Dining Out, Lunch, Morningside Heights, Takeout, Upper West Side, Various LocationsKerry Alaric CheeseboroJune 01, 20115 Guys, american, bacon, beef, bread, bun, burger, burgers, cajun, chain, cheese, Dining Out, drink, fries, griddle, griddled, ketchup, large, lettuce, Lunch, mayo, mayonnaise, mustard, onions, potatoes, roll, sautéed, seeds, sesame, spiced, spicy, Takeout, tomato, Various LocationsComment

Four Stars For 5 Guys

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I STARTED A POLL ON the PHUDE-nyc Facebook page asking my fans what their favorite burger chain was. Fronm the many reponses that quickly followed I soon found out that there is a burger "war" of sorts on the West Coast between their globally well-regarded In 'n' Out Burger and a chain I was not so aware of called 5 Guys Burgers & Fries.

I've never been to the West Coast (love my hometown too much?), so I've yet to try either. And it's been only recently that I discovered that not only had 5 Guys arrived in New York City (something that In 'n' Out has claimed they couldn't do), but they were sprouting up all over the different boroughs as quickly as the Chipotle chain did last year.

I had walked by the Midtown location on numerous occasions while visiting on of my website clients—not even realizing that that 5 Guys was the 5 Guys—and promised myself I would pop in to finally try on my next trek across 55th Street.

Then, lo and behold, do I happen upon the last day of National Burger Month on May 31st and discover that 5 Guys outpost had recently been opened in Morningside Heights, not only the neighborhood I grew up in, but the area in which I had a meeting with a prospective new client.

So across 86th and up Broadway I bussed, getting of at 110th, crossing to the west side of the street, and approaching the now familiar red awning.

I had arrived right after 11 a.m., when they had just opened, so the space was clean and quiet, decked out in red and white, with walls almost insecurely adorned with rave reviews from a number of national periodicals.

My education started as I perused the menu and learned that a "regular" cheeseburger at 5 Guys involves, by default, two patties. (If you want just one patty, you'd have to order a "little" cheeseburger.) And as I usually add just cheese—or sautéed onions and cheese—when trying a particular burger for the first time. But since all the toppings are free (except the bacon), I ordered one exactly the way I best prefer it (sorry, Burger King), with a side of the highly recommended cajun fries.

I enjoyed some free peanuts while waiting a little longer than expected for my burger (there was only one other customer in the place by this time), but when it did arrive, I extricated a beauty of a messy meat, cheese, veggie, and sauce sandwich.

5 Guys Burgers & Fries

My experiences with burger are hopefully and ideally somewhat sensual, almost personal. In a town full of power burgers (Minetta Tavern), runway burgers (5 Napkins), and focus group burgers (Shake Shack), it is always most refreshing to have a burger with a comfy lack of pretense or agenda. And eating this burger had all the unabashed, judgment-free, stripped down down & dirtiness of having an extended "quickie" with a lifelong girlfriend.

Without giving a temperature, the burger came out medium to well. And although I prefer medium rare, this "squished" (flattened on a griddle) burger managed to maintain the flavor, and juices of its hearty beef, seared to a nice caramelization on the outside, crumbly moist on the inside.

Not minding or caring at all that bits on sautéed onions were spilling out the sides or that I had aromatic mixtures or saucy condiments and burger juices running down my fingers and even past my wrists, I eagerly looked forward to each successive bite. (My other two favorite burgers, from Joy Burger Bar and from the Burger Joint in Le Parker Meridian, are likewise happily messy endeavors!) Crisp lettuce, crispier smokey bacon, firm juicy tomato, mellow mayo, kicky and vinegary mustard, I found myself conflicted between wanting to rush into the next bite yet wanting to savor the present one.

Which is why the highly recommended cajun fries were a surely unintentional letdown. Not that they weren't tasty, so to speak. It's just that the chili and cayenne powders they obviously dust these still-not-crispy-enough-on-the-outside fries lingered in my mouth way to long, completely overwhelming the flavors of the burger I'd go back to eating, as well as the syrupy sweet fountain root beer I chased each fry with to attempt to achieve taste bud equilibrium again. (It was like having a roommate constantly knocking on your door during that "quickie", repeatedly taking you out of your "mindset".)

Overall, a better experience than I had anticipated, and a more than fine way to end National Burger Month. Yes, there are more burgers in New York City—and the rest of the country as well, obviously—that I still plan to try (i.e., Corenr Bistro); but I welcome 5 Guys with open arms. If they keep expanding and eventually hit the Upper East Side, they could give the neighborhood Shake Shack a run for their money. Don't get me wrong, I like Shake Shack a lot; when I leave Shake Shack, it's with a firm hand shake. When I left 5 Guys, it was with a lingering last kiss.

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

Kerry Alaric Cheeseboro