Danny Dines: Stackers Burger Co.

I met up with some high school buddies at THE BLOCK in Enchanted Hills. My friends and I went to Cleveland High School back in 1913 … I mean 2015.

Since then, they have all moved out of state while I have remained in Rio Rancho; I feel like I am stuck — Oh jeez, my bad. I will save that for my next therapy session. Shout out to my awesome therapist, Summer!

After a few beers, I was in search of some food, and while I had a nice frozen Lean Cuisine meal waiting for me at home, I was not driving at all.

Luckily, I walked past Stackers Burger Co., a burger joint specializing in smash burgers.

Some of the items on the Stackers Burgers Co. menu include West Coast Smash Burger, Oklahoma Fried Onion Smash Burger, milkshakes, floats, fries and tots.

For the layman, a smash burger is a beef patty smashed down on a hot griddle. Smashing the burger locks in some serious flavors and creates a crispy crust on the edges.

I decided to order the Duke City Smash Burger, the GC Queso Fries and a Diet Coke, because I’ve got to watch those calories. For anyone wanting a laugh, watch “The Office” season 5 episode 10 entitled “The Surplus;” you can see Michael Scott casually pour sugar into his Diet Coke.

The Duke City Smash Burger comes with two smashed patties, double cheese, hot Hatch chopped green chile, and seared onions on a brioche bun. The GC Queso Fries are house-seasoned fries covered with green chile queso.

As I waited for my order, I bought a ton of airplane tickets: one to go to Dallas, Texas, for the NFL’s East-West Shrine Bowl; one to Des Moines, Iowa, to visit my dad; and one to New York City because I had three IPAs. I am flying out a lot this month, and I can think of no better way to confront my fear of flying.

My order came out, and it looked spectacular.

I started with the GC Queso Fries, and they were cheesy, creamy, spicy and had a nice crunch from the crispy fries.

Next, I ate the Duke City Smash Burger, which was juicy, savory and slightly crunchy because of the smash burger’s crispy edges. The sweetness of the brioche bun, and spiciness from the green chile only added on to an endless amount of flavors.

I finished the whole thing just as my Lyft driver arrived. On the ride back, I told him about my meal, which led to a 15-minute rant on why I should never eat at Burger King.

Nonetheless, I was a happy man with a full belly and full heart.

Head down to THE BLOCK and give Stackers a try.