Grillsmith for Burgers

Last weekend, we celebrated my birthday with the customary birthday burgers. We have been cooking all our meals at home since the lockdown began back in March. Now that restaurants have reopened, we wanted to do our part to help this suffering industry, while simultaneously enjoying more of Sarasota County's best burgers.

Grillsmith is fairly new to Sarasota. The chain has several locations in Florida. We visited the branch on Tamiami Trail just north of Stickney Point Road. The decor includes wood accent walls and large screen TVs which were tuned to the only sports currently available: horse and car racing. We watched lots of pitstops while waiting for our burgers.

I chose to sample a glass of prosecco ($8) to help me celebrate. My mom tried the raspberry lemonade ($4.50), which she enjoyed. There are several beers on tap, and quite a few wines offered by the glass.

My Grillsmith burger ($14) came out perfectly cooked, medium, with plenty of pink in the center. This instantly made me happy. The toppings were flavorful: bacon, Muenster cheese, tomato jam. The lettuce offered a little freshness. The brioche buns were so soft and airy, they quickly collapsed under the massive juiciness of the meat. But I wasn't even mad, because the burger itself was so good!

The fries were also top notch. You can choose from a variety of "kicked up" fries which come with the burgers. I selected the parmesan herb fries. These are medium-thick with a topping of parmesan and fresh herbs, including rosemary and garlic. Ketchup is served in a tiny ramekin on the side.

My mom and hubby both chose the cheeseburger ($11) instead of the Grillsmith burger. They were able to select any type of cheese. Their burgers were also served on brioche buns and came with fries. My mom's sweet potato fries were as thin as toothpicks and crunchy instead of mushy. She was pleased with them!

We were there early, around 4pm, and the place was empty. But things began to pick up as we were leaving. Grillsmith also serves brunch on Saturday and Sunday starting at 11am.

I would give my Grillsmith burger an A-, the highest grade I have given a burger here in Florida. The bun is where points were taken away. As for flavor, this burger is currently the champ. But we're not done searching for the BEST BURGER in Sarasota County!