Five Star Burgers in ABQ

This post marks the first stop on the ABQ Burger Quest at a burger joint going for the "gourmet" crowd: Five Star Burgers . Five Star's original location is in Taos, NM, but they recently opened an Albuquerque location at 5901 Wyoming Blvd NE near Academy (505-821-1909).

Part of Five Star's claim to a gourmet burger experience is offering wine and beer along with "all natural" beef and produce. Walking in on a Friday night, Five Star was not particularly busy. At the entrance you are met with a host station and a sign instructing you to wait to be seated. The decorations were quite sparse, probably a result of the recent opening.

Meal:

• Old Timer burger with American cheese - $8.25
• Mixed Cart of fries - $3.00
• Sierra Mist - $2.00

The burger was probably 1/3 lb. Ordered medium, it was very juicy with excellent flavor. The bun was a brioche and was quite spongy. The Mixed Cart of fries comes with both regular fries and sweet potato fries. Unfortunately, the fries were the big disappointment of the meal. They reminded me of school cafeteria fries: not very crispy and lacking flavor. They definitely didn't live up to any expectations. Hopefully I was just subject to a bad batch toward the end of the night.

Verdict:

• Type: Dine-in, table service, regional chain
  
• Burger: 9/10
• Fries: 4/10
• Price: $$$$$
  
• Overall: 81/100*

Five Star definitely offers good burgers. Put them on your list. Unfortunately they are a little bit on the pricey side. The fries were a big let down, but I am skeptical that their fries will always be of such different quality than their burgers.

*See the post on how the ABQ Burger Quest ratings work.