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The Burger Crawl stops by Smashburger L.A. Live
Our first stop on the crawl is at Smashburger, a burger joint founded in 2007 by Tom Ryan (the guy responsible for McDonald's McGriddles). Smashburger first opened in Denver, Colorado, and has since taken the nation by storm with more than 200 locations nationwide. The concept behind it is to take a fresh ground beef ball, place it under parchment paper, and smash into a patty while on the grill for about a minute or so. This is to get a nice caramelized crust on the meat. It also leaves small heat pockets in the meat where the steam can seep up through, and cook it thoroughly without drying out.
I got the bacon cheeseburger: Smashburger’s Angus patty, bacon, lettuce and cheese, with seasoned fries and a lemonade I’d never tried. I tasted the patty by itself first. It’s loose, not packed together, and it has enough beef flavor without tasting over-seasoned. I should have asked for medium rare. I forgot.
With everything on it, the bacon has a little crisp, and with the pickle it brings out the beef. Then the fresh onion hits. Onions mean something to me on a hamburger. They bring out the meat and clean your palate between bites. The bun has the texture of a King’s Hawaiian roll without the sweetness. The lemonade needs more sugar.
My friend is vegetarian, so she got the black bean burger. It tastes like well-seasoned Mexican beans on a bun, soft and good. Smashburger does a real vegetarian burger and a real beef burger, and I was pleasantly surprised by both.
Smashburger L.A. Live
1011 S. Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
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