Smash Burger

                Over the past few years, a new hybrid concept in burger places has been growing throughout the country and even spreading around the world. These new restaurants are a bit of a cross between the conventional fast food joint such as a McDonald’s or Burger King and the traditional sit down restaurant such as a Friday’s or Applebee’s.

                The idea is fairly simple. A customer walks in and orders their meal at the cash register. Then, while their food is being prepared for them, they have a seat. When it’s ready, the food is delivered to their table.

                This is a trend that helps keep costs down but delivers what is promised to be a higher quality burger.

                Smash Burger out of Denver is just such a restaurant. With over 140 locations throughout the country and the promise of as many as 70 new franchise restaurants this year, it is one of the fastest growing food chains in the country.

                The chain features a focused menu that is heavy on burgers but promises to reflect the “tastes and flavors of your city and state.” In addition to the burgers they offer up some chicken items and hotdogs and also features not only Haagen Dazs deserts but also, where available, will see you a beer to drink along with your meal. Find a McDonald’s that will do that.

                You can search for the nearest Smash Burger on their web site: http://www.smashburger.com/.

The Burgers

                Josh and Mark both ordered up the Classic which is available in three different sizes of 100% Angus beef. The smallest is basically an eighth pound traditional burger with the largest being a half pound for the very hungry diner. Both chose the quarter pound version and that was plenty.

                The burger is served on a buttered “artisan” bun and featured American cheese, the choice of standard lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle as well as their special Smash sauce. “I always like to try a place’s special sauce,” Josh said after we’d ordered but before we had a chance to actually try it out. After we tried it we would probably reconsider that choice.

                Since it was slow and there were only a couple of other customers, we pretty much had our choice of where we wanted to sit in the fairly sterile dining area. Our burgers arrived fairly quickly and looked and smelled good. In fact, as we both bit in we had the same initial reaction; it was pretty good. But then it hit both of us. The soft tasty bun, the cheese, the lettuce, the tomato, the special sauce and condiments all worked together to overpower the flavor of the burger. In fact, it was difficult for either of us to taste the burger at all.

                Then, a couple of bites in we both had the same reaction once again; this time in relation to the special sauce. It was too much, too tart. We asked and were told that the special sauce was basically mustard, mayo, relish and lemon mixed together. In Mark’s case, he had gone ahead and put mustard and ketchup on his burger which doubled the amount of mustard it bore. Granted, Mark admits that he likes mustard but that was too much. Add in the unexpected bite of the lemon from the special sauce and it totally overpowered the sandwich.

                Unfortunately the fries were nothing special. They were tasty but no different really than the fries at any of a thousand other burger places around the country. They were cooked just right but had no signature to make them their own.

                This wasn’t a bad experience but we both wish that the burger had been better. This is the type of inexpensive fast food hybrid place that we know we would like to frequent. With that in mind we decided that, at some future date, we would give them another try, knowing more about what to expect. And that next time we will both be ordering the All-American without the special Smash sauce.