At a time when McDonald's is churning out honey-mustard chicken wraps and caramel iced coffees, it's refreshing to encounter a fast-food burger joint that's dedicated to the basics. At Five Guys Burger and Fries, the Virginia-based chain that landed in Edina last week, the minimalist menu gets right to the point: burgers, hot dogs, fries and sodas. That's it, except for the free shell-your-own-peanuts, which serve as a distraction to those standing in line.
The wait is worth it. Burgers are prepared with fresh, loosely packed beef patties and grilled until they're sizzling, juicy and nicely charred. The thick-ish patties spread far enough to fill out the sesame seeded buns, and they're sold as singles ($3.39 to $4.39) or doubles ($4.39 to $5.69), with the option to add bacon and cheese as well as 15 free condiments, including hot sauce, grilled onions, green peppers, jalapeños and pickles. Pile on the goodies and you've got one gloriously sloppy, diet-be-damned indulgence.
The fresh-cut, skin-on fries ($2.59 and $3.99; the latter could sustain a family of four) are a departure from the McDonald's crisp-and-skinny model. At Five Guys, the fries are thick and tender and not terribly greasy, their deep potato flavor boosted by glistening flecks of coarse salt and not overwhelmed by peanut oil. Kosher-style hot dogs ($2.99 to $3.99), split lengthwise and grilled, don't quite measure up to the burgers' pizazz, but they're not bad.
The loud, bare-bones setting is essentially red-and-white everything, with a small legion of perky staffers wearing red T-shirts and red baseball caps and working elbow to elbow behind the counter. Even the packaging is modest, with orders stuffed into plain brown paper bags.
My only complaint? After swiping the last few fries, I was dying for a little something sweet, and Five Guys (named for the five sons of co-owners Jerry and Janie Murrell) is a dessert-free zone. Then a small voice in my head asked, "Do I really need a McFlurry?" The answer was an emphatic "No."
RICK NELSON
