I did a Travelin Man at a hot dog joint (business closed up), so I went a half mile west to the new Five Guys Burgers and Fries restaurant in the Shops of Midtown Miami center. This is a shopping center built on the grounds of an old train yard. There are new condos going up in the neighborhood, but the gentrification is not yet complete, so there are plenty of old warehouses and the like outside of the new development.
The sign on the hood over the grill reads, "All of our burgers are juicy and well done". Hmmph. We'll see.
As you can see on the overhead menu, ALL they sell are burgers, fries and beverages.
I ordered a Little Cheeseburger with grilled onions and fries. I watched the hamburgers get grilled on a flat-top, and the cook smashes them down with some sort of steel press with a handle. Everything is cooked to order, which is certainly better than at Wendy McKing's. I was surprised to see that they double-fry the potatos.
When my order was ready, the prep person wrapped the cheeseburger in foil, and then put it into a bag. Then a foam cup full of fries was placed in the bag, followed by a big loose scoop of fries.
I spread things out, and since there were no knives obvious, I took a couple of chomps from the cheeseburger to that I could photograph the inside:
The presentation was totally annoying. The fries fill the bag,
over the hamburger. I spread a knapkin on the table and spilled some fries out onto it so I could get at the cheeseburger, and some ended up on the table. I could put up with this at a picnic in the park or something, but it is totally unnecessary here. Maybe I was supposed to tear open the bag, and eat off of that?
The cheeseburger was good, and I would eat one again. It was juicy, although I might have been thrown off by the grilled onions. I'd get a large, and forget about the fries. The fries were pretty greasy. Note the stains on the bag, in which they only rested for about a minute. They had a good, fresh potato flavor, but tended to be a bit limp. Based upon what I learned later, I think the second fry was done at too low a temperature.
The manager came over to chat, and confirmed that they cut their own fries on site, and then give them a cold water soak, par-fry them, and then finish them to order. He also stated that he was required by the health department to cook the hamburgers well-done. I pointed out that a restaurant can sell raw steak tartare if desired, and he equivocated, stating that they were worried about cross-contamination. I imagine that the truth is that Corporate is covering their tails.
Summary: The wait is about the same as at diner or coffee shop, without the service. It seemed long when just standing around. Of course, one doesn't have to tip. I had to pay for parking at this location. If one were already shopping nearby, it might be worth a try. Just stay away from the fries here. Maybe they are better at other locations. Certainly the general steps done in the cooking process are correct.
