A Mighty Fine Burger

While visiting my dad out in Austin he took me to a damn good burger place.  It was called Mighty Fine Burgers.  I highly recommend you visit the website, my camera could not do the establishment justice so I didn't even try. 

The outside was very inviting with covered patio seating and a playground for kids, not a McDonald's playground but a real one with sand and all.  We walked in and there was mayo, mustard and ketchup stacked in neat rows for both decor and use.  There were also boxes of potatoes waiting to be used with the peanut oil it was fried in also stacked in rows.  All of the ingredients they used to cook were in the front of the house being used as decoration, it was awesome.  So simple yet creative.  All of the colors gave this place a radiant vibe.  There was also a see through window where you could see people creating the burger patties and prepping them for cookin'.  Also, there was a sign that said the meat was ground on property...I think they just one upped In 'N Out.  If you do check out their website go to Quality is Everything and check  out the meat portion.  Also by the fries there is a large sign that says, WE USE PEANUT OIL...odd...right?  Well according to them it tastes best.  Also on the Quality is Everything page.

So my eyes had a party now it was time for my mouth.    They are very make it your way and hand write your order on a paper bag so you can see it.  You also can see that what it is they are writing to give you that comfort you need that they WILL get your order right.  A nice customer touch in my opinion. 

The soda machine was awesome, that's a weird thing to say right?  Well first off they had two, with about 10 choices each.  Who do you know that has a selection of 20 fountain sodas?  Next one of those choices was Mellow Yellow, say "I" if you remember that pop.  On top of that when was the last time you actually saw it?  For us youngsters who have probably never seen it is kind of like the short lived "Surge" that was around for MAYBE 2 years back in the late '90's.  Next part of the cool soda machine is it had a high-tech looking option for crushed or cubed ice.  Pretty sweet eh?  Maybe I'm over reacting but some times its the little things in life.  Nice touches make a place like this stand out from the rest.

My order:

Chili Cheeseburger  - A great burger establishment can be judged by their chili in my opinion.
Fries
Strawberry lemonade (it was on display, how could I not)

I unwrapped my prize and it looked wonderful.  I opened up the bun to see what the inside looked like (pictured to the right), and to my surprise there was a sliced hot dog in there.  I wasn't mad because being the chili conasuir that I am, I know hot dogs and chili go together like Lavern and Shirly.  It would only add to the flavor.  I put it back together and held on with both hands, elbows on the table and shoved it in.  Tender patty, lots of cheese (the key to any good burger), and the bun was fresh and soft.  After another couple bites and I thought to myself, this might be one of the best I've ever had.  I had some fries in between bites, they were great too.  Very fresh tasting, and thinking back to the boxes of potatoes by the counter I knew they were.  Holy crap how have I never been here.  Every other bite of the burger I got some hot dog, yum.  That definitely set this burger apart from any other I'd ever had.  Overall I was very suprised.  I asked my dad how he found this place and he said it was my cousin, DR.  Another place he was holding out on me...

I just might go back as soon as I possibly can.

Best_Burger_Ever 

My Farewell to Dallas: Twisted Root Burger Co.

In the Deep Ellum district of downtown Dallas there is a burger place called, Twisted Root Burger Co.  I am not the first to write about it and I definitely will not be the last.  Even Guy Fieri found this place before I did.  None the less it is worth putting out there for the less fortunate whom have not tasted a burger from this establishment.

Sol and I decided to go grab a quick bite before golf and since TRBC is right around the corner we agreed on it.  On this particular day we decided to split one, I know, totally not my style but I didn't wanna get full before slappin' that tiny white ball around.  It's hard enough to get in the hole as it is.  We went with the Peppercorn Ranch & bacon Burger and added a slice of American Cheese.  They have many different flavor combonations when it comes to their burgers including: "Chipotle, Guac & Cheddar Burger w/ Fried Onions" and a "Western Burger: Pepperjack, Bacon, Jalepeño & a Big, Fat Onion Ring".   The menu is written in chalk above the counter so you can check out your many choices before placing your order.  After ordering they give you a little card with a name on it so they can call you when your order is ready.  On this particular day we happened to be Conan the Destroyer.  I have also been He-Man and the Knight Rider before.  As we walked over to the soda machine to see what their homemade root beer of the day was the aroma of the kitchen filled my nostrils.  It was butter pecan root beer, I decided to pass and went with Coke Zero...don't say a word, Sol had the Watermelon Sweet Tea, tasty.  We went and sat at one of their high-boys (tall bar table) and awaited to hear our name, "Conan the Destroyer!"

I darted over to the counter with my mouth watering, it'd been a while since I'd had one so I was a little over excited.  I cut it in half and opened the bun to put some of their home made "Quincy's Grandpa's SECRET BBQ Sauce".  It already had a good helping of ranch so between the two moisturizers my burger was ready to be consumed.  I squeezed some of their homemade "Ancho Chipotle Ketchup" on the side for our curly fries.  Always enjoyable.  They also serve home made "Horseradish Dijon"  instead of table mustard, I'm not much for mustard so I din't touch it, but it's still cool that they make and package those 3 condiments for every table.  The burger was juicy and it had a nice sear on either side.  The bread was good and soft and the bacon was flavorful and crunchy.  The ranch was perfect and the cheese to patty ratio couldn't have been better.  What a great burger.  The curly fries were also very good, cooked to a nice crisp and seasoned so that they did not need any salt.  I have nothing but good things to say about TRBC.  They have a flavor and an attitude about them and they fit right into Deep Ellum.  They have four locations in and around Dallas, but don't let that keep you away.  They are just that good. 

Dallas restaurants have a different dynamic.  They can grow their business without loosing that small hole in the wall feel.  They're not chains and they don't sell out, they're just business savvy and they know when they have a good product.   Just because a place has more than one location doesn't mean you should stereotype it as a chain - I am guilty of this sometimes.  Take In-N-Out for instance.  They are coming to Dallas and they are going to build a meat production factory here so they stay true to themselves which means never freezing their meat.  I just spelled meat like meet twice in a row and had to go back and change it, anyways. 

So Dallas, I leave you with this - support your local business'.  Support the small hole in the walls, support "mom and pop places", stay away from the  chains.  Go to the Farmers Market avoid the Tom Thumb.  If you do these things you will be able to try something different, something fresher, usually something better and for sure something fun.

For those that don't know:   I'm going back to Cali, Cali, Cali....I am transferring out to Carlsbad, CA where I will continue to write, so that when you come visit, you can say - "Anthony I want to go to Santana's so I can get one of those California Burritos!"

Adios Dallas, it's been swell.

Burger Spot hits the...

Sol & I decided to take a page out of the Dallas Morning News' Best 5 burgers in Dallas article. I have to say this Leslie lady knows what she is talking about, she scored on this out of the way new burger joint.

The Burger Spot can be best described as an upscale fast food joint. There is more selection, the food is better & a little more expensive but you also get a MUCH better experience. After reading a few reviews I saw that someone had a fry sampler, so that was the first thing I ordered. Secondly, I am a sucker for chili so I ordered the Chili Burger with American cheese instead of cheddar (another one of those childhood things). The cashier recomended the mushroom swiss burger so Sol went with that. When she asked him how it was cooked (meaning temperature wise, medium, medium well, etc.), his reply: "oh we just put it on the griddle back there". hehehe he wasn't telling a joke either! Also free with the meal while you wait was popcorn; it had a very subtle spice/seasoning. Seems kinda wierd but you can't help but grab a bag off the counter.

Our fries arrived first, the guy who dropped them off said our burgers were on their way but he wanted to make sure we received our fries hot (that's good customer service). In the sampler fry basket was 1) Cajun fries that had a good kick to 'em 2) Onion rings that were battered & cooked to perfection 3) regular shoe string fries & 4) Sweet potato fries with a dusting of brown sugar (all pictured to the right in order starting from the left). Great fry basket, I would definitely go back for the sole reason that they know how to fry their food. The dipping sauces were: Blue cheese, honey mustard & a spicy ranch. All were very complimentary to each "fry". If you venture out to the Burger Spot tell them to hit you with the Fry sampler.


A couple short minutes later our burgers arrived. Yuuuuuummmmmmyyyyyy. My chili burger was amazing, it had a nice thick patty cooked medium, chili, plenty of American cheese & a soft white bun. It reminded me of the Islands pipeline burger from Mission Valley, mmmmmm. It was seriously identical, for you non-Californians this is a VERY good thing. The patty was perfectly cooked, very juicy. It was almost too much food but I managed. I admit we did leave a fair amount of fries on the plate, so go hungry. They had a lot of specialty burgers, and funnel cake fries which the owner told us we had to try. He also said their mac & cheese was an old family recipe and it was VERY good. Apparently this is family owned (all the more reason to go) and it is their first go at a burger place - not too shabby guys...in fact well done.


Awesome array of Fries_Tender Beef_Party in your mouth

Burguesa Burger

After a round of golf Ken and I were hungry for something delicious. I was looking on my phone but everything was too far and it was rush hour. At last I finished scanning some reviews I came across something about "Burguesa", as in hamburguesa which means hamburger in Spanish. Sol had been telling me to go here for a while so off we went.

It was a cool little concept, a Mexican hamburger stand. A very easy small menu but well done. It had a wide array of Mexican sodas including Jarritos, their own personal brand and Mexican Coke, who doesn't LOVE Mexican Coke!

I had seen "La Monumental" on their menu in the car but was trying to save my appetite for dinner, Ken on the other hand embarked on one hell of a journey. See Picture below:
What he put in his mouth was a stack of "Two all beef patties, two slice of cheese, ham, avacado, lettuce, tomato, onion, refried beans, crunchy tostada and special creamy sauce on a bun with a Jalapeno" * sigh *. I have to say I was a bit jealous I didn't do the damn thing. The fries were some of the best I've had in north Texas and after listening to him talk about it I might just have to make a return trip for that alone - and a Mexican Coke.

P.S. As far as golf goes...I won