My post about Five Guys Burgers and Fries was my first negative review.  As a result, I received a comment here on BlergerBog and also one on Facebook.  Neither of these readers agreed with my review.

I came to the realization that I should give Five Guys another try.  At the time, the closest FG restaurant was about 40 mins away from Providence.  I figured I wouldn’t be trying their burger again until I happened to be in the area of one.

Well, the Burger Gods in all their wisdom have removed the difficulty in a return visit.  A new Five Guys location has popped up in Seekonk, MA.  That’s right.  A Five Guys restaurant has opened up right down the street from my weekly grocery store.

It looks like my re-review of Five Guys will be coming soon.  I hope for myself and my upset readers that this burger will live up to all this mess.

1080 Fall River Ave
Seekonk, MA 02771

Five Guys + One Hungry Guy = One Disappointed Guy

I ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger {~1/3lb} with fries from the very simplistic menu options.

Five Guys has a very welcoming environment: Nice, big, clean building; a ton of workers to help serve you; and walls lined with promising quotes and awards of greatness.  When you walk up to the brightly lit counter, the choices are simple: Big or little burger; With cheese or no; with bacon or no; and fries and a drink.  After you order, you take a seat as you wait for them to actually cook your food, and in the meantime you can help yourself to free peanuts.

Simple menu, promising atmosphere, AND free peanuts? Sounds like a winner, right?  WRONG.

Five Guys had a very disappointing burger.  They cook the burger when you order it, yet when I was taking my first bite, the burger was cold, had unmelted cheese, and instead of bacon strips I had a handful of crispy bacon scraps.  I was ready to really enjoy this burger; not only do most people rave about this place, but the boastful art really set Five Guys to be a good experience.  Despite my attempts, I could not enjoy this burger.

If Five Guys has any redeeming qualities, it is in their fries.  They are fantastic.  If I had a French Fry blog, they would hold the top spot on the podium.

Barring a second review at a different location, I would avoid Five Guys Burgers not their Fries.  Do your research in the area and find a different burger location, even a roll of dice burger joint has the probability of a better turnout.

http://www.fiveguys.com/

I would like to consider this the first official review for Juicy Cheesy Burger.  This burger joint that opened up less than two-months ago in Newport RI is setting the bar.  Previously unseen , a non-chain restaurant that highlights the burger is a welcome addition to the Newport area.

I ordered the Cheeseburger Large Meal.  1/3-1/2lb burger with american cheese a side of fries and a can of pop.

I enjoyed my experience here.  My visit was late on a Saturday in the Newport off-season.  Inside the restaurant was fairly quiet, but I knew I was going to like this place as soon as we entered.  The tables and chairs look cool and there was a nice bright menu hanging above the register manned by the man I assume to be the owner.  We were greeted with enthusiasm.  During and after the ordering process, the owner was open to conversation and let us know a little about the young establishment and possibility to expand up to Providence.

The burgers are not cooked to order, they are all made medium-well to well done, but don’t let that detour you from going here.  The highlights of this already good meal were the homemade bun and delicious fries.  I enjoyed every bite of this meal.

I would go here again if I were down in the Newport area.  I hope enough people stop by this restaurant to keep in business through the winter months and help it survive until the tourist season when I am sure Juicy Cheesy Burger will flourish.  And who knows, maybe we will see one in Providence soon if people show this place enough love.

Definition of the Law of Diminishing Return.  This chain restaurant has a lot to boast, but not a lot to bring to the plate.

I ordered the Triple Prime Bacon Cheddar Burger – 1/2lb Burger with New York aged Cheddar and Applewood smoked bacon with a side of “endless fries.” The Prime series of burgers is made with 100% USDA Prime Beef where the standard burger is made with 100% USDA Choice Beef.  For those of you that don’t know the difference between Prime and Choice, please refer to the equation below:

Prime Burger – Choice Burger = $2

Outside of the missing singles, there isn’t much the Prime burger had to offer over the choice.

Ruby Tuesday is bold enough to label their Prime burger as the world’s best burger, and they set the hook with the endless fries gimmick.  I almost believed their world’s best burger claim, until i got to the third or fourth bite.  From then out, each bite became less and less satisfying.  A burger that started at a strong Green marker fizzled down to the Yellow in eight short ounces.  But not all was lost, or so I thought.  The fries were pretty tasty and knowing that I could eat as many as I want, I went through the first basket pretty quick.  I waited for more fries as I continued through the burger…then I finished the burger.  As the waitress came to clear the plate, I had to ask for more.

Ruby Tuesday is worth a visit for a workday lunch, but don’t go to too much trouble to get here.  I may come again, but I would make the extra effort to find a different place if I had the resources.

http://www.rubytuesday.com/

I felt it needed to say a little more.

The following are burger places that I plan to visit.  Most of these are in the Providence/Boston area.  Also, if you know of a burger place I don’t have listed here or on the map, let me know and I’ll add it to the Blue List.

Blue List

Louis’ Lunch

263 Crown Street
New Haven, CT 06511-6611
(203) 562-5507
louislunch.com

Eagles Deli Restaurant

1918 Beacon Street
Brighton, MA 02135-7701
(617) 731-3232
eaglesdeli.com

Spiced Pear Restaurant

117 Memorial Boulevard
Newport, RI 02840
(401) 847-2244
spicedpear.com

Julian’s

318 Broadway
Providence, RI 02909-1102
(401) 861-1770
juliansprovidence.com

Common Ground Bar and Grill

83 Harvard Avenue
Allston, MA 02134-1772
(617) 783-2071
commongroundallston.com

North Street Grille

229 North Street
Boston, MA 02113-2105
(617) 720-2010

75 Chestnut

75 Chestnut Street
Boston, MA 02108-1137
(617) 227-2175
75chestnut.com

Fat Cat

24 Chestnut Street
Quincy, MA 02169-5306
(617) 471-4363
fatcatrestaurant.com

Jim’s Deli and Restaurant

371 Washington Street
Brighton, MA 02135
(617) 787-2626
jimsdelibrighton.com

Vello’s

679 High Street
Westwood, MA 02090
(781) 461-2440

Five Guys Burgers & Fries
104 Walpole Park South
Walpole, MA 02081
(508) 660-9850

The ultimate in customizable meal, but when it comes down to it, it is a fast food burger.  Not much to expect from this California chain.  However, I do prefer this fast food burger over a McDonalds or Burger King.  It’s a good thing I never have a hankering for fast food burgers, because I’m on the wrong coast.

I ordered off the standard menu and got the “Double-Double” and some fries.  The “Double-Double” stands for two patties and two slices of cheese.

With no prior knowledge, In-N-Out has the most basic of looks on the inside, all the way to their very simple menu.  You have your choice of burger, cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, fries and drinks.  That is all a fast food restaurant really needs to maintain business, but that doesn’t offer much in the custom department, let alone the “ultimate”.  The trick with In-N-Out that makes them the fully customizable fast food chain is their use of not only their standard simple menu, but they also have a SECRET Menu for those of you that have inside knowledge.

The Secret Menu provides clever phrasing to specialize your meal with extra ingredients, bigger burgers, custom cooked fries, and various milkshake creations.  The links below are examples of Secret Menus beyond what In-N-Out will publish:

Secret Menu 1

Secret Menu 2

Secret Menu 3 {Scroll to the bottom of this to see the ultimate in fast food customization}

If you ever find yourself going to an In-N-Out, make sure you do your research ahead of time so you know the lingo to fully customize your meal.  But, not everything on the internet is true.  Don’t be swayed if the cashier doesn’t know what you are talking about because In-N-Out prides themselves on the fact that if you can describe it and they can do it, they will do it.

Normally I would put this fast food restaurant into the Red ratings, but In-N-Out has a little more appeal.  As I said above, this is just a fast food burger and really doesn’t have much to desire, but if you aren’t adverse to “good food quickly” then stop on by if you find yourself in Cali and make sure you know the lingo.

http://www.in-n-out.com/default.asp

Great Burger. Large Variety complete with Political monikers.  Great atmosphere with indoor or outdoor seating.I had the George W Bush {don’t blame me I’m retired} Burger. A very nice 14oz {2 patties} with cheddar and BBQ sauce with a side of sweet potato fries which were a pleasant surprise.

The burger was great and I had a lot of fun while I was eating it.  Everyone in the group I was with enjoyed their burgers as well, each one a different style.  And, a bonus for me, they have their own Root Beer which is also great.

Bartley’s will get busy, and rightfully so.  As a result, they have an interesting ordering process.  There was a line to get in the building, but while you wait in the line outside they hand you menus and take your order. Order while you wait and the food is ready soon after you sit.  A few extra minutes of standing is a small price to pay for the meal you are about to receive.

I will go here again, and I am sad that I haven’t been back recently.

http://www.bartleysburgers.com/

I recently went to Paragon again. I ordered the French Burger both times {1/3lb-1/2lb Burger with boursin cheese and fries}.    The order arrived fast both times: the meal was good, especially the fries, probably the best on Thayer Street.  The French burger is messy since you get a lot of Boursin cheese {which you put on yourself}.

Beth ordered the French Burger at our first trip, but the Barbecue Burger {Burger with cheese, barbecue sauce and caramelized onions} this most recent trip. I tried a bite of her burger and I was not as impressed with it as I was with the French Burger, and that got me to thinking about whether or not the Boursin cheese was masking the fact that Paragon doesn’t have a very good burger. I will need to go again and order a standard cheddar burger so I can have a better opinion on the burgers at Paragon and not be fooled by the French and their outrageous accents.

I will go here again. This is great for a quick meal out in a nice restaurant atmosphere. Deciding between here and Johnny Rockets is a matter of how much time I have and what kind of setting I want to eat in.

Paragon has a Green Marker because of the French Burger, their status is up for review once I have had a Cheddar Burger.

http://www.paragonandviva.com/

To all of my faithful readers. In my recent trip home to Rochester I have learned of the news that Jimmy Mac’s High Falls has closed. Let’s take a moment to remember the good times we’ve had at Jimmy Mac’s; the great birthday meals I’ve had there; the baffled looks from the waiters as I order the 1lb burger; and the shocked looks from the waiters as they see my empty plate afterwards. I am happy for all of the meals I’ve had at Jimmy Mac’s and thankful for those of you that were able to share a meal with me there. For those of you out there that never had the opportunity to have the Jimmy Mac’s burger, I am sorry.

Read the review after the jump

REVIEW
Keg Burger! I have a bit of bias for this burger. There used to be a Jimmy Mac’s in Brockport. After long being my favorite place to eat, and the first place I accomplished the feat of eating a 1lb burger, the Brockport location shut down. {See more about this location in the Stoneyard Bar & Grill review}. After years without a Jimmy Mac’s burger I stumbled upon the High Falls location {Narrator: And there was much rejoicing. ALL: Yay!}.

I have the Keg Burger, the 1lb Burger with cheddar, bacon, and now comes with fries. This beast of a burger will only cost you about $9. A little more when you include a little friend I like to call Saranac Root Beer.

This burger has a great taste to it, a good size, and a fair price. The atmosphere is great with a view of the High Falls right along the walking bridge. My only complaint about this burger is that it can be dry at times, but it depends on the cook and the day. Dry or not, this is a burger I very much enjoy.

I wish I could go back.