The girls and I got to visit Smashburger Monday- two days before the grand opening in Des Moines (yeah, that would be today…)  Smashburger is brought to Des Moines by the partnership that delivered the always popular HuHot.

We got to try anything from the menu.  It was a difficult decision as they have more than burgers- chicken, salads, brats and hot dogs.  We chose two kids meals: a kids Smashburger and chicken strips.  Both came with fries and a drink.  Both were a lot of food for $3.99.

I went wild and ordered the Iowa Smashburger.  Apparently the “local” burger that is put on every menu is the second most popular burger, after the Classic Smashburger, according Scott Crane, the President of Smashburger, who was at the opening and took a few minutes to talk to me about the restaurant.

The Iowa Smashburger has Iowa Maytag cheese, applewood smoked bacon, haystack onions, lettuce, tomato and mayo.  And it was good…  I also got the Smashfries- tossed with rosemary, olive oil, garlic and herbs.  Oh. My. Gosh.  These were beyond yummy.

The secret to the Smashburger is the “smash”.  The burgers are cooked to order from 100% Angus beef- fresh, never frozen.  The beef is smashed with a special smasher tool and seared.  This keeps the beef juicy while getting those great “crunchy bits” that are missing from many restaurant burgers.

In about 6 weeks Smashburger will be opening in Ankeny- I can’t wait!  The Veggie Frites are on my “must try” list.