Buck's Prime - September 29, 2010

Last week's burger quest took us to just north of downtown Dallas to visit Buck's Prime. The first thing we noticed when we arrived was the sign proclaiming that Buck's had the best burger in Dallas. When we walked in, we could smell the mesquite smoke from the wood grill in the open kitchen and we could various meats being grilled over open fire. The menu featured bbq meats, steaks, hamburgers, grilled chicken and a variety of appetizers and sides. We walked past the troughs full of beer and bottled soda and the cashier greeted us at the register. I ordered a bacon cheddar burger cooked medium with a side of fries and a large iced tea and the cashier collected my ten dollars and gave me a cup of ice and a number. About ten minutes later, my number was called and I picked up the following burger from the counter:




The burger was served open face in basket and the side of fries was served in another basket next to the burger. A lightly toasted bun was topped with the patty which was topped with a slice of lightly melted cheddar cheese. Two thick peppery slices of bacon crossed the slice of cheese. I could smell the smokiness from the patty and I took my first bite. I tasted a lot of bread, a little bit of smoke and a fairly dry hamburger patty. The patty appeared to be a preformed half pound patty that might have been frozen before delivery to Buck's Prime. It was cooked to a perfect medium but was missing something in flavor. I would assume that Buck's was using a leaner patty when slightly more fat would have helped the flavor of the burger. The cheddar cheese had a good flavor and the highlight of the burger was the bacon. Buck's Prime uses a black pepper bacon for their burgers and it was cooked to perfection before being placed on the burger. The flavor of black pepper and bacon added to each bite of the burger. The bun reminded me of buns that I would eat when eating burgers in the backyard. It was a standard white bun and it held up the entire time I was eating the burger. Finally the fries were thick battered fries that arrived crispy and hot. While not my favorite style of fries, they had a good flavor and were a nice compliment to the burger.


Overall, I thought that Buck's Prime did not live up to the claims on their sign by serving a average burger that reminded me of backyard cookouts. It was nothing special but I have had worse burgers. The meat was dry and under-seasoned but it did have a nice flavor from cooking over a wood fire. The bacon and cheese gave a nice flavor to each bite of the burger and the fries were hot and crispy. I am not sure I would try another burger but I liked the location and I would go back to try their other offerings.


Ratings (1-25):


Bun - 17, standard hamburger bun, lightly toasted


Meat - 16, great bacon, average patty


Appearance - 18, nice looking burger on the plate, cheese melted well, bacon was crispy and covered with black pepper


Taste - 17, average backyard style burger


Overall- 68


Bonus pic of fries: