Quest for the Best: Smashburger

At some point around the year 2011, I visited my first fast-casual restaurant chain. That particular restaurant was Chipotle, which does not serve burgers and so I won't elaborate on how it went, but it did serve as my introduction to the increasingly popular world of higher quality fast(er) food. I'm not sure why it took me so long; Chipotles had been popping up all over the valley since 2007 or earlier, but I was a man with simple tastes back then. If I wanted a burrito, I'd go to Del Taco. If I wanted a burger, I'd also go to Del Taco (Del Taco was really close to my apartment at the time and makes a surprisingly good double cheeseburger).

It was also around this time that I had my first…