Five Guys knows burgers

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Five Guys Burgers has opened at the Streets of Southpoint mall in Durham.

But don't let the food court location -- or, for that matter, the fact that Five Guys is a chain restaurant -- fool you. This is anything but another Burger King wannabe.

For starters, the burgers are hand-patted from beef that has never seen the inside of a freezer. Then they're grilled to order, two patties to a bun, and topped with your choice of 15 toppings (everything from the usual lettuce-tomato-pickle-mustard suspects to quirkier options such as A-1 steak sauce, jalapenos, sauteed mushrooms and fried onions).

The menu also offers hot dogs and grilled cheese or veggie sandwiches, but that's about it. Which is OK, because the burgers are hands-down the main attraction (with hand-cut fries playing a strong supporting role). Clearly, the "stick to what you do well" philosophy rules here.

And they do it so well that Five Guys has drawn rave reviews in its home territory in and around Washington, D.C. Washingtonian magazine readers have voted the restaurant chain's burger number one in the area for five of the last six years, and the Washington Post called Five Guys "the Willie Wonkas of burgercraft." Five Guys isn't the only new option for Southpoint shoppers with a case of the munchies. Partners Scott Howell, Dan Ferguson and Tom Meyer opened their third Q Shack in the mall, barely a year and a half after the original Q Shack opened on University Drive. Looks like another franchise in the making.

The Q Shack's cobbler is a worthy conclusion to the eatery's smoky fare, but if it isn't what your sweet tooth is craving, then you can amble over to another Southpoint newcomer, Nestle Toll House Cafe. There you can choose from an assortment of pastries (including, of course, the namesake cookie), ice cream concoctions and coffees.

Meanwhile in Raleigh, the North Hills mall makeover is picking up steam. Over the next few weeks, several new restaurants will be joining Fox & Hound, whose opening I told you about a few weeks ago. By the spring, the options should include Firebirds Rocky Mountain Grill, Mama Fu's, McAlister's Deli and Chick-fil-A.

All these chain restaurants serve a need, of course, but the one I'm excited about is not a chain. That is, unless you count two restaurants with slightly different names and menus as a chain.

The original is JK's Restaurant & Bar, a critically acclaimed establishment specializing in house-aged Western beef and fresh seafood since 1984. Owner J.K. Norfleet hopes to open his second restaurant, JK's Steakhouse, by late May in North Hills mall.

According to Norfleet, the new restaurant will be slightly more upscale than the original. In addition to three or four cuts of house-aged, USDA Prime, options will include Western-raised lamb and veal, baby back ribs and an assortment of fresh seafood. I'll fill you in with more details as the opening nears.