Five Guys Burgers and Fries

The first thing you notice when you walk into Five Guys is the bags and bags of potatoes. They form a little wall that you walk by as you go up to the counter to place your order. (I went to the Fort Union restaurant.) And there is a sign on the wall that indicates where "today's potatoes" came from. (The potatoes I had were from Rigby, ID--home of the Rigby High School Trojans.) I guess this is for those who understand the subtle nuances of regional tuber varieties (like wine or single-malt whiskey or single origin coffee, I guess. Perhaps we could set up a potato tasting. "This is a fine Rigby potato, so much better than an Idaho Falls variety. I hear that they may have a rare Swan Valley tomorrow. Have you tried the Moses Lake?" (Actually 5 Guys only uses Idaho potatoes. Sorry.)

$10 will get you a regular cheeseburger, regular order of french fries and a regular drink. This sounds like a lot for a "combo meal," but you need to put this in perspective. The "regular" cheeseburger is two large patties (1/3 pound). The cheeseburger is at least as tall as it is wide. You can also order a "small," which is just one patty. Most places ask if you want to make your hamburger bigger. I kind of like the attitude of a place where the "regular" is large, and you have to "mini-size" it. Looking at their nutritional chart, I figure the regular cheeseburger has easily 1000 calories--more if you add bacon. The hamburgers come with your choice of toppings. I ordered mine "all the way" with their suggested list, just to see how they imagined the ideal burger: mayo, mustard, ketchup, tomatoes, lettuce, Mt. Olive kosher pickles, grilled onions and grilled mushrooms (this last one is a little unorthodox, but a nice touch). On request, you can add fresh onions, Mt. Olive kosher relish, jalepeno peppers, hot sauce, A-1 sauce, or Cattleman's BBQ sauce. They pay a lot of attention to the patties here (each one is hand formed and never frozen), so there is the danger of too many toppings. Next time I might just get the mayo and the relish.

A regular order of french fries is actually a "small" (as is the drink). However, to create a regular order of fries, they fill a 10 oz styrofoam cup with hand-cut fries, and then dump at least that much again into the bag. There are easily more "bagglers" than official fries.

They are an efficient team at 5 Guys, so even though they make everything to order, you don't have to wait very long. But while you wait, you can help yourself to bulk peanuts in the shell--a nice bit of Virgina. (The nuts are not allowed to leave the restaurant--but I smuggled a few out in my bag.)

Five Guys began almost 25 years ago in Arlington, VA--basically the DC area--but it has now spread throughout the country. There are currently over 300 restaurants, with Utah locations in Bountiful, West Valley, Fort Union, Sandy, and Orem (the newest). 5 Guys has an east-coast feel (kosher ingredients, anyone?) and provides an nice, meaty alternative to all the California burger clones in the area. Its primary decor consists of signs praising itself. It does have a Zagat Survey rating for best hamburger in DC--the only chain to receive this honor. 5 Guys serves up fry sauce in addition to ketchup. Is this an accommodation to the local culture, or is this also the case at their other restaurants? This raises again the question: Will In-N-Out offer fry sauce when it eventually opens in Utah Valley?

Wei to Go

One of the popular trends in dining out is what some call "fast casual dining." This lies somewhere between "fast food" (McDonalds in its many incarnations) and sit-down casual restaurants such as Chili's, Applebee's, or TGI Friday's. A fast casual dining restaurant typically offers restaurant-quality food but without a table service. These are particularly popular here in Utah, where diners are notoriously bad tippers.

Fast casual includes popular places such as Noodles and Co., Rumbi Island Grill, or one of my favorites--Pei Wei (pronounced "pay way").

Pei Wei is a fast-casual version of P. F. Chang's China Bistro. The food is good, but a lot faster and less expensive than it's full-service sister. Most dishes range from $6.75 to 8.25--$9.00 at the top end if you're having shrimp. With a combo meal at the local fast food place running about $5.00, you can upgrade your meal considerably by checking out a fast casual place.

I like the Orange Peel Chicken or the Spicy Korean Beef. I've also tried the Chicken Pad Thai. AnneMarie usually gets the Dan Dan Noodles with chicken. (She needs to find something between mild and medium on the spiciness scale.) As starters, they offer the lettuce wraps that everyone seems to want to get at P.F. Chang's. We haven't tried those for some reason, but we usually get an order of spring rolls.

Right now the closest P. F. Chang's is in Sandy, near the South Towne Center.

Applebee's Makes it Up to Us

After my long rant against Applebee's (and an email to corporate), I got a call from the manager of the store in American Fork. She explained that what I experienced is not their normal level of service, and they wanted to make it up to me somehow. So she agreed to send me a voucher for two free meals including entree, dessert, and drinks. (It turned about that it didn't include dessert after all, but that was all right.) She also made a particular point of saying that I should call ahead so that they would know I was coming.

But what is the point of announcing that you're coming? Of course you'll get good service that way. AnneMarie and I stopped by without advanced notice because I wanted to get the same service that regular folks get and also because I didn't want everyone fawning over us to make sure they got everything right. The food and service were fine. When we gave the voucher to the server, the manager came over to make sure that we had had a good experience.

Overall, I feel that they're at least trying harder over at Applebee's (although I still like Chili's better for consistently good food and service).

Wendy's Premium Fish Sandwich

Wendy's is probably my favorite of all the fast food chains, primarily because it offers some variety. (I like the salads. Sometimes I like the chili and potato. Occasionally, I get a hamburger or chicken sandwich.) Recently, we took the family there to cash in some Christmas gift cards. (My oldest son loves Wendy's. It's the hangout place for him and his friends--a place where everyone knows your name.)

This time I tried a new menu item, the premium fish sandwich. "It's all cod!" they promise. Sure enough, it's a complete fillet of Northern Pacific cod breaded in panko (Japanese bread crumbs). (It's hard to imagine Dave Thomas coming up with a menu item that uses panko. I'm guessing this would be a little too much Food Network for him. He was a traditional burger and fries kind of guy. I guess Wendy's is trying to go upscale.) The cod is a delicious whitefish, comparable to a halibut. It tasted pretty good, although not as good as the fish and chips combo over at JCW's. But it was pretty small for what you had to pay.

But here's the real shocker. I guess I was under the impression that the fish sandwich would be healthier than the Wendy's single hamburger, but it has more calories (450 to 430) with less weight (177 grams to 226 grams). The fish sandwich also has more fat (22 grams to 20 grams), although less saturated fat. It has less protein, more carbohydrates, and fewer vitamins. It does have less cholesterol, but more sodium. The hamburger even has more fiber.

I appreciate Wendy's efforts to make their menu a little more gourmet, but if you're going to go to Wendy's, go Dave's way and get the hamburger. You get more for your money--and it's actually a little healthier.

Every wonder why Wendy's hamburgers are square? My oldest son slaved away in the Wendy's "burger mine" last year. According to him, Dave Thomas used to say, "Wendy's doesn't cut corners."

Soy Salsa

Tonight we picked up some food at Panda Express in Pleasant Grove. I've noticed that most of the people behind the counter at this and other Chinese restaurants in the area are hispanic. I heard the nice young man who helped us ask one party if they wanted "soy salsa."

This reminded me of the comic strip Baldo. Baldo says, "I like this Chinese restaurant because it is very authentic." The next panel shows that they probably serve soy salsa. Baldo says, "Authentic . . . with a Latin flavor."

Costco Ice Cream Bars

Costco food court has three frozen things that are worth mentioning: the berry smoothie, the berry sundae, and the dipped chocolate ice cream bar. The ice cream bar is pretty big, so you probably need two people. It's vanilla ice cream on a stick dipped in chocolate coating and nuts. Sometimes, they can be a little melty and messy, so grab a fistful of napkins.

Mimi's Cafe

Normally, Mimi's Cafe is a lunch spot for me, but a couple of days ago we took my mom there for Mother's Day (a couple of months late, obviously). I like the bread basket there, particularly the carrot raisin bread. I've found the french onion soup to be reliably good, and my favorite is the pot roast sandwich. This time I tried the split pea soup, which was OK, but not great. AnneMarie had the meatloaf sandwich, which was huge. Pretty good, but I would stick with the pot roast (which is a chuck roast).

Mimi's has kind of a New Orleans theme, but it's really broadly American with some European influence.

Del Taco

I don't speak Spanish, but I think that "Del Taco" means "of the taco." Kind of a strange name for a restaurant, but no more so than "Der Wienersnitzel," which should be "Das Windersnitzel" and actually has nothing at all to do with hotdogs (I guess the "wiener" part sounds like it should).

Del Taco has a few things going for it. First of all there is the "Del Scorcho" sauce, which is hot, but flavorful. Better than the sauces at Taco Bell. Also, there is "half price Taco Tuesday," a Del Taco tradition for over 40 years. That's why Tuesday is taco night. Locations in American Fork, Orem, Provo, Springville.)

Wingers

My oldest son had to work tonight (at Wendy's) so we took the younger two to Wingers. The kids like it because they get free popcorn, and they have pretty good meals for kids. But I always find myself a little disappointed. AnneMarie and I split a mango chicken salad with a poppyseed dressing. It sounds like a good recipe, but the mangos were still a little cold.

You're probably safe if you stick with their wings and ribs. I like their Amazing Sauce, but AnneMarie finds it too sweet. As I recall, they used to have a sweet sauce (the Winger's sauce), and a spicer BBQ sauce, but they've gone to a new menu, so some things have changed (such as no celery with the wings. How can they be Buffalo wings without celery?)

But spending just more than $20 we got free dessert, so that worked out all right. Wingers isn't unique to Utah, but it started here, and most of the restaurants are here too. There are Wingers in Orem, Provo, American Fork, Lehi, and several other places in Utah. They are also found in WA, OR, ID, WY, NV (but not California). There are also restaurants in Germany on the military bases. What's the story there?

Jason's Deli

When Jason's Deli first opened in Orem (771 University Pkwy), I didn't realize it was a chain. But these are all over the country. (My assistant at work is from the mid West and is a big fan.) The two in Utah are in Murray and Orem. Jason's has ridiculously huge sandwiches (as you would find in a NY style deli). In New York, you find different kinds of delis (Jewish, Italian, German). Jason's combines some of each. I'm a big fan of their Muffaleta (a creole sandwich with ham and olive spread) with the spicy shrimp gumbo as an accompaniment (it's actually pretty spicy). I also liked the NY Yankee, which has both pastrami and corned beef. These meats aren't up to NY standards, but still better than what you get from the supermarket. Jason's also has a pretty good salad bar, free muffins, and free soft serve ice cream. Come hungry.