The LMGPR Burger Battle: Week Two

LMGPR continued its burger quest this week at the recently opened Smashburger in San Jose.Why is it called "Smashburger?" Well, according to their website:"Because the 100 percent Angus beef is indeed smashed with a custom-made hamburger press for about 10 seconds, which caramelizes the meat. The burger is then flipped over and smashed again."That was good enough for us here at LMGPR. We were in!And just like last week, we opted for a variety of burgers:

Bianca decided to be pseudo-healthy with the AVOCADO CLUB: Fresh avocado, applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, ranch dressing and mayo on a multi-grain bun. She also added the sweet potato fries to go with it. To say the burger was a mouthful is an understatement. I mean... look at the size of that avocado! Bianca was impressed with the seasoned beef and was happy that the ranch didn't overpower the bacon and tomato.

Paul's TRUFFLE MUSHROOM SWISS: Truffle mayo, sautéed baby portabella mushrooms and aged Swiss on an egg bun isn't going to win any presentation awards, but according to Paul "It tastes much better than it looks!" Paul gave kudos for the "perfectly seasoned meat" and said the truffle mayo was the perfect compliment. Paul's meal also included Smashburger's olive oil and rosemary french fries.

Still a bit full from last week's monstrosity burger, Michael toned it down slightly with a half-pound BBQ, BACON & CHEDDAR: BBQ sauce, applewood-smoked bacon, cheddar and haystack onions on an egg bun. Michael enjoyed the juiciness of the meat and the healthy slathering of bbq sauce that made quite the mess! The sauce was a little overbearing as he couldn't really taste the haystack onions or bacon, but as a bbq lover, Michael wasn't complaining.

The Burger of the Week definitely goes to Woody. He too ordered a BBQ, BACON & CHEDDAR, but then added lettuce, tomato, pickles, mushrooms and... a fried egg! We tried to get Woody to explain how on Earth all those different flavors could possibly come together, but he could only moan and say "amazing!"We'll take his word for it.Smashburger is sort of like a high-end Five Guys or In-n-Out, but much, MUCH better. The prices for the quality of the burger were great at around $6-7 a burger (except for Woody and his add ons!) and we will definitely be eating there again.In short, Smashburger was a "smashing" success!Next week… LMGPR heads to the Konjoe Burger Bar in the San Pedro Square Market.Bon Appetite!