A Northern Hamburger Place Comes to Florida - Five Guys Famous Burgers

I love food, all types, all levels of "gourmetdom"; I will gladly scarf down a big bowl of spaghetti, meat sauce and sausage or a filet mignon or grilled wild salmon. I will love them all but, nothing, no nothing, measures up to a hamburger, rare, juicy, seasoned with a bit of salt and lovingly covered by slices of tomato and raw onion and, perhaps, sautéed peppers oozing from between the top half of a fresh roll. I have catholic tastes, however, and I also worship at the shrine of the Double Whopper at Burger King ("heavy all").

So when we heard of a new burger joint coming to Tampa, one that had received generally favorable comments, Joan and I headed to Five Guys Famous Burgers, on Fletcher Avenue just east of Dale Mabry Highway in Carrollwood.

One of the first things noticed was the menu on the wall, limited to hamburgers with the usual bacon or cheese variations, hot dog (cheese, bacon or both) and a veggie or grilled cheese for the non-carnivores. The other thing was one that caused some concern: a notice that all hamburgers would be made "well done" with no exceptions. On the other hand, toppings were available at no cost, beyond the usual BK choices: fried onions, sautéed mushrooms, green peppers, jalapeno peppers and a slew of sauces.

French fries were offered, regular and Cajun. These are enough to warrant a return visit, but more about that later!

As we enter the restaurant, spotlessly clean, with a cheery red-and-white checkerboard tile motif, we noticed boxes of shelled peanuts throughout. These are free for munching while our order was being cooked. There were also signs warning that the fries were cooked in peanut oil for those who might be allergic.

Joan and I ordered "regular hamburgers", two double patties on a shiny sesame seeded bun. Joan had hers "all the way": ketchup, mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickles, fried onions and sautéed mushrooms. I choose to have only tomato, raw onion and sautéed onions; hers was the better choice. With all of the additions, the hamburger is a gooey, tasty and wonderful sandwich.

Although the meat was cooked well done, the folks at Five Guys do not continually press the meat on the grill repeatedly (as Steak 'n Shake does) nor has the meat been frozen (ala Mickey D's). The result is a patty that has a juice to it, a seasoned crust from the grill and a fresh taste that is like home.

But if the hamburgers were a hit, the fries were reason enough to return! The fries are of the "boardwalk" variety, popular "up north". They come in two sizes and we erred in choosing the larger. The "small" was more than adequate for two. They are scooped into a no-frills brown paper bag, decorated by smudges of grease. The fries are spectacular, full size, salted, golden-tanned, with skin adding a bit of grit and taste. Next time, I'm going to try the Cajun style for a bit of heat!

Five Guys was started in 1986 in Virginia by Janie and Jerry Murrell and their five sons. By 2002, the family owned and operated five restaurants in Northern Virginia. In that year, the family decided to franchise the operation and, now, there are almost 200 stores on the eastern U. S. coast with almost 1000 more planned. Right now, there are over 20 locations planned for Florida and eight in the Tampa Bay area.

But all of this is history and doesn't justify going to Five Guys - the food does. Similar to a fast food place but much more. Maybe I can talk the lovely Joan in returning tonight!