Taste this: Akron Hammer at Buckets (330-572-2885), located inside of House Three Thirty at 532 W. Market St. It’s part of the restaurant’s lineup of smashburgers.
Creator: Buckets staff, along with Nick “Notch” Lopez of the LeBron James Family Foundation, taste-tested a list of flavor combinations curated by culinary director Aaron “Bomba” Blank.
Eye test: The Akron Hammer is a classic smashburger topped with dusted crispy onions, cheddar, bacon, BBQ sauce and American cheese. Onions, bacon and cheese peek from under the round hamburger bun.
Walking in, the restaurant atmosphere is warm and inviting. There are sports games playing on TVs above the bar. The restaurant floor is surrounded by orange lighting and dark leather seats. Love seats are positioned above the indoor balcony, creating a relaxed dining experience area.
Process: Staff taste-tested about 10 smashburgers with different flavor combinations. Each smashburger on the menu has a creative name; the Akron Hammer nods back to LeBron James’ nickname while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After being greeted at the door by smiles, customers sit at a table, booth or in the indoor balcony area with a view. Like the menu, servers are cleverly named (“Free Agent,” “Nemo” etc.) with backstories behind their nicknames. Sandwiches come off line plates on a silver tray with red and white checkered paper underneath it.
Pairs with: Try the Blackberry Lemonade. It has the perfect amount of sweetness and free refills.
Sides: All smashburgers are served with a basket of crinkle cut fries.
“Taste This” is our glimpse of the Akron area’s tastiest, distinctive and popular (or soon-to-be-famous) food, drinks and desserts — and the local culinary talents behind them. Tough job, we know. Know any menu items we should consider? Tell us here.
From the reporter: The most unsuspecting layer to the smashburger is the BBQ sauce — it adds a surprise sweetness that shows up in random bites. The burger patty’s savoriness balances well with the sweetness.
About Buckets: Buckets’ employee program provides job opportunities for I Promise Program members — including servers, bussers and greeters — adding to the family environment.
How to buy: Buckets is open for lunch and dinner on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Full menu and online ordering are available at buckets330.com.
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