating...4 Bites   To be fair, some days the beef can tend to be bland, and that only warrants a 3 Bites rating on those occasions.