As I walk down University Avenue along the ASU campus I see the usual suspects; coffee houses, bookstores, and oodles of fast food joints. Today there is a new kid in town. Smashburger.
A fresh take on the classic fast food burger joint, Smashburger offers made-to-order burgers; Rosemary, olive oil, garlic fries (Smashfries); and Haagen-Dazs shakes. Every Smashburger is made when it’s ordered, so don’t come here if you are late to class; the wait from order to delivery is about five to seven minutes, and you’ll want to take your time enjoying these burgers. Smashburger takes a different approach to burger preparation – they start with a one-third or half pound ball of 100% fresh Angus beef; smash, sear, and season it on a flat grill, then serve it on a buttered-toasted artisan bun and top it with cheese, fresh produce and condiments. The result is an irregularly shaped, juicy, delicious burger.
I stopped down there today for the grand opening and tried the BBQ, Bacon, & Cheese Smashburger ($5.99) with Smashfries ($1.79), and Veggie Frites ($2.99). Right away I noticed that the Smashburger differentiates itself from other burgers with ambrosial seasonings and juiciness. Yes, this burger was juicier than Perez Hilton gossip at a Hollywood red carpet event. These guys really have the searing down to a science. A few other points of interest – the Smashfries are delicious; the whole rosemary, garlic, oil coating really works well. Points for the Veggie Frites, too. You get a nice blend of asparagus, carrots, and green beans, which are flash fried and seasoned, then served hot to your table. They offer a few other menu items including a Smashchicken sandwiches, Smashdogs, and Smashsalads (if you’re into that healthy stuff).
If Smashburger has a weakness, it’s the hours of operation. I mean, come on.. you are operating on a college campus and closing at 10 PM every night? Seriously? One thing ASU needs are more places to soak up all that alcohol after a long night on the sauce. I’ll give Smashburger a half point back for opening at 10 AM to help cure the hangover the next day. I have a feeling that a smashed, seared burger and greasy coated fries may remedy the brown bottle flu.
Overall, Smashburger is a hit and is sure to win the hearts and minds of hungry college students roaming the streets of Tempe, Arizona.
Smashburger
777 E. College Avenue
Suite 105
Tempe, AZ 85281
(480) 829-3750 www.smashburger.com
It is said that good things come on small packages. I don’t mind small packages but when it comes to breakfast (lunch & dinner) I like big, greasy portions. To quote Ed O’Neil in the movie Dutch, “Nothing burps like bacon…”
We pulled up to Matt’s Big Breakfast around 9:30 AM on a Saturday. Now normally in Arizona, it’s not unusual to wait outside in the sweltering heat to get a table at a popular restaurant. We had already experienced this when we visited Aaron May’s Over Easy breakfast joint some months back. The day I went to Matt’s Big Breakfast was quite the opposite experience. It rained all morning in the Phoenix Valley and was still raining when we pulled up to Matt’s. The restaurant is just a tiny building located in downtown Phoenix… I suspect at one time it was an old house. The wait is all part of the experience, however don’t come here if you have a time sensitive event scheduled for after breakfast. After about an hour and a half of soaking in the rain we were seated at the counter. Matt’s is a bustling establishment with bright decor, and the seating in this place is tighter than Joan Rivers’ face; just 5 or 6 tables and a counter that can hold maybe another 5 or 6 guests. Note: I incorporated the small slide show at the top of the post in lieu of most of the pics… just something new I am trying to shake things up.
Not that I’m trying to ride the coattails of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives’ Guy Fieri, but yes he has been here too in one of his episodes (hey, can I help it that he likes to try the same places as me?), which no doubt ably contributes to some of Matt’s success. There is even the little signature homage to Guy on the wall inside.
Matt’s menu is small, but jam-packed with all kinds of breakfast goodness. He’s got a breakfast sandwich called “The Five Spot,” an omelet, a waffle, and pancakes just to name a few. Traditional breakfast beverages (including the rarely seen RC Cola) are also offered. He also keeps a special item on the board , which today was a three egg scramble, with Fontina, crimini mushrooms, and spinach. My mystery dining companion L. ordered the special, but today I was feeling like a big waffle with some greasy bacon($6). I had coffee and skipped the OJ today, although it was clearly freshly squeezed and looked delicious.
The food arrived about 15 minutes later: nice solid, heaping portions. I love big breakfast like this, it just sets the tone for the rest of the day. The waffle was made from scratch, fluffy, dusted with powdered sugar, served with warm maple syrup, and a big scoop of butter. My god who could eat such a travesty! I especially liked the bacon; it was that good thick cut bacon, not that wimpy crap you get at IHOP. L’s scramble special was also delicious.. the Fontina and spinach blended well together with the eggs – although I enjoyed the hash browns the best. They still hot when they arrived and they were nice and crispy the way hash browns should be.
Breakfast ran about $20 for the two of us, so we walked out of Matt’s with full stomachs, money remaining in the wallet, the rain had stopped, and the sun was shining on our shoulders. As I was walking back to the car I could see the famous Westward Ho off to my right and thought to myself this was shaping up to be a great day! One word verdict on Matt’s Big Breakfast: deliciouslygreasyheapinghomemadegoodness.
“If the melting pot exists, the cheeseburger may well be its most palpable product; to take a bite of it is to take a bite of history…”
-Elizabeth Rozin, Primal Cheeseburger
Who could argue with that statement? Checked out Delux Burger today; Delux is a burger joint that gets some serious buzz and numerous Best Burger awards from the local media. They are also a late night favorite since they serve food until 2 AM. This gives them street credit in my opinion.
The mystery dining companion, otherwise known as L. joined me for this burger excursion this evening; we arrived around 10:00 PM for a late supper. The seating is a bit cramped in the dining room and the patio. The Delux menu is very nicely limited, meeting my personal rule for just do what you do best. We both ordered the signature entree, the “Delux Burger”($9.5), starring a half-pound of freshly ground Harris Ranch beef; supporting cast includes a toasted demi baguette topped with Maytag and Gruyère cheeses, sweet caramelized onions, applewood smoked bacon and organic arugula. We also ordered the Combination Fries “a la cart” ($6) which came out before the Burgers. The fries were fantastic! They were served in a mini shopping cart (making them easy to share) and included french and sweet potato fries. Two sauces were also included with the fries, a standard ketchup and a house aioli which resembled a thousand island type sauce with some kick. My apologies for the pictures, but the lighting was very low and I did not want to be disruptive with a flash.
The burgers came out shortly after the fries. They were impressive looking before we took the first bite – robust in size and the beef was perfectly cooked. Delux recommends to order their burgers at medium rare allowing them to showcase the juiciness of the beef; L. and I ordered our burgers medium and they were prepared perfectly. As we bit into these works of art, the beefy goodness oozed wonderful flavor onto our palate. The beef truly is the star of this show, however supporting cast complements it nicely without taking away from the magnificent flavor of the beef. This burger really hit the spot.
I was able to command and conquer this burger, however L. was only able to master one half and took the other half home. Adam from Man Vs. Food would have been so disappointed with her. A few other good factors that Delux offers: Good service, fantastic beer selection, which are primarily microbrews from across the country, and reasonable prices. If Delux has a weakness, it’s an atmosphere that’s a bit trendy and possibly even slightly pretentious, but the burgers are so good that it’s overruled.
Overall, a fantastic experience… and another bite into burger history.
Recorded message that played when I opened my refrigerator:
“Agent Good Greasy Eats, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to drive over to Frasher’s Steakhouse & Lounge in Scottsdale, find parking, and gather intelligence about St. Louis Style Pizza. Should you or any of your contributors encounter a bad meal, the Secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions. This message will self destruct in 5 seconds.”
Mission accepted. Wearing our best disguises, Agent Phantom Dining Companion and I headed over to Frasher’s Steakhouse & Lounge in Scottsdale to obtain intelligence about St. Louis style pizza.
Frasher’s Steakhouse & Lounge is a St. Louis themed restaurant located in the heart of Scottsdale. I had never heard of this place (nor St. Louis style pizza) until receiving my mission orders to have dinner there.
Right off the bat, I liked the ambiance of Frasher’s; it’s very laid back and comfortable. They keep the lights turned down and provide a lounging area with leather couches and a flat screen television. It’s a good place for a secret agent, and would also be a cool place to come on a Sunday to hang out, have a few beers and watch football. The menu had a wide variety of sandwiches, steaks, and BBQ selections. So far so good.
We deviated from our mission orders a bit by ordering the Toasted Ravioli appetizer. The Raviolis came out quickly; they were filled with a mild pepper jack cheese, flash fried, then served with a little bit of Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and served with marinara sauce on the side. Absolutely delicious.
Finally, our mission objective arrived: a 10 inch “Original” pizza presented on a metal pan. After careful reconnaissance, it was determined that St. Louis style pizza is constructed on a cracker thin crust, made without yeast to keep it completely unleavened, and cut into small square pieces. The sauce was thin and slightly sweet. However, you won’t find any Mozzarella cheese this pie, it is made with a very unique cheese, called Provel. This delicious cheese is produced with cheddar, swiss, and provolone. It is soft at room temperature, with a gooey and almost buttery texture. Provel is the standard cheese used for St. Louis style pizza. For me, this was a completely different approach to pizza.
The prices were reasonable, $5 for the raviolis and $12 for the pizza. Service was pretty good too. Our server was very attentive and kept our drinks full. We deviated from the mission once more at the end by ordering the Chocolate Amaretto brownie, but it was well worth it.
We left Frasher’s Steakhouse & Lounge with good St. Louis style pizza intelligence and full bellies.
Mission Accomplished.
Frasher’s Steakhouse & Lounge
2122 N Scottsdale Rd
Scottsdale, AZ 85257
(480) 429-9544 http://www.frashers.com
Craving sandwiches? Well before you walk into Subway for that $5 footlong take a look at Lee’s Sandwiches for almost half the price. In fact, repeat after me: I vow to never eat Subway again!
Lee’s is a small San Jose, CA based chain that only has one location in Arizona. They are a one stop shop for Vietnamese and Euro Style sandwiches, but specialize in the Banh mi style of sandwich, which stems from the French influence over Vietnam. The Chandler, AZ location is nestled in a strip mall in a section of Chandler that is predominantly Asian restaurants and markets. The outside of the building has some cool diner like neon lights. I also noticed that the size of the building is misleading; this place is a behemoth when you walk inside. They bake all their bread on site daily, so it’s always fresh. And just one more one more bit of goodness; Lee’s is extremely clean.
I ordered the #5, the Grilled Pork Sandwich. For $2.85 you get a delicious , robust 10 inch crusty Baguette (a real Baguette, not a crusty hoagie roll) with grilled pork, fresh carrots, cilantro, onions, and mayo. Throw down another 75 cents and you can have double meat. I was really fond of the bread – soft, crispy outside, soft, gently chewy insides, good stuff. The grilled pork was delicious, a nice flavor that was just ever so slightly sweet. Besides their selection of 20+ sandwiches, Lee’s Sandwiches also has a more than respectable selection of Euro style sandwiches on croissants, smoothies, iced coffees, and gelato.
Bottom Line – Service is efficient and fast, the sandwiches are delicious, and you can easily get full with $5 or less with a drink.
Since moving to Mesa, I have been hearing this buzz about Giant Hamburgers. They are supposedly like In-N-Out only they serve bomb breakfast any time you want. That is perfect for me since I always wake up too late and breakfast gets cut off at restaurants. Today, however, was different. I was up at 9am. Why so early you ask? (news flash to morning people: 9am IS early). Well, let me explain. My Saturday nightlife was so exciting I passed out at 9:30pm, thus resulting in this early bird. Since being the early bird is such a rare occasion for me, I decided to celebrate with breakfast. It was a tough choice between Giant Hamburgers and Crackers & Co. I wanted to go in my morning hair and left over makeup so I felt like Crackers & Co. was too fancy to handle me in all my beautiful glory. Giant Hamburgers was more appropriate in my facade and I would not so feel weird about leaving my sunnies on while I dined. I arrived and I had The Single with pancakes.
The Single is:
Toast- do they microwave their toast?
Hash browns- I have had better
Choice of meat (I did bacon)- I have had better at…wait for it…Wendy’s. (I KNOW, RIGHT?!)
And choice of egg- I hate eggs so I can’t review my egg. All eggs taste disgusting to me unless they are in brownie batter, but that’s a story for another day.
Here is the low down on the pancakes. They were thick and very chewy. Dare I say microwaved? I was not feeling my breakfast.
I would have been happier with a coffee and piece of bacon from Wendy’s- seriously, try it. I would have rather skipped the breakfast celebration and had an early lunch even.
Honestly, breakfast was cheap and I hate to say it, but IHOP > Giant Hamburgers. I am not trying to dis IHOP or anything because they are the safe breakfast choice, but come on, it should be easy to beat IHOP, right?
Giant Hamburgers
2753 E Broadway
Ste 104
Mesa, AZ 85204
(480) 733-6542 www.gianthamburgers.com
As I walk down University Avenue along the ASU campus I see the usual suspects; coffee houses, bookstores, and oodles of fast food joints. Today there is a new kid in town. Smashburger.
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