Five Guys, the local burger chain born in Virginia, is spreading its roots in the District. The latest outpost opened in Chinatown in April, bringing with it the fresh ground-beef patties and tasty french fries that have earned Five Guys an intensely loyal following. [IMGCAP(1)]

The new spot, located at 808 H St. NW, has been drawing crowds at lunch, when diners munch on free peanuts while waiting in line.

The restaurant is primarily a take-out joint, but the Chinatown location does offer some seating.

The short menu is straightforward burger fare. The standard hamburger ($3.79) is made up of two patties (order the “little hamburger” for just one) and can be dressed up with fried onions, sautéed mushrooms, barbecue sauce and jalapenos, along with the usual condiments, all of which are free.

Other choices include bacon cheeseburgers, hot dogs, bacon cheese dogs and, of course, the generous orders of fries served either regular Five Guys style or Cajun style with a liberal dusting of Cajun spices.

The fries are hand cut and cooked in cholesterol-free peanut oil, and the beef is ground fresh and never frozen.

With two D.C. locations, numerous others scattered throughout Northern Virginia and Maryland and plans to expand to Delaware, Five Guys shows no signs of stopping, and neither should you if you haven’t yet tried the locally famous burgers and fries.

Five Guys is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Hot Dogs in Penn Quarter. Summertime and hot dogs go hand in hand, and the Spy City Café, located next door to the International Spy Museum, has introduced a trio of gourmet dogs with spy-inspired names just in time for the season.

The café sold 300 hot dogs the day they were introduced in mid-April.

Choose from the Red Square dog (a half smoke with red cabbage, slaw, red pepper and red chili sauce), the Langley dog (a classic combo of chili, cheese and onions) and the Disguise dog (your choice of five toppings from a list of 25, including barbecue relish, salsa, sauerkraut and jalapeno cheese).

The Spy City Café is located at 800 F St. NW.

Wine Steals. This weekend, Schneider’s of Capitol Hill is featuring two specials: a Torre de Barreda wine discounted from $11.99 to $3.99, and a Domaine L’Arjolle Zinfandel discounted from $13.99 to $7.99.

The 1999 Torre de Barreda is described as a soft, medium-bodied Tempranillo with dried cherry and fig flavors.

The Domaine L’Arjolle is described as having more body than most California Zinfandels and a dryer finish. The vines for this French wine were actually transplanted from California to the south of France.

Schneider’s is located at 300 Massachusetts Ave. NE.

Weekend Outing. Head to the Dupont Circle FreshFarm Market this Sunday to catch acclaimed cookbook author Patricia Wells in action. Wells will provide a cooking demonstration and sign copies of her newest book, “The Provence Cookbook,” at 11 a.m.

A culinary expert and expat who has lived in France since 1980, Wells wrote the classic “Food Lover’s Guide to Paris.”

Call (202) 362-8889 for details.