The latest entry in the borough's burger wars opened its doors Thursday in Fort Greene.
Smashburger, a fast food-style sit-down restaurant, made its New York debut on Dekalb Avenue, becoming the latest in a long line of recently opened eateries dedicated to what may be America's most-heralded contribution to world cuisine.
Offering a slate of borough-specific offerings like the "Brooklyn" — a heart-stopping combo of beef and pastrami on a pretzel bun — Smashburger seemed poised to bring some corporate flavor pimp firepower to an increasingly-crowded beef patty-centric restaurant scene.
Founded in 2007 by Tom Ryan, a veteran of the Quiznos, Long John Silver's and McDonald's restaurant chains, Smashburger operates on the West Coast-based Fatburger model with table service, a stripped-down menu and made-to-order ethos.
On a rainy, chilly Saturday afternoon, the restaurant was about half-filled with customers like Brian Delaney, a downtown Brooklyn resident working his way through his very first Smashburger.
"It's better than a fast food restaurant, but maybe not as good as you would get in a regular sit-down place," Delaney said.
In addition to the burgers, the restaurant serves up Stewarts Root Beer floats, Brooklyn Lager and, perhaps in a fast food restaurant first, wine by the glass.
However, vegetarians be warned: though tasty, the Black Bean Burger patty seemed to have a propensity to fall apart in one's hands.
Smashburger is located at 80 Dekalb Ave. between Rockwell Place and Hudson Avenue. The restaurant is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
