ottawa foodies

For anyone who is interested five guys is opening at grant crossing soon as well as at the train yards.

Good news for Ottawa - 5 guys makes excellent burgers.

Not too crazy about the locations, but will probably take a jaunt over to the yards sometime for a tasting. Thanks for the update!

That's exciting - supposed to be REALLY good burgers.
They opened in Kingston last year but i haven't managed to get there yet.

Five years ago it would have been good news. Much prefer Hintonburger and Vera's. Haven't tried Baja Burger yet. It's a step up in chain food at least.

I loved Five Guys when I tried them in Chicago. Looking forward to them here. Sadly, Hintoburger has been inconsistent last few times I have been there. Burger was way overcooked. Baja burgers are among my favorites, but I love all burgers and Five Guys is a welcome addition.

Created a vendor for them... I'm excited already, since I can probably walk to the Grant Crossing location from work! Five Guys Burgers and Fries

FGB&F is a good standard burger & fries, been to it a few times at a couple of locations in the USA... looking forward to it in Ottawa!

THey're looking very hard for a copuple of Urban locations, the suburban ones were just a lot easier to do a deal with sooo many new plaza
s in orleans, and Kanata.

From what I've seen in the states they prefer suburban. Usually strip malls. I think cheap(er) rent is in their business plan.

Not trying to be facetious, but my post wasn't a theory, they really really want a location in the Market or on Elgin St, but arer very picky about exactly where. You'll see them downtown soon enough..

But I've probably said too much already...

There are lots of vacancies in the Market on Dalhousie. I bike past them on the way to work.

I can't wait for them to open up in Trainyards. I had their burger and fries at the Washington airport on my way home from Florida. It was one of my favourite burgers ever! Yummy in my tummy!!!

With Serious Cheese/GraceITK moving out there are multiple vacancies on Bank in Old Ottawa South.

SEND THEM TO ME!!!!!

I DEMAND IT!!!!!!

Pretty please? ...we have families and d.i.n.k.s and starving highschoolers and drunk Carleton students and everything!!!! Throw in famished construction workers and/or protestors for when the Landsdowne revitalisaster starts and it's WIN/WIN for everyone!

SEND THEM TO MEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Sorry, sorry, got carried away there....

Speaking of vacancies Bank and Heron where the Home Hardware was is vacant with parking at the rear. Five Guys if you are listening sweet location.

Had the pleasure of eating at Five Guys today. Fries are cut fresh and done in peanut oil. Large fries,bacon cheeseburger,unsweetened iced tea and free peanuts while you wait. Hope they have the same quality and portion size when they come to Ottawa. Hurry up Five Guys!

Ken V, which location was this?

blubarry this location is in Pigeon Forge Tennessee. Bags of potatoes with their logo on it all over the restaurant along with serve yourself peauts in large boxes cool place. Free refills on drinks another bonus. I have become addicted to unsweetened iced tea it is served everywhere.

I'm really really really hoping the Ottawa locations serve unsweetened iced tea. If so, this will be my fast food retailer of choice!!

Thanks Ken. I was in a Five Guys in Boystown, Chicago that had exactly the same decor. And they better bring the unsweetened ice tea with them...

fiveguys.ca used the Store Locator and it came up with the following for Ottawa: 2 Locations Near You

Village Square - Coming Soon!
1481 Greenbank Rd.
Nepean, ON K2C 3H2

Grant Crossing - Coming Soon!
Hazeldean Rd. & Huntmar Dr.
Kanata, ON K2V 1A3

Also Ads for recruiting staff:
ottawa.kijiji.ca
ottawa.kijiji.ca
ottawa.kijiji.ca

I think I would devote my life to supplying Centretown with burgers. I wonder how much these crazy endeavours cost.

I heard they were also going near trainyards.

I'm sorry but I really don't like 5 Guys... it's such American @rap. Sure, we've all eaten McDonalds and yes I am Biased having a long history with a gourmet burger chain... but really, they squish the crap out of the burgers on a flat top with a press like they're angry the company doesn't employ the same level of technology as Mcdonalds and thus have to put forth an effort into their preparation of the crap.
I'd honestly much rather go to the Brig, Hintonburger, Baja Burger or any other honest place that makes a great burger.

Chutney Guy, you're probably going to ask me to delete your post because it's more of a rant than anything. But I'm going to address it anyway because I like to waste my time. ;-)

Why talk about "American crap", when America is the home of the hamburger? I would bet that the best hamburger in the world likely resides in America.

I've eaten at In-N-Out Burger and I can say they serve a product that's one hell of a lot better than McDonald's. If 5 Guys is anything close, they will have a market here.

Also, by mentioning Brig/Hintonburger/Baja as honest places, you imply that some chains are somehow dishonest. What's that about? Sure, they exist to make money, but there's nothing dishonest about that.

And the chain I'm REALLY waiting for is Fatburger.
www.fatburger.com/home/

I'm guessing that Hamburg is actually home of the Hamburger. Just sayin' :-)

But I agree with the sentiment of what you said FF ;)

Yes, Germany is the Home of the Hamburger.

FF You are entitled to your opinion and so am I. But why the Attack?

I'm not some burger elitist but I'd much rather have a great burger that's hand made with fresh meat and cooked on a grill by someone that cares that the burger is still juicy.... not as squished as it can be. That's what I mean about Honest... A REAL burger.

We all know the story that Mcdonalds "100% pure beef" is the company name that makes the burger patties and not the content... Urban Legend? what's in your burger?

Urban legend
www.snopes.com

TIP for the Best Burger Ever as per Ion Aimers, creator of the WORKS... I worked with him as he was creating the concept for a Gourmet Burger Bistro... I watched the first burgers being made. Brilliant Concept developer. Anyway, he always suggested to buy good quality fresh ground beef and don't play with it, the meat that is. In fact his suggestion for a burger at home was to just take the fresh ground beef from a butcher and put it straight on the grill with a little salt and pepper and cook it like a steak. Give it a try.

The origins of the Hamburger are controversial, but it's loosely based on a "Hamburg steak" -- a concept brought to America by German immigrants. The modern day hamburger is an American invention.

I think I will visit Hintonburger this evening to calibrate my palate!

re: Five Guys Burgers and Fries, drove past the Grant Crossing (Hazeldean) location today and someone was painting the interior window frames. I also saw some piles of tables waiting to be set up. They're close, but I'd be surprised to see them open before the weekend.

I agree with Chutney Guy on minimally manipulating the beef, and I reserve a special hatred for cooks who impatiently press down on the burger, squeezing out all the delicious juices.

I disagree on the 'American crap' blanket statement, however. Good post by FF on that subject.

That said, can't wait to try 5 Guys as soon as it opens!

Re: minimally manipulating the beef . . .

Some friends of ours were travelling in France and like their stakes medium to well done . . . they asked for them that way in a restaurant, and the waiter went to ask the chef . . . then the waiter comes back from the kitchen and says "the chef refuses".

I guess the chef just couldn't bring himself to do that to a piece of meat. :-)

@Chutney Guy I don't know that the creator of the Works is the person to talk to about the 'best burger ever;' if they didn't have the 'oh my, macaroni? on a burger? outrageous! haw haw, the drinks are in measuring cups!' novelty they'd never have lasted as long as they have. Personally I think there's a lot to be said for the 'honesty' of a simple chain burger versus a bistro/'gourmet' burger. Meat, bread, cheese, yes please.

Also re: smashing burgers on a griddle, sometimes that's exactly what I want. Plop a loose billiard ball of 80/20 hamburger onto a white-hot cast-iron grill and grind it in there for a minute, flip, S&P the cooked top, smash again, serve. You get a crust bursting with umami, plenty of juice left on the inside. If you don't go to bed smelling like beef smoke, you're doing it wrong.

Looking forward to trying out Five Guys, have heard great things.

Kanata Location opens next Thursday, for all you curious foodies who live out in the sticks.

Us Urbanites are still waiting...

Manipulated burger or not I have eaten my share of burgers and Five Guys does it right still juicy and mine was leaning to a bit red inside. They are in my top five with Cheesecake Factory's American Kobe burger at the top. As for the Works well they need a lesson on how to make fries. Flandroid you got that right about the macaroni burger at The Works. Is it not Kraft Dinner?

Well I love kraft dinner, and have ordered the works burger that features it. Interesting to note that when I was chatting with the server we talked about how we customize it, and she told me that they were not allowed to call it Kraft Dinner unless they made it exactly as per the instructions on the box. And I do sometimes crave that sk8r boy combo of bacon, cheese and peanut butter on a burger.

I definitely put peanut butter on a burger from time to time. Plus cream cheese! It's not alchemy, though, a lot of the extra-outrageous stuff on the menu consists of fairly tried-and-true flavour combinations. Pineapple and brie, fried egg, avocado...

I might have to find a reason to be in Kanata on Thursday, though I'll be awfully surprised if the burgers are anything but well-done here. I haven't managed to get a burger served medium, let alone medium-rare, in ages. I had high hopes at Hintonburger, but no dice.

(thinking about cream cheese and peanut butter makes me wish I was in Montreal to pick up a Midnight Spread/Beurre de minuit at Santropol, though. I can make it at home, but without their bread it's really not the same)

edit: oh and I meant skillet when I said 'cast-iron grill' above. whoops.

I just looked at the Trainyards website and Five Guys is on the cooming soon list so they are definitely going ot be opening there!

The Five Guys Stittsville location opens Friday, Aug. 12 at 11 a.m.
5517 Hazeldean Rd Bldg C2 Unit 6

we went to 5 guys in Charlotte.
What I liked most about the burger was the toppings they offered. Caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms yumm, along with standards.
The fries were fresh like chip wagon fries and very good.
It is certainly better than McDonald's although once a year I still love a 1/4 lb with cheese.

Attended the grand opening today, no drop in quality they taste just as good as they do in the States.

So happy it's here, even if it's located in the middle of nowhere.

Great, great burger today, left my thoughts on the comments page:

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Randroid - a couple of years ago I agreed with you on The Works - their burgers were dry and camoflauged with too many toppings and it really was all about the novelty - like you said, "oooooo, macaroni and cheese".

But...in the last year I've eaten at the Works a couple of times and wonder if they've done something different - meat isn't crazy lean any more, who knows. But its a better burger now, the key is choosing one that isn't overladen with toppings that bury the taste.

This is all great news for Ottawa, which used to be a burger wasteland.

OttawaShane, thanks for the endorsement. I will have to give the Works burger another chance. Last few visits, I've been ordering anything that *isn't* a burger.

5 Guys Burger and Fries are going to be opening soon in Orleans.

www.trinity-group.com

That development map shows them right next to the new East Side Mario's on Innes. Anyone driving by there lately knows the building is nearly complete.