First, let me mention something I forgot to say whenI covered Burger Jones. Burger Jones has free WiFi. Any restaurant that has free WiFi wouild, if I used star ratings, earn an extra half-star on that basis alone. I don't care if it's sit-down with waiters, counter-service, or fast food. Slap in a Net connection and an unsecured router and I will fondly remember you when it comes time for future visits. So kudos to Burger Jones for fulfilling that need.

Smashburger does not have free WiFi. Which is a shame, because I'm sort of in love with it anyway, and expect to be in there a lot. There aren't even any nearby Caribous, Bureggers, or Dunn Bros. to leech off of. That said, the lack of Net access is really only one of two issues I could have with Smashburger. Well, three if you count their abuse of Impact, but I try not to judge restaurants on their typefaces.

If Five Guys is about adding quality to the low end, and Burger Jones is about elevating the hamburger at the high end, Smashburger lives happily in the middle. Quality ingredients, modern flavors, and an $8-$10 perperson price point with a "number on the table" service model. I loaded up my 1/3 pound burger from their list of toppings, with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and red onions for cold condiments, and sharp cheddar, grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, and Smash Sauce for warm condiments. I didn't know what Smash Sauce was going in. I was hoping it'd be more like a steak sauce, but I think it's more like a Thousand Island / "special sauce" thing. Oh, and I got it on a multigrain bun. You know, for the health.

Our sides were regular fries for me, and "veggie frites" for Cathy. The fries were my only other issue. They were mediocre. Lucikly, their brief toss in rosemary and olive oil made them interesting, because otherwise, they would be basic, bland shoestrings, not particularly well-fried. They're nothing like Five Guys' fries, which is a shame, because Five Guys' burger is nothing like a Smashburger. The veggie frites, on the other hand, are genius - asparagus, green beans, and carrots flash-fried without any kind of breading or batter, salted, and served with ranch dressing. I approve of this side dish wholeheartedly.

The Smashburger is basically a Whopper, only from an alternate universe where the Whopper doesn't suck. The beef is thin and large, with lots of char and grill flavor. The cheese is melty and generous, and the mushrooms tasted like mushrooms. THe bun beat up Five Guys' bun and took its lunch money, and it's a good thing, because structurally, a Smashburger lives on the sloppy and messy side of the spectrum. The whole thing comes together gloriously. It's still a fast-food burger, and not the carefully combosed monstrosities that Burger Jones offers, but it's the fast=food burger of your dreams. A fast-food burger you can pick the toppings for, and a fast-food burger that tastes like real food. 

And that, I think, is why I found myself craving another Smashburger two days after I ate there. It occupies an ecological niche the same way Chipotle does, providing certain beloved flavors in a format that doesn't sacrifice too much quality for the sake of convenience, price, and speed. I'm not really interested in exploring the far reaches of the Smashburger menu, but it will definitely be the go-to place when what I want is simply a good cheeseburger.