Burger & Beer at Red Coat Tavern

Red Coat Tavern
31542 Woodward Avenue
Royal Oak, Michigan 48073
248-549-0300

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

At least in my neck of the woods, In N' Out is generally revered as the "King" (competitor names notwithstanding) of fast food burger chains. Southern California residents are smugly gleeful about their unfettered access to animal style double doubles, and In N' Out probably gets as many tourists each year as Disneyland and the Santa Monica pier.

I used to be one of the self-righteous In N' Out disciples, but my first bite of a burger from Five Guys Burgers and Fries cured me of that misguided monotheism.

Five Guys is a Virginia-based franchise chain hell-bent on expansion, which is a very very good thing for those of you (okay me) that believe cheeseburgers are one of life's great food pleasures. Put simply, their burgers put In N' Out to shame.

The Five Guys concept is simple: juicy burgers made right in front of you (in about 5 to 7 minutes), unlimited toppings, fresh hot fries (regular or Cajun) cooked in peanut oil, and for those of you who can skip the burger (or have room for some extras), hot dogs and grilled sandwiches. And did I mention there are big bins of bulk peanuts for snacking while you wait?!?

The default Five Guys burger (available as hamburger, cheeseburger, or bacon cheeseburger + toppings) is a two-patty monster. So if you're like me and only need one patty at noontime, go for the not-so-small "Little" burger. Available toppings include mayo, relish, onions, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, jalapeno peppers, green peppers, A-1 Sauce, BBQ Sauce and Hot Sauce.

My go-to burger has been a Little Bacon Cheeseburger with jalapenos and BBQ sauce. Spicy deliciousness, and they get the bacon perfectly crispy every time. The Bacon Cheeseburger with grilled mushrooms, mustard and grilled onions is also good, but I'm such a fiend for jalapenos that I only got that combo one time.

I am surprised at how much I like the Five Guys fries. Unlike some people I know (cough - Babs - cough) I am not a huge potato person. If I'm going for fries, I want skinny, crispy McDonald's-esque fries (Campanile's are pretty damn good too). Five Guys' are of the slightly thicker variety, but both the Cajun and regular are quite tasty. If you are someone that is concerned about the origins of your food (even the fried), there is a sign on the wall that tells you where the day's potatoes are from.

I'd never heard of Five Guys before my stint in Warren, but research has revealed a fact somewhat alarming for my waistline: there are two Five Guys locations in Southern California (Carson and Cerritos). Looks like I will be making a Five Guys pilgrimage next time I go to IKEA . . .

Chameau: Morrocan Eats and Modern Digs on Fairfax

Among the many restaurants I can walk to from my humble abode (where I generally consume so much ice cream and bacon that the walking part is irrelevant) is Chameau, a funky modern French-Morrocan restaurant on Fairfax just south of Oakwood. I've been meaning to check Chameau out since I moved into the neighborhood, but I am generally powerless to resist the siren's call of pork belly sliders and vino at Animal, and scoops gelato and Jason's stellar beer advice at Golden State. Babs, Jordan and I finally made the pilgrimage to Chameau a few weeks ago, and most thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Chameau started as a tiny BYOB spot in Silverlake open three nights a week, but now serves dinner six nights a week in a cozy space on Fairfax. The BYOB has been replaced with a tightly edited wine list that performs the admirable feat of standing up to a cuisine that isn't always wine friendly. The decor is funky and eccentric – Phillipe Starck meets Marrakesh –and a backlit camel on the outer facade stands guard over its namesake. All meat is certified organic and the seafood is wild caught.

I'll get my one gripe about Chameau out of the way up front: the booth we sat in was horribly uncomfortable. The place looks great, but it was hard to linger over our meal. The booth seemed completely devoid of padding, and its hard straight back prohibited any form of slouching/reclining. That may be the main reason I was able to stay awake for the entire meal (I was practically sleepwalking after a hellish week in Detroit), but I like modern restaurant decor to be comfortable, not just visually pleasing. Next time I go, I will try sitting at one of the tables instead.

Seating issues aside, the meal was absolutely delicious. A miniature tagine of addictive, spicy marinated olives and a plate of warm, traditional flattened bread were delivered to our table before we even ordered our wine. We ate family style, sharing perfectly grilled spicy merguez sausage with couscous and market vegetables, savory-sweet duck bastilla (layers of homemade flaky pastry encasing moist shredded duck and toasted almonds, topped off with a dusting of cinnamon and powdered sugar) and fall-apart tender braised lamb tagine with artichokes that we spiked with a generous dose of Chameau's harissa. We drank a well-priced bottle of tempranillo that played nicely off the spices in the food, and our server was more than happy to pack a container of the homemade harissa for us to take with our leftovers. We were too stuffed to even consider dessert, but the menu had some intriguing choices, including a "bastilla au lait" and cinnamon creme caramel. Chameau is definitely vegetarian-friendly, with a variety of vegetable studded couscous dishes and seasonal produce that stand in stark contrast to the uninspired meatless choices offered by most restaurants.


After several sub-par and overpriced meals at Little Door (which will never have enough ambiance to make up for the bank account drain of dinner there, especially now that its reasonably priced and exponentially more appetizing younger sibling Little Next Door is serving such impeccable French fare), and the obligatory belly dancing filled birthday dinners at Dar Maghreb, I'm glad to have found a Morrocan restaurant in LA worth its harissa. Chameau is the kind of place you want to eat again and again, to try the seasonal twists on traditional Morrocan cooking the chef concocts and I intend to do so, even if I have to bring my own seat cushion.

Chameau
339 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-951-0039

What I saw on my way home from the airport . . .

If you look closely, you can see a glimpse of the driver's gold sparkle hat. A mission from God indeed . . . Unfortunately I didn't capture the spinning rims in action, but it was pretty sweet to watch those babies go 'round.

Livin' the High Life. Huntington Beach, CA.