Look on the walls of any Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and you'll see endless tributes to Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

All around are framed clippings from newspapers and magazines, proclaiming the excellence of the famous Five Guys burger. It has been voted the best burger, best bargain, best no-frills burger, etc. in many cities.

We had a couple of recent working lunches at the Five Guys at 7037 Forest Hill Ave.

It doesn't take long to peruse the menu, because it's minimal. Five Guys serves hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and fountain drinks, and that's pretty much it.

A word about the Famous Fries. Aside from its many framed accolades, Five Guys' other decorating theme is stacks of bags of potatoes, used to make the Famous Fries. That tells you a lot about their commitment to their fries as well as their limitations as decorators.

The fries are always fresh, and they're always outstanding. They come in Five Guys Style or Cajun Style; we prefer the slightly musky flavor of the Cajun fries.

The $2.39 "regular" order of fries is more than enough for two people. The large order of fries, at $3.99, is probably intended for some sort of infantry unit.

The hot dogs are split down the middle before they're cooked. Our hot dog ($2.69) was tasty and surprisingly filling.

But the standard cheeseburger ($4.79) was disappointing. It gave the appearance of having been slapped together at a fast-food place. Particularly offensive was the lettuce -- it was a little white knot from the very core of the lettuce head. Any good restaurant would discard it, not serve it.

And it was annoying that our order was missing the requested jalapeo slices. Pay attention!

The hamburger was so sub-par we waited a couple of weeks and gave Five Guys one more shot. This time around, the burger was perfect. We liked it much better without the cheese, which actually disguises the meat's freshness. And this time, the toppings were fine.

Pluses: Great fries, self-service fountain drinks, fresh burgers. Potent jalape?o slices are fresh, not pickled. Free peanuts in the shell.

Minuses: We're forgiving and forgetting that first visit. And we wish there were an order of fries for just one person. Regular order of fries + one person = study in gluttony.

Where: Four locations in the Richmond area; 58 restaurants throughout Virginia.

Open: Daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Contact Lee Barnes at (804) 775-8129 or Lbarnes@timesdispatch.com.