Why: Smashburger is among the food court options at the Ilani Casino Resort in Ridgefield. The franchise presently has 300 restaurants in 32 states and specializes in “smashed” beef and chicken burgers made with fresh, wholesome and authentic ingredients. Smashburger’s secret to juicy goodness is in the melted sweet butter and imported olive oil blend used to season the meat patties. A 10-second “smash” on the grill seals in juices and creates a caramelized, crispy shell on each patty. Fries and salads round out the food options and shakes made with premium Häagen-Dazs ice cream offer the classic burger meal.
What I tried: I settled on the Spicy Jalapeño BBQ burger with a Cobb Salad and my dining companion had the Classic Smash burger. We tried the Smashfries and indulged in a chocolate shake.
The Spicy Jalapeño BBQ burger has grilled jalapeños, sliced aged cheddar, applewood smoked bacon and BBQ sauce on an egg bun. The Classic Smash is served with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles on an egg bun. The burger patties are slightly larger in diameter than the buns, which are a tad smaller than standard. Both patties were juicy with an appetizing crisp on some of the exterior. The classic’s toppings were garden fresh and balanced for the burger and the cheese on both burgers was melted.
Although the jalapeño burger was good, I would have preferred a bit more barbecue sauce because it was not detectable in every bite. The jalapeños were freshly sliced but lacked a great deal of spice so “spicy” was not necessarily a characteristic of the burger. The bacon was neither too crispy nor it too chewy. The buns held together well.
Dining Out review: Smashburger
Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday; 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Where: Ilani Casino Resort, 1 Cowlitz Way, Ridgefield.
Contact: 360-768-5452 or smashburger.com
Health score: Not applicable. The Ilani Casino Resort does not fall under the purview of Clark County Public Health.
Smashfries are petite cut, fried to a golden brown and tossed in rosemary, garlic and olive oil. We found them to be a tasty accompaniment to the burgers and not overly oily.
The Cobb Salad starts with a generous bed of greens. Portions of crumbled bleu cheese, shredded cheddar, a fried egg, crumbled applewood smoked bacon, chopped tomatoes and sliced white onions are attractively layered across the top. Buttermilk ranch dressing is served alongside to add at your discretion. I ate the salad without dressing and was only able to eat half of it. I took the rest home and finished it the next day. It was just as yummy.
Häagen-Dazs is my favorite ice cream so I was overjoyed to discover Smashburger’s shakes are made with it. I was not the least bit disappointed with the chocolate shake and true to Häagen-Dazs’ hard-frozen goodness, the shake stayed frosty cold and perfect to its last slurp.
Atmosphere: The fast-casual dining restaurants at the casino are located in a food court on the west end of the building. A brick-faced wall with a colorful painted mural depicts Northwest bounty and dining tables are paired with woven upholstered benches and chairs covered in a complementary light green color. Lighting consists of contemporary pendant fixtures and halogen spots. Diners order at the counter and receive a pager to notify them when their food is ready. Trash and tray receptacles are located at the entrance of the court.
Menu highlights beyond what I tried: The Bacon Avocado Club is made with lettuce, tomato, ranch dressing and mayonnaise on a multigrain bun. The Bacon Cheeseburger has American cheese, mustard, ketchup, pickles and onion on an egg bun. The Truffle Mushroom Swiss sounded delicious. This burger has saut?ed crimini mushrooms and truffle mayonnaise on an egg bun. The Harvest Salad combines fresh greens, bleu cheese, raisins, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette. Regular french fries seasoned with sea salt are on the menu, as are sweet potato fries. In addition to the frosty H?agen-Dazs chocolate shake, you can order vanilla, strawberry and Oreo. Pepsi products and some bottled beverages are available as well.
Other observations: Burgers are available in beef, which is never frozen, all-white-meat chicken and a black bean vegetarian option. The service was friendly and efficient. The air temperature in the casino is on the cool side so a light jacket may be advisable. The food was very good but the chocolate shake was compelling!
Cost: Burgers cost between $7 and $9. Salads are just over $8. Fries and sides are about $3. Shakes are right around $6. Sodas or tea costs $2.75.
