Dinner Report: Five Guys, Inner Harbor...

Before I tell you about this burger place conveniently located across the street from my hotel in downtown Baltimore's Inner Harbor area, I need to give a big shout out to the man sitting in seat 13b on my flight out of San Antonio this morning.

Sir, really, it was extremely thoughtful of you to stand up, open the overhead bin where your brief case was stashed, and pull out the bottle of Beano without a care in the world. The fact that you calmly opened the bottle and tossed not one, but two Beano tablets down your gullet without water was testament to your recognition you in fact were probably the guy who left most folks in the small plane reaching for that little air conditioner jet next to the stewardess call button. I would like to point out that, under normal circumstances, it would be a lot more helpful if you took the Beano before you fastened your seat belt and placed your tray in the upright and locked position. Thanks.And following that little adventure, I was in Baltimore and hungry. A co-worker and I started to walk over to the ESPN Sportszone (I have eaten there before and it is pretty good) but when we considered the nippy nature of the breeze along the water, I pointed up to a sign for Five Guys Burgers and Fries and we quickly opted to cut the walk short.The first thing we noticed was that the place was packed with kids of the Miley Cyrus age group. I told my friend that in this crowd, we looked like either Cops or Perverts. Two middle aged men in a restaurant full of 14 year olds just doesn't look right, but the alternative was to go back out into the cold.

The menu is pretty cut and dry: burgers, fries, hot dogs and drinks. The cool thing is that the burger you order comes with just a patty and a bun. You give them the list of toppings you want (no additional charge) and they build it to order. I ordered a regular size fries and it was enough for two people, and then they tossed in more in the bag. I soaked mine in malt vinegar and they were wonderful.The bacon cheese burger comes with two handmade patties on a soft and fresh bun. I had them slather the bun with mayonnaise and mustard, added pickles, jalapenos, grilled onions, lettuce and tomato. The whole thing is a pretty messy affair interrupted only to toss a few more fries in the mix.

So I wondered if this was some local thing only known to tweeners and tourists and come to find out, they are a chain. And upon further inspection, it looks as though they are headed to San Antonio near the Quarry. Good burger, low price; I'll want to check out the one in SA just to see if they are consistent.