New In Town: Burger Week

Another new national chain has come to the area with the opening of at least two locations of the Five Guys Burger & Fries semi-fast food restaurants.

I say semi-fast-food because burgers are cooked to order...you take a number after ordering and are called to the counter when your paper bag is ready. You can eat in with the trendy red and white tile and functional décor, sit outside on a small patio, or take it with you. Either way, it comes in a brown bag, just for fun.  Here' their web site:  www.fiveguys.com/menu.aspx

From the looks of the magazine covers on the wall of the Cuyahoga Falls location on Howe Avenue, you would think Five Guys has won the “Best Burger In Town” award from just about every city magazine currently being published. I must admit the burgers are good, fresh beef, and you certainly can't complain about the toppings. Just about everything you ever imagined is available at no extra charge, and all the traditionals are added automatically if you order the works. But in a town where we have Swenson's, Menches Brothers, and Skyway, not to mention Louie's and and a host of other neighborhood grilles all claiming the best burger in Akron, Five Guys may be in for a fight in our market. That might be fun, too.

I should note they have hot dogs and french fries. I often prefer wieners to burgers, and theirs is one of the best I've ever had...a glorious combinantion of a grilled all-beef Kosher style sausage covered with cheese on a toasted bun. Add ketchup, and it's heaven. I did get an order of fries, and the small about half filled my brown bag...a very generous portion of which I managed to finish half. These are big cut fries, cooked in peanut oil, and perhaps not as completely crisp as I usually like. McDonalds fries made their reputation by being a bit more like shoestrings, and being double-fried for crispness. Most of the other places I like also cook their fries twice to ensure they are cooked through, then crisped up on the outside. Just a matter of taste I suppose.

At any rate, I think Five Guys will be able to compete, but will face a strong local challenge. Why don't you try two or three of the local burger places, plus Five Guys, and drop us a comment to let us know what you think!