Chop House Burgers

Chop House Burgers in Arlington hasn't been around as long as some of the other great burger joints in town.  But in its short life, it has gained a loyal following and a stellar reputation, all cemented by an appearance on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives in 2012.  When you go, prepare to wait in line.  But if you're with friends, that's actually a blessing as you get to spend more time with them.  And even though you may wait 20 minutes in line to order, your food will come out amazingly fast.  There are about 10 burgers to choose from, including a vegetarian option, but most people I've talked to recommend the Chop House Burger and that is what I went with.  What makes this burger so special is the actual meat patty, which is a char grilled ground beef and slow roasted brisket mix.  Yes, you read correctly. and you can absolutely tell that it is a mix of the two.  Very moist and packed full of flavor; with one bite you can tell why Chop House has become so popular so quickly.  And to add that extra kick of flavor, the Chop House is served with a homemade steak sauce.  Now, I've never been big on steak sauce, so I ordered mine on the side.  It was super fabulous and really brought everything together.  The bacon and melted cheddar were simply icing on the cake of this great burger.  

Chop House didn't break my top 5, although I would say it's in the top 10.  Two things prevented it from entering the top 5 - shredded lettuce and the bun.  The bun is a bit of an oxymoron.  The menu clearly states that it is served on a butter toasted bun and it most definitely was.  And I love a butter toasted bun.  However, there were parts of my bun that were super soggy, I guess from the tomatoes.  One thing that I totally can't stand is soggy bread.  Was almost a deal breaker.  The sogginess and the toastiness of the bun was a bit confusing to the palette.  

Overall, all five of the Burger Babes were very pleased with their choices.

As usual, we had quite a sampling of fried goodness.  You can order a basket or a side.  Even if you're sharing, the side is an ample enough serving. Fried pickles were good, nothing outstanding in my opinion, although Kelly really loved them.  I'm still undecided about the onion rings.  The flavor was greatness, but there was a heaviness about them that I really can't explain.  It might be because I've gotten so used to tempura-style onion rings that anything else seems much heavier.  But again, awesome flavor!!!  The sweet potato fries were probably my favorite though, and what I would order next time.

Chop House is deep in Arlington and probably quite a trek for many of you.  If you can combine a visit to Chop House with a Rangers or Cowboy game, that would be ideal.  But if you can't, it's still worth the trip to experience that incredible ground beef and brisket combination.  And if you go on your birthday, your burger is free!

Things to know before you go:

• You may wait in line to order for a good 20 minutes.
• Older building, crummy AC, especially in August
• Your patty will be cooked well unless specified otherwise.  I asked for medium and it bordered on medium rare, which was fine with me.
• BYOB

Next month, the Burger Babe outing will be a touch different as there is a Burger Fest in Deep Ellum on the 21st.  Hope to see you there.

Grease Monkey

Billing itself as Arlington's Burger Shop and Social Club, Grease Monkey is exactly that. It's located in the heart of Arlington, near Division and Center. It's a casual hang out with a bar that opens up to the street. After grabbing a table, we made our way to the counter to place our orders. I wavered between the Black and Blue Burger and a cheeseburger, finally opting for the Black and Blue - a blackened burger covered with crumbled crispy bacon, melted Swiss cheese, onion strings, and a Blue Cheese dressing. I've ordered plenty of Black and Blues before, but this was the first time the patty was actually blackened. So the spice of the seasoning did throw me off, but it was a flavorful burger. After about 10 minutes, our pagers went off and we headed back to the counter for pick-up.

Doesn't this look yummy?  The burger doesn't come with any of the usual condiments, you add what you want at a side bar.  Notice the lettuce. That was probably the greatest disappointment.  It's my opinion that shredded lettuce is for tacos, not burgers.  Obviously Grease Monkey disagrees, but to each his own.  The burger was quite flavorful; I can only imagine how much more flavorful it would have been if I had gone for just the cheeseburger and not had blackened meat to distract my taste buds.  The Swiss cheese and blue cheese dressing is a great combination, giving the burger a tangy yumminess.  I really liked the crispy bacon crumbles, although a few more crumbles would have been nice.  The absolute star of the show?  The hamburger bun!  Before the buns are toasted, they're coated in a butter blend of honey, cilantro, lime, and jap spread.  Even if you're kind of iffy on the burger, the bun would most definitely sway you.  It was so delicious!!!

There are a lot of sides to choose from: fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, and fried pickles.  I think there were more, but we focused on our usual suspects.  I can't really rate either of the fries too highly. Pretty average, to be honest.  I did like the onion rings, although there was a discussion about the style.  These rings are the thin ones that tend to fall apart easily.  Those kind of onion rings are fine by me as long as the flavor is there, and it was.  But, overall, the best side on our table was the basket of fried pickle chips.  Sliced and breaded thinly, the pickles were a great addition to the meal.

Overall, Grease Monkey got pretty high ratings from the Burger Babes on this visit.  It's not going to break my top 5, or probably even my top 10, but Grease Monkey is the place to go when you want a casual atmosphere and a good, solid burger that will fill you up.  They've got the choices and options for building your own burger, as well as a couple of unique burgers, like the Chicken Fried Burger.  If you need a place to go before or after a Rangers game, this would be a great choice.  Or, if you need a place to watch the game, there were plenty of televisions with both the Rangers and the US Open on.

See you next time!

Molly's Burgers

I love the Groupon and the Daily Deal!  It has given me the opportunity to try new places I might not otherwise know about.  Today I used my Daily Deal at Molly's Burgers (Little Rd. & I-20) in Arlington.  Although it was a bit of a drive for me, it was worth it. 

Molly's Burgers has quite a few choices...way more than the basics you find at places like Goff's or Club Schmitz.  I ordered the Kylee, complete with provolone, avocado, and a spicy mayo (not too spicy though).  While I originally thought making a burger decision was tough, I was overwhelmed with the choices of sides: fries, fries with rosemary & thyme, fried pickles, fried zucchini, or inion rings.  What's a girl to do?  The person who took my order recommended the onion rings so I went with those.  After placing my order with the very friendly employee, I filled my cup with Diet Coke and grabbed a table.  I made sure to get a complimentary serving of homemade pinto beans in the huge pot under the tv.  I thought it was kind of strange, but kind of cute, and the beans were actually quite yummy.  While I waited for my lunch, I perused the Trivial Pursuit cards that were at my table.  To me,that is even better than playing Words with Friends while I wait.

 

After about 5 minutes, this is what arrived!

The burger was beautifully put together.  Those are fried onions you see sprinkled on the top of the cheese.  The avocado added a perfect creaminess to the burger and was a perfect match for the spicy mayo that they use.  I will admit, the patty was pretty thin and I was a bit disappointed in that.  And there really wasn't anything special about the flavor of the patty itself, but that was easy to ignore with the combination of all of the condiments.

The onion rings were too done and too crispy for me.  Despite the recommendation from the girl behind the counter, they weren't all that fabulous and I will get a different side next time.  I'm thinking fried pickles!

If you have small kids, this is absolutely a great place to take them.  There are a couple of kid-sized tables in the restaurant and there is a shelf filled with games and puzzles for entertainment.

I was too full to try one of their shakes or pies, but I did grab a yummy red velvet cake ball for the ride home.

If you are in the South Arlington/Mansfield area and you want a good burger and a friendly, family-oriented place to hang out, then you should definitely put Molly's on your list.