Cocktail Confessions

There’s been a lot of buzz lately for Five Guys Burgers and Fries establishments. With President Obama proclaiming this one of his favorite burger chains, their positive reviews in the esteemed Zagat guide (since 2001), and it’s 2010 trumping of previous champion In ‘N Out Burger in California (Los Angeles) as the best and freshest burger in the state, it was time I checked this out myself.

As luck would have it, my friend Brian mentioned that he and his business partner were going to try it out today for lunch and there was an open invitation for anyone in the area. Thankfully Google Maps pins the Orange location as only 6.9 miles from my job, so I agreed to meet them there at 11:30am.

Wow! The line was huge. It was out the door and down the sidewalk at least 60 people deep and then some. It took us almost 25 minutes just to get to the ordering counter, and the line never let up the whole time we were there. Another friend of mine chimed in that the line is like that starting at around 7:30pm every night!

Well, once we placed our order, it only took about 5 minutes for us to hear our number called out. We also lucked out in that we procured an inside table as the current outside temperature was in the 90’s, and the outdoor tables were metal to boot with no real shade!

Like In ‘N Out burgers, I think the key to 5 Guys success is pretty self-evident….keep the menu simple. It’s one of those cases where ‘less is more’, and when you keep the menu limited to only a few choice items, this allows for a greater concentration of quality on your product.

They serve burgers, hot-dogs, and a few select sandwiches (such as grilled cheese or veggie) and fries. The burgers are $4.99 and by default are two-patties. If you want a smaller burger, order the ‘junior’ for a buck less, and you get 1 patty. You can also add cheese and bacon.

All the condiments are free. They include the traditional ketchup, mustard, lettuce, pickles, mayo, relish, and grilled onions. Premium additions include jalapeños, mushrooms, green peppers (not Ortega), hot sauce, bbq sauce, and A-1 sauce. All of these are free, and according to their website this allows for 250K unique combinations. I’ll take their word for it.

Regular & Cajun Fries

Fries are just as simple: Large or regular sized, plain or Cajun. These are fresh cut fries cooked in peanut oil and guaranteed no trans-fat. We opted for the Cajun style fries and we all agreed the spice was perfect. It may not have been the crispest fry out there, but for sure they use something akin to a sea salt, and when lightly dusted with the combined garlic, paprika, and other spices, it makes for a pretty damn good fry.

Five Guys doesn’t use any freezers. All their meat is fresh and stored in coolers prior to cooking. They cook them one way: well-done, and no one seems to complain. All the other ingredients are just as fresh.

My burger with green peppers

I myself ordered a cheeseburger with the following: grilled onions, ketchup, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and green peppers. It was wrapped in foil upon arrival and gorgeous. The green peppers were crisp and bright, bun was fresh, the onions grilled to caramelized perfection, however, my cheese wasn’t as melted as those of my peers. In the end, though, it was great and I can now understand all the hype surrounding this joint.

Inside, the place has stark white walls with red accents, very similar to In N Out as a matter of fact. I noticed the place was pretty clean, actually surprising clean for the amount of foot traffic inside. While we were there I noted employee’s just dedicated to cleaning tables and doors, sweeping floors, and taking care of the trash. Despite the cleanliness, it is pretty plain and non-descript and seems somewhat loud and chaotic inside. It doesn’t help that the line weaves right next to the tables in which you eat as well.

Despite the ridiculous line at the time we went, I give my experience at Five Guys a solid 4 out of 5 (breakdown):

Ambiance: 2.5

Food: 4

Freshness: 5

Value: 4

One of the old adage’s we have all heard time and time again, but seemingly and knowingly tend to ignore for various (and quite possibly mischievous) reasons is to never talk politics or religion with those you are close with or coworkers.

I came across a recent news article online regarding an anonymous benefactor back in Minneapolis who purchased some billboard space and had the following picture adorned on the side of the highway.  Personally, I found the picture quite funny as former President Bush looks a tad cartoonish here, but more so in lieu of all the pop-shots the media has been taken this last year at the right and Sarah Palin.

Now before you get your own personal panties in a tizzy, I’ll have you know that while I do consider myself a person who leans towards the conservative side of things, my stance the last few years has grown increasingly Independent.  See, personally, I wasn’t happy with the last few years of the Bush administration, not because of his convictions or morals, but more so because I thought his administration dropped the ball on a few things and forgot about many others.  I believe the GOP had lost sight of their core constituents and stopped listening to those who placed them into office.  I am one of those Americans who no longer believe that those in Washington were working for the people, but working for their own designs and elitist agenda.

That goes for both parties, and while I’ll be the first to say I will never be a ‘liberal’ or lean so far left that I throw all common sense out the window, the ‘right’ hasn’t been doing themselves any favors in my eyes either. 

Enter the 2008 election where the messiah of Hope and Change was elected to nauseating heights and the masses began to trip over themselves as they abandoned all common sense and truly became blind and deaf to the world around changing around them. 

Now it’s more than a year later and this administration continues to blame the previous guard for all their shortcomings.  Healthcare?  No.  Immigration?  No.  Guantonimo?  No.  Iraq?  No.  National Security?  No.  Stimulus?  No.  Housing market?  Not yet.  Iran?  Still no.  The list goes on and on, but I digress.

I placed this picture on my Facebook page as an attempts of humor, and I was shocked on how quickly and visceral the comments were from my ‘liberal’ friends.  Yes, I do have friends who swing left, but I always find it very amusing that they are also the most intolerant and one-track mind when it comes to politics.  The party that proclaims to be progressive, enlightened, and tolerant of all viewpoints….really isn’t.  No, sadly when it comes to politics and religion, if you can’t agree with them or sit back and laugh, they take their ball home from the sandbox and pout.

Does that mean all liberals?  Before you flood my email and comments with yet more knee jerk reactions, the answer is no, of course not all liberals are this uptight.  I’m just stating from my own personal pool of friends (who will remain nameless here) is the old “They can dish it out, but can’t take it themselves” attitude.  When Obama won and was sworn in I can’t recall any of my conservative friends throwing a hissy fit.  However, you mention any of the string of quantifiable instances that Obama hasn’t been able to pull off any of his agenda of ‘change’ as promised you better duck for cover and steel yourself for the tirade of insults that are about to fly your way.

To my liberal friends….lighten up, drink a cocktail..or in your case two or three.  We’re still friends, we’re still adults, act your age and prove me wrong that you can actually handle a little criticism, even if in jest.  You only have three years left to enjoy this mess anyway.

This is a news article I found on FoxNews.com today:

Stimulus Checks Mistakenly Sent to 1,700 Inmates, Federal Agency Says.

Excerpt: “The inspector general’s office for the Social Security Administration is looking into the problem as part of its broader audit on stimulus spending. The Social Security Administration acknowledged the $425,000 glitch following a report that nearly two-dozen inmates in Massachusetts had wrongly received the $250 stimulus checks.”

Social Security spokesman Dan Moraski told FOXNews.com in a written statement that the money went out because official records “did not accurately reflect that they were in prison.” 

The inspector general’s office for the Social Security Administration is now looking into the problem as part of its broader audit on stimulus spending. The Social Security Administration acknowledged the glitch following a report that nearly two-dozen inmates in Massachusetts had wrongly received the $250 stimulus checks. 

Even before the agency disclosed that the problem was more widespread, the discovery prompted complaints from Republicans critical of the $787 billion stimulus and the way it has been managed.   End Excerpt. 

Click on the link above to read the whole debacle.

But in all seriousness…this is the same government who is behind paying auto dealerships in cash for clunkers, the same administration that is pressuring religious organizations that they have a ‘moral duty’ to pay for health care, but apparently has no qualms when it comes to morals on abortion.  The same government who currently runs bankrupt Fannie Mae, your atrocious DMV, wants upwards of $9 trillion in new debt.  Now they are sending stimulus checks to inmates.

And you trust them to run a national healthcare system?