In fact, when I told her we were going to the Natural History Museum in Lawrence, her response was, 'Can we eat at Five Guys?'
I wasn't sure, I had the impression she was talking about a sit-down restaurant, maybe a bar & grill. I didn't have a bar & grill budget for this trip, more of a Wendy's Drive-Thru budget.
A phone call to my Step-Mom reassured me, and we went. I won't say it's cheap, but I've spent as much for the three of us to eat lunch at McDonald's, which has appallingly terrible food, and this was good stuff.
In fact, I'll say it lives up to the hype. I put it in the league of a Max's Autodiner (KC), Blueberry Hill (St. Louis), Ty's (Tulsa—a sign boasting Over Three Dozen Served), Red Top (Colorado Springs): truly great hamburger joints.
Actually, I'm not sure Ty's and Red Top are actually great burger joints. I may have just been so in love with that sign that Ty's won me over, and Red Top may have impressed me in large part of the enormous size of their version (so big they sell them in halves).
Max's is still good but I'm not sure it's quite what it was when it's founder, John Storm, was running it. And it it is expensive. So's Blueberry Hill.
So Five Guys may be my new absolute favorite. It's a chain, but a small one and quality led. I had a small bacon cheeseburger with mayo, onion, green bell peppers and fresh jalapeño.
The peppers provided a nice texture and a bit of heat to go with the creamy cheese and rich burger. I'll wager they use the 80/20 stuff I don't usually buy for at home because my taste buds say yes but my cardiologist says 'Not if you want to live.'
Alfalfa sprouts would be a welcome addition to this menu, but still, a world class burger with some off-the-beaten-path toppings.
And the fries, hand-cut and cooked in peanut oil. A 'large' was more than the three of us could finish. For that matter, a 'small' burger was more than Em could make off with. By small, they mean a single, a quarter pounder basically.
On the way back from Topeka later, I was half tempted to stop there for another even though I wasn't really hungry for dinner yet.
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