Happiness is...Five Guys Burgers & Fries

I have a serious love for hamburgers.  I could eat a hamburger, pretty much, any day of the week.  The burgers at Five Guys Burgers and Fries are near perfect in my book, and it doesn't hurt that they are located right outside the doors of my favorite movie theatre in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle.

As a chain of burger restaurants, I've never heard of them.  As for word of mouth, I've not heard a peep from anyone.  As for the ambience, it would not have drawn me in either, a little too bright, concrete floors, stark decor excepting for the red & white checkered tiles.  How did I ever find myself here?  I have been to several movies at this theatre and have never even given a thought to walking into this place.  It was the aroma. That heavenly scent that hit me, through the tiny hole in the Box Office window as I was purchasing movie tickets, that's what drew me in.  The nose knows...

The place was busy (evidently people have heard of the place) and the staff was hustling.  The menu is pretty straightforward, you order either a hand-formed "Regular" burger (2 patties) or a "Little" burger (1 patty) and choose your toppings, whatever you like and it's all Free, cheese, mushrooms, grilled onions, anything (except bacon, you have to pay for that).  If you order fries, a small fry is all you will need to feed a small army.  Then you wait.  All around the store you will find big boxes of peanuts to snack on while you wait for your order to be ready. I love a place that gives you snacks.

I had a "Regular" Cheeseburger (not knowing it came with 2 patties) with lettuce, tomato, onions, lots of pickles, mustard and ketchup.   The fresh formed patties were juicy and greasy (in that good way that burgers should be) and the bun was substantial but not too big (it did it's job of sopping up the juicy goodness).  It was closest I've come to finding a burger in Seattle that reminded me of my all time favorite hamburger from Matt's Place, in Butte, Montana.  Close.  Very Close.

I may have enjoyed the fries even more than the burger.  The Fries are Amazing!   Hand-cut, double fried (for crispness) in peanut oil, and liberally salted.  Potatoey Goodness! I can't even begin to imagine how big a Large size fry is, because we got a 16 oz. cup full plus a few more scoops of the delicious fried delicacies in the bottom of the bag, and that was a Small!

**I also love that they use local potatoes, and if you look up on the whiteboard next to the menu they tell you what varietal of potatoes they are using that day.