Burger Drops
Drop Shop by Burger Drops is a smash burger restaurant in Liberty Village.
The project started out as a mobile pop-up concept founded by Greg Bourolias, appearing at breweries and other spots around town.
They've studied the history of smash burgers via scholars like George Motz to create what many consider one of the best in the city, presented on a very restricted, refined menu. This is a place that does one thing really well, and isn't seeking to reinvent the wheel.
One wall is adorned with a posterboard of photos of memories of the Burger Drops journey, the decor as sleek and restrained as the menu.
Order at the cash, and get a sanitized buzzer that vibrates up to 500 metres away when your burger is ready.
The most basic cheeseburger starts at $7 with a single signature crispy three-ounce smashed patty made of chuck roll for a beefy taste cut with fattier parts.
The secret to their perfect smash? The beef is always ice cold until it touches the 550 to 600 degree flat top, the combination of cold, hot and more surface area making contact with the grill creating chemical Maillard magic.
On a squishy potato roll like all burgers, it's topped with griddled onion, American cheese, house pickles and house "drop sauce," basically a secret sauce of ketchup, mayo, Dijon, garlic and other spices.
A double burger is $10.50, and the two patties essentially doubling the crunch factor of every bite. These are burgers you want to finish in seconds without stopping for air, the caramelized, meaty patty working perfectly with the soft bun and tangy sauce.
The only other burger on the menu is the American (same pricing), more of a "McDonald's" style burger if you will with American cheese, pickles and drop sauce as well as ketchup, lettuce and raw diced onion for the sweetness and texture you might associate with the style of a certain fast food chain.
Add bacon to your burger for $3, tripling that crunch factor.
Fries ($4) are made from skin-on Burbank Russets cut in house, blanched, brined and then fried at two different temperatures, creating textbook shoestring fries with a dehydrated mushroom, chive and onion seasoning that adds and umami hit and brings out their crispiness.
Cheese fries ($6.50) are doused in a cheese sauce (a traditional Mornay with garlic, onions, jalapeno and cream) with a house pickled jalapeno relish piled in the corner. This allows you to mix in the spicy, sour relish to your preference.
Grab extra drop sauce ($1.50) or pickles ($2.50) on the side.
Hector Vasquez