smashburger

Chic Two and I decided to grab a bite while we were out today.  One of our younger friends (Hey Nick!) recommended Smashburger to me a while ago so I thought we could give it a try.  The location that we tried is the old West of Philly, Franklin St location near Best Buy.  Right off when I walked in I was impressed with the decor.  Everything was clean and staff greeted us right away.

Your choices are fairly limited but since it is a burger joint this is to be expected.

• Hamburgers (1/3 or 1/2 lb sizes)
• Classic
• All American
• Idaho
• BBQ Bacon & Cheese
• Mushroom Swiss
• Chicken
• Classic
• Hotdogs 
• Chicago
• Chili Cheese
• Classic
• Salads
• Classic smashcobb
• smashwedge
• Ranch Chicken Club
• Sides
• smashfries
• French Fries
• Side Salad
• Haystack Onions
• Veggie Frites
• Beefy Chili

For a total of $12.04 (including Idaho's 6% sales tax) we ordered:

• 2 Classic 1/3 lb Smashburgers 
• 1 side of fries
• 1 soda (1.79)
• 1 ice water. 

We poured our own drinks from the fountain.  Since they served Coke products I had already decided on ice water. Our food came out quickly and the waitress was nice.  The presentation was good. The lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickle looked fresh.  The amount of fries was a decent amount for the two of us to split.  The waitress offered us fry sauce which we accepted.

I was looking forward to the first bite of my burger.  It was decent not great but good. However as I got further into the burger it was like someone had dumped a huge amount of salt on it.  The fries ended up being comparable to McDonalds (frozen, hollow sticks that are fried, no flavor) while the sauce was like nothing I ever want to taste again.

One of the staff stopped by and asked about the food I mentioned that it was horribly salty and she said she would inform the cooks.  Later she stopped and asked what I thought of the fries.  All I could say was that they are fries.  She was so nice and I felt kind of like Thumper "If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all."

Since I am still downing water to get rid of the salt (seasoning) taste from my mouth (three hours later) I probably wont be going back there.  However IF I do.  I would order no seasoning on the burger and I would definitely pass on the fries.  This is IDAHO (potato capitol).  How can you serve bad fries here?

Another note.  The prices on the online menu did not match the prices in the restaurant.  Some were lower while others were higher.

Cleanliness *****
Burgers **
Fries :o(
Service ***?

 Here's to hoping that all your unforgettable eatables are scrumptious!

CHIC ONE