Five Guys Burgers and Fries - Southlake

When I read RJG's blog and found out the new Five Guys was open in Southlake, I had to give it a try.

The wife and I drove up there and wandered around Southlake Town Square [STS] for a couple of minutes before finding it. As RJG's blog post said, it is right near Rockfish, but this was our first real trip to STS.

We walked in and it was reminiscent of the locations I have been in around Washington, DC and Alexandria, VA. It's pretty much no frills. There are big boxes of peanuts around with nice paper containers inside scoop out a bunch and take to your table. The decor is red and white and looks clean and bright.

The person at the register greeted us and asked what we wanted. I immediately saw the Cajun fries and knew I needed an order of those. I also ordered up a cheeseburger with grilled onions, mayo and jalapeno's. I had forgotten the 15 toppings they have to choose from, so I was caught a bit off guard when asked what I wanted on it.

Kathy ordered up a hot dog with mustard, relish and onions, the way she likes them. She opted for the regular fries instead of the Cajun ones.

I inquired how long they had been open and the person at the register told me three weeks.

We paid up and found a table. I grabbed a paper 'fry' container full of peanuts and a spare one for the shells. There were spent peanut shells all over, but I figured I could clean up after myself and it was better than just tossing them on the floor.

Our order was done pretty quickly, about 7-8 minutes from the time we placed it. There were a few people in there when we arrived, but it wasn't crowded like the places in the DC Metro area. They have always been packed when I go. I suspect this one will gain a nice following as well.

The order came in the standard brown paper sack with the fries in the Styrofoam cup, overflowing into the bottom of the bag and leaving little ‘clear spots’ from the grease. It reminded me of one of my favorite Simpson’s phrases ‘…if you rub it on a piece of paper and it turns clear, it’s your window to weight gain…’.

I delved into the fries and they were hot. I didn’t immediately notice the Cajun taste, so I inquired if Kathy’s fries were Cajun. She hadn’t tried one yet, so I reached over and grabbed one and sure enough found the Cajun seasoning I was looking for. I switched ‘bags’ with her and starting eating them. The seasoning wasn’t as strong as I expected, but I ate most of them anyway.

Kathy was eating her hot dog, but was a little disappointed in the bun. It was ‘raw’ according to her, meaning it wasn’t toasty like it had been cooked on the grill. Other than that, she seemed happy with the meal.

I opened up my burger, which was wrapped in a tinfoil-like wrapper and found it was still rather hot, a testament to them ‘cooking to order’. The two patties were nicely formed, on the thin side and had some nice char throughout. The bun was bit ‘thin’ too. This is an actual welcome relief to the large, thick buns some places serve. It was grilled, but not too long, as there was no ‘crunch’ that one expects from a grilled toasty bun.

The jalapeno’s were very fresh and had quite the bite. The grilled onions were a nice touch too, few burger joints offer this without asking and I almost always forget to ask.

I finished the burger and tried to finish the fries, but there was too much food. I should have opted for the small burger instead of the large.

Overall I was quite pleased and can’t wait to go back. This is one of my favorite chains and I hope they put one downtown Fort Worth so I can eat one for lunch on occasion without having to drive to Southlake.

As for the Texas Burger Stop's rating, here goes:

• Patty Size and Style: appears to be hand formed, thin and cooked perfectly
• Cooking style: grilled on a flat top
• Char: good char across the patty
• Bun: cooked on the grill (not toasty), thin and fresh tasting
• Vegetables: the jalapeno’s were great and the grilled onions perfect. Next time I try some real veggies
• Napkins needs: you will need a few. I burned through three
• Special attributes: all they make are burgers, dogs, grilled cheese and fries
• Ownership: chain