Have you heard about the opening of Smashburger in Citrus Heights? Smashburger buzz seems to be everywhere. I’ve seen it on Twitter. I’ve been asked about it in carpool. Even my mom and her friend, Beth, are buzzing about this new burger joint. Everyone, it seems, wants to know: What is a Smashburger?
Happily, fellow foodie Vanessa Smith and I signed on for this tough assignment. Our mission? Determine just what the “smash” in Smashburger means, and be one of the first in Sacramento to experience this new fast-casual restaurant.
The concept is simple, but the execution is fresh, delicious and very now. The feel of Smashburger is part diner, part hip restaurant. The menu is well edited (burgers, dogs, fries, salads, shakes) with a bit of a southern flair thrown in (try the sweet potato fries and fried pickles). The ingredients are what set Smashburger apart: 100% fresh Angus beef, real cheeses like aged cheddar and brie, smoky applewood bacon, fresh produce, and a proprietary blend of seasonings that makes this foodie ready to go back for more.
Now for the “smash” part. You’ll be thrilled to know that we learned about this first-hand; in fact, Vanessa hit the grill and smashed her very own burger with excellent results. It involved fresh beef, a little melted butter and a free-form “smasher” that resulted in a seared burger patty that was juicy and delicious. We tried the NorCal burger, as well as the Mushroom Swiss burger, and both were delish!
Vanessa here: And, let me just say, the “smashing” shot is not my best angle, but it was a lot of fun to do and surprisingly was not an easy task. Hats off to the cooks who first have to “smash” the burgers for a count of ten, using more strength than I thought you would need to hold a burger down!
Moving on to the “sizzle.” The Smashsides offerings are where they really set themselves apart. The Veggie Frites – fresh asparagus spears, carrot sticks and green beans, lightly-seasoned and flash-fried to a warm, yet crunchy consistency – were my favorite and a great way to mix up a traditional burger and fry menu.
What can be said about “savor”? Well, everything! Maria really liked the Smashfries, lightly tossed in olive oil, rosemary and garlic. In fact, the variety of options on the menu will allow you to go light or indulge and treat yourself to the works.
For those watching the waistline, choose the classic Smashchicken sandwich on a multi-grain bun, or one of four signature salad options (we tried the Sunset, with fresh greens, dried cranberries, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and loved it).
And, for those who choose to indulge, Smashburger uses Haagen Dazs ice cream in their milk shakes and malts, as well as root beer floats. We tried the Dulce de Leche milk shake – simply scrumptious. (They also offer beer and wine.)
For so much flavor and fresh ingredients, the price point (¼ lb. burgers start at $3.99, sides at $1.69) is a terrific value. Head over to the Citrus Heights location (5500 Sunrise Blvd. at Pebble Beach), which opens today, March 31 (hours are 10 AM to 10 PM everyday). Bring the kiddos and try the Kids Smashburger, Smashdog, chicken strips or grilled cheese.
Not in your neighborhood? No worries – there are four additional Smashburger locations planned for the Sacramento area: Folsom (mid- to late-May), Roseville (late summer) and two other locations to open in 2011.
We had a lot of fun sampling the Smashburger menu with Cakegrrl, so check out her post, too. If you need even more reasons to try Smashburger, try a NorCal Smashburger between April 10-16 and $1 will go to Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (a SacFoodies partner!). And if you’re on Twitter, tweet using the hashtag #smashburger, and you could win a free gift certificate.
Results of this SacFoodies mission: Don’t be afraid to get “smashed” – on burgers, that is!
More Burgers Coming to Sac!
If you read Sac Foodies regularly, you know that we love our burgers: Squeeze Inn, Burgers & Brew, The Counter, Nationwide Meats, Tower Café – even Tapa the World – if they’ve got a burger on the menu, we’ve probably tried it! So when we heard that a new burger chain called Smashburger would be opening up seven locations in the Sacramento area, you can imagine our excitement! Here’s what we learned:
According to this article from the Sacramento Bee, Smashburger is a Denver-based burger chain and Sacramento will be the first California location with at least two opening this year! The concept for Smashburger is premium ingredients at affordable prices – just what we think diners are looking for these days. The menu will include five types of burgers including a $5.99 cheeseburger, Haagen-Dazs milkshakes, salads, chicken and four-bottle buckets of beer for $10.
So we want to know – have you tried Smashburger? If so, tell us about it by leaving a comment below!
If you’ve never been to a Smashburger, you can start by checking them out on Facebook and Twitter today.
Do you know a "Real Hero"?
I’m a sucker for a good burger and a good deal, so when I heard about the Applebee’s Realburgers for Real Heroes program, (full disclosure: a client of the FH Kansas City office), I wanted to help spread the word. I think we probably all know someone who has made a difference in our lives one way or another. Maybe it’s the neighbor who mows your lawn, the last-minute babysitter who always comes through in a pinch, the friend who drives you to a doctor’s appointment, or maybe something completely different! Applebee’s wants to give those “Real Heroes” the big hearty thank you they deserve, and is asking all of us to nominate those selfless friends for a chance to win some awesome prizes – both for your hero and for yourself!
Here’s how it works: Visit the Applebee’s Web site to nominate your “Real Hero” by July 5. Applebee’s will then select 10 hero finalists and share their stories on the Web site. Visit the site to vote for your favorite hero between July 15 and July 23 to help determine the Applebee’s National Real Hero. Plus, just by nominating someone, you’ll be entered into a weekly drawing for a $50 Applebee’s gift card. Not only that, but the Grand Prize Winner will get $5,000 and a year of free Realburgers!
Applebee’s menu offers five Realburgers that I think could match just about anyone’s taste. I must say that, as an Arizona native, the Cowboy Burger is calling my name. Onion rings, BBQ sauce and bacon…there’s not much more I could ask for in one bite! Who knows, though, I might just need to try them all! (Above photos courtesy of Flickr users Acmelucky777 and Mooshee85).
Sacramento Burgers & Brew Review
As I’m still pretty new to the Sacramento area, I’m always on the lookout for fun places to eat. However, I still hadn’t found that special combination of great food and drinks in a place where you can also just feel free to hang out. I guess I’d call it a unique combination of not-just-a-restaurant but not-just-a-bar either. Last week, I really think I might have found it in Burgers & Brew.
The Sac Foodies have raved about the Davis Burgers & Brew location before. So when the Sacramento location at 14th and R Streets finally opened, I jumped on the opportunity to review it and had no trouble convincing a few friends to join me for a Friday evening excursion. Although it was busy, we were seated right away at a prime patio table. Now, of course I knew it was called “Burgers & Brew” but I wasn’t nearly prepared for the amazing beer selection that was available. Actually, I think the menu consisted of about two pages of food and four of five of beers! We sampled a few Belgian beers, including Delirium Tremens (a personal favorite) as well as Hoegaarden, a white ale. After that it was on to Japan for a ginger beer called Kiuchi Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew. They even had a Banana Bread beer on the list but unfortunately they were out – next time!
When we finally got around to placing our order, it was a tough call as usual for me, but I went with a turkey burger with avocado and pepper jack cheese and upgraded to the curly fries – how can you not? One of my dining companions went with a buffalo burger and side salad, another with a cheeseburger and garlic fries and the third had the jalapeno bacon burger and curly fries. The garlic fries were so good that I am not sure if I’ll go with the curly fries next time or the garlic – decisions, decisions!
We left feeling stuffed and happy and agreed that we could envision many more summer evenings spent on the patio at Burgers & Brew. Have you tried the Sacramento location yet? How does it compare to the Davis location? What did you order? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave us a comment below!
Burgers & Brew
1409 R Street
Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 442-0900
Burgers & Brew: Sacramento Preview
We all love Burgers & Brew in Davis so we were more than excited when we heard that the Sacramento location was finally open! I was already impressed when I heard about the specialty beers that they’ll be serving but I got even more excited when I took a drive by the 14th & R Street location and saw the abundance of patio space too! Not only that, but there are a few other new businesses opening on the same block, including the Shady Lady Saloon, a 30’s-style-inspired restaurant and bar. I’m planning to visit the new Burgers & Brew later this week, so a review will be coming shortly. But in the meantime, leave a comment below and let us know what your favorite order is at Burgers & Brew!