Food is part of every culture, and it brings people together.
There is no shortage of food TV. We can tune in just about any part of the day and find experts cooking or tasting food from the simplest dishes to the most unusual. Even though St. George doesn’t top the list of places to find the best street food, it does lend itself to a variety of eateries.
When someone tells me they have eaten at a new restaurant, I immediately want a review. Mostly so I don’t waste my time on something that was not worth my money or my daily intake of calories.
There is no shortage of places to get a burger in St. George. I have tried them all, from the famous Big Mac to the infamous Double Double.
My favorite from St. George is Five Guys. Though I am not a big fan of shells on the floor of the place I am about to eat, Five Guys serves up a burger that makes me want to come back.
In spite of the shells, Five Guys is clean, colorful and bright.
The room is flanked with bags of potatoes from various farms around the west; they are cut fresh and cooked to order. There are two sizes of french fries: small and large.
There is no shortage of starch. They fill half of a brown paper sack with fresh, hot fries.
You choose the size of the burger and an array of toppings that include sauteed mushrooms, a variety of cheese and crunchy, pickled items, such as jalapenos and relish.
The patty is hand-formed and stuffed with cheese, cooked to a well-done goodness that is unparalleled to any I have found in St. George. The bun is toasted and is just another condiment that cradles the burger.
They also serve a mean hot dog cooked exactly the way I like them: split in half and charred well on a toasted bun. You have the same choice of toppings for the hot dog as the hamburger. If you’re a fan of Nathan’s hot dogs, this is the best in St. George.
The pricing is a bit higher than the more pedestrian burger places in town, but it is worth every penny spent and every calorie consumed.
If something tastes homemade, chances are it can be replicated in your own kitchen.
That is the best thing about Five Guys, you can taste the homemade goodness. This often means that it can be attempted at home.
With the right amount of spices, patience and ability to hand-form a patty, a burger can be replicated at home for slightly less cash and usually provide leftovers as well.
Being in college can be difficult, but it doesn’t mean sacrificing a taste in food, whether eating in or out.
Although dining out is an event, dining in can bring an experience that brings us closer to our friends and family.
The only qualification is a love of food and desire to share it.
In the column’s future, I will be discovering all that St. George has to offer in dining on and off a college student’s budget.
And hopefully we can explore some ways of eating at home that feel as though we are dining out.
