Ratings Through June 10, 2011

Updated Ratings through June 10, 2011


83 – Club Schmitz
83 - Dairy-ette
83 - Restaurant Ava
82 - Angry Dog
82 - Marquee Grill
82 - Meddlesome Moth
82 – Roasters ‘n Toasters (Now Closed in Dallas)
82 - Screen Door
82 - Ye Ole Butcher Shop
81 - Barley House
81 - Maple and Motor Burger and Beer
81 - Chips
81 - Ozona
81 - Melios Brothers Char Bar
81 - Nova
81 - Tramontana
81 - Yourway Burgers
80 - Cisco Grill
80 - Elevation Burger
80 - Grazing Cow
80 - Neighborhood Services Bar and Grille
80 – Riverside Grill
80 - Smashburger
80 - The Commissary
80 – Wingfields Burgers and Breakfast
79 - Another Broken Egg Cafe
79 - Del's Charcoal Burgers
79 – The Burger Girl
79 – Kellers
79 - John's Cafe
79 – Park
79 – Taco Diner
78 – Back Country Bar B Q
78 - Jake's
78 – Scotty P’s Hamburgers
77 – Burger Spot
76 - Alee
76 - JG’s
76 - Mooyah
76 - Nosh Euro Bistro
76 - Razoo's
76 - Twisted Root
76 – Burger House
76 – Village Burger Bar
75 - 12 Burgers
75 - Flaming Burger
75 – Grape
75 – Snuffers
75 - Stephan Pyles
74 – Five Guys Burgers and Fries
74 - Goff's
74 - Lakewood's 1st and 10
74 - Stroker's Ice House
73 – Adair’s Saloon
73 - Flying Fish (Preston Center)
72 – Ball’s Hamburgers
72 - Hole in the Wall
72 - Mighty Fine Burgers (Round Rock)
72 - Central 214
72 – Tre Amici
70 - Peggy Sue's BBQ
69 - Kuby's Sausage House
68 - Buck's Prime
68 – Loon
67 – Gazeebo Burger
66 – Lucky’s Cafe
66 – Pappy’s Old Fashioned Hamburger Company
65 – Dunston’s Steakhouse
65 - Midway Pointe

Marquee Grill - June 10, 2011

Last Friday's burger quest took me to Marquee Grill, Tre Wilcox's restaurant that recently opened in Highland Park Village. Marquee Grill is open for lunch and dinner and features two different menus depending on the time of day. At lunch, the menu features items that are quicker to prepare and eat such as salads and sandwiches so that diners can return to work while at dinner, the menu features more complex entrees. As our group entered the restaurant, we were greeted by a friendly hostess who brought us to our table which was located near the open kitchen. Marquee Grill is a two story very open restaurant with the kitchen on the first floor and an expansive bar on the second floor. After we were seated, our server asked for our drink orders and then he explained the features of the day. He returned with our drinks and I ordered the Marquee Grill Burger which features caramelized cipollini onion, Neuske's bacon, smoked cheddar cheese and fries for $15. After a short wait, the following burger was placed before me:




While I was waiting for the burger to be cooked, I could hear it cooking in the kitchen and it smelled wonderful when it arrived. The cheese was melted nicely on top of the patty while the bottom bun soaked up the juices from the half pound patty. The onion was lightly caramelized and served on top of the cheddar cheese. The burger was crowned with two crispy slices of bacon and the toasted top bun. Taking a bite, I was impressed with the layers of flavors and textures of ingredients from the smoky and crispy bacon, the earthy smoky cheese, the sweetness of the onion and juicy hamburger patty. I am not sure what kind of beef was being used in the patty but it was cooked medium and was seasoned with salt and pepper and lightly coated with a ancho-bourbon sauce which gave each bite a little bit of heat. I would have liked the bacon to have been cut slightly thicker and cooked a little less crisp but it had a good flavor and complimented the burger. One of my favorite parts of the burger was probably the cipollini onions which were sweeter than typical red or yellow onions and added a unique dimension to the burger. Finally the fries were thick cut fries that were crunchy and salty.


Overall I thought that Marquee Grill served a very good burger especially in the high-end burger category. They used high quality ingredients in the entire burger and the flavors worked well together. It is definitely not an everyday burger but on a hot summer day in Dallas, it was a tasty splurge. I would order the burger again but I would also like to try the other offerings from Tre Wilcox and Jermaine Brown as well as try one the drink concoctions created by Jason Kosmas at the bar.


Ratings (1-25:)


Bun - 20, light fluffy bun, held up well to a very juicy burger


Meat - 21, flavorful high quality patty, crispy smoky bacon


Appearance - 20, good presentation, nice contrast of cheese meat and onions


Taste - 21, very tasty burger, sweetness of onions complimented beef, cheese and bacon flavors


Overall - 82

The Commissary Dallas - June 6, 2011

This week's burger quest took our group to One Arts Plaza to visit The Commissary - John Tesar's new restaurant. At lunch, the Commissary's menu features small plates, salad and a variety of burgers including ones made with short ribs, braised pig tails and pork belly, duck eggs and lamb among other ingredients. While the other burgers sounded intriguing on the menu, I decided to go with the Magic Burger which featured an eight ounce grass fed beef patty and apple wood smoked bacon. I ordered the burger medium and served on a brioche bun instead of the standard English muffin. All burgers come with skinny fries and the half pound Magic Burger cost $9.74. After placing my order with the friendly server, the following burger arrived fifteen minutes later:




I was slightly disappointed to see that the burger had been cut in half but overall the presentation of the burger, fries, homemade pickles and condiments was very pretty. The burger was smaller in diameter than I had expected due to the thickness of the hamburger patty. The thick brioche bun had been lightly toasted and the patty, bacon and cheddar cheese was stacked neatly on the bottom bun and then held together with toothpicks for serving. Since the burger had been cut in half, you could see that it had been cooked to a perfect medium. Taking a bite, I could taste the freshness of the beef that had been seasoned with salt and pepper along with the earthiness of the cheddar cheese. The patty was still juicy but I wonder if it would have been even juicier if it hadn't been cut in half. The top of the patty had a nice crunch from finishing on the griddle. The bacon was crispy and added crunchiness to the burger but bacon flavor wasn't prevalent in every bite. Next the cheddar cheese was high quality and added a nice contrast of flavor to the overall burger. Also the brioche bun was light and fluffy, soaked up the juices from the burger but held together with every bite. Finally the fries were very good. They were thin and crispy style that were well salted.


Overall, I liked the Magic Burger at The Commissary. I thought that the fresh grass fed beef was seasoned well, cooked perfectly and had a great flavor. This is not your typical hamburger but it was definitely a high quality well prepared upscale burger. The fries and homemade pickles were excellent and I would like to go back and try some of the other offerings such as the tandoori burger, the ancho chili rubbed burger or even the Sunday Lobster Bake that will be held every Sunday afternoon during the summer.


Ratings (1-25:)


Bun - 20 - fresh light and fluffy bun


Meat - 20, grass fed beef, cooked and seasoned perfectly


Appearance - 20, well presented burger and fries, cheese melted nicely over bacon and patty


Taste - 20, good seasoning, good beef flavor, cheese and bacon complimented patty


Overall - 80