Dinner at Smashburger in Clifton, NJ

This post actually encompasses two trips in one.  Dan and I finally tried Smashburger, one of the many new-ish burger chains in this area.  And I have to say, wowww was I impressed!  I have been a die-hard Five Guys fan forever, but I'd have to say this place comes pretty close to stealing my heart.  They smash the burgers pretty thin here, but supposedly it's half a pound of beef.  There are so many more toppings than Five Guys, including different cheeses, sauces, and my personal fav - different buns.  They have egg, multi-grain, onion, spicy chipotle, and lettuce.  They have a variety of burgers with different topics or you could also make your own.  They also have smashed chicken burgers, veggie burgers, salads, and lots of different fried sides.  Plus milk shakes, which I have yet to try.  Both times I had burgers, and each time LOVED it.  Dan had a chicken burger the second time, which was okay but really thin.  The best part about the food though is that everything is so well balanced.  Not too much meat or bun.  Plus it feels like a slightly nicer experience than a typical fast-food place if you eat in, because you order at the counter and they bring it to you.  Worth a trip for sure!

BBQ, Bacon & Cheddar Burger - burger with BBQ sauce, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar and haystack fried onions on an egg bun.  Plus I added avocado.  An amazing melt-in-your mouth combo.  I asked for the BBQ sauce on the side because I wasn't sure if I would like it.  But it definitely was a great compliment.  The meat was super juicy and everything well-balanced.

Dan made his own burger.  Lettuce, tomato, jalapeno, grilled onions, and fried egg.  Plus we got Smashfries, which were fries tossed with rosemary, olive oil, and garlic.  I liked the toppings but the fries were too thin for me.

Full-size shot of BBQ, Bacon & Cheddar burger.  I also loved their slogans/ads on the walls and cups, etc.  So Jersey haha

Second trip - The New Jersey Burger, which had applewood smoked bacon, blue cheese, haystack onions, lettuce, tomato  on an onion bun. I nixed the ranch, mayo, and grilled onions.  Def a smart choice because those sauces would have added nothing since the blue cheese was so prominent.  Def a great place to get my blue cheese fix.

Buffalo chicken burger - smashed burger doused in Frank's Red Hot plus lettuce, tomato on a bun.  Dan didn't get the blue cheese.  The sweet potato smash fries were delish.  Perfectly crisp.