The Burger Girl - March 24, 2010

This week's burger quest took us to McKinney Avenue just south of Knox Avenue to visit The Burger Girl. The Burger Girl is the latest "breastaurant" to hit the Dallas area and specializes in burgers, chicken sandwiches, fish sandwiches and a variety of appetizers such as fried pickles and fried calamari. We walked up to the hostess stand and were promptly seated on the patio. A few moments later, our server took our drink orders. According to the menu, all burgers are cooked with fresh ground beef sourced from a local butcher and burgers are served with a four ounce single patty ($6.99), two four ounce patties for a double ($9.99) or a six ounce Kobe patty. You can add bacon to any burger for an additional $0.99 charge. Also every burger is served with a choice of fries, sweet potato fries or chips. After our server returned with our drinks, I ordered a double cheddar burger with grilled onions and mayonnaise only with the regular fries. A standard burger is served with secret sauce which is a thousand island type dressing. About fifteen minutes the following burger was brought to the table:




The burger looked really good with melted white cheddar cheese, an abundance of grilled onions and juicy patty. Unfortunately the burger was served with shredded lettuce and two thick slices of fresh tomato but both were easily removed from the burger. Taking a bite, you could taste the freshness of the meat which was cooked to a slightly pink medium and the flavor of the peppered bacon. I am not sure which butcher is providing the meat but it is a good product. The bacon could have been cooked slightly longer as it was a little chewy in each bite. I would have liked a different type of cheddar. The white cheddar was melted well over the patties but really was flavorless. I would probably choose either the provolone or Swiss cheese on a future burger. Next, the bun stood up well to the two juicy patties and other ingredients including the grilled onions which were thicker rings of white onion that added a nice crunch to every bite. Finally the thick hand cut fries were seasoned well but were a little limp and could have used a little more time in the fryer; however, I really liked the house-made horseradish sauce that was served on the side with the fries.


Overall, I thought that the burger served by The Burger Girl was a good burger with fresh ingredients, perfect temperature and nicely toasted bun. I would have liked a better cheddar cheese and crispier bacon but since the restaurant has only been open for two to three weeks, there could be some growing pains that will get sorted out. I would go back to The Burger Girl in the future but would order a different cheese and probably get the single as opposed to the double.


Ratings (1-25):


Bun - 20, toasted bun that held up well to the ingredients


Meat - 19, fresh ground beef locally sourced, cooked perfectly, bacon was peppery


Appearance - 20, fresh ingredients, gooey melted cheese, abundance of grilled onion


Taste - 20, juicy burger with tasty grilled onions and bacon


Overall - 79

Dunston's Steakhouse - March 17, 2010

This weeks's burger rave took us to the Park Cities location of Dunston's Steakhouse on Lovers Lane between Inwood and the North Dallas Tollway. Dunston's has been in this location for over 39 years and as we walked up to the door, the smell of wood smoke was heavy in the air. We were excited as we walked into the dark restaurant with a salad bar and wood fired grill featured prominently near the seating area. We were seated by a server and a pitcher of water and menus were brought to our table. We asked the server if the burgers were thin style or thicker patties and we were told they use a thin patty so I ordered a bacon double cheeseburger with grilled onions and a side of onion rings. The server asked how I wanted my burger cooked and I told her medium. We kept expecting to see our burgers cooked on the grill but when we asked we were told all burgers are cooked in the back kitchen. I would have liked to have the burgers cooked over open flame but I also realize that thin-style patties work best on a flattop. About 15 minutes later, the following burger was brought to the table:





Two meager but crispy slices of bacon were halved and placed on the bottom bun. The two thin patties had a layer of gooey melted cheese between them and then mayonnaise was placed on the top bun. The grilled onions were thick rings of onion and were served in a small bowl on the side. I took my first bite and tasted mainly the whole wheat bun with a slight flavor of burger and bacon. The patties were cooked fine but really had no flavor or seasoning and tasted like frozen patties. The bacon was nonexistent in the flavor of the burger. I took a small bite of a slice and it was crispy and had a good flavor but the slices were too small for the size of the bun. Onion rings were thick rings of onion that were breaded. Some were really good but others could have used a little more time in the fryer to cook out the excess moisture from being frozen.


Overall I was disappointed in the burger offering at Dunston's. Going to a steakhouse that prides itself on mesquite grilled prime steaks, we were hoping for a really good burger made with fresh ingredients especially when the total bill for a bacon double cheeseburger with grilled onions was $12.12 before tip. I will probably go back to try the steak offerings but definitely will not be ordering another burger.


Ratings (1-25):


Bun - 17, ok bun but overpowered the rest of the burger


Meat - 15, unseasoned thin frozen patties, meager but tasty slices of bacon


Appearance - 17, gooey cheese between two patties, looked good on the plate


Taste - 16, an ok burger that could have used additional seasoning and fresher meat


Overall - 65

Burger Spot - March 10, 2010

This week's quest took us to Lake Highlands to the fairly new restaurant - Burger Spot. Burger Spot is owned by the founders of Celebrity Cafe and their menu features burgers, salads and homemade Rice Krispy Treats. We walked in and the friendly staff directed us to the register where I placed my order for a 1/3 pound bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions with a side of Cajun spiced fries. Other options for fries included Sweet Potato fries and regular fries. Once you are done ordering, the staff gives everyone a bowl of popcorn to enjoy while waiting for burgers to be cooked fresh. They change flavors daily and barbeque was the flavor of the day. One of the mangers told us that they have a variety of flavors including parmesan garlic and Cajun. The popcorn was good and about ten minutes later, the following burger was brought to the table:




The burger looked good with gooey melting cheese, toasted bun and diced grilled onions. Burger Spot prides themselves on using fresh local beef and when I took my first bite, I could taste the freshness of the patty. Mayonnaise was placed on both the bottom and top bun and the cheese was melted on top of a few slices of thin crisp bacon and the patty. The burger could have used a little more bacon but it had a good flavor combination of fresh beef, nicely grilled onions and a fresh ciabatta style bun. The bun had a nice flavor and worked well with the larger patty. The patty was cooked on a flat top to medium well which dried it out a little bit but it was well seasoned. The cheddar cheese was a mild variety that melted nicely over the patty. Finally, the fries were thin cut fries that were average burger restaurant fare. By the time they arrived at the table, they had lost some of their heat from the fryer but the cajun seasoning had a really good flavor.


Overall, Burger Spot cooked a nice burger with fresh ingredients and a fairly extensive menu to give everyone their choice in how they like their burgers. I liked the idea of using fresh local beef and the free popcorn was a nice snack while waiting for burgers to be cooked to order. If I am in the Lake Highlands area, I would go back to try another burger or one of their chicken sandwiches.


Ratings (1-25):


Bun - 19, fresh ciabatta style bun, good flavor, nicely toasted


Meat - 19, fresh ground beef, locally sourced, could have used a little more bacon


Appearance - 20, nice appearance of melted cheese, crispy bun, grilled diced onions


Taste - 19, good flavor, could have been a little juicier and seasoned a little more


Overall - 77