Smash Hit

There aren’t many foods I don’t like, but among those I tend to crave in the middle of the night is a good burger.

Notice that I said “a good burger.” There are a heck of a lot of bad burgers out there — way more than there are good ones — and I’m not talking about those flat, dry, flavorless things that bear an unsettling resemblance to something you’d find stuck on the bottom of your shoe (although I suppose that wouldn’t be so flavorless, but I’m not in a hurry to find out).

Smashburger, which is relatively new to the area, serves a good burger.

First, the name, which somehow isn’t as appetizing as it could be. Reportedly, this Denver-based chain drew its moniker from the fact that its ground Angus is sort of balled up and then smashed onto an old-fashioned flat grill, searing it in the process and keeping it juicy. They extend the brand to the fries (Smashfries), salads, hot dogs and sides, and somehow a Smashsalad (to wit, the Smashcobb or the Smashwedge) seems even less appetizing, but maybe it’s just me.

At any rate, juicy these burgers are — grease-running-down-the-arm juicy, which is a good thing unless maybe you’re wearing long sleeves, so if you are, roll ’em up.

Smashburgers in various cities have specialty burgers themed to the locale, and ours is the Sin City Smashburger ($5.99 for a third-pound burger, $6.99 for a half), which, in keeping with this quiet little hometown of ours, is an exercise in excess. It also comes in a Sin City Smashchicken version ($6.99), but what really is the point? Because it’s topped with a fried egg, bacon, cheese, grilled onions, haystack (french-fried) onions and the signature smash sauce, which for some reason isn’t capitalized. And, excessive as it is, this burger is just as delicious as the city that inspired it, all of those flavors and textures melding into the finest example of umami I’ve experienced in a long time.

The friend who accompanied me decided to create her own Smashburger ($4.99 for a third-pound, $5.99 for a half), adding sharp cheddar, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, smash sauce, spicy chipotle sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and jalapeno, all of it on an egg bun. She acknowledged maybe getting a little carried away — there was so much piled on top of her burger, it was all but impossible to eat — but once she got started, there were no complaints.

Smashfries ($2.79, or $1.79 with a sandwich) were crisp-edged and nongreasy, tossed with just enough olive oil that they still weren’t greasy, plus garlic and rosemary, the latter of which is the most prominent flavor, and they were just great. They do the same thing with the sweet-potato fries ($2.99 or $1.99), which we didn’t like nearly as much. Somehow rosemary and sweet potatoes just don’t seem to have a real affinity.

We also had some fried pickles ($2.99 or $1.99), and they were lightly battered and fried just as carefully as the potatoes, then served with ranch dressing. Although we’d gotten the smaller burgers, we were getting pretty stuffed, but somehow, I just couldn’t leave those pickles alone. We did, however, pass on the old-fashioned ice-cream milkshakes.

Smashburger is a counter-service place, which means you order at the counter and pick up your beverage, and your food is brought to the table in a paper-lined metal-grid basket, with real flatware available. There’s a second valley location scheduled to open Tuesday near Sahara Avenue and Fort Apache Drive, which will be more convenient to at least part of the valley.

And I know more are on the way.

Las Vegas Review-Journal reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at 383-0474 or e-mail her at hrinella@ reviewjournal.com.