Restaurant Review: Smashburger and TCB Yogurt

by JD Meyer

I chose five yogurts out of a possible sixteen: cheesecake, cookies-and-cream, blackberry, mango, and chocolate mint. Then I got five toppings...

A two-in-one restaurant review? If the two restaurants are next-door neighbors, then such a review may be possible. This strip shopping center across from a parking lot, next to the Courtyard Marriot in Far South Tyler has four heavyweight restaurants: Smashburger, TCB Yogurt, Subway, and Wing Stop. This area is on the east side of Broadway while Carmike is the largest building on the opposite side of the street. The Tyler Transit's furthest drive south is through the parking lot by that theater, and it's on the Red Line.

I created my own cheeseburger for lunch at Smashburger. My artisan bun was spicy chipotle, then I added melted cheddar, spicy brown mustard, all possible vegetables including jalapenos, Frank's Red hot Buffalo Sauce, ranch dressing. Creating your own burger costs $4.29 and the cheese was the only extra that wasn't free at 75 cents.

I returned for dinner to Smashburger and ate the Sweet Potato Smash Fries--$2.15 with tax. This long overdue invention takes sweet potatos cut into fries and cooked in olive oil with rosemary and garlic. Later in life, I returned to get Smashburger's excellent Mexican burger featuring guacamole, Monterrey Jack Cheese, onions, cilantro, and jalapenos.

Then I had some dessert at TCB Yogurt; TCB stands for "Tasty Creamy Blissful." The serve-yourself style costs 42 cents for whatever you want: yogurt or toppings. I chose five yogurts out of a possible sixteen: cheesecake, cookies-and-cream, blackberry, mango, and chocolate mint. Then I got five toppings: granola, mini plain M&M's, blueberries, raspberry truffles, and hot fudge. I didn't notice the cute cubes of cheesecake or I would have got them too. There were 36 possible toppings and four sauces. The ten item stuffed bowl of dairy wonders cost around $7--a great way to finish the afternoon on my birthday.

How did I end up in this far away (for me) exotic part of Tyler the first time? By going to a wonderful lecture at the Courtyard Marriot entitled, "Food for Thought," presented by a speaker with the Institute for Brain Potential (IBP). For example, eating more carbohydrates produces more serotonin while eating more protein makes more dopamine, at the risk of oversimplifying a 30-som'n page handout from a seven-hour lecture. If you get the chance to attend a lecture for Continuing Eduction Units (CEU) at the Courtyard Marriot, you're in for a treat at meal time.