Today burgers come in all shapes and sizes. From hulking half-pounders, towering double-stacks, scrumptious sliders, and White Castle’s famous squares, to the current burger trend – flat-out smashed.

I’m talking about Smashburger! There’s quite a lot of buzz surrounding Smashburger, and I wanted to understand what makes this quarter inch thin burger so appealing and blazingly popular.

So, I visited the kitchen of Smashburger in Montclair and met manager Ed Basch, who greeted me with the phrase, “It’s a smashing day at Smashburger!”

Admittedly, I did approach Smashburger with some trepidation. After all, it’s a chain. Right? Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Smashburger makes their burgers fresh daily, with meat that was never frozen. I was further impressed with the level on consummate exactness in the kitchen, regarding testing the temperature of each burger in three places with an electrode type thermometer thing.

Want to see how it’s done? Watch the video.

I sampled the Classic Smashburger, ½ lb priced at $5.99, indeed, tasty. Then I tried the New Jersey Smashburger, ½ lb priced at $6.99, and topped with Applewood smoked bacon, blue cheese crumbles, grilled onions, haystack onions, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on an onion bun. Very tasty!

Although burgers may be what Smashburger does best, they’re no one trick pony. Smashchicken and Smashsalads are also on the menu, and are also, made to order every time. The chicken is fresh, never frozen.

There is something to be said about the side dishes at Smashburger. The Smashfries, and Sweet Potato Smashfries tossed with rosemary, olive oil and garlic are really great.

I also sampled the Smashburger milk shakes. Rich, creamy, and made with Haagen-Daz Ice Cream. They also offer Stewart’s sodas, in glass bottles, which I happen to love.

So if you’re after a quick lunch or dinner, Smashburger will not disappoint. For more pics, click here.