I must say, I really like Five Guys. But is the quality of their food really worth the price hike VS another restaurant such as Burger King? Being honest, one hamburger from Five Guys costs exactly the same as one LARGE pizza from Little Caesars. Now, I don't know about you, but an entire pizza will last me a lot longer than one hamburger.

However, I must also admit, Five Guys make really good burgers and fries. To compare Five Guys to a place like Burger King or McDonald's seems like sin. Five Guys is a mouth full of meat (he he) while McDonald's is the cheap cuts that might subdue the hunger of an eight year old.

Let's compare!

McDonald's

Five Guys


There is a wee bit of a difference.

From the Five Guys website FAQ's
"Five Guys uses 80/20 ground chuck-high quality ground beef containing only steer and heifer meat, which does not include any cow meat or fatty trimmings. We do not use ammoniated procedures to treat our ground beef. This means that there is NO "pink slime" in our burgers. Our beef comes from the percentage of companies that do NOT use these methods."

Unfortunately, I was not able to find McDonald's information on the type of meat they use, only that they recently stopped using "pink slime" in their foods. That is reassuring.

On the other hand, as I pointed out, one hamburger from Five Guys can buy me an entire large pizza from Little Caesars! I could also buy five double cheeseburgers from McDonald's for the same price...

That would likely give me a heart attack, though, so I think I will avoid doing that.

I recently stepped into a local Five Guys the other day after donating blood platelets, wanting to get a quick bite to bring home and rest. I ordered a hamburger and some Cajun fries, because I just love Cajun fries, it isn't often that you get some variety. That is one thing you cannot buy at McDonald's!

There was only one other couple in the restaurant, yet it still took almost 15 minutes to make my hamburger. That seems quite a while when you are thinking in terms of "fast food." One thing about me is that I am extremely patient, though, so I did not mind that much. Moreover, trying to rush might have made my arm explode or something.

When I got home, however, my fries weren't Cajun! Darn! The hamburger was a little soggy as well, but seeing as it took twenty minutes to get home, that is most likely my fault.

I really enjoy Five Guys, but when they cost $5 or more for one burger, plus $4 to $5 for fries, it is to be expected that they put a little rush into getting it out timely and correctly. I have been to a few different Five Guys locations, and they all seem to be about the same in terms of price and time.

If you really want to stretch your dollar at Five Guys, consider buying a discount/used gift card online. From a quick browse, I found some for 7% off, so if you can plan a few days in advance, you can be able to save a few bucks.

I think Five Guys is high for what they serve, but I also think what they serve is a lot better than other fast food items you can get elsewhere. In the end, fast food is fast food, you pay that little extra for what you believe to be good food and the convenience of not having to cook and dirty your own dishes.

Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
Rating: 4/5
Main ingredients: Chicken, and Potatoes. Although the website doesn’t seem to boast that it features potatoes in a “Chicken and Potatoes” dish.
Thoughts: Not much to say about this, actually. It tastes good, which is about it. The potatoes have saved themselves from turning into that terrible jelly consistency these type of potatoes typically get to, and the chicken is pretty yummy too. Sodium is at 560mg, less than the previous entrée.

Lasagna with Meat Sauce
Rating: 2/5
Main ingredients: Beef, Cheese, and Pasta. And “meat sauce,” presumably.
Thoughts: I really disliked this one. The “meat sauce” was watery, the pasta tasteless, and entire thing had that “jelly”-ness to it with a Hot Pocket “how long do I cook this without setting my tongue on fire?” appeal. How disappointing. On the plus side, only 380mg of sodium.

Fettuccini Alfredo Bake
Rating: What on earth is that in my Alfredo? (IE 2/5)
Main ingredients: Cheese and Pasta. And some weird bread things semi crushed up.
Thoughts: I had high hopes for this entrée, and was fairly let down. This type of cuisine is always my favorite, so maybe I’m a little prejudiced here. The pasta was semi tasteless; maybe they are like that with all of their pasta. The sauce certainly redeems the pasta, but could use more seasoning. The broccoli is not too bad, still maintaining most (most…) of its “snap.”

Four Cheese Ziti Marinara
Rating: 4/5
Main ingredients: Cheese, and Pasta.
Thoughts: Ah, ending on a good note! This tasted a lot better than most ziti’s, the pasta seemed well flavorful and the sauces pretty good. The tomato sauce still seemed a little watery, but not nearly as bad as before. There was a good amount of seasoning in it, but could have used some more.

NOTE: This is a copy of the posting from my previous blog. Formatting may view differently, all reviews will now be featured on this blogger address instead of the other. To view the original blog posting go to http://santanaphotos.blogspot.com/

The 4th of July party we had was great, hours of back yard BBQ by the pool and ended the night with a great fireworks show. The food we cooked up, and the reviews of the McCormick Grill Mates® seasoning, sauces, and rubs are below!



Steak - Grill Mates® Montreal Steak Seasoning Blend

 Lightly covered the steak on both sides with the Montreal Steak Seasoning Blend, along with black pepper. Add cayenne pepper if you like an extra kick! The Montreal Steak Blend gives the steak a really nice flavor, much better than you would find on a steakhouse steak!







Pork - Grill Mates® Molasses Bacon Seasoning Blend

 For the pork, lightly covering with the Molasses Bacon Blend will give it a nice, light bacon flavor. Depending on how much you put on, the Molasses Bacon Blend can clump up when cooking so it is best to wait until close to the end to put it on, unless you like it like that!





Hamburger - Grill Mates® Montreal Steak Seasoning Blend

 Used the Montreal Steak Seasoning on a hamburger, and it tasted great! The hamburger had been mixed with finely cut garlic, add some black pepper and it gives you a great combination of flavors.








Meatballs - Grill Mates® Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ Sauce

 And finally we have the Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ Sauce, I used this on a large amount of meatballs and it gave them a nice sweet (but not overly sweet) flavor. I used about 1/4th or 1/5th on the mini meatballs, how much you use will depend on how many you make.

• Grill Mates® Spiced Brandy & Herb Marinade We used this on some chicken wings and it tasted fantastic! 4.5/5
  
• Grill Mates® Slow and Low Memphis Pit BBQ Rub
  We used this rub on a rack of ribs, which gave it a really nice home style BBQ flavor! Tasted like what we'd eat at a restaurant such as Sonny's or Woody's. 4/5
  
• Grill Mates® Montreal Steak Seasoning Blend We used this seasoning on the steaks and hamburgers, everyone enjoyed it and it tasted just like, or even better than a steakhouse would make it! 5/5
  
• Grill Mates® Molasses Bacon Seasoning Blend
  We used this on the pork, and even on popcorn! The bacon flavor isn't too strong but you'll need to be a little careful with how much you use as it tends to clump up and fall off when cooking. With the popcorn, putting some of this in the pan with the oil really brings out the flavor and makes all the popcorn taste lightly like bacon. 4/5
  
• Grill Mates® Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ Sauce
  Used on meatballs, really made what could've been bland meatballs really stand out. We put more sauce than what is shown in the picture, but how much you use will depend on how saucy you want it. Made them taste sweet, but thankfully not too sweet. 4/5