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