500°... It's a burger joint

In case you couldn't tell, 500° is a burger joint. I can't believe I never wrote about this place. I mean... technically I did, but that was for serious business, and not for pleasure. Anyway, fast-forward a couple of months and I'm still smitten with the place. Great burgers, fantastic milkshakes, and truffle fries that I'd trample senior citizens for (I'm not normally mean to old people... I swear). When a couple of my friends from NYC, who were up to no good and started making trouble in the neighborhood, showed up... I forced them to eat burgers at 1 am. And truffle fries. This post would not exist if there were no truffle fries.



Even at 1 am, the place is still surprisingly packed. Undoubtedly because it's BYOB, and you can throw a quarter in any which direction and most likely hit a bar. The fact that they keep the place clean is remarkable considering the number of drunk people wandering in at any given time. Or maybe that's more a testament to the drinking ability of the fine people in Philadelphia. I honestly don't know. In any case, the first thing that arrived was my black and white shake. It is made with Bassett's ice cream, and it is sensually thick. Yes there are two straws in there. No shame. It was split with a bro.



Always go with the "Classic." It might not be as photogenic as some other burgers, but whatever, it tastes great. I was also tempted by the "7th Degree," which is a burger in which they let you pick whatever toppings you want (which to me means all of them), but 500° makes such a fantastically delicious burger that I honestly didn't want to ruin it with my innate Asian desire to get my money's worth in toppings. Did I shame my family name? Probably. Did I enjoy my meal? Hells yeah.



Aw yeah... the real reason I went. The fries. Yes, they do offer their fries in a plain variety, as well as a spicy variety, but don't be an idiot. Get the truffle fries. They're like McDonald's fries... but better. They're crispier, fluffier, faster, stronger... basically fries on steroids. Doused with a generous helping of truffle oil, these puppies smell like heaven. If there weren't other people in the restaurant, I would've been tempted to rub them all over my jacket so I could smell like super awesome fry time. They are the cat's pajamas, the bee's knees, and all that jazz. So yeah... go there and get some fries? You're welcome.