Continuing my search for a great cheeseburger in New Jersey, Saturday my sons and I went to the Smashburger in Brick after seeing the Lego Movie (don’t expect a review of the movie, though, I slept through it, but my sons thought it was really good).

Smashburger is a growing chain in the “fast casual” category of restaurant; what makes it a “Smashburger” is that the fresh ground beef is formed into a ball and then “smashed” on the grill to sear it. I had high hopes, because the burgers that were coming out of the kitchen looked really good.

I ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger with fries and an orange soda. I have to be honest, the orange soda was the highlight of the meal. The burger wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t special; it tasted like an assembly line, mass produced burger. I will give high marks to the sear, but just so-so on the seasoning; the bun was good and fresh and the onions on the burger were particularly flavorful. The fries were good but, like the burger, they were nothing special. I would rank Smashburger just below Burger 21 and way behind my two favorites, The Tiger's Tail and Cassville Tavern.

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM