5 Napkins...and a fork, and a knife...

Ever since I was a youngin growing up in the rolling hills (but not really) of Connecticut, I've always loved cheeseburgers. It all started with a trip to Applebees. I remember being kind of scared of the idea of burgers, thinking that all that meat on a bun was a terrible idea. But I got over it, and pretty soon I was ordering a cheeseburger at every burger and fry joint across the country (or really just the town I grew up in). 

Since I'm all grown up now and I have such a sophisticated palette (ha), my burger taste has also become more refined (that's actually a total lie...I still love McDonalds as much as I ever have). Anyway, the point is I can now appreciate a burger with something more than just a slice of cheddar cheese and a huge blob of ketchup on top. That's why I'm a big fan of this new burger place that just opened up in the Prudential Center, which isn't too far from my house. It's called 5 Napkin Burger. It's kind of a mini-chain of sorts–they started out in Manhattan and have since expanded to Queens, Atlanta, Miami and most importantly, Boston. They even have a burger called "the beantown burger" that has baked beans on it, which I ordered on a trip there last week with my dear old dad. 

 See that yellowy thing under the beans? That's gouda. Yeah, that's right. Gouda. What is gouda? I'm both offended by that question and glad you asked. It's the greatest cheese ever. Rich, creamy, and with just the right amount of kick. And it tastes great with red wine, which is always a plus in my book. As you can see, it was melted on my burger, and I can't think of a single instance in my life where I have been opposed to melted cheese. Soo good. 

Also, I'm not sure if you can tell by the picture, but 5 Napkin Burger's burgers are HUGE! So it's almost necessary to use a fork and a knife when eating one of them. My friend Craig is currently in town for the weekend and we just went to dinner there tonight. When he tried to pick up his burger, he got the juice all over his lap. I'll chalk that up partially to Craig being clumsy and partially to the fact that the burgers are enormous. 

This is mine and Craig's meal from this evening. One of the problems with 5 Napkin Burger is that they charge you extra for fries, so we just split them. It's really not necessary to order your own fries because the burgers are so huge.  Anyway, I got the original 5 Napkin Burger, which has carmelized onions and gruyere cheese on it. Can you say mouth watering? (If you can't then I'm very sorry for you). Craig ordered the bacon cheddar burger, which, despite the fact that it attacked him, was also apparently very good. So thumbs up for 5 Napkin Burger. There are a lot of great burger places in Boston, but as far as I know, this is the only gourmet burger location. It's kind of the best of both worlds–I still get to be a little kid and order a cheeseburger, but I also get to feel fancy because it's "gourmet." Ooh la la. Pinkies up!