Smashburger

OK, I have to report on my dinner, the best burger I’ve had in San Antonio so far. Smashburger leaves some room for improvement, but I just love this place. The restaurant gets its name from the fact that the beef patties are smashed before they’re grilled, which makes for a thin patty that has a tendency to fall apart. It is also a bit wetter than I’d like it to be (I do say wetter, it was more than juicy). Those are the downsides. On the upside, it tastes really good, the egg bun is fantastic, and the fixings are fresh. I had the American Classic burger, hold the pickle; the Engineer had the Texas burger. The sides are wonderful too: we tried the smashfries (French-fried potatoes with olive oil, garlic and rosemary; absolutely divine) and the haystack onions (the thinnest onion rings ever; a little hard to handle, but delicious and addictive). There are also sweet potato fries and veggie frites (fries made with other vegetables like carrots and green beans) that appealed to me, so we’ll have to try more things next time. The Engineer loved the vanilla milkshake (I didn’t have any, because of the lactose, but someday I’ll risk it). There are also chicken burgers, hot dogs and salads, but really, if I’m going to a place called Smashburger, I’m having a beef burger and that’s final. There’s also an option to create your own burger, which I’ll do next time.

I’m still looking for the best sit-down burger (by that, I mean a place where I read down on the menu rather than read up at it). That being said, this place is my local favourite for the moment; the Engineer preferred Five Guys, but not me. I liked these burgers much better, and the sides totally won me over. I mean, why don’t all restaurants have garlic rosemary shoestring fries? They rock! Also, the Engineer does an impression of The Hulk (“Hulk! Smash! Burger!”) when we drive by, which I find very endearing.