ENTER: FIVE GUYS

Back in May, my roommate and I drove down to Carson to scoop up our other roomie - who was out there dropping her car off to be shipped back to the East Coast (she has since went back home to the MD/DC/VA area; sniff). When we were circling around the parking lot of the mall that she was waiting at, we spotted something that made us both gasp; a sheer sigh of shock and elation: Five Guys - Coming Soon! There is was, in all it's simple red n' white glory. As the old mall (by IKEA) strips-off it's facade for a more updated look, it seems that even some of the old tenants are giving way to newer ones. We would've never assumed that Five Guys would've been one of those businesses!

FG first opened in Northern Virginia (just outside of Washington, DC), back in '86. For a long while, the burger place was known to have very few outposts around the immediate area. I can only remember a store in Old Town Alexandria, and another along Route 1 near Woodbridge. As I kid, I never really made my way to one. In fact, it probably wasn't until late high school/early college that I finally got some people together to check things out in nearby Old Town. What we experienced was nothing short of interesting: just a shack-of-a-place, with picnic-ish tables inside, and barrels of peanuts left for you to gnaw on as you wait for your order. (Yes, we were a little taken back by the fact that you could shuck the shells onto the floor as if you were at your grandmother's farm.) I vaguely remember the menu, but I know that there was a list of toppings that you could choose for your burger. And to add to the minimalist menu: fries. Yummy, greasy ol' fries. I remember being handed a brown bag soaking up the grease that was profusely dripping from the burger. I had to rush the bag to my table, grab a shit-load of napkins, and try to figure things out. Before that, though, I headed over to a condiments station and grabbed some ketchup, and brought over a bottle of malt vinegar (for my fries). A little bit of this here, and a little bit of that there, then voila - fun and yum times were born. I remember leaving FG with a mixed-feeling of grossness and contentment. Although the meal was surely yum, it was one I knew I could never have on the regular. It would've been years before my next trip to FG in Old Town, although I even worked around the corner from it right out of college.

It wasn't until a couple of years before I left the DC area that FG started to expand. I remember the old Au Pied du Cochon space in Georgetown (which I loved, btw) had finally closed it's doors. Months later, FG opened in its place. Again - mixed emtions: happy that the local chain decided to expand around the area, yet sad that historic G-town decided to add that to it's once pretty eclectic food choices. Whatever, though. I went in anyway, and had it for the third time in my life. Like old times, I came away with the gross/content feeling. Gotta love 'em! When I visited home for Christmas that first year I moved to L.A., we made a pit-stop at Tysons Corner after being scooped up at Dulles. I got to check out the newly developed wing of the mall, and in the new food court was --- FG. I smirked as I had come to realize that the local burger chain was finally coming into its own. (I didn't it eat, though. AHAHA.)

Fast-forward to now. So FG has made its entrance into the SoCal market via Carson. Kind of a weird place to make its start, but at the same time - it's a perfect, "home town" environment for it to be introduced; just like from where it came. Plans to open another store in Cerritos are in the works, and the owner of the Marie Callender's chain has the rights to open a slew of shops all over SoCal in the coming years.

How has it measured up?! Well, so far so good. It's easily being compared to In 'N Out (logically), and die-hard SoCalians are sticking to their guns that INO is the superior choice. East Coast transplants, who are familiar with the Guys' burger and fries, beg to differ. But even some of the locals see the allure of FG. Nancy Luna, from the OC Register's food blog, finds it more comparable to The Counter (Santa Monica/Irvine); not so much in terms of upscale service and style (of the restaurant itself), but more so because of the choices of burger toppings. INO, as you know, serves it up as simple as possible. Luna did, however, have to give it up to FG for their superior ---drum-roll please-- FRIES! FG's Idaho potato fries are cooked in peanut oil, and are a whole lot tastier, especially when dipped in malt vinegar.

That being said, I have to admit -- and I'm ready to take the back-lash here, folks -- that I have never seen the allure of INO. It's not that I don't think it's good, because I enjoy myself an INO burger. But I do not get how people see it as God's gift to burger-dom. Even one of my roommates, who is also from "home," is a staunch INO follower. When she flies in from visiting the DC area, she would (but doesn't always!) make a stop at the INO outside LAX if she could (and if the line was ever short enough). But for me, I'd rather drive thru Carl's Jr. I know, call me a hater... call me a sadist... call me whatever it is that you want to call me. But I mean no disrespect! I don't hate INO, but at the same time I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything special by skipping out on it. In the same token, I wouldn't say that I'm in love with FG either, but I think it definitely is a worthy opponent. And if I had to choose one, I'd choose FG on any given day -- not only because it's a home-grown choice, but it's just an all-around tastier burger AND fries. And I'm proud that it is being welcomed to SoCal with open arms (and mouths).

The photos are from Flickr, courtesy of jslander. Thank you!