Look out arteries!

Well, the fast food darling of US President Barack Obama himself, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, opened an outlet in Airdrie Alberta this week. Work lunches will never be the same again.

This chain, already quite popular in the eastern US, is working its way across Canada. The chain was ranked best US fast food burger restaurant in a recent Zagat Survey. Five Guys is known for its policy of using fresh food - none of the franchises use freezers. They make their patties and french fries by hand every morning. Men's Health magazine rated Five Guys' fries "4th most unhealthy food in America."

Yippee! OK, now on to the review...

Let's begin this review with a warning. If you're allergic to peanuts, look elsewhere. They cook the fries in peanut oil and there are peanuts in-the-shell around the place for munching. Warning number two, if your party isn't into burgers, look elsewhere. Although they have grilled cheese on the menu, if you're here, it's because you want a burger.

All that's left to decide is if you want one patty or two. These patties are hand-formed and cooked medium-well. I especially liked their choices of toppings. I chose mayo, pickles, mustard and fried onions on a single patty (small) bacon cheeseburger. The bacon was crisp and the burger was tasty. The fried onions help a lot. A regular order of fries is enough to feed two people, or one very hungry person. The fries are nothing to write home about - crispy, not tender like chip truck fries. So, it won't be the fries that brings me back. It's the burger.