Light Refreshments Served

Lisa (Fry Expert): Any place that gives you a generous cup of fries and then just pours another cup right in the bag, for good measure, is allllright with me! 5 Guys gives you the choice of regular or cajun fries, and I like the weight and “real potatoey flavor” of the regular (to steal the phrase from Amelia). The fry sauce is thick and traditional. And one large order of fries fed me and all my children, which is no small feat.

Stace (Mood/Feeling): If you’re looking for a burger joint with high energy and super tasty burger and traditional fries for you and your family then Five Guys burgers and Fries is for you! I love these big, beefy burgers and Big fries (one small order of fries easily feed me and my three kids) because they satisfy every yearning I have for a good old fashioned burger and fries, at a reasonable price and worth every penny. The one down side….no milkshakes. Two warnings; don’t be scared off by the long line they move quickly and it can be crowded and noisy (like downtown New York!) so listen carefully for when they shout your number!

Hailey (Shake Specialist): I was 0 for 3! But I loved that bacon cheeseburger!

Jenny (Celebrity Spotter): Guy Fawkes, Guy Trundle, Guy Ritchie, Guy Francis, and Seth McFarlane

Brett (Hip/Coolness Factor): Any truly hip person knows that, even while keeping up on trends, you should keep some classics in your arsenal. Items such as 501s, white shirts, a solid blazer, khakis, a few cashmere sweaters and Chuck Taylors can always be worn to give a timeless feel to your look. Now, I’m not a fashion expert by any means (my wife will attest) but I have always been drawn to the classics. I think that is part of the reason I love 5 Guys Burgers and Fries. It’s the “classic” version of burger joints. It’s not kitschy or quaint. It’s not an ambience attraction. It’s not popular-because-it’s-always-been-there either. 5 Guys is just … timeless. You walk in and you feel like you have been there before and like it’s been there forever. The design, presentation and menu is just … simple, comfy and familiar. Just like a pair of old jeans only it tastes much much better.

Overall, our food was good, but the visit with friends felt anxious and short because the place is so darn loud! It was difficult finding seats together and then hearing the person next to you. So while I’d recommend the food, I wouldn’t recommend it as a place to sit down and visit with friends.

Kacy seems happy with her soda selection, don’t you think?

(I’m surprised that my Dad didn’t write up about the cleanliness of the bathrooms of the establishment, but that might be because he was too busy wiping down the counters.)

I forgot my camera, so thanks to Amy for the photos!

Stace (Mood/Emotive Guru/Value for the Dollar): Sammy’s has a simple, hip, creative atmosphere with meaty burgers, piles of fries (both spuds and sweet potatoes) and shakes all fairly priced for a total of $10-13. If you’re daring and looking for a fun, taste bud adventure take your kids to chat over a shared pie shake (great idea Drew!)! Or…. if you’re looking for a small local diner with live music try their Summer Spectacular series on Friday nights, eat outside and after dinner enjoy a free ice cream cone!

Kacy (Beverages/Ice/Topics Discussed): While Sammy’s does offer free refills, the pepsi machine is behind the counter which means you have to ASK for them. That’s not free to me. I like to get my own. Because I can drink a lot. And I want to drink a lot without shame. Pepsi instead of Coke? It’s a mistake, but not a fatal one.

Jenny (Celebrity Specialist): It’s not hard to figure out which celebrities would be found at Sammy’s because there are poloroids of them on the walls. Without studying those photos, however, I’m gonna go with Any Osmond (except Marie . . . shhhhhhhh), especially David, who happens to be friends with Sammy. Speaking of Davids, Li’l Mister Archuleta would (and likely has) enjoyed a pie shake or two. On any given day, I’d say George Wendt would happily spend the afternoon at the counter (on the corner seat, of course), contemplating which scripture tote to purchase. Seated in the far corner, just to Get Away From It All: Jon Gosselin (Kate brought in the entire brood last week and was completely Put Out that there wasn’t room for all her crew, and that she couldn’t get her food in three minutes).

Hailey (Shakes/Dessert Specialist): To say that I was disappointed that Sammy’s ice cream machine was broken is a gross understatement. Utterly and completely devastated is more like it. I had been looking forward to a Sammy’s pie shake for a whole week, as I had enjoyed it once in the past. I dreamed of banana cream pie goodness the night before and woke up hungry! So, I sat there and shed tears over my sweet potato fries, but invisible tears because it was Kacy’s birthday and I didn’t want to be the Debbie Downer. The worst part of it all is that, not two minutes after I left, my friend who was going in as we were leaving texted me to say that they were now serving shakes. Oh, the inhumanity!! Whatever. Get the banana cream pie shake when you go. IF YOU CAN. (I’m not mad.)

Lisa (Fries/Fry Sauce): Sammy’s has two choices: a battered “regular fry” (a thicker thin fry–believe me, that makes a lot of sense in my mind) and the “sweet potato fry.” When I asked the waitress which one I should order, she told me “do half-and-half!” Which I did and was thoroughly delighted and felt that I had eaten two, versus one, servings of vegetables that meal. I would order the half-and-half again and again. The fry sauce was homemade and thick. I ate it all. That should say it all.

Brett (Hipness/Coolness Factor): Whether or not you love the food at Sammy’s, there’s no denying the atmosphere there is very loose, welcoming and, ultimately college scene friendly. It’s not that they are trying to be “hip” either. Sammy’s owner Sam Schultz is a promoter and scene virtuoso. He’s been able to use his burger joint as a way to get the word out about talented local musicians by hosting evening concerts with Mindy Gledhill, Jarrett Burns, Jackie Tohn, The Jets and more, often for free or for a very low price. Check it out: http://sammyscafe.blogspot.com/

Topher (Burgers): I was more than happy with my hamburger at Sammy’s. I had “The Masterpiece.” At first I saw that it had BBQ sauce on it and I thought to myself, Gross. I hate BBQ sauce! And mixed with avacado and bacon? Now I’ve heard everything! But it was a wonderful combination. The hamburger was substantial and very meaty, as a hamburger should be. It didn’t taste like something I might make on my own grill at home, it tasted fancy, like something a famous person would make on their grill at their home. And Sammy’s is right in our own backyard! Please do not hesitate to try “The Masterpiece.” If you gobble it down in even half the time it took me, that’s a real achievement!

My only negative experience with this hamburger was when Kacy brought up the whole story about Gary Gilmour. And then I was thinking about a bunch of dead people while I was eating. But I quickly thought about something else. And it was Kacy’s birthday, so I guess she’s entitled to whatever story she wants to tell.

Happy Birthday, Kacy! Everyone should go and eat this burger (with two kinds of fries.).

I have seen four movies in the last four weeks. Yes, my friends. I’m there–my kids babysit themselves. I still have a toddler but my oldest is almost 12 so if we put everyone to bed and head to a late movie with our cell phones we’re golden. In the past it would have taken me about two years to see four movies. And it would have cost three times as much. (Babysitters, you gouge us and yet you still do not do our dishes. What gives?) I feel like I am emerging from some kind of fog that I didn’t know I as in while I was in it. Hang in there.

The best movie I’ve seen is Star Trek. If you only see one movie (and if you are like I was a mere four weeks ago you’ll be lucky to even see that) then see Star Trek. It’s a real treat. Next on my list is Wolverine. I’ve actually seen it twice and I’m not embarrassed to admit it. I love X-Men and  the story is good. Hugh Jackman is about 40. He is handsome and I think that’s great and reasonable. I’m 36. What am I going to do, go see a movie where the leading man is a teenager? That makes me feel gross, ladies. What I like best about Hugh Jackman, though, is that whenever he starts a new movie with a female costar he will inevitably have to kiss, he takes her out to dinner to meet his wife. Well-played Hugh Jackman.

Then I saw Angels and Demons and Terminator. If I weren’t seeing a movie every week I probably wouldn’t have seen either of these. Sure I’m an avid student of the Da Vinci code, but Angels and Demons is more of a rental. Unless you’re like me and you see a movie every week and your husband uses your purse to smuggle in a large fry and two quarter pounders with cheese which apparently pushes the lady sitting next to us to walk out of the movie and not come back which makes you realize that she is pregnant and not feeling well instead of grumpy and fighting with her boyfriend. Sorry pregnant lady at the movie–if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen. (And I say that as a former pregnant and queasy woman whose nausea was exacerbated by someone’s fish fillet in a movie theater one time.)

With regards to Terminator, don’t get me wrong–it has a lot of awesomeness in it. But Wolverine has more. And Terminator has less story–but what story it has is of the cool if-George-McFly-doesn’t-meet-your-mom-you-were-never-born variety. I love that kind of stuff. Who would win in a seriousness contest between Tom Hanks in Angels and Demons and Christian Bale in Terminator? I don’t know!

One of my favorite things about going out to the movies is watching the previews. I have seen the preview for Transformers every week for four weeks now. You might think I’d be into this kind of thing and in theory I am, but to me Transformers seems like a big bimbo. Not interested. Here’s what I am interested in: Nine.

But if you are pacing yourself through the summer, better get a sitter now for July 15th so you can see the Half-Blood Prince. It’s not going to be easy to watch, guys. I don’t think I can take it when Dumbledore SPOILER well, you know. I also plan to see this. (Are you kidding me? Listen to that soundtrack!)

So sign your kids up for those first aid classes and put some strong locks on your doors. There’s a whole world waiting out there and it is only interrupted when your kids call a thousand times to see if they can take a bath or use the microwave. See you at the movies. Some day ,maybe. When your kids get older. Except by then I will have seen everything. But it’s still a nice idea.

Here are the five gifts most commonly given for Valentine’s Day.  What is your favorite?

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I’ve been invited to go to a dance class at a local studio tomorrow night with a bunch of women from church. What should I do?

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I am just as worried about this recession as you are, but I like to look on the bright side so I am really looking forward to getting better service. Now that everyone is trying so hard to stay in business I think clerks and salespeople will probably have to be really nice to me. This is what I hope, at least. I realize now that so much of what I remember about growing up in the 70s had a lot to do with the fact that we were in a recession then. Back then we wrapped our presents with grocery sacks and yarn AND WE LIKED IT! Real Simple recently suggested yarn as an adornment for gifts. Remember yarn? I wonder what it is about hard times that makes yarn seem so feasible. It is inexpensive and, I suppose, in frugal homespun times one might have more of it on hand than frivolous wrapping ribbon. Seriously, I don’t remember having ribbon around our house until the late 80s. At the time I might have thought it was a matter of taste. Now I realize it probably had more to do with Ronald Reagan.

I am also predicting that food storage goes back to being cheap and ugly (like it was in the 70s). In the past few years food storage has become so glamorous and commercial with products like Shelf Reliance and big cans of dried taco meat that look like they were designed by Target. My mom once taught the women in our ward to make fudge from beans. That’s right–fudge from beans. It’s not pretty. She not only dehydrated food, she made her own dehydrator from screen material, vinyl, and a hanger. Food storage was kept in bottles and unlabeled cans in dark pantries on particle board and two-by-fours. And so it shall be again.

My kids beg to break into the stored Power Ade and emergency hard candy. But my sisters and I dreaded the day we would have to drink powdered milk or rinse the dregs of bottled grape juice out of a jar–which we would use for a cup because, you know–it’s an emergency. I grew up with a healthy fear of food storage and I believe I am much more fiscally responsible for it.

I believe that as the economy goes down the ugliness of Enrichment projects will go up exponentially. Just you wait–there will be no painted wooden “Bs” plaque this year. You’ll be making rocking chairs out of PVC pipe–and you’ll love it!

One thing I can’t figure out about the 70s is how we never, ever turned our heat down. Now I am always conscious of the thermostat and always colder than I would like. I used to crank it to 80 when I got home from school and no one ever said anything. We also had a wood-burning stove to mitigate the natural gas–but you can’t lay on a wood-burning stove like you can lay on a vent.

And finally, have you been paying attention to the businesses that are thriving in this depressed market? Walmart! I guess we’ll all have to head back there with our reusable grocery bags between our legs. I also heard that The Dollar Store is doing well. I’m not sure I like what that says about us as a people, but I’m happy for The Dollar Store. And have you seen that K-Mart now sells cashmere sweaters? K-Mart is telling us that if we want a cashmere sweater, we have to swallow our pride and buy it at K-Mart. It’s about time, don’t you think? Candy companies are also projected to do well in spite of a bad economy. This explains my nostalgic revering and hoarding of candy as a kid. I guess when money is tight and no one can afford the mani/pedis, we still like to treat ourselves to some candy. And believe me, it IS a treat. To candy!

My best friend in high school was a Beckie. But now that she’s all grown up she goes by Rebecca. She won’t change back. It’s very difficult for me.

We also have many friends and readers here at LRS named Rebecca. Or Bek. Or Beckie. So I’ve been wondering… If your name was or IS Rebecca (or Rebekah), what would you go by? As always, leave a comment if you’re a bigger thinker (or speller) than this small poll can contain, so others can enjoy your creativity.

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I think we can all agree that the cauliflower bait and switch is annoying. But what kind of cheese do you like in your salad? You can choose more than one if you must.

A great chance for all you hard-core foodies to tell the world about delicious but obscure cheese in the comments. Click “Other” and tell me what to experiment with for lunch.

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Kristy, Kacy: you bring up an interesting question. I’m curious how many of our READERS consider themselves Readers with a capital R. And how many of you are just readers. Be honest. No one from your book club is going to know if you don’t really read the book and just go for the delicious spinach dip.

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I’m going out on a limb and guessing that we don’t have any illiterate guests here at Light Refreshments. If you are, leave a note in the comments and we’ll get you the help you need.

Kristy’s post has me thinking about food storage. It’s another topic which stirs up a lot of feelings and opinions. What is yours? Choose one and please leave a comment if your food storage style hasn’t been covered.

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