Saturday, November 13. Fixing Leaks. Flamin' Burger. I have a water leak in the guest bathroom. I've known about it for months, but have allowed it to continue, with the result that the tiles are coming loose from the floor in there. Simple solution: replace the two bolts holding the tank to the bottom of the toilet. After twenty-eight years, they've rusted away in the acidic water from our well. Thanksgiving is next week. I've got to get this done.
My bugbear through a lifetime of fixing things is Getting The Old One Off. Flat tires, lawnmower belts, broken windows, and now toilet bolts--Getting The Old One Off is not only the hard part, but sometimes so hard that it stops the repair cold. My spirits lifted when the first bolt--so rusty that it crumbled in my fingers--fell right out. The other one was more steadfast. It defeated a succession of five tools, safe within its hard-to-reach spot. It would not be until Sunday morning, when I could once again see to look for new weapons of pinpoint destruction in my garage, that a grinding bit on a drill finally wore down the bolt's defenses.
In the middle of this battle came an hour-long radio show on WWL, followed by lunch with Mary Ann. She is excited that a Flamin' Burger had opened near Fontainebleau High School. She and ML went to the first one in Kenner a few weeks ago and found it similar to the exploding national chain, Five Guys. Like Five Guys, Flamin' Burger serves hand-made patties of fresh beef grilled to order and fresh-cut fries.
The place just opened, and its new employees were tripping over its operational minutiae. Everyone ahead of me in line had to have his order reworked at the cash register. Mine was off by almost ten dollars. Also, somehow the order had us down for three orders of fries. Which would have been fine if they'd given us all three. The fries were pretty good, although I think they'd be better if they were thicker.
The difference between a large and a small burger here is interesting: the large has two patties, the small just one. I like this idea, because when buns grow at the same rate as the burger patties, you wind up with too much bread.
When the manager brought the missing fries, Mary Ann told her, "This is as good as Five Guys!" This caught the ear of the top bossman of the outfit, the franchiser himself. He came over and Mary Ann started asking questions. We learned that the first location in Kenner had closed to be redesigned, that the partner in that one had left the business, and that the owner of the original Flame-n-Burger of the 1970s had recently died. (There is no connection between that small local chain and this new, differently-punctuated Flamin' Burger.) He said he used to run a few Ground Pat'i locations--which is why he gave away peanuts in the shells here. He has plans to open several more Flamin' Burgers on the North Shore, then expand into the city.
And then he gave Mary Ann a big thrill. "Five Guys is opening on LA 21 near I-12 soon," he said. What?!? MA texted ML with the news right away.
Burger places like this are the hottest concept in the American restaurant business right now. They are certainly better than the typical fast-food burger, but what fires their lemming-like growth expansion is the profit margin. Two burgers, three fries, two drinks: $27. Worth it? Come on.
Flamin' Burger. Mandeville: 3925 Highway 59. 985-871-5353.
