In October, Salem welcomed a new burger restaurant, Crazy Good Kitchen, the third Massachusetts outpost of an already popular emerging brand. Founded by Bernardo V. Miranda, Pillar Miranda, and Pillar’s parents Tony and Selma Desouza, the Salem restaurant is actually located within the East Regiment Beer Co., a complimentary coexistence that allows diners to sample both burgers and beers simultaneously.
The menu at Crazy Good Kitchen is a slim-but-satisfying rendering of some of Americana’s best hits. A category of smashed burgers, made from six-ounce, ground beef patties (meat is ground in house), served on sesame seed buns with a choice of burnt butter mayo or so-called “better-than-ketchup” (it’s an original burger recipe made from ketchup, mayonnaise, griddled onions, chives, salt, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and a secret ingredient), includes four traditional burgers and one veggie option. Non-veggie options can be ordered with a single or double patty.
I opted for the ‘Merica Style smash burger, with a single patty, adorned with house-made pickles, griddled onions, a double serving of American cheese, and—because I asked—both sauces. But more expeditious diners might want to try the Double Trouble, which adds applewood-smoked bacon and pickled onions to the mix; or the Hot Mess & Cheese, which comes with shaved steak and the house cheese.
There is, too, a column devoted to fried chicken sandwiches. The so-called But Make It Spicy is not quite Nashville hot, but it is amply dusted in a spice mix of cayenne, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt, and topped with a crunchy mixed slaw, house pickles, and a homemade buttermilk ranch. Curious as I was, I did not order the Fried Chicken Sundae (buttermilk-fried chicken, vanilla ice cream, Vermont maple syrup), but it was the topic of more than one tableside conversation, I noted.
French fries! A whole category! Order the ones with cheese, if you want a gentle suggestion. (Also available: bacon cheese fries, bacon ranch fries, buffalo chicken fries, chicken bomb fries, steak bomb fries, sweet and spicy fries, parmesan truffle fries, barbecue ranch chicken fries, fries with dipping sauces; it’s a fry extravaganza.)
I would be remiss to omit the high-density milkshakes, which come in seven regular flavors—Oreo, Nutella, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, passion fruit, mango—and five “crazy” flavors, which include assorted mix-ins. The latter offers up decadent options like cookie dough and Oreo (I’m Crazy for Cookies); peanut butter and Reese’s Pieces (Peanut Butter Slide); and Nutella and bananas (Make It Rain Nutella). Whether you get them with a swirl of whipped cream on top or without—and I tried both—you’ll need a spoon to get to the bottom.
While you’re there, try one of the ever-rotating beer cocktails from East Regiment Beer Co., like the Everlasting Gobstopper. What’s in it? A floating mix of the beers on draught that changes flavor as you drink through (it’s meant to be a surprise). On Thursdays, beers are experimentally cold-smoked, an exquisite pairing with a patty. No, make it two.