Burgers on TV

This is a bit off topic, and a bit late.  However, I believe it's still worth it.
The show Parks and Recreation may be and in fact probably is the best show currently on television.  This isn't news, and isn't burger related, so on its own it would not be blog worthy.  Last week's episode (the one that aired the night before Good Friday) had a burger related B-plot.  This isn't a B-plot where someone mentions or eats a hamburger; I wouldn't interrupt your internet surfing for that.  No, this is a plot driver by hamburgers.  Also, it's very, very funny.  Normally, I would recommend only watching this after you had watched all of season 1, then all of season 2, then all the episodes preceding this episode in season 3.  However, because Hulu only hosts episodes for 5 weeks, I recommend watching this now, while it's free. 

Link to the Hulu page here.

Five Guys, West Bloomfield

The Five Guys' Menu.  A certain food item is prominently featured.

Five Guys is a burger joint that's been operating in the Washington, D.C. area for many years.  According to their website, they began franchising nation-wide in 2003.  However, if you're anything like me, you first heard about them when the President ate there two years ago.

Not long after that, Five Guys began opening locations in Metro Detroit.  At that point, it was pretty clear that I would have to eat there eventually.

The interior of Five Guys.  A few visits and you'll figure out that no place in Idaho sounds real.

Two words come to mind when you see the interior of Five Guys: Red and White.  A third, equally accurate word would be hectic.  Lots of people go to Five Guys, and they tend to crowd around the front (though Five Guys has learned the 'separate entrance and exit doors' system).  Orders are placed up front, and then you get a number.  They call your number, and then you get your food.  But first, there's some waiting.

The interior, as mentioned before, is red and white.  It's not exactly designed to evoke the 50s diners, but it's not far off.  The seating area is pretty open, without booths, and consists entirely of wooden furniture and plastic tables.  Additionally, the walls are covered in testimonials, both professional and amateur, as to Five Guys' quality.  

The one in the foreground is from Detroit, but they display reviews from nationwide publications.

One note on both the menu and the decor: both are very peanut-heavy.  There are a few signs pronouncing free peanuts while you wait for your order.  This isn't something you ask for, there are just shipping boxes of peanuts near the counter, and you help yourself.  Additionally, the french fries are fried in peanut oil.  For some people, these amenities might be a great draw.  For the peanut-allergic, they can inspire a bit of reticence.  Not enough, though, to keep them (which is to say, us) from the burger.

Burgers come wrapped in aluminum foil, whether you're dining in or carrying out.  The burger consists of two small patties on a soft, warm bun.  The bun has some sesame seeds, but those don't really serve much purpose.  Despite the burger's smallish appearance, it's very filling, though not exactly flavorful.  The burger isn't exactly greasy, but it isn't exactly not-greasy.   

Unfortunately, I was not able to try the fries.  As mentioned above, they're fried in peanut oil, which, based on reports I've heard, make them extra-delicious, but which I've decided make them not-worth-the-risk.  

Five Guys is a cheap burger.  A quote on the wall from GQ magazine acknowledges this, and even celebrates it.  It's not exactly fast, and there isn't any sort of a fun theme, but for what it is, Five Guys is a fine meal.

This picture tells you a lot about Five Guys, if you stare at it long enough.  You can't prove that this picture is filler!

@Burger, Ann Arbor

@Burger

Someday, I'll tell the story of why I will never eat a hamburger at Big Boy again.  Today is not that day.  But Big Boy may have redeemed itself through a new, theoretically related* venture, @Burger (pronounced 'atburger').

The menu.  If you can't tell from the picture, those are flatscreen tvs.

When you walk in the door at @Burger, everything feels really futuristic.  There are a lot of flatscreen tvs, and while some of them are just playing sports, others are used to display the menu.  Maybe this doesn't sound all that futuristic, but the menu is presented with a certain nonchalance, as though they expect that you refer to a digital display every time you eat.  Orders are placed up front, and then you are given a small radio device to take to their table.  Later, a waitress will use your radio device to track you down and deliver your order.  Even the analog displays had a clean, minimalistic, futuristic feel.

In this case, 'analog' means 'folded t-shirts.'

The main dining area was a bit more standard, with regular tables, high tables, and booths.  None of the furniture was particularly remarkable.  On the wall there were a few phrases written in metal letters (I failed to record them, but one attempted to be either witty or profound (it wasn't clear which), and another just let the customer know that he or she could buy a t-shirt).  The music was very, very loud, and between its poppiness and the fact that I recognized two of the songs, I assume it was just Top 40.  As intrusive as it was, the music wasn't so loud that it drowned out conversation.  Despite the fact that I was there at the dinner hour, @Burger was not particularly full. 

The burger was pretty cheap.  Apparently there is an early bird special, but not so early that you can't get it after 5.  The bun was heavily toasted.  The burger itself was pretty hearty, which is good, because it was a bit small (7oz. is their largest size).  It wasn't incredibly juicy, but it wasn't dry.  There was a bit of flavor to it, almost like barbecue, but it was probably just residual grill flavor.  

The fries had a great deal of potato flavor, and some skin.  The fries were also really plentiful, and delicious.  

My dinner companion, Jen, recommended against the signature burger (it's just called the @Burger).  She said that the toppings were all exactly what she wanted, but that the quantities were too great, making the burger unmanageable.

One final note on the exit from @Burger.  Because you place your order up front, like a fast food restaurant, you expect to bus your own table.  At least, I expected to bus my own table.  This is not the process, but the only way to figure that out is to wander around looking for a place to leave the basket your food comes in until someone tells you to just leave it on the table.  This is sort of a bug in the restaurant design.

However, that flaw aside, @Burger was a fine eatery.  I would highly recommend it in the future.  It was so good, I might even give Big Boy a second chance.

This has nothing to do with the burger, it's just a guy I saw on the way to the restaurant.  I really wanted to share the photo, though.

*Or so legend has it.  Nothing at @Burger's location or on its website draws a connection with Big Boy, but reports place it within the Big Boy chain.  I'm willing to forgive Big Boy based on legend alone.