Caleb T.
Yelp
Farm to Smash is very good. Of all the burger spots I've been to around San Diego, it ranks pretty high. And while my own experience here didn't match the heights of some other reviewers I've seen, I do want to come back and eat again, try their other offerings and see if any minor issues I had were one offs.
I had The Rodeo, their version of a bacon cheeseburger. The patty itself was flavorful, well seasoned, but I did not get as much crispiness as I had expected from the smash. It was still juicy and good, just missing the chewy edges to the meat. And while the bacon and pickles gave it a great amount of heft, the sauce heightening the flavor with a good amount of sweet and a bit of tang, I felt that overall, it needed a bit more to put it over the top. A very good burger, just not brilliant.
My son had the Flamin' Smash, which he was able to polish off about half of before the heat became too much. Talking as someone who can handle a good amount of heat, it was very tolerable, but even I could feel it by the end as I finished it. Still, my primary issue with this burger were the jalapeño; cut and served raw, they were a bit bitter. I think they would have been better if they were either pickled or fried.
He also had a Chocolate Shake, which I'm sure he wished he had saved more of before his burger hit the table.
And between us, we split a small serving of the Loaded Fries. The fries themselves were delicious, crispy and salty, with a great underlying flavor from the tallow. However, they were absolutely drenched in the Original Sauce we ordered them in. Where it should have been a healthy drizzle on top, it was instead a goopy puddle that completely dominated every bite of our side. And it was a bit overpowering.
Again, Farm to Smash is very good. They've got great flavors, seem to have a nice range of ingredients, and have a good technique to their cooking. I'm just personally not a huge fan of the combinations I've tried. If and when I come back out here, I would think/suggest that one should order a plain cheeseburger with a side of their sauce to appreciate their beef and cooking. And then chase it up with a BYO Bacon Cheeseburger with the full lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onions, and a light smear of the original sauce.
Do that, and I'm pretty sure anyone would walk away a very happy diner.