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!



Liberty Burger

Ever since Liberty Burger opened last November, it has enjoyed high accolades.  It's located at the corner of Forest and Inwood and tonight, just like every night since opening, it's had a steady stream of people coming in for fabulous burgers.  I"ve not met one person who didn't have great things to say about this burger which is made from tenderloin, chuck, and brisket.  Unless, of course, you order the bison burger, and that apparently, is just as fabulous.



Big O Rings



When you enter Liberty Burger, you are automaticaly in line to place your order. And I think there's always a line.  Because the line is long, someone is there to take your drink order, which arrives lickety split.  That is a great little piece of customer service.  Liberty Burger has a wide variety of specialty burgers, and some of them are pretty unique; the Amore includes cantaloupe.  I just had to get the Nooner.  It's been awhile since I've had a burger with a fried egg, and it was just calling my name.  The buns are homemade, and it's built with American cheese, Applewood-smoked bacon, ham, hash browns, and ketchup.  I'm not really a hash browns kind of girl, so I went without them.  But after I saw someone else's Nooner, I kind of wish I had kept them on.  They looked pretty tasy and crunchy, not soggy like I think hash browns usually are.  Despite the full restaurant, it didn't take very long to get our orders.

Let's start with the sides this time.  The sweet potato fries and skinny fries are good, although I think the sweet potato fries could have used a little something.  I would say their star side is definitely the Big O Rings.  Great flavor, the perfect amount of crisp, and fabulous onions cooked to perfection.



As you can see, a Liberty Burger is a sight to behold.  The homeade buns are in perfect proportion to all of the yummy goodness and the meat is fulll of flavor, although it was cooked all the way through and I prefer my burgers with a touch of pink.  And at this point, I'm really struggling with the rest of my review.  When I placed my order, I debated omitting the ketchup.  While I am a fan of ketchup, I don't always need it on my burger, especially if there's going to be fried egg goodness.  Well, I should have gone with my gut.  Not only did the burger not need the ketchup, there was too much ketchup on the burger and that just overpowered any yumminess.  And I feel the same way about the ham as well.  Love it on my pizza, but I don't really need it on my burger.  I would have been happy with just the bacon.  Of course, I can't help but think that maybe the hash browns would have been a good balance for the ham.



Baby Bella Burger with Skinny Fries



Everyone else absolutely loved their burger whereas I liked mine.  But I also know that I didn't have the right combination of condiments.  I definitely want to go back and give Liberty Burger a second chance.  Next time I might just try a the standard Liberty Burger with no frills.  Although the Baby Bella looked pretty awesome.  Then again, so did the Wild West.  Or maybe the Libertine...

Tommy's...Well, Kind of, Sort of...

Using one of my many Groupons, Mandy and I went on another unofficial Burger Babe outing, this time to Tommy's in Fort Worth.  This was actually quite a few months ago (October, I believe), but I figure better late than never.  Of course, many of the finer details have escaped me, but two things did stay with me. Number one is that the sweet tea was really not that fabulously sweet. Number two is that Tommy's was horribly understaffed, especially since the Groupon expired the following day.

Due to the gap between writing this entry and actually eating the burger, I can't really tell you too much.  Although, maybe that in itself says all you need to know.   Be sure to order the corn nuggets; they will definitely not disappoint you.

Have you been to Tommy's? Feel free to add your own review in the comments section.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas...except for burger reviews

Over the past year and half, I've been to Las Vegas three times.  That's pretty impressive considering I had never been before and I'm not a gambler. My two favorite things about Vegas are the shows and the food.  You'll find some pretty amazing restaurants with some fabulous food in Vegas and of course, being a burger babe I'm always looking for the best burger Sin City has to offer.

Instead of doing a different blog for every Las Vega burger place I've visited, I thought I would do a quick summary of each place.

January 2011  - New York New York
The very first time I went to Vegas I went with fellow Burger Babe Anita, and her friend, April, to see Cher at Caesar's Palace (great show, by the way).   While we were waiting for her mom to fly in, the three of us found our way to the Broadway Burger Bar. They do boast one of the healthiest burgers around, made with 100% free-range, grass fed, Estancia beef from Uruguay. To be honest, it has been over a year since I ate at Broadway so I don't remember all of the details of the meal. I had the Black and Bleu and the fries and it was a good, solid performance.  I do recall that service was slow, which was weird because it wasn't very busy and that our meal was good, but nothing to write home about. I would say if you're on that end of the Strip and you really want a burger, you won't be disappointed.  However, if you've got the time to venture out and you want a fabulous burger, then the next place might be for you.

November 2011 - The Palazzo
The second time I went to Vegas I was with the de la Islas.  Again we arrived right at lunchtime and we had just one thing on our mind...lunch!  Thanks to the beauty of Yelp, we found I Heart Burger at the Palazzo.  The burger does have a pretty hefty price tag on it, but it's definitely the best I've had in Vegas and it's probably one of the better burgers I've had overall.  Anita and I split the i ♥ bacon burger, which is a blend of ground sirloin and applewood-smoked bacon, topped with crispy bacon, bacon mayo, smoked gouda, & onion strings, all on a brioche bun.  And yes, we had the fried pickles, one of our all-time favorite sides. Super yummy!  We also had the parmesan garlic fries, a good choice for the fry lover in your group.  We splurged and had the Fremont Street Sampler - Fried Oreos and Twinkies. Need I say more?

March 2012 - Fatburger and munchbar
The last time I went to Vegas was just this past Spring Break and this time I went with my two college roomies to celebrate our birthdays.  
While we were waiting for Kim and Justin to arrive, Diane and I decided a burger was in order.  We headed down to Fatburger, at the other end of the Strip, near the MGM Grand.  I think Fatburger is a West Coast thing, kind of like In-and-Out. And I've had more than one person tell me I should try it. But to be perfectly honest, I wasn't that big of a fan. I don't really like my burgers well done and that's what this one was. In fact, it kind of reminded me of the burgers at Goff's...charred and well-done. And, for a fast food burger, it was pretty pricey.  Definitely my least favorite out of the four burgers I've had in Vegas.

We also had a Munch Burger at munchbar in Caesar's.  It's right next to Pure, which makes it the perfect stop after dancing the night away.  It might have been because we were famished and because it was late, late at night, but the Munch Burger is pretty darn fabulous!  It comes with melted cheddar, tomatoes, pickles, onions, shredded romaine, and “fancy sauce.”. I didn't figure out what the fancy sauce was, but it really didn't matter...great burger!  And the burger comes with a stupid amount of fries, which were also incredibly tasty.  On a side note, munchbar has also grilled cheese sandwiches, which I've heard are just as fabulous.  Unfortunately I didn't have the chance to try it, but it is on my to-do for next time

Sorry, no pics of any of these burgers.  I know I have them somewhere...I just have to keep looking.  If you have any Las Vegas burger recommendations for me, please make a comment on this blog. You never know when I'll get the urge to go.

Bottlecap Alley Icehouse Grill

Bottlecap Alley Icehouse Grill has two locations, Grapevine and Keller.  The other night, four of us braved Grapevine construction to check out the Grapevine location.  A friend had raved about its sides and they have a wide selection of burgers, so it seemed like a good place to add to the list.

I ordered the Mushroom Swiss Burger and it arrived rather quickly, despite the busy night. 

Out of the four of us, none of us were highly impressed with our burgers.  It seems that our bar on fabulous burgers continues to get higher and higher.  I think mine might have had the most flavor, thanks to the Swiss cheese and the plentiful sauteed mushrooms.  The patty was juicy, but lacked seasoning.  The bun seemed to be your typical Mrs. Baird's white bun; maybe a bit fluffier, but again, nothing that made it stand out.  And that seemed to be the general consensus.  The burgers at Bottlecap Alley are pretty generic.  Nothing really makes it special.  In fact, the comment was made that if you're in the area and want a burger, it would be better to drive about 5 more minutes and end up at Kinkaid's.

The sides, on the other hand, are a different story.  We made to sure to order a variety of sides and they were all great.  The fresh cut fries were soft with just the right amount of crunchiness.  The Double Bacon "Ultimate" Cheese Fries were super yummy!  Fresh cut fries covered with bacon, cheddar cheese, and jalapenos served with a side of ranch. 

And we can't leave out the beer battered onion rings.  Also super yummy with a fabulous flavor.

Until next time...

Adair's

If you've lived in Dallas any amount of time, more than likely you've heard of Adair's Saloon.  It's on Commerce, in the heart of Deep Ellum and it's been there since 1963. It's a small dive known for its live music, burgers, and the patrons who sign their name in Sharpie wherever there's some space.  Anytime you talk burgers in Dallas, Adair's usually comes up.  And it is a good burger, but overall, it's not my go-to.

Once you've snagged your seat, you place your order at the bar.  Choices at Adair's are pretty basic: hamburger, cheeseburger, and a couple of other options if you're not in the mood for a burger (What?!?!).  For sides you can pick french fries (duh!), chips, or even popcorn or peanuts.

You know the burgers are fresh and that it's a small kitchen since it takes about 15 - 20 minutes to get your burger and fries when it's not busy.  And the presentation is anything but fancy...something so pleasing and comforting about a burger wrapped in that red and white checkered paper. 

It's no lie.  The cheeseburger at Adair's is great.  The thick and juicy patty is cooked well and served on a no frills white bun.  Not that big of a fan of the shredded lettuce, but it's manageable.  The burger comes with mustard, but you have to add your own ketchup.  Definitely an old school burger that will hit the spot.

As you know, while we are the Burger Babes, the sides that come with our burgers are just as important.  And even if french fries are the only option, that's something we can live with...if they're good.  I am so sad to say that Adair's gets a failing mark on this part of the meal.  Although they looked like they had been cooked just right, they tasted like they had been fried in some really old oil.  Even the ketchup didn't help.  Again, so sad.  Coupled with the lackluster fries was the not so pleasant aroma that intensified the further back into the bar you walked.  So I can't really even recommend stopping by Adair's if you happen to be in the neighborhood and you're looking for a burger.  There are just too many other fabulous options on the same block.  I think the exception would be if there's a band playing that you really want to see, or if you really love Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Because the fries had been so disappointing and a couple of us were still hungry, we walked across the street the Twisted Root.  Thanks to Tina for getting us the Fried Ride.


Straight Cut Fries, Sweet Potato Chips, Fried Onion Strings, Quincy’s Fried Pickles, and Fried Green Beans, partnered with peppercorn and chipotle ranch.

 And although we didn't actually eat a burger this time, the Burger Babes have visited the Twisted Root Burger Co.in the past and we can confidently recommend any of the burger choices

Until next month...

Stackhouse

Stackhouse Burgers is one of Dallas' newest burger joints and quite possibly one of the best.  Located in an newly renovated bungalow on Gaston Avenue, close to the Baylor School of Dentistry, Stackhouse knows burgers and customer service.

We arrived around 7:00 and we were some of the first customers of the evening, but by the time we left a little after 9:00, the place had filled up and there were even a couple of brave souls sitting upstairs on the patio.  At Stackhouse, you place your order at the bar, grab a number, and find a seat.  Burgers are simple here.  You order a single or a double, both of which come with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a pickle (made in house) all on a toasted custom-made brioche bun.  (I love burgers on brioche buns!)  Then you just decide what you want to stack on your burger; mushrooms, grilled onions, chili, avocado, fried egg, and bacon are some of the choices, not to mention at least six different kinds of cheese.  I ordered a single with a slice of cheddar and a slice of swiss with a side of onion rings.  Probably the most popular burger of the night was the house special, a chorizo hamburger complete with monterrey jack cheese, a grilled poblano pepper, and fried egg.

After about a 10 minute wait, our burgers arrived and we were ALL very excited about our burgers.  Very delicious!  In fact, Anita claims that her chorizo burger was the best she's ever had and Stackhouse broke Esther's top five.  That, my friends, is very high praise.  The patty is incredibly good, full of flavor, and cooked to perfection.  Apparently one of the owners has a great connection and you won't find a patty like it anywhere else.    The veggies were fresh...yea for red onions on burgers and homemade, super thin pickles.  The only downside to my burger was that the tomato was so fresh and juicy that my bottom bun was a bit soggy.  But, I was able to plow through it.  And isn't it a sign of a great burger if there are juices running down your arms and you need multiple napkins?

Between our group of seven, we got the following sides: sweet potato fries, onion rings, and french fries.  And these were some of the best sides we've had.  The onion rings were thinly sliced and breaded.  This means you get a lot of them and better yet, you can eat a lot because there's not too much breading. The sweet potato fries were thinly cut and pretty tasty.  But the blue ribbon winner?  Fresh cut french fries that go through a lengthy process before even making it to the fryer.  And if they don't pass muster, they get thrown out and the process starts all over.

Obviously, the Burger Babes fully enjoyed our meal.  (Did I mention that Stackhouse has sweet tea and it was just about perfect?)  But in addition to our meal, we were also highly impressed with the customer service.  One of the owners, Randy Kienast, took the time to sit down and talk with us.  He was intrigued by our group (who isn't?) and wanted to know other burger places we had been and what we thought were some of the best burgers in town.    And when we told him, he wanted to know what we liked so much about those places.  He said he knew that we knew burgers when we rattled off all of our top places.  And he was incredibly open to our two suggestions (fried pickles and a sampler of sides).

Yes, Dallas has a ton of burger places, but Stackhouse definitely has one of the very best and it is well worth your time to visit.

Click here for an interview with Randy Kienast.