By Drew Olson Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published May 01, 2009 at 11:22 AM

If you could eat only one food for dinner every night for the rest of your days on this planet, what would you choose?

For some people, it's pizza.

Others may say pasta.

Plenty of folks would say steak. And, I'm sure a lot of people may say sushi, but that didn't work out too well for Jeremy Piven last year.

It's a pretty tough question, but I'm pretty sure which way I'd go.

Give me cheeseburgers, or give me death.

I've been fortunate enough to eat meals at a number of outstanding restaurants in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and many other major cities across the United States. But, I'm seldom happier than when I have an outstanding burger.

I'm not alone. On the West Coast, aficionados swear by In-N-Out and Fatburger franchises. Locally, you can usually find a debate between supporters of Sobelman's, Solly's, Kopp's, Culver's, Elsa's, the Big Boy burger at Kil@wat, the new AJ Bombers and several other places.

All have their merits. And, as of recently, they have company at the top of the heap. You see, I recently tried my first burger at the Five Guys Burgers and Fries location at Bayshore Town Center, 5800 N. Bayshore Dr., and it was love at first bite.

Actually, the love started before that. I liked the classic, bare-bones design of the place and the way everything was decked out in red. I liked the free, shell-your-own peanuts (if allergies are a problem, you better skip this place).

I liked the way I was greeted by the chipper staff and the fact that the property, which opened about a month ago, seemed immaculately clean.

I liked the simple menu: Hamburger, cheeseburger, bacon burger, bacon cheeseburger. Regular or large fries (regular and Cajun flavor), hot dogs, veggie sandwich or grilled cheese.

I liked that all the toppings are free -- mayo, relish, onions, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, jalapenos, green peppers, A-1 Sauce, Bar-B-Q sauce and hot sauce.

I liked the flavor of the skin-on fries, coated in peanut oil and coarse salt.

Most of all, I liked the burger.

They are sold as singles ($3.39 to $4.39 depending on toppings) and doubles ($4.39 to $5.69). You'd be pressed to find a more filling meal for the money. If you order the fries, be advised that a large order ($3.99) is enough to feed two people, if not a family of four.

My only problem with the fries is that they distracted me from the burger. I ordered it "all the way," which means with mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions and mushrooms. It was both delicious and sloppy, which is not a problem for me. (Side note: Remember when Wendy's built its marketing campaign around "Hot and juicy?" I always wondered if women named "Wendy" were offended in any way.)

The sesame-seeded buns provided home for fresh, loosely packed beef patties with a nice char. I went with the onions and mushrooms, which added to the mess.

Kosher hot dogs ($2.99 to $3.99) provide a tasty alternative. They're split lengthwise and grilled. And they're mighty tasty.

But the place is not called Five Guys Hot Dogs and Fries. And it wasn't the peanuts that attracted First Lady Michelle Obama, who recently revealed that she sneaks out to a D.C. Five Guys location for burgers.

Now, before you Talkbackers jump on me for not making an earlier scouting trip to try the locations in Pewaukee (1279 Capitol Dr.) or Delafield (2900 Golf Rd.), be advised that I plan to make up for lost time.

And, I plan to increase my jogging mileage, because Five Guys is taking a spot in my Sobelman's / Kopp's / everywhere else burger rotation.

Drew Olson Special to OnMilwaukee.com

Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.