5 Guys!

So for months, or perhaps even longer, I've been teased by the glory that is 5 Guys. I've heard about it from out if state friends and via other bloggers/message boards. But for some unknown dumb reason I never bothered to check out their website. Well late last week I did so and learned that low and behold the Houston area has been blessed with 10, COUNT THEM -- 10, locations.

What? How can these be? I've not heard or seen a SINGLE advertisement. Albeit, none of them are exactly, NEAR me -- the closest is over 20 miles away. Well anyway, once I learned that 5 Guys was indeed in the Houston area I planned my attack...err...visit.

Several of my co-workers and I go out to eat every Friday..we're a kind of lunch bunch if you will. So, for this week I selected 5 Guys (Voss and San Felipe) for the lunch bunch to visit. There were 7 of us in all and none of us had ever been to a 5 Guys. We were all caught a little off guard with the ordering process. All of the burgers come with a whole host of toppings with even more available as FREE options (designated with *)

Mayo -Relish* - Onions* - Lettuce - Pickles - Tomatoes - Grilled Onions - Grilled Mushrooms Ketchup - Mustard - Jalapeno Peppers* - Green Peppers - A-1 Sauce* - Bar-B-Q Sauce* - Hot Sauce*

We got their slightly before the lunch rush and were able to order promptly. I don't think there was a duplicate burger among the seven of us. Everyone had different toppings. One of my co-workers even elected to go with the "little" burger which is a single patty -- SISSY! We sat down and barely had time to crack the shell open on a couple of the complimentary roasted peanuts before they called our numbers.

The burgers were fresh, hot and juicy and cooked perfectly. The roll was very fresh, so much so in fact that my boss was unable to contain his burger within it's soft and fluffy confines. ROOKIE! The toppings were adequate and were also fresh. This was a throwback burger -- classic American Burger very diner like. But...the fries....OH THE FRIES! They have 2 types, 5 Guys and Cajun. I asked the cashier which ones to go with and she suggested the Cajun. (As an aside, when you're torn between one or more items on a menu don't be afraid to ask the server for their suggestion - most feel honored that you ask and rarely steer you wrong). Anyway, back to the fries -- they were hot and abundant (5 Guys serves all food in brown paper bags. They place the burger on the bottom and fries, if you order any, go in a foam cup on top of the burger. When we opened our bag we couldn't see the burgers, only fries. YES! It seems they top the cups of fries off after they're in the bag. Awesome! ). My handcut Cajun fries were crisp and spicy. I think they were dusted with a mix similar to Tony Chachere's . YUM! The only thing I regret is not tasting a regular, 5 Guys fry first. Between the Hot Sauce on my burger and the cajun seasoning on my fries my taste buds were a little busy.

Before we left, the cashier stopped by our table and asked how everything was. She realized we were first timers and wanted to make sure we'd be back. I really liked that.

Overall I think it was a great experience. We will definitely return.

Thanks 5 Guys!

What I had:
1 - Cheeseburger with ketchup, mayo, mustard, hot sauce, lettuce, grilled onions, pickles and jalapenos
1 - Regular Cajun Fries
1 - Coke Zero (lol!)
Total $10 something.....

OVERALL RATING - 4.5
FOOD QUALITY - 4
FOOD TEMP - 5
DRINK SELECTION - 5
CLEANLINESS - 5
RETURNABILITY - 3 (none close to home)
ORDER ACCURACY - 5