Where is the perfect burger? Welcome to my search for the holy grail. If I could find a credentialed doctor who said it was ok, I’d have no problem eating a burger for lunch and dinner everyday (with a burrito thrown in every now and then for diversity). But since I can’t consume twice daily red meat, I have to strategically choose my burger to ensure optimal burger experiences. The search goes on…
Five Guys is my current selection for best burger in the city. I’m sure there are many who disagree (when/if someone reads this blog, they may even comment about it here—as of yesterday, according to my stats indicator, one person appears to have accidentally misspelled a URL and landed here), but I’ve thought long and hard about my reasons. It’s not just because it’s fast and on the cheap side, though that is a factor. The burger is well constructed with fresh toppings (my favorite being jalapenos), smothered in cheese and hot off the grill. The Five Guys burger is flavorful from top to bottom. My Five Guys choice has held up against some well known competitors including Good Stuff Eatery, Ray’s Hell Burger and Central.
Good Stuff Eatery, owned/operated by former Bravo Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn, is a close second to Five Guys. Good Stuff produces another well topped burger with solid cheese smothering, and though they don’t affect the burger rating, the shakes (often made by Spike) are a great finishing option.
Ray’s Hell Burger, made famous by an Obama/Biden lunch visit, grills up seriously large burgers ground from steak that didn’t make the cut at Ray’s the Steaks (coincidentally my favorite steak in D.C.). This makes for a very flavorful, juicy and tender burger, but it requires two hands and usually a fork before all is finished; unfortunately, because of the juiciness, the bun often quickly becomes unreasonably soggy.
Central‘s burger is overrated and, for the price, not worth the effort. I only include it here as a reference point for my burger rating system. The burger itself doesn’t have much flavor and even the fancy toppings are lacking.
Marvin, a good 14th and U option, serves up a simple but delicious burger; happy hour at Marvin’s is a perfect time to compliment it with a beer.
Do the fries have any effect on the burger choice? If so, I think BGR has THE BEST fries. I’ve had the 5 guys but not the other ones one your list.
Also, have you sent the link to your blog to others in your building? Might be a good idea. Especially if you are going to actually put up some content.
Good God man. Can a brotha get a post at least every 2 weeks?!?!??!