For The Win Smash Burgers/Kettle Glazed Doughnuts

 

A rainy day road trip with my son and a craving for a good hamburger led us to For The Win for smash burgers.

First, what is the difference between a smash burger and a regular burger? The smash burger is a patty cooked on a hot grill, smashed down with the spatula so that more of the patty is in contact with the high heat. The idea is that more proteins in the meat break down, giving the meat a more charred flavor, while still retaining some of it's juiciness.

 

 A Double with Cheese

 

Apparently, it's proper to use a soft bun as well, and keep the extras to a minimum.

 

For The Win started during the pandemic, the remnants of the owner's high end restaurant. It's a small space, but since it was raining, my son and I were easily able to find in door seating.

He's a young man, and ordered a triple cheese with bacon. I just can't eat that way anymore, and wanted to get a doughnut from the place next door after, so I went with the double with cheese. We bought french fries and brussel sprouts, too.

So at twice the price of a comparable In-N-Out burger, was it worth it?

Maybe. The smash burger technique does add a more complicated flavor, toasty across each bite instead of just the edges. I liked the potato buns better than In-N-Outs, too. The cheese was nothing special and might have benefited from being a sharp cheddar. The fries were ordinary. 

The brussel sprouts were very good, though. They were grilled and had a very strong hint of citrus that really set off their flavor, and I wish we'd have gotten a second order of those and skipped the fries altogether. 

 

The staff was friendly, even allowing me to buy a Mexican Coke from the liquor store next door and bring it in since they were out. The service was fast, too.

I won't make a special trip, but if I'm in the area and don't feel like a Tommy Burger, I'd definitely eat there again. They're open until 9 PM.

Kettle Glazed Doughnuts, next door, was also good and not too expensive. My son went with the s'mores, which he said was good.

I had this, which was also good. We were there late in the day, and the doughnuts were still soft and fresh, not like a stale doughnut that's been sitting in a case all day. With the burgers, it was a tasty, high calorie meal.