The Really Big Question...

Merry is great, thinking about goals and highlights and stuff. I, on the other hand have been thinking about much less (or perhaps more) weighty stuff. Namely burgers, whose is better.





Five Guys started as a Washington D.C. area chain but has since branched into many parts of the county. They offer burgers and fries and that's about it.







In-n-out I think we all know, so I won't say much about it.

To be honest I've already made up my mind. Both resturants opened in Utah recently and I've tried both. In-n-out's big plus is that it's cheap; that having been said, the burger was small, unexceptional, and hardly worth the hype. The problem with In-n-out, and most of the other burger joints is that they seem to have forgotten something important along the way, namely beef. The beef on their burgers could be switched with the beef from any other burger place and no one would notice the difference.

The fries were even less interesting than the burger and could have been served at any burger joint in town, in fact I will go go so far as to say that each of the big three (you know who they are) serves better fries than In-n-out. The strawberry milkshake I ordered was depressingly reminiscent of a McDonalds milkshake and did absolutely nothing for me except shorten my life a little (yes, in California it is heresy to mention McDonalds and In-n-out in the same paragraph).

Ewww gross, if I'm going to stop my heart early through the consumption of fried potato sticks, it sure as heckfire ain't gonna be these ones

Five Guys, on the other hand, is a spiritual experience every time I go. The burgers get all the free toppings you could want, the beef is delicious, and the buns hold together even though they can get a bit overloaded. The fries however, are one of the best things about Five Guys. They are made in the fine tradition of English Chips, fried to a golden brown, more than enough to satiate any Irish potato lover.

An image so inspiring it should have been painted by one of the old masters...or at least silk screened by Andy Warhol

I must also admit a sentimental attachment to Five Guys. When I spent a summer in the District (for the uninitiated this is Washington D.C.) I had no money and so lived on rice and beans the entire summer. In spite of my poverty however, I still went to the Five Guys in Georgetown and ordered a cheeseburger every Saturday. For someone who's been living on 800 calories a day (for once I am not exaggerating), those burgers are absolutely delicious.

So that's it. In-n-Out stinks, Five Guys is much much better, I've said it and I won't take it back. The gauntlet is down.