Five Guys

Five Guys, Five Guys, "Have you heard of Five Guys?" "have you been to Five Guys?" I kept hearing people talking about Five Guys, so I started wondering what all the fuss is about. I heard people say that they are competitors with In 'n' Out and that they have free peanuts . . .


Well, the other day, I decided it was time to see what Five Guys is all about, and if they really are competitors with In 'n' Out. Upon walking up to the Five Guys establishment, I could see one thing in common with In 'n' Out, the crowds. There were people outside at the tables and it looked like all or most of the tables inside were full as well. Opened the door and proceeded inside seeing past the crowds to the white tile walls with red accenting, hmmmm, looks a lot like In 'n' Out. Upon walking in, giant 10 lb sacks of Idaho potatoes, stacked knee high or higher, directed the line to the right wall.

Looking up at the menu, they have burgers, cheeseburgers, bacon burgers, hot dogs, bacon hot dogs, and grilled cheese sandwiches. There are regular and large fries five guys style or Cajun cooked in peanut oil. and sodas. What?! no milkshakes? I guess because they feel like they can't make the best milkshake, they'll leave it to someone else to make it. . . . Wait, what's that at the bottom of the menu, "all toppings free?" hmm. you can pick a variety of toppings to put on your burger or hot dog or what ever. grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, jalapenos, A1, BBQ, mayo, pickles, green peppers, hot sauce, ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes. Uhh, wait, there's no meal deals?? so $6 for a cheeseburger and $5 for large fries, seriously? well, they're definitely not in the same price bracket as In 'n' Out .

We ordered and snagged a table that had just been vacated. While we sat and waited for our number to be called, I wondered where the free peanuts I had heard about were. I didn't see peanuts anywhere . . . After a reasonable amount of time, I grabbed our order. I couldn't wait till I got to the table to sneak a fry into my mouth. I was utterly disappointed. "Cajun" seems to mean a little bit of Lawry's seasoning salt sprinkle on. The fries still had the skin on and seemed more natural, but they didn't taste like they had been cooked enough. After the initial crunch, a starchy taste was left on my mouth. Oh well, won't order fries again, now . . . my mouth is watering for a bite of the cheeseburger. OMG! Forget about those starchy fries. My mouth was filled with juicy cheeseburger with perfectly grilled onions and mushrooms. This burger was good! I am not often a fan of burgers. I don't care for the taste of ground beef, but this delicious thing with two burger patties in my hands didn't taste like ground beef, it tasted more like a juicy steak surrounded by perfectly grilled onions and mushrooms and toasted buns. Score!

While my burger was fabulous, overall I was disappointed. The Cajun fries were a let down, and the prices were higher than typical fast food, except maybe Carl's Jr. There were no meal deals and no milkshakes, which I have come to crave with my cheeseburgers ( Hey, if you're gonna be bad, might as well be really bad). But, if you want a restaurant burger without the restaurant, Five Guys can be a great stand in. In these economic times, I'm still just fine stopping by In 'n' Out and getting a cheeseburger animal style with fries and a shake for the same price as one five guys cheeseburger.

Chilequiles

The other morning, I walked into the kitchen to find a bag of stale tortilla chips. After my initial disappointment of wasted food, I remembered there was jar of salsa verde salsa buried in a kitchen cabinet.

I took out a small pot and poured in some (~1cup) salsa and cooked over medium-low heat. when the salsa was at a simmer, I dumped in a few handfuls of the stale tortilla chips.  I grabbed a spoon and stirred so that the chips were coated with salsa. I doddled around the kitchen coming back to stir every couple minutes.  When the chips seemed to have lost their crispy form and were becoming one with the salsa, I turned off the heat.  I stirred in a big spoonful  of nonfat greek yogurt (an amazing protien packed sour cream substitute).    After tasting, my impromptu creation, I decided to add the final ingredient  . . . cheese.  I would have preferred a sharp cheddar, but  all I had was a cheddar-jack blend, and it was delicious just as well. I sprinkled a handful of the shredded cheese over the creation and waited for the perfection of melted cheese and voila!  chilequiles.  A simple use for stale chips that tastes like an enchilada casserole.

( for added protien, I sometimes add pieces of costco's amazing roasted chicken)

The Beginning

I have so many ideas for what I wanted to write about. I have been itching to start a blog for a while, but fear has held me back. I decided to keep it simple for now and blog about food. I named it BALANCE, for the balance between food cooked at home and food eaten out, and also for the balance between healthy food and indulgent food, and fresh vs processed.  Thank you for reading :)