Tuesday, January 20, 2009.
Looking For Five Guys. Gordon Biersch.
I made contact with the Marys at around nine in the morning. They were just leaving Atlanta. An hour later, they called to ask for directions to the nearest Five Guys hamburger joint along their route. It was in Tuscaloosa. They were thrilled. They are hooked on this Five Guys chain, which is booming nationwide by creating a few illusions based on a little reality.
The Five Guys stands are much more utilitarian than those in the McDonald's category. That gives the feeling of a mom-and-pop operation, which it absolutely is not. They grill the burgers to order, and it takes awhile for them to come out. They're juicier than most, and leave a crusty residue in the waxed paper--a good sign. The French fries are hand-cut on premises and fried fresh. We've certainly wanted that for years.
However, their cooking is careless. And although their burgers are far above average (even better than the Lee's I had a couple of days ago), it's still not a good enough hamburger to get a guy my age to eat them regularly. And the fries have a common problem among fresh-cut jobs--they're often greasy. Still, Five Guys is a good development, because other hamburger chains are starting to copy them. So the quality standards in fast-food places inches up.
I asked my daughter what she thought of the Savannah College of Art and Design, the purpose of their travels. "It's nice, but the city. . . " She hesitated, knowing I would not like what she'd say next. I've never been to Savannah, but I knew what she was thinking. "It's too much like New Orleans," she admitted. "It looks exactly the same. Same kind of people. It feels the same. I may as well go to Tulane." Mary Leigh does not like the town of her birth. It has long been a forgone conclusion that she would move away to college, and not likely ever come back to live.
With Savannah out of consideration, the leaning is toward a design college in Los Angeles. Both the Marys love Los Angeles, and Jude is already there.
So here's that steamroller in the living room again. We all know that at some point I will be the only member of our family who needs to or wants to remain here. We can't bring ourselves to think about what that implies.
After my show signs off Tuesday nights, Gus Kattengill and Christian Garic--sports reporters on WWL--host a show on my frequency called "Hoop And Holler." It's about basketball, and originates at Gordon Biersch, the local branch of a chain of brewpub restaurants. It's three blocks from the studio, in the Harrah's Hotel. I've threatened to go over there to mess up their show with my ignorance of sports for some time. Save for a cold wind, nothing was keeping me away tonight. My participation in the show was limited to performing a live station identification at eight o'clock. I know nothing about basketball. 
I ate and drank, of course. The beer here is not bad. The dark brew is hoppy and bitter in a way I find perks up my appetite. The food menu is more ambitious and interesting than I expected. The manager told me that they buy very little food from commissaries, and cook mostly from scratch. Still, it was chain food, all right. I got a bunch of appetizer-type stuff to pass around the table. One platter held two little hamburgers, two southwestern-style egg rolls (these are very big in the chains), some sort of dip I couldn't figure out but thought was reasonably good, and some garlic French fries. The raves I've heard from Christian and Gus mostly had to do with the pizza. I found that very unimpressive, with a soft, bready crust.
I'll bet the Marys would love this place. They had just arrived home by the time I did. I collected my hugs from them and they, with 1100 miles behind them in the past two days, went right to bed.
Gordon Biersch Brewery. CBD: 200 Poydras. 504-552-2739 . Brewpub. Sandwiches. Platters.
