Cuisine: Burger Joint
This joint has had about 27 lives in its time on this Earth. It started strong years back. Back when a smashed burger was a new thing. The space was shiny and new and they took great pride in the service and the food. Unusual for a fast-food place; but not unusual for this new “fast-casual” thing we’d been hearing about for the first time back in the late 2000s and early 2010s. After a while the shine came off. The restaurant starting showing its wear. The workers cared a little less. And then a lot less. Every order was a disaster. And then, slowly, they redecorated. And then renovated. And got some people in who apparently care enough to put the right food in the bag or actually take your order (which, oddly was a problem for a while there) and it came back from the dead — and was unbanned in the Hipster household — to serve what amounts to a pretty tasty burger.
Now the Smashburger is ubiquitous. Both the cooked patty itself and the burger chain. As of this writing 227 restaurants in 37 states, to be exact. That’s a lot of beef. And a lot of smashing. Well, this particular location has brought itself back from the brink. After what seems like 209 remodels, they’ve finally settled on a reasonable aesthetic and layout. The floors are less greasy. The flies are pretty much non-existent and the workers seem way more interested in getting things cooked, burgers in bags and people out the door. They still have this weird propensity to run out of the chicken strips that Hipster Jr. Jr. likes, but that is of little consequence to the vast majority of people coming to a joint with “burger” right there in its name.
I’m still trying to remember if salt is supposed to be good or bad for you? Like coffee. And dark chocolate. And red wine. It seems like it’s bad for your heart, but good for keeping in moisture, maybe? If that’s the case, one Classic Smash and a thing of Smash Fries might absolutely stop your ticker. But you’ll be totally hydrated when the widowmaker hits! Yes, it’s salty. But that seems to be the side effect of smashed burgers everywhere. Add in the pretty darned delicious rosemary, garlic and olive oil doused fries and it will pucker your aorta right quick. But it will be good going down. All in all, it’s a good fast-food burger. Certainly way better than anything you’d get at the largest chains. I’ve heard from Hipster Jr. that the shakes are pretty good as well. They use Häagen-Dazs ice cream, so I guess they’re all European and fancy like. Even if it’s a fake Danish brand whose nonsensical name was just made up by some dude in the Bronx. It’s still good ice cream. Meanwhile, let’s see if they can keep the higher quality and not backslide into mediocrity again. Only time will tell.
989 Bloomfield Ave. – Glen Ridge
973/433-7343
smashburger.com