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.

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

Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House

Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House is another one of Dallas's most recent burger joints to open up this past year and it definitely ranks up at the top.  Open for business since October of 2011, it is a casual, neighborhood bar in East Dallas.

The patio was already full when we arrived save for one table located right in front of the TV showing the Ranger game.  And the weather was spectacular so we were already off to a perfect start.  And because it is a beer garden, there's no rush to order your meal.  We were actually able to wait for everyone to show up before we ordered.  That doesn't always happen. 

There are probably about 10 different types of burgers to choose from and all of them sounded so wonderful.  There are definitely some I plan on trying in the future.  All of their burgers are made with natural grass-fed beef and most everything is made in house which you can tell as soon as you take a bite.  I ended up going with The Coop, with the fried egg cooked just a touch hard and the patty with a touch of pink.  It was absolutely delicious:  Burgers at Goodfriend are the kind you'll want to cut in half to be to handle properly, but even then I still made a mess.  Just a sign of a good burger filled with tasty, fresh condiments.  I'm not a big fan of tomatoes, but just look at how red and fresh those slices are!  So yummy!  I'm about ready to get in the car and head back to East Dallas as I write this.

Other burgers you might consider trying are the Loretta (their version of a blue cheese burger), the Pepper Bomb (made with habaneros, serranos & jalapenos - yikes!), or the Latin Lover (chorizo burger).  If you want a burger without beef, you're in luck!  You can try a turkey burger, a lamb burger, and even a black bean burger.


I don't remember the name of this one, but it has some kind onion compote - heard it was awesome!



You can't ever go wrong with a good old-fashioned cheeseburger.

We had three sides to select from and you can't go wrong with any of them.  You can choose from waffle fries (good) or sweet potato waffle fries (better).  And if you can't decide, don't worry, they'll let you order a basket with both.  Not a potato lover?  You absolutely won't miss with the fried battered green beans.  Yes, I said fried batter green beans served with a tangy ranch-like dip.  Up until this point, Smashburger had my heart when it cam to friend green beans, but the beans at Goodfriend are way better by far.

You might still be unsure of my opinion of the burgers at Goodfriend.  I know I haven't been very complimentary.  A definite two thumbs up!  It has everything - great food on a patio with a friendly, laid-back atmosphere.  Be warned though, the kitchen doesn't open until 5, so no burgers until dinnertime.

Until next time!