Rather than settle for a sub-optimal burger-topping-fry combo, Serious Eats editors Carey Jones, Erin Zimmer, and I went straight into the heart of the Burger Zone (the official name for the area of downtown Brooklyn that now houses a Shake Shack, a Smashburger, and a Five Guys all within a five-minute walkable radius). Once we reached the epicenter of the three restaurants, we split up and headed out to pick up a topped burger and side of fries from each restaurant. The idea was that we'd use the different components to assemble The Ultimate Burger and Fries Combo, a high end fast-food meal so epic that it requires the use of capital letters. More

Smashburger makes better than average burgers for a chain, and now with the national rollout of their black bean burgers, they've got better than average veggie burgers too. More

Last week, I visited Elevation Burger, an organic burger chain from Falls Church Virginia, The Counter, a high concept design-a-burger chain from California, Go Burger, a brick-and-mortar version of the truck based on a Los Angeles burger joint, and Smashburger, the rapidly expanding Denver-based chain that just opened its first New York location in Brooklyn. At each restaurant, I ordered a few burgers, tried all of their sides and special menu items, as well as a milkshake. How'd they compare to each other, and more importantly, are they going to be key players in the New York burger landscape? Let's take a look at them one at a time and see. More

Smashburger's newest San Diego location officially opened today, downtown in the East Village neighborhood. I stopped by to sample some burgers, including the signature San Diego Smashburger. More

Smashburger is going all out for National Hamburger Month with special offers throughout May, some requiring registration at nationalsmashburgermonth.com. The basic breakdown looks like this: May 10-13: Free fries with purchase of burger May 17-30: Kids get free meal... More

[Photographs: Nick Solares] SmashBurger Location reviewed: 15 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair NJ 07042 (near Maple Avenue, map); 973-433-7343; smashburger.com for locations Cooking Method: Smashed Short Order: This rapidly expanding fast casual chain offers excellent burgers using fresh smashed beef Want... More