Eat to Blog

it’s all about the food

Subscribe via Email

First Meal: Five Guys

I work across the street from where the new Five Guys opened up, here in Park Slope, and my co-workers were incredibly excited about the opening. Even before they opened the doors to the public, they had these bags of potatoes, “specially selected” to be made into french fries, stacked in the window. Someone told me that their fries were amazing and that I had to check them out. Another person brought the menu back with them, and I saw that they have a “Veggie Sandwich” instead of a veggie burger, and decided to go for it. So, with more than a little trepidation, I tried it. And the crazy thing is, the Veggie Sandwich is actually pretty good. The special fries? not so much.

When I first became a vegetarian, I regularly visited McDonald’s and ordered the 2 cheeseburger meal without the burgers. This isn’t as strange as it may sound — with the steamed bun and the mustard/onion/pickle stuff on it, you didn’t really miss the burger. The Veggie Sandwich at Five Guys reminded me of this, only with better quality ingredients. When you order the sandwich you get a choice of any of the Five Guys toppings; I chose sauteed onions, sauteed mushrooms, jalapenos, and a bunch of condiments. Everything is topped with melted cheese and stuck on a bun. The jalapenos were actually fresh, not pickled, which surprised me. In fact, the whole sandwich tasted much fresher than I expected from a chain restaurant.

The fries, on the other hand, were almost soggy and tasteless. I don’t know what makes one potato more suitable for french fries than another, but based on my experience I can’t say I agree with the Five Guys’ selection process. The other problem is that even my small order of the fries had more calories than anything else on the menu, with the notable exception of the LARGE fries. I shudder to think.

I can’t speak to the burgers, but I was pleasantly surprised with the Veggie Sandwich. As long as I avoid the fries in the future, I might go back for another sandwich. I would definitely suggest getting your order to go — in the five or so minutes I was there waiting for my food I had to dodge kids running around and screaming while their parents sat idly by. This alone contributes more to the fast-food feel of the place than anything else.

Five Guys — 284 7th Ave, Brooklyn