Smashburger – Colonie, NY

I recently had a chance to have a burger and some sides at Smashburger on Wolf Road. The influx of new burger restaurants in the area is parallel to sub shops. I can always go for a good burger, so the question is “was Smashburger any good?”

As far as burgers go, there are more than a handful of previously designed options or you can create your own from their list of toppings. You have the option of regular (1/4 lb) or big burgers (1/3 lb) or grilled or crispy chicken.

The spicy jalapeno baja big burger (fresh jalapenos, guacamole, pepper jack, lettuce, tomato, onion, and chipotle mayo on a chipotle bun – $7.39) sounded interesting that day.

Sides come separately. With options of regular and sweet potato fries, I went with their “smashfries” ($2.29) which come tossed in olive oil, rosemary, and garlic and a side of haystack onions ($2.49) for good measure.

The first thing I noticed about the burger was the presentation. I find it a little odd that it was presented open-faced. Part of the allure of ordering a burger with toppings is to see how gloriously tall it is.

I guess that’s part of the “smash” experience. Biting through the burger, it was evident that the meat was unseasoned and very well done. I can understand trepidation to serve undercooked meat at a chain, but this was far more overcooked than any premium burger I’ve had at a chain. The jalapenos were fairly tame, as was the pepper jack. The chipotle mayo was barely detectable. The dry burger would have definitely benefited from more. The bun was probably the most outstanding part of the burger; it was robust and had a pretty rich chipotle flavor.

The fries were thin, shoestring fries that were very liberally tossed in a rosemary and garlic infused oil. They were so greasy that I got tired of wiping my hands after 6 fries and 4 dirty napkins, so I resorted to a fork. The concept of garlic and rosemary on the fries can work, but the execution here was far off.

The haystack onions were unimpressive and greasy. The lack of seasoning on these was probably the most unfortunate part about them.

With a menu more expansive than Five Guys, I had expected the execution to not fall as short as it did, but there is a lot of potential there. I will say that I had a sip of Cassie’s Butterfinger milkshake, and that was out of this world.