Let me be plain: Five Guys has passed In-N-Out on my list of favorite burger joints.
I returned to Five Guys this evening after visiting it about 18 months ago (the last time I was in Columbia, South Carolina). I got the cheeseburger ($4.99), which at Five Guys means two 1/4 lb. patties. On the burger I elected to have pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, and jalpenos. The jalapenos, my friends, made all the difference. Placed underneath the patties and apart from the other toppings, their delayed heat enhanced the rest of the burger.
Now, in fairness, my meal at Five Guys -- burger, regular fries, medium drink -- cost me almost double what I can get for the same at In-N-Out. And that would probably matter if I was taking my whole family out to dinner.
But tonight I don't care. Maybe I'm just too familiar with In-N-Out, but their burgers don't thrill me anymore. The jalapeno cheese burger from Five Guys tonight did.
