Five Guys

permission to peep before commentary

edit: commentary below


this statement is a bit bold but fiveguys is always always satisfying

burgers come in little and regular sizes which are big and bigger
i've actually never had a burger here for fear of not finishing but all i get are good reviews...
and smells



hotdogs are my usual, with tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, lettuce, and some hot sauce
they're split down the middle so that theres no rollage between bites--smart guys

cajun fries are popular
and they should be eaten with a sprinkling of malt vinegar and generous black pepper in your ketchup

poootaaatttoooooo

Best Bagel

I know New York is the pizza/bagel capital of the universe but I reserve supreme bagel praise for Celebrity Bagels (Tenafly, NJ)

Okay, maybe since Tenafly's only a short drive and a walk over the GW from the city the proximity to the NY bagel might have rubbed off some awesome-bagel traits. But dirty jers has done a great job outdoing ny dough.




chewyness is peerless

There isn't even a need for creamcheese (which, if you ask for will be spread in 1-2in thickness). Sufficient foodgasms are to be had from pulling apart the doughbabe and consuming with somewhat perverted relish.
AND
on St. Patty's they serve green bagels! which is not yuck!

Question: if bagels are first boiled in water and then baked for a short time... are bagels a baked good after all?

Edit: 10/23/08 12:04am

Truethat, Yours, Truly, I should definitely update with pics actually from Celebrity's.
The shots above were taken midsemester break when I had 1.5 days at home. The pops brought home a bag of bagels in the morning because that's one of the two things I ask of him which makes me very happy (the other one being brewing perfect pots of coffee constantly).
You forgot to call me out on not listing nommy bagel combinations.

As you said, Sesame with scallion cream cheese
Poppy with egg salad
Plain with strawberry cream cheese
Lettuce tomato and scallion cream cheese
Any others?

Best Scone

If Amherst/Umass has the best pizza (Antonio's), then CMU has the best scone.

La Prima Espresso is probably my favorite thing about going to CMU.
This semester I don't have any classes in Wean Hall so I don't go there as often but the past two years have seen a lot of sconing.
There are two kinds of scones they sell, and the better kind are triangular, bigger, a bit dry, and always in the display case. Those are my favorites. But they do have smaller oblong ones in the in front next to the muffins and brownies. They're sort of undercooked--which could be a good thing but that's for you to decide.
Apricot and Chocolate Chip are winners.

Stuffed Pretzels

I came across Kim & Scott's Gourmet Pretzels in the freezer aisle of the Geagle (Giant Eagle) in Squirrel Hill. It's a short busride away from CMU campus.
"Chocolate Crumb" stuffed pretzel. My shopping buddy Christine decided to restrain herself but I went against my culturally instilled groupism tendencies and stood by the pretzel. I even put back some other junk to make junk space. And I think this was one of the best choices I've ever made in my life.


Chocolate is the best bet because it's chocolate. But there are a lot of different kinds including savory varieties. To name a few:
Sourdough Asiago
Apple Cinnamon
Mixed Berry Cobbler
Cheesecake
Bavarian
Cream Cheese and Herb
Grilled Cheese
Cheddar Jalapeno
Pizza
Omelette
Spinach and Feta
They're not as big as the average soft pretzel so you can stop freaking out. If you have asian girl hands like mine, you can say the pretzel is a palm and a half in diameter.
You zap it in the microwave for about a minute and it becomes this soft, gooey thing you get to break up and consume slowly. But not too slow because it'll cool down. Plus finger licking.
The trick is though, to heat it up for just the right amount of time so that it becomes just hot enough but not overheated and tough. This a matter of whether to microwave it 55 seconds or 58.
Perfect for a college student with lazy mornings.
I often wake up and compulsively eat random things I don't really like and end up feeling unsatisfied to the ex-treme. "Should have showered and gotten that coconut chocolate cake donut at Entropy." That kind of thing.
Anyway. This is good. You're stupid if you pass it up.