Five Guys Burgers & Fries

You'll have to indulge me, because Five Guys Burgers and Fries seems to enjoy trumpeting its accolades. Signs along the restaurant walls, framed newspaper clippings and the menus tout what marketing folks call "blurbs," single-sentence raves that stroke the ego. "Best No Frills Burger!" one magazine lauds. "Heaven on a bun!" another publication shouts. "Reader's Choice #1 Hamburger '99 thru '08!" raves Washingtonian Magazine. 

If you're going to hang blue ribbons and first-place certificate in your room, you better have the goods to back it up. Washington, D.C.-based Five Guys has been described by some as an In-N-Out of the East Coast. Let's get this out of the way: In-N-Out, your trophy is safe. 

But Five Guys, with locations in Oak Park and Lincoln Park, is a welcome addition to the upscale fast-food scene. If I can boil down my opening day lunch experience into another blurb, I'd say, "Come for the fries, stay for the hot dogs. Try a burger if you're so inclined." 

Let's tackle these in reverse order. 

The standard cheeseburger ($4.99), messy though not sloppy, comes with two griddled patties: a hand-formed patty of non-frozen top sirloin and chuck. Per safety reasons, as well as taste consistency and cooking time, these are all served well done. 

Both burgers I tried were under-seasoned, though the assortment of free toppings jazzed up the flavor somewhat: Grilled mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, A-1 sauce, among other accouterments, are complimentary. The best part are the buns: an eggy, brioche-like bread with that bakery whiff of sweetness. I still prefer a Steak and Shake burger. 

The hot dogs, meanwhile, are a sacrilege to Chicago sensibilities. But this being Oak Park, with hot-dog scofflaws outside prosecutorial jurisdiction, I can say these are fantastic. An all-beef Hebrew National dog, split in half and seared to a crispy exterior, is topped with brittle-crunchy bacon and sliced Kraft American singles (This version is $3.99). 

But the thing that Five Guys has going for it are the remarkable French fries (regular size $2.59 -- and oh, named "Best '08 by Capital Region Living Magazine!"). These double-fried fries -- which foodies know yields, hands-down, the perfect texture--have that rustic, imperfect-shaped, skin-on look. The fries tip more crispy than crunchy, and the interior has a creamy consistency with assertive potato-ey notes. They're dusted with liberal amounts of Cajun spice, giving them kick and complexity. They're really, really, really delicious.