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.

Square Burger

Two Burger Babes headed north to McKinney to try out the much touted Square Burger in McKinney this month.  It's a small restaurant on the McKinney Square with an extensive beer list and a variety of burgers.  There are a lot of places to eat on McKinney's Square, but Square Burger was by far the busiest.  We waited about 10 minutes for our table; the hostess took our number and offered to call us when the table was ready so we could walk around.

As soon as we were seated, we ordered some mac and cheese for our appetizer.  Super creamy and sprinkled with ham and English peas, it was quite yummy.  The serving size was generous; it could be someone's main dish or four people could share it and be good.

Mandy ordered the Bacon and Smoked Cheddar BBQ Burger while I opted for the Mushroom-Border Burger.  And we each made to sure to order a different side for sharing.  The burgers are 7 ounces, but you can request 5 ounces instead.  I would definitely advise going for the smaller burger as it is still plenty!  And instead of ordering the full side, you can get a smaller version when you order it with your burger.  Again, that is absolutely the way to go.  Even with a smaller burger and a smaller side, I still couldn't finish everything.  I do appreciate when the waitstaff asks how you want your burger cooked and when they explain what their medium is, which is what our fabulous, soft-spoken waitress did.  It did seem to take awhile to get our burgers, maybe because we were both hungry and the restaurant was full of amazing aromas.

After about twenty minutes, this is what arrived at our table:

Obviously a work of art!  The chef at Square is generous with the servings, almost too generous.  My mushrooms were beautifully sauteed and the avocado was creamy and flavorful.  While the avocado was plentiful, it was in one big chunk.  I would prefer it sliced as the entire thing went shooting out of my burger with the first bite.  The bacon was perfectly crisped and chopped, sprinkled over Swiss cheese.  The Iceberg lettuce was chopped like a wedge salad.  Different, but too much.  I had to peel off about 4 layers to make my burger manageable.  The bun was delicious, buttered on top, which means you need extra napkins.  I couldn't quite tell you, but something was just a tiny bit off with the flavor of the patty.  It might have been the fact that I was expecting a little more pink in my burger, I'm not really sure.  Unfortunately, whatever it is, it keeps me from going gaga over the burger.

The sides were absolutely wonderful!  The onion rings were made from white onions and fried tempura-style. They were light and crispy, but not crunchy crispy.  And the seasoning was spot on.  The sweet potato fries were also great.  Small and thin with the perfect crispiness, they were served with a housemade garlic aioli. And all burgers come with a tempura fried pickle spear!  Awesomeness!

Always the question is, would I go back to an establishment for its burger?  In this case, there are two answers.  Would I drive from Euless to McKinney just for this burger?  No.  If I'm in the McKinney-Allen area and needed a place to eat, would I go back?  Probably so.  Well, actually, I do need to go back at least once for their fried apple pie, drizzled with caramel sauce and served with cheddar cheese.  We were just too full to even think about it.  Not true . . . I totally thought about it!

Thanks for stopping by.  Next month we visit Chop House Burgers in Arlington.  Looking forward to this one since Guy Fieri visited this place for Triple D last year.

Wingfield's

Mention Wingfield's to most Dallasites and they'll know exactly what you're talking about.  One of the biggest, baddest burgers in the state.  Possibly anywhere.  A perennial contender for not just the best burger in Dallas, but in Texas, Wingfield's is so legendary they don't even have a website.  Think about that - in 2013, one of the most well known burger places in the state does their business based solely on word of mouth.  And being listed as one of Texas Monthly's top 10 burgers in 2009 certainly didn't hurt either. 

Wingfield's is just south of the Dallas Zoo, at Beckley & Illinois.  And you definitely need to be watching for it as it's a very small, very unassuming building.  There's no place to eat inside.  You walk in and and you are immediately at the counter where you place your order.  Be prepared. This is a cash only establishment.  After placing our order, we went back to the car to prep our dining area.  Luckily, Amanda drove and she has a tailagte.  Not only does she have the perfect car for this sort of adventure, she recently packed up her classroom and still had her stools in her car.  We couldn't have planned it any better than this!

When your burger is ready, there will be a rap on the window for you to some back in and get it.  You're handed a white paper sack and if you're like me, you might think, hmmm...this is kind of heavy.  Well, no wonder.  Just look at this bad boy.  And honestly, the picture doesn't do it justice.

The burger is absolutely great! And totally deserving of anything fabulous ever said about it. Wingfield's doesn't do all of the bells and whistles; we're talking a good, old school burger.  Most of us got the bacon and cheeseburger.  I think I counted six perfectly cooked, thick strips of bacon on my burger.  That gave the burger a lot of flavor.  The cheese, a slice of American, was a bit tougher to notice.  I would imagine because there was just one slice and in proportion to everything else, that's just not enough.  I omitted the tomato, but after seeing how red and juicy they were, I regretted doing so.  When you order your burger, you'll be asked if you want mustard and mayo.  I wasn't feeling the mayo love today, so I left that off.  Apparently what that means at Wingfield's is double mustard, coating both buns in it.  While I like mustard, I'm not that passionate about it. That is one thing I would do over; either get both condiments, or be sure to say you only want mustard on one bun.  Adding ketchup helped, but with only two packets, I couldn't do too much.  I really can't even tell you how much that meat patty weighed.  Fairly certain it's the largest I've ever had.  And one thing that really impressed my was the bun.  Typically, with that kind of set up, you know that burger is going to be falling apart.  Amazingly enough, it held together really well, even when I sent it down to eat an onion ring.  

  

The onion rings were good. The onions (white) had a great, fresh flavor and the rings were crispy.  The fries were average at best.  Honestly, you go to Wingfield's for the burger, no sides needed.  Not a one of us even came close to finishing our burger.  Please promise me, if you are a burger lover and you haven't been to Wingfield's, you will add it to your list.  Friendly service, a different type of experience for most of us, and a truly amazing burger.



Helpful hints for your first visit to Wingfield's:
1.  Carpool - parking is very limited.
2.  Go in a car that is conducive to outside dining (tailgate preferred).
3.  Throw a couple of stools or chairs in the car, just in case.
4.  Take cash.
5.  Skip the sides.
6. Be prepared for a lot of mustard if you hold the mayo.
7.  Napkins won't work.  Take your own paper towels or ask the lady behind the counter to borrow her roll.
8.  Unless you are a freak of nature, it's not really necessary to get the double patty.
9.  Go with friends or family who you love to hang out with and you can be who you are.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar

Burger Babes Strike Again . . .

This time, in Preston Center at Hopdoddy Burger Bar.  Originally from Austin, Hopdoddy Burger Bar only recently came to Dallas, and judging by the continuous line out of the door, North Texans are happy about this.  Hopdoddy is a bit like Liberty Burger.  You wait in line to place your order while an employee finds and reserves your table.  And most brilliantly, the line passes right by the bar, so you can have a head start on your drink or sample one of the many Texas brews.

Our burgers arrived after about 15 to 20 minutes and what a site to behold.

 Becky's Classic

Angus Beef, Red Leaf, Lettuce, White Onion, Ripe Beef Steak Tomato, Sassy Sauce, Swiss Cheese, Bacon

 Amanda's Continental Club

Turkey, Provolone, Apple-Smoked Bacon, Arugula, Mayo & Basil Pesto on Whole Wheat

Esther's Llano Poblano Burger earned rave reviews:

Angus Beef, Pepper Jack, Roasted Poblano, Apple-Smoked Bacon, Chipotle Mayo

:
Audra's Magic 'Shroom - Angus Beef, Texas Goat Cheese, Field Mushrooms, Mayo & Basil Pesto

This was probably one of the best burgers with mushrooms I've ever had.  Traditionally, you think a mushroom burger comes with Swiss cheese, but the goat cheese was the most absolute perfect compliment to the mushrooms and the mayo & basil pesto!

Another thing that makes a Hopdoddy Burger so good?  The freshly baked in-house buns. In fact, Hopdoddy bakes their buns twice daily.  Of course, a place that grinds meat daily and bakes their own buns is only naturally going to have the freshest and healthiest of ingredients.

Both the Kennebec Fries and the Truffle Fries were phenomenal! 


Even if the drive to Preston Center is not quick and easy for you, you should definitely add a visit to this burger bar to your to-do-list. Combining an awesome burger and fries with a laid back place to hang out and try Texas brews definitely creates a winning situation!

Mixed Up Burgers

Mixed Up Burgers, formerly known as The Patty Shack, is in Grand Prairie, right off of Highway 360.  It's in a strip mall, and if you blink, you may miss it.  It's a seat yourself kind of place, so we grabbed a table as soon as we walked in.  Our waitress was very attentive, checked on us often, and was very patient as we made out decisions.  Mixed Up Burgers has a different take on their burgers.  Instead of piling the burger high with the condiment, they are mixed into the patty and cooked that way.  

We placed out order and settled in for what would turn out to be a long wait.  Friday night is a popular night for Mixed Up, and either someone didn't show up for work or they weren't expecting quite so many people, but the wait for our burger was probably about 10 to 15 minutes longer than it should have been.  Next time we'll know to order those fried pickles.  After about a 30 minute wait, this is what arrived:

Jaleen & Joe Schmoe

Kelly & Shackadelic -
with a fried egg!

Tina & Jethro

Jethro was actually the first burger on the table and the smell of the sauteed onions was simply heavenly, so we were all super excited about the burgers headed our way.  I do appreciate a burger that is delivered open face so you can fully assess what you'll be eating.  Plus, it makes for a great picture.  Our immediate concern was the shredded lettuce and the one, very small, pale tomato slice on each burger.  But, we powered through it, as is the Burger Babe way.  

I ordered the Shackadelic - bacon, 'shrooms, and Swiss cheese, all topped with a fried egg.  And the yolk was just the right amount of runny.  Yea!  The egg turned out to be a great decision this time around since the patty was well done and on the dry side.  It was definitely packed full of whatever mixings you had ordered, but the dryness of the Jethro really detracted from the great flavors of a Cajun spice, blue cheese and bacon.  Sorry about that, Tina.  The bun Mixed Up uses is a great choice.  Fresh and flavorful, it definitely holds whatever toppings are on your burger.  Putting a fried egg on a burger is always dicey if the bun isn't sturdy enough, but this bun held up quite nicely.

As usual, we ordered a variety of sides and they are all superb!  All three sides  were savory and incredibly full of flavor.  For both fries, they were just the perfect size and firmness...a bit of crunch every few bites, but overall soft.  The onion rings are cut thin and made with white onions, but don't let that sway you.  They are absolutely great!

Sweet potato fries, onion rings, and french fries

Mixed Up Burgers is a solid, neighborhood hangout with a different take on burgers that is fun to try and pretty tasty.  They are pretty frequent on Groupon; I guess they're really trying to build up the business.  The prices are good, even without the Groupon and the staff is extremely friendly.  It's definitely worth checking out, especially if you can snag one of those Groupons.  Just be sure to specify how you want your patty cooked if well done is not your style.

Original review when Mixed Up was Patty Shack

LA Burger

In November, the Burger Babes tried out LA Burger on North MacArthur in Irving.  LA Burger is the brainchild of two Korean brothers originally from Los Angeles; their goal is to combine Korean flavor with American classics.  Located in a strip mall in North Irving, it's a small BYOB storefront.  

After placing our orders at the counter, we settled in to wait for our burgers.  It was about a 15 minute wait, but you could tell the burgers were freshly made.  I ordered the Cali Sunshine: crisp bacon, a homemade spread, an egg made over easy, and cheddar cheese.  I would really liked to have ordered the LA Burger which comes complete with kimchi, but I wasn't nearly brave enough to try something that spicy.  

Cali Sunshine with sweet potato fries

Amanda's burger came first.  She did get the LA Burger with kimchi and she gave it two thumbs up.  Tina and I both ordered the Cali Sunshine and it was scrumptious.  Everyone's biggest complaint was the bread.  It tasted great and brought everything together nicely, but it was just too much.  In fact, Amanda and Tina ate their burgers sans bread top.  I was able to muster my way through it, though.  And while I do love a toasted bun, the center part of the top did get a bit too crispy for me. The flavors of the patty, bacon, cheese and  homemade spread did come together quite nicely.  I always think an egg on a burger is dicey.  It's incredibly yummy!  But, if the yolk is too runny, you've got a complete mess.  And if it's cooked too hard, then there's not any of the runny yumminess.  Unfortunately, my yolk was a bit too hard.  While it still gave the burger great flavor, it didn't really have the runniness I was hoping for.  Overall, we do give the burgers at LA Burgers a hearty endorsement.

LA Burger with onion rings

The sides on the other hand, were decent, but nothing to write home about. We ordered the onion rings, french fries, and sweet potato fries. Surprisingly enough, none of them had much flavor to them.  I was expecting them to have a little more pizzazz considering LA Burger's story.  And it's not that they were bad, they just weren't anything out of the ordinary.  

Prices are good, sides are decent, and the burgers are full of flavor.  If you live or work in the Irving area, then you should definitely check it out.

Dutch's

Dutch's is in Fort Worth, right by TCU.  It's definitely got the college hangout feel to it, but it seemed to be pretty family friendly, too.  Customers place their orders at the counter and then grab a wooden table while you wait for your meal. Thankfully, the fried pickles came rather quickly; we waited only about 8 to 10 minutes for these:

The breading was thick and the pickles were great.  They came to us straight out of the fryer, piping hot, served with a side of Ranch.  Greatness!  The basket was overflowing with pickle goodness.  One basket would work fine for five Burger Babes.  We had ordered two baskets and had to leave some uneaten. 

About 10 minutes after we got our pickles, our burgers were ready.  I ordered the Bacon Bleu Cheese Burger.  I'm always worried about the amount of bleu cheese I'll find on a burger.  Too much can be overpowering.  Luckily, this burger had just the right amount.  One more teaspoon may have put it over the edge.  And the bacon was unbelievable!  Thick and crisp with an awesome flavor, my burger had three slices.  I loved Dutch's generosity.  Beware, there is shredded lettuce involved, but everything else was so good, it was only a minor distraction.  The hamburger bun was incredibly fresh and had a wonderful sweetness to it.  The patty was juicy and well-cooked, with an extremely light pink touch to it.  The Bacon Bleu Cheese Burger does come with a chipotle mayo, but I opted to omit it.  If you like chipotle, then it probably only enhances the flavors, but it's still a great burger without it.  Both the Hickory BBQ & Bacon and the Bacon Swiss Mushroom Burgers also received rave reviews from my fellow Burger Babes.

The onion rings are made from white onions and are lightly battered, making them crispy.  I like them that way because you can really taste the flavor.  The downside to this kind of onion ring is its flakiness and their tendency to fall apart.  But still, the taste was pure yumminess!

Need something sweet after your burger?  Dutch's had some really great shake options.  Kelly recommends the Oreo, a classic, but I had the tropical, a coconut and pineapple concoction.  Loved it.  

Be sure to put Dutch's on your list of burgers to try.  Great food and great atmosphere!