Biwa

For many Americans the sushi restaurant has become their gateway into the world of Japanese cuisine. Besides sushi and sashimi, there is a lot more to Japanese cuisine. As our fascination with Japanese food has grown, so has our Japanese dining options. There are many Japanese restaurants around the country that draw a lot of influence from the izakaya. The izakaya is a kind of Japanese pub. It is a restaurant that serves both food and drinks. Some of the food you will find at a izakaya are yakitori, sashimi, tempura, and other grilled skewers. Another style of Japanese dining that has become very popular in America is the ramen shop. When you combine an izakaya with a place that serves ramen, you will have a uniquely American Japanese dining experience. While I was in Portland, Oregon, my friend told me about Biwa. He said it was a ramen place but served other Japanese food as well. While their Japanese food is pretty good, my friend told me that their burger is actually one of the best in Portland. The burger at Biwa is not served on their regular dinner menu. You have to wait for the late night menu on weekends to have the burger at Biwa.  The burger at Biwa comes with kimchi, mayonnaise, and a piece of char sui pork(Chinese BBQ Pork).On our trip to Biwa for the burger we also had some house made pickles, gyoza, and yellowtail sashimi. The yellowtail was fresh and delicious. The house made pickles were a great palate cleanser when eaten after the gyoza. While I do love gyoza, the gyoza at Biwa had a thicker wrapper than I had before. The flavor was fine, it was just the wrapper was chewy. The burger however was worth it. If you think having bacon on a burger was good, Chinese BBQ pork on the burger was even better. The beef was extremely juicy, tender, and flowing with beefy flavor. The kimchi perfectly cuts through the rich flavors of the beef and the pork. There is no wonder why Biwa only sells their burger only late night on weekends. It is because it is so good it would be the only thing they would sell. Biwa is a great place if you are into diving deeper into Japanese cuisine and dining. Biwa has many classic izakaya style dishes, ramen, sashimi, and a large selection of sakes. For a Japanese night in Portland, Biwa is a good place to be transported.

Three Cheese Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

Mashed potatoes are a true comfort food for many. Mashed potatoes are delicious, yet to make them delicious many people use a lot of cream and butter to add flavor. In this mashed potato recipe I add a ton of flavor by adding caramelized onions and a three cheese blend. I used what cheeses I had on hand which were Asiago, blue cheese, and Jarlsberg. You may use what ever cheeses you want really. Serve this as a side dish to any meal. This would go really well with meatloaf, or roast chicken.

Ingredients:
3 peeled potatoes
1/4 cup of skim milk
2 tablespoons butter
salt
ground black pepper
tablespoon of minced garlic
tablespoon fresh thyme
1 onion sliced
tablespoon canola oil

Method:
Add enough water to a pot and salt the water. Bring the salted water to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil, cook the onions in a saute pan with the tablespoon of canola oil. Cook on a medium to medium low for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes add the garlic, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. Cook for another ten minutes. The onions should take around 25 minutes to become caramelized. As a tip you should stir the onions often as to prevent burning. For the potatoes cut them into evenly shaped chunks. As the water is coming to a boil, place the potato chunks in the water. Once the water comes to a  boil, cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes. When the potatoes are fork tender, drain the potatoes. Add the potatoes back to the pot and add the butter and milk. Next mash the potatoes until the come to the consistency of mashed potatoes. When the potatoes are at the desired consistency, add the cheeses. Stir until the cheeses have fully melted. Once the cheeses have melted you are ready to serve.

Mustard Roasted Potato Wedges

Potato wedges are a favorite side dish of mine. They go well with a lot of main courses. One of the ways I like to add a lot of flavor to roasted potato wedges is to use mustard. The mustard adds a bright and acidic note to the roasted potatoes. This recipe is very easy to make. Just combine everything in a bowl before roasting on a baking sheet. 

Ingredients:

three russet potatoes

half onion sliced 

tablespoon of chopped garlic 

tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 

two tablespoons of whole grain Dijon mustard 

three tablespoons of canola oil 

salt 

ground black pepper

Method:
First line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. With the potatoes you should first wash them. Then you should cut wedges out of the potatoes. In a large mixing bowl combine the onion, garlic, thyme, whole grain Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and canola oil until well incorporated. Next place the potato wedges into the mustard mixture and coat the wedges with the mixture. When the potato wedges are coated, place the wedges on a baking sheet and roast at 375 °F for 45 minutes.  For the last 15 minutes roast at 415 °F. Serve as a side dish for your backyard barbecue or for your roast chicken dinner.

El Farolito

Nothing makes me more happier than eating delicious Mexican food. I cannot get enough tacos, tostadas, enchiladas, tortas, and burritos. There is no wonder that I had to try a massive burrito while in San Francisco, a city known for having amazing Mexican food. Once you have Mexican food in California you will realize that the it lives up to the hype. You might be able to find a good burrito on the east coast, but you really need to try a burrito in California. Living in the Greater Boston area, I'm a huge fan of Anna's Taqueria. I hate to say it, but the burrito I had at El Farolito in the Mission district of San Francisco was better than Anna's Taqueria. It was in fact the best burrito I have ever had. Chiptole and other burrito chains have nothing on El Farolito. I went late at night with friends and the place was jumping. We all ordered burritos and shared an order of nachos. I had the lengua burrito. Everything about the burrito was perfect. If you do not know what lengua is, it is braised beef tongue. Please do not be turned away by it because it is tongue. When braised for a long time the meat of the tongue becomes extremely tender. It is extremely beefy and is reminiscent of pot roast. Lengua is my favorite burrito filling so if it is offered at a burrito joint I usually will order it.  The nachos at El Farolito are a meal in themselves. It was one of the best Mexican experiences I have recently had. The prices at El Farolito were very reasonable as well so there is no reason not to eat at El Farolito. If you are ever in San Francisco and are looking for great burritos and tacos check out El Farolito in the Mission. You will walk away with a food coma I guarantee it.

Drinktime: Harpoon Winter Warmer

I am a huge fan of seasonal beers. It brings a whole other dimension to each season. Just as the seasonal and local food movement has started to gain a hold, so has the seasonal beer movement. Many breweries now around the country offer seasonally specific beers that are available just in that specific season. So if you are looking for a summer beer in the winter, well you will be out of luck. When winter rolls around there is one beer that I get excited about drinking. That beer is Harpoon's Winter Warmer. The Winter Warmer is one of my favorite beers from Harpoon. Harpoon already brews some of the best beers in the county for example their flagship IPA and their UFO series. The Winter Warmer is an ale brewed with spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg to remind one of the winter season. When you first smell the Winter Warmer you smell the spices right away. The warmth that you get from drinking this beer does not just coming from the spices it is brewed with it but from the malt as well. Being brewed since 1988, the Winter Warmer is one of the longest running seasonal beers being brewed in the United States. I understand why it has been on the beer market since 1988. It is because it is an amazingly delicious and unique beer. Come each winter, the masses rejoice when the Winter Warmer hits the market. It would not be around this long if people did not like it. This winter I hope you had a few Winter Warmers. If not get out there because they will soon be off the shelves. Cheers!

Roasted Red Peppers

Making roasted red peppers at home might sound like a daunting task. Believe me when I say that making them at home is easy. There are many ways in which you could roast your peppers at home. If the weather is nice, you could use your grill. If the weather is not cooperating, you can use your stove or broiler. If you have a gas stove, you can use the gas stove to literally burn the skin off the pepper. By using a pair of tongs to hold the pepper over the flame, you can roast the pepper this way. If you do not have a gas stove, use your broiler. If you use your broiler make sure to keep an eye on the peppers and to turn them so they roast evenly. Whatever method of roasting you use, when the peppers are charred all over, place the peppers in a bowl and cover with aluminium foil. Let the peppers sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Next peel the skin of the peppers under cool running water. Finally make a slit in the peppers and take the seeds out. Now you have your own roasted red peppers. They are perfect in salads, antipasto, pastas, and even in stir fry dishes. If you are not going to use them immediately, you can store them in some olive oil in a Tupperware container or a glass jar.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

There are countless ways in which you can prepare vegetables. For example, there are many ways in which to prepare broccoli. For the most part we tend to steam or boil broccoli when we cook it at home. To kick up the flavor you can roast broccoli for a completely different taste that is sure to become a go to recipe. This recipe is no fuss because you just combine all of the ingredients on a baking sheet and roast at 400 °F for twenty to thirty minutes. 

Ingredients:

broccoli

three cloves of minced garlic 

zest of half a lemon

juice of half a lemon

three tablespoons of olive oil (you may use vegetable or canola oil)

salt 

ground black pepper

Method:

First line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Next cut the broccoli into florets. You can cut the stem of the broccoli into even circles. Place all of the ingredients onto the roasting pan and mix until everything is well incorporated. Roast the broccoli at 400 °F for twenty to thirty minutes, Check at around twenty five minutes. The broccoli will be browned on the edges and should be tender. Serve as a side dish with any main dish of your liking. This broccoli recipe goes very well with fish, or chicken if you were wondering what to pair it with.

Greenbriar Pub

There are certain things that make a great pub a quality dining and drinking establishment. The pub must have a varied menu that has delicious, comforting, and honest dishes. The drinks menu must have a large selection of beers, cocktails, whiskeys, scotch, wine, and other liquors. The atmosphere must be warm, and inviting. When you combine all of these factors, you are going to have a pretty good experience.All of these characteristics can be found at the Greenbriar Pub in Brighton, Massachusetts. The Greenbriar is a great place to meet friends for drinks and a bite to eat. Their menu features classic pub favorites such as burgers, chicken pot pie, fish and chips, shepherd's pie, and a variety of sandwiches. I had the Brighton burger that was a cheeseburger with fried onions, grilled tomato, and Irish bacon. As for their drink menu, the Greenbriar has got you covered. Their beer selection covers much of the mainstream beer market such as Guinness, Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, Harpoon IPA, and Smithwick's for example. They also offer a wide variety liquors such as Irish whiskeys, single malt scotchs, and bourbon. If you are into drinking cocktails, the Greenbriar has you covered. They make a killer Dark and Stormy if you are into those. The Greenbriar also offers live music on certain nights. On the night I was there, the Greenbriar had a classic rock cover band that played songs from Eric Clapton to the Beatles. The Greenbriar Pub has all of the elements of a great pub which make this a great place to hang out if you are in the Brighton area.

Drinktime: Sam Adams Cold Snap

Sam Adams has introduced another amazing offering that I am sure will be a huge success. Sam Adams Cold Snap is a brand new seasonal beer offering that is their interpretation of a Belgian white ale. Like all Belgian white ale's, Sam Adams Cold Snap is characterized by being brewed with wheat, spices such as coriander, and orange peel. It has a golden, hazy appearance in the glass due to being unfiltered like most Belgian white ales. If you are a fan of Belgian style white ales, you will love Sam Adams Cold Snap. It hit the market this January and is available until mid March. So get it while it lasts. I am sure that it will be a hit with the drinking public. Its another amazing beer from an amazing brewery. Cheers!

Roast Beef with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Making roast beef at home might sounds like a daunting task for some people. Many people would rather go out to a steakhouse or a restaurant that specializes in roast beef than trying to make it at home. I have come to tell the masses that making a roast beef dinner at home is easy to make and might be more cost effective. For this recipe you will need to use a 2 1/2 to 3 pound round roast. Roast beef should be served medium rare to medium. I highly suggest that you serve your roast beef this way because it is juicy, and tender when cooked to those temperatures.The longer you cook the roast beef the tougher it will be. A good tip when cooking roast beef is to use a meat thermometer. By using a meat thermometer you can easily know how well done the meat is. A good tip is that 130-135 degrees Fahrenheit is medium rare. While 140-145 degrees Fahrenheit is medium. Another good piece of advice is to make sure that your meat is at room temperature before you roast it. By leaving the roast beef at room temperature for about half an hour to an hour it will result in the roast beef cooking more evenly.

Ingredients:
top round roast of beef 2 1/2 to 3 pounds
garlic, 6 cloves chopped
tablespoon of chopped  fresh thyme
kosher salt
ground black pepper
one onion chopped
two stalks of celery chopped
two carrots chopped

Method:
First set the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In a roasting pan place the onion, carrot, celery, and half the garlic. Make sure to rub the roast beef with a liberal amount of salt and black pepper. Place the roast beef on top of the aromatic vegetables. Cover the top of the roast beef with the rest of the garlic and the fresh thyme. Cook the roast beef for 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. After 15 minutes, set the oven temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and roast for an hour. After an hour and fifteen minutes, the roast should register around 130 degrees Fahrenheit when you use a meat thermometer. If after an hour and fifteen minutes it is not right at 130 degrees Fahrenheit do not worry. If you take the roast out of the oven a few degrees below 130 degrees Fahrenheit it will continue to cook as it is resting at room temperature. Once out of the oven, let the roast rest for 20 to 30 minutes. When it comes to serving the roast beef, slice the beef thinly. You want tender meat so the thinner the slice the more tender it will be. With the pan juices you can make an easy gravy. Take the pan drippings and add about a tablespoon of flour in a sauce pan. Cook the flour into the pan drippings until the flour has cooked fully into the drippings. Then add either beef stock or water to the pan. The gravy will not thicken unless you bring the water or stock to a boil. Once at a boil the gravy will thicken. Serve the roast beef with mashed potatoes, the gravy, and a vegetable of your choice. This is a great family dinner, or perfect to impress anyone.

Pambiche

I would have never thought that I would find good Cuban cuisine in Portland, Oregon. I asked my friend who lives out there where he thought would be a delicious place for breakfast. He told me that Pambiche, on NE Glisan St. is one of his favorites for breakfast. Pambiche serves Cuban cuisine to the masses for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Their breakfast menu has a wide variety of Cuban specialties from egg dishes, to sandwiches, and salads. I decided to order to Cuban hash and eggs or Picadillo Cua Cua. Picadillo is a very popular traditional Cuban dish that is made of ground beef, seasonings, and sofrito. The Picadillo tastes a lot like Cuban chili con carne. The Picadillo is served with eggs of your choice, white rice, fried plantains, avocado, and fruit salad. The Picadillo itself is explosive with amazing flavor from the sofrito that is used throughout Cuban cuisine. A Cuban sofrito for those that do not know is a combination of onions, tomatoes, garlic, green bell peppers, and herbs such as oregano. My friend ordered the Roman Omelet which is an omelet made with shrimp, bacon, sofrito, and yuca root(cassava). It is topped with a red Creole sauce. I tried it and it was absolutely delicious. The briny shrimp in the omelet was awesome in combination with the yuca, plus the sauce really brought that dish together. If the dishes that I have tried are an indication of how amazing the rest of menu is then I would tell you to just order whatever looks good to you. Being a Portland restaurant, Pambiche prides itself on using local products so you know you are supporting the local community. Pambiche is uniquely Cuban but settled in Portland using ingredients from the Pacific Northwest. This is a must try for a unique breakfast that is far away from the typical diner breakfast fare such as pancakes, eggs and bacon, or corned beef with poached eggs.

Drinktime: Pelican Brewery Kiwanda Cream Ale

As part of my Oregon beer experience I tried Pelican Brewing Company's Kiwanda Cream Ale. The Cream Ale is a style of ale which does not have any dairy products in it. It is called a cream all because of its smooth taste. The Kiwanda Cream Ale is an easy drinking beer that will not get your ripped after just one. It is a beer that calls for having more than one. While I have only had the Kiwanda Cream Ale, I have heard Pelican brews other outstanding beers that I am sure I would love. I loved my Pelican experience and I am sure you will enjoy your experience when you find Pelican in your local bar or liquor store. For an surprisingly refreshing taste of Pacific Northwest Beer, have the Kiwanda Cream Ale by Pelican.

Drinktime: Allagash White Ale

A symptom of the craft beer and microbrewery movement is that beer drinkers around the country have a lot more options now when it comes to what beer they drink. There are breweries that specialize in Belgian style ales, IPAs, a variety of stouts, porters, pale ales, and seasonal beers. One of these styles of beer that many breweries are brewing is the Belgian style white ale. Belgian white ale is a beer that is brewed with wheat in addition to the traditional barley. In some instances white ales may be brewed with one hundred percent wheat and zero barley. Another way in which the white ale is different from other styles of beer is that it is brewed with spices such as coriander and orange peel. One of my favorite interpretations of a Belgian style white ale is the Allagash White Ale. Hailing from Portland, Maine, Allagash Brewing Company has been brewing Belgian style ales since the mid 1990's. Their white ale has become a signature beer for the company and can be found all over New England and the Northeast. Like most white ales, the Allagash White Ale has a cloudy and unfiltered appearance in the glass. Along the cloudy appearance, most white ales are crisp, spicy and fruity. Allagash White has all of the characteristics of a quality Belgian style white ale. At five percent ABV, the Allagash White Ale is an easy drinking ale that does not really fill you up like other beers. If you are a fan of Belgian style white ale, give Allagash White Ale a try if you can find it. I am sure you will want to have another if you try it.

Shanghai Dumpling King

Cuisine from Southeast and East Asia brings me joy whenever I have the opportunity to eat dishes originating  from that part of the world. I love Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Malay, and of course Chinese cuisine. The bold, powerful, spicy, addictive, and complex flavors that create the backbone of all these cuisines is what makes me come back for more and more. I love sushi, curries, stir fries, grilled skewers, tempura, soups, hot pot, noodles, and fried rice dishes. I have forgotten one ubiquitous dish that is found in the cuisine throughout Southeast and East Asia. The dumpling or wonton can be found on the streets from Singapore to Tokyo. While I have stated in my Minado post that if I had to eat one food for the rest of my life it would be sushi. I would be devastated to say the least if I could not eat dumplings or wontons the rest of my life. Nothing is better than ordering a bunch of shu mai or gyoza at a Chinese restaurant and stuffing your face. There is no wonder that I love dim sum as well. There is not a type of dumpling that I have not had. Up until my trip to San Francisco this past December, I had never had Shanghai dumplings. Shanghai dumplings, which are called xiaolongbao in Mandarin, are dumplings made with pork, seasonings, and when steamed the dumplings are filled with soup. Another name for them is Shanghai soup dumplings. A good friend of mine who is living in San Francisco had suggested trying Shanghai Dumpling King on Balboa St a few blocks north of Golden Gate Park. He said that the Shanghai dumplings were amazing and that they were priced very reasonably. For our dumpling feast, we decided to order the original pork Shanghai dumpling, the pork and crab Shanghai dumpling, and spicy pork and chive dumplings. Since the Shanghai dumpling has soup inside, there is a special way in which to eat them. First you must bite a small hole in the top of the dumpling. Once your have bitten the hole in the dumpling you suck the hot soup from the dumpling before eating the rest of it. Having Shanghai dumplings in a city known for having some of the best Chinese food in the country was an amazing experience. The dumplings were absolutely delicious. We made sure that there was not a dumpling left at the end of the meal. If you live or are visiting San Francisco and love Chinese food, give Shanghai Dumpling King a try. The ambiance is a bit divey, but the food is what really brings customers to Shanghai Dumpling King. For amazing dumplings at reasonable prices, Shanghai Dumpling King  has you covered.

Minado Japanese Seafood Buffet

I have a healthy obsession with sushi. If I had to eat sushi for the rest of my life I would not be mad about. I would actually be quite happy about it. Good thing there is an all you can eat sushi and Japanese food restaurant close by where I live in Massachusetts. Minado Japanese Seafood Buffet located in Natick, Massachusetts, serves an amazing array of sushi and other Japanese dishes. Minado has over thirty varieties of maki sushi, over twenty varieties of nigiri sushi, and even various temaki sushi. They also serve a selection of sashimi, oysters, snow crab legs, and shrimp cocktail. For those who are wary of sushi, Minao offeres various Japanese influenced salads, and hot entrees. While all of this food might sound like gastronomic Valhalla, it does come with a price. For lunch, your meal could cost between $17-$20 depending on if you eat during the week or the weekend. . While for dinner your meal will cost around $30. While it might sound expensive, it is all you can eat so make sure to be hungry.The quality of the sushi and the sashimi at Minado is pretty good. While there are more upscale sushi restaurants in the Boston area, Minado is the only all you can eat sushi restaurant I know of in the area. Minado is perfect for any sushi feast and is perfect for anyone that is a sushi fan. It is also perfect for those people that are just starting to eat sushi and are looking for something more than just sushi. With a variety of hot entrees, soups, and noodle dishes, Minado accommodates its menu to those people who are wary of eating sushi. In my multiple dining experiences at Minado, I have never had a bad meal there. If you live in the Boston area and are obsessed with sushi, Minado is a must try.

Drinktime: Rogue Chocolate Stout

During my time visiting Portland, Oregon, I had the pleasure of drinking some of the best tasting beers in America. Portland, and Oregon in general is known for having a plethora of microbreweries and breweries in general. They take their beer seriously in Portland that is for sure. The mantra of drinking local beers rings true for Portlanders. One of the more well known breweries based in Oregon is Rogue Ales. I have had Rogue Ales Dead Guy Ale before so I knew that Rogue brewed quality beer. I also knew that Rogue brews some of the most distinctive and unique beers in the country. One of those unique beers is the Rogue Chocolate Stout. This stout is dark, easy drinking, with a nice bitter-sweet finish. It has a hearty aroma that makes you want to drink more of it. The chocolate part of the Rogue Chocolate Stout comes from chocolate malts and real chocolate. The easy drinking Rogue Chocolate Stout has a ABV of six percent which makes this stout very palatable. I would definitely recommend this stout to any lover of stout. It is an easy drinking stout that will make any day better. It is so delicious that it has won awards from beer festivals around the world. It won the 2010 America's best stout in the World Beer Awards. It also won a gold medal at the 2011 Mondial de le Biere Festival in France. This is one tasty stout that will bring happiness to whoever will drink it. Once you have tried the Rogue Chocolate Stout, be sure to sample some of Rogue's other offerings. They brew some of the best beer in the Pacific Northwest. Cheers!

Voodoo Doughnuts

Back in December I visited a good friend of mine in Portland, Oregon. From all of the food television that I watch, there was one place I needed to checkout while I was in Portland. That place was Voodoo Doughnuts. Voodoo Doughnuts is known for having some of the most unique and creative selections of doughnuts in Portland and even in America. Their creativity has even landed them on Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, and Man vs. Food. Voodoo Doughnuts serves their unique doughnuts 24 hours a day so whenever you are in Portland and are having a doughnut craving Voodoo Doughnuts will be open for you.  When I went with my friend we went to the original location in Downtown Portland. We decided to indulge with a half a dozen delicious doughnuts. We decided to have the Mango Tango doughnut, the Voodoo Doll doughnut, two Bacon Maple bars, the Maple Blazer Blunt doughnut, and a jelly doughnut. The Bacon Maple bar was amazing. I understand that having a maple frosted doughnut topped with two strips of crispy bacon might sound disgusting, but please if you ever enter a Voodoo Doughnut store please order one. They are delicious. It is a lot like having pancakes with a side of bacon. The crispy, salty, and meaty taste of the bacon plays well with the maple glaze and the sweet doughnut. The contrast of flavors on this doughnut is truly worth the experience. The Maple Blazer Blunt is a delicious cinnamon sugar coated doughnut that looks like a cigar or blunt  with maple frosting on the tip with red sprinkles. The Maple Blazer Blunt is a solid doughnut that I would definitely eat again. The Voodoo Doll doughnut was a doll shaped jelly doughnut topped with chocolate. The unique doughnut options also include an M&M topped doughnut, an Oreo topped doughnut, doughnuts topped with Captain Crunch, Coco Puffs, and Fruit Loops. I guarantee that you will find a doughnut that suits your taste buds. All I can say about the doughnuts at Voodoo Doughnuts is that they are truly delicious. They lived up to the hype that surrounds them. For a true experience of what makes Portland, go to Voodoo Doughnuts and get yourself one of their delicious creations.

Smashburger

I believe it is fair to say that Americans love hamburgers. With the countless options for satisfying our hamburger cravings, finding a hamburger is not very hard. We have countless hamburger chains such as McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Five Guys, In-N-Out, Sonic, and Jack in the Box. Besides fast food chain restaurants that are focused on hamburgers, many sit down restaurants offer hamburgers on their menus so it is not hard to find a place that serves a hamburger.When I heard that a new burger restaurant was coming to Massachusetts, I was intrigued. The new burger restaurant is called Smashburger. Smashburger is a casual quick service burger restaurant chain that was founded in Denver, Colorado. The name Smashburger comes from the way in which the restaurant prepares their hamburgers. They take a ball of ground beef and they smash it flat on the griddle. That is why it is called Smashburger. Besides hamburgers, Smashburger offers grilled chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, milkshakes, veggie burgers, salads, fries, onions, and my favorite sweet potato fries. If you want a beer with your burger, Smashburger has you covered as well. When I ventured to the only Smashburger in Massachusetts which is located in the Sherwood Plaza in Natick right off of Route 9 I ordered the BBQ Bacon and Chedder Burger with a side of sweet potato fries. The burger itself was very good. I personally love the combination of bacon and barbecue sauce on a cheeseburger. The kicker to the cheeseburger was the fried onions on the burger. These fried onions are nothing like typical onion rings. Instead they are thin strings and not rings. The sweet potato fries were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Just the way french fries should be. Compared to some of my favorite places for a hamburger, Smashburger ranks with Five Guys in that it is one of the best hamburgers that is made by a fast food chain. In-N-Out will reign king of fast food hamburger chains and I am sad that they will probably not establish a base on the East Coast. Compared to other hamburgers I have had that come from sit down restaurants, the Smashburger needs some help. For hamburgers I love going to Eagle's Deli in Boston and Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage across the street from Harvard Yard in Cambridge. For what it is worth, Smashburger is a better bet than Wendy's, McDonald's, and Burger King without question. The burger itself tastes like beef and not some meat patty that has absolutely no flavor which you might find in hamburgers from other fast food hamburger chains. If you have not tried Smashburger I would recommend it to any hamburger enthusiast.