Chapps Cafe’s slogan is “Burgers to die for,” but for me…not so much. I had a bacon cheese burger with swiss cheese and it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great either. The only thing that stood out for me was that it was extremely filling. I only ate half. Of course that could have been more about the side order of cheddar fries Cali and I shared. That’s about all I can write about it. It’s just an average tasting burger.
I am not a burger person. I don’t go seeking for burger places for lunch or dinner. If sushi was cheap, I’d eat it every single day. Same with eating pasta and vegetables (but I’m not a vegetarian). Anyway, ever since I tried out Mooyah’s, I’ve been craving the taste of burgers. I must admit - our favorite place to get burgers is Jack in the Box. I wanted to try something new and opted to go to Steak ‘n Shake, which is literally across the freeway from our house. (Actually, I wanted to go eat at Buffalo Wild Wings but then changed my mind at the last minute.) I had heard that Steak ‘n Shake was a must-try from my husband’s mom to friends on Twitter.
Before we walked in, I thought it was going to be one of those fast-food joints, where you walk up to the counter, place your order, wait at the table, and be called when your order was ready. It was actually set up like a 60’s style diner, stylized in red, black, and white decor, and I was pleasantly surprised that we were actually seated (by a very tall girl) at a booth. Right as we sat down, I noticed another customer eating French fries (with a fork) and what caught my eye was that they were skinny fries. My favorite kind! So I knew that I’d be back at Steak ‘n Shake for something.
We poured over the menus since I didn’t check the menu ahead of time on-line. I tend to gravitate to the salads but I didn’t want to do that my first time. So chose the portobello & swiss steakburger platter (which comes with 2 sides), French fries, and a cup of chili. Since I didn’t want to not have a shake, I picked the “vanorange” which is a vanilla and orange shake. What is so cool is that in the glass one side is vanilla and the other side is orange! Tom got the bacon ‘n cheese double steakburger platter with the same sides. He topped it off with the “coffee mocha” shake. The waitress had a memory of steel as she didn’t write anything down! (That always amazes me.)
Our chili came out first. It wasn’t really hot, kinda more on the warm side, but it was still yummy. Shortly thereafter, we got our burgers and fries and our shakes (and a couple glasses of water, too). My burger was so juicy and the meat was peeking out of the bun. The meat was also very lean, much like the meat Mooyah puts in their burgers. The shake was thick and creamy and oh, so good. That’s why you needed the water to wash it all down.
After we were done, we sat and chit-chatted and the manager (the only one with a tie, slacks, and dress shirt) walked around from table to table asking how the food was. I like seeing that in a restaurant. It makes me feel like they do care about their customers. Since I’ve been living in Dallas for 2 years now, I can say that I’ve been to Steak ‘n Shake and I know I’ll be back again. The good thing about Steak ‘n Shake is that they’re open 24 hours. So when the mood hits, you know where to go.
Steak ‘n Shake
950 Market Place Blvd.
Irving, TX 75063
214-574-5300
Editor’s Note: This review was written by twitter friend @daysies. She twittered that she had just eaten at Steak ‘N’ Shake, one of our favorite places, and I asked her to do a guest review for Carnivore.TV. You can read more from daysies, a.k.a., Kathleen on her blog daysiesdotnu where she writes about whatever is on her mind.
I have to add something because it’s my favorite thing at Steak ‘N’ Shake. On the table with the salt, pepper and ketchup, they also provide pepper sauce. I think SNS might call it something different, but in the south, we call it pepper sauce. It’s vinegar in a bottle with green tabasco peppers. I love sprinkling it liberally over the skinny fries and then salting them. It’s salt, vinegar and POW! What could be better?
My big question for Kathleen, though, is where can I get good Sushi in Dallas?
Chris Christensen, The Amateur Traveler, was in Dallas for business, so Cali asked him to stop by for an interview and dinner. In preparation for our Big Trip to all 50 States, frugality has been the watchword, so yuppie burgers have been nearly banned from the options list.
Dinner with Chris was at State and Allen Lounge, an urban bistro in Uptown Dallas. Having not reviewed a burger in over a week, I felt obligated to order a Mushroom and Swiss burger, which came with a side of fries.
I need to do some morethinking to make a call about the importance of Burger to Bun Ratio (BtBR). For now I’ll just throw out the ratio that feels right in my heart. The burger experience is at least 60% about the meat, 15% about the toppings, and 25% about the bun. Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts about the proper BtBR in the comments.
The Mushroom and Swiss burger I ate at State and allen Lounge last night flips my loose BtBR on it’s head. This burger might be as much as 60% about the bun. The bun had to have been made with a good amount of butter because that was the taste that made this burger experience so uniquely good. The meat was excellent, although, I have yet to eat a burger in Dallas that is served truly medium. Medium in Dallas tends to be what I would call medium-well.
State and Allen has a very strong yuppie vibe. Dogs are welcomed at outside tables. Service is great, and they offer an impressive a la carte cheese and meat board.
This might be my second favorite yuppie burger, ever. The first is the Bluegrass Burger from Bluegrass Restaurant in Highland Park, IL. Dave, the chef at Bluegrass is THE starting point for most of what I believe about burgers, and he knows what it means to cook a burger medium.
It’s off topic here, but there are three places in North America with unforgettable Mac and Cheese. One is Nob Hill Restaurant in the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. It is served with Blue Cheese crumbled on top. One is The Beaconsfield on the corner of Beaconsfield Ave. and Queen Street W in Toronto. It has a chipotle corn flake crust. The other is this place, State and Allen Lounge. State and Allen’s Mac and Cheese has toasted croutons on top.
Cali ordered the Al’s Love Love Spicy Chicken Bowl. It’s worth mentioning because of the name. Chris Christensen picked up the tab so our Big Trip frugality could remain in tact. Thanks, Chris!
I broke a personal rule today. I try and limit burger intake to once per week, but we were out, needed nourishment and the window sign said the three magic words: Kobe Beef Burger.
If you haven’t had the pleasure, Kobe Beef is reputed to be the best on the planet. The cows are raised in a particular region in Japan, and this is no joke, they receive daily massages and drink beer. This special treatment results in some expensive, but tasty meat.
I made the mistake of ordering my burger with everything on it. They use shredded iceberg lettuce, and I’m not a fan. I dumped the lettuce.
The taste of the meat was spectacular, but the other ingredients, including the bun, didn’t taste premium enough to complement the Kobe. The veggies, american cheese and buns could all use an upgrade. They seemed to be the same ordinary ingredients you’d get from a major fast-food chain. That wouldn’t keep me from coming back, though, or from recommending the place.
It was a burger to be savored bite by Kobelicious bite. I plan to return to taste some of the other treats on the menu. If you’re in the area, you should too. OH! And when the manager asked how the burgers tasted, he called me Neal. He remembered from when we ordered.
I’m not a burger snob, but as a rule, drive-through burger dinning should be reserved for emergency situations where there aren’t viable sit-down alternatives. My favorite burger from a drive-through is the Olive Burger from Burger Street. It’s a regional chain operating in Dallas, Fort Worth and Tulsa.
I order the Olive Burger just as it comes. It has two patties, no cheese, and it’s topped with mayo, lettuce, tomato and sliced green olives. I think of it as a cool, refreshing, almost light burger. It’s especially nice on a hot Dallas afternoon.
Burger Street is also the best place for Southern Sweet Tea. It’s $0.99 for a large cup of Southern goodness.
In-N-Out Burger is legendary. Burger aficionados make annual visits to the West coast just to get a fix of one of the best fast-food burgers anywhere for any amount of money. In-N-Out is a regional chain and those of us out of the region are usually left to just long for the next time we’ll be near enough to drive through and use our secret menu ordering skills.
Mooyah Burgers and Fries in Texas is the closest thing to In-N-Out I’ve ever tried, and it’s pretty clear why. They use the same high quality ingredients. The burgers are fresh and never frozen with no additives, fillers or preservatives. The fries are made from potatoes cut fresh the same day. The buns are baked fresh every day and the shakes are made from 100% pure ice cream. When you visit a Mooyah, it even looks a little like an In-N-Out. The employees are friendly and the menu is almost as simple as the published In-N-Out menu.
The regular Mooyah burger, the one I always get, comes with a default of two patties that are also very reminiscent of In-N-Out. My standard order is a Mooyah Burger with swiss cheese, bacon, onions (sometimes raw and sometimes grilled), and mustard. Burgers are thoughtfully wrapped upside down, so when you turn them over to unwrap them, they are ready to eat, right side up.
When we go to Mooyah, we rarely order fries. It isn’t because they aren’t good. They are. We just don’t have appetites large enough to accommodate more than a Mooyah burger. Mooyah fries are cut from fresh potatoes and served in cups. When we DO spring for fries, a regular order is plenty for two. Mooyah gets extra points, from me, for including Malt Vinegar as a condiment beside the ketchup dispenser. A carny once told me, when I was little, that Canadians put vinegar on their fries, and I’ve preferred them that way ever since.
I wouldn’t dare proclaim a Mooyah burger to be as good as an In-N-Out burger, but it’s so close I no longer miss In-N-Out when I’m in Texas. The thing missing most from Mooyah, apart from years of history, is a secret menu!
As burger joints go, Twisted Root is different from the ground up. Started by three Chefs, each with a culinary degree and each with a passion for burgers. It took them three years to raise the money to open the first location just outside of Downtown Dallas in historic Deep Ellum.
The staff creates a fun atmosphere. When you walk up to the counter and place your order, you’re given a card with the name of a famous person or fictional character. We were Cinderella on our last visit. When your order is ready, you’re beaconed over the loud system using the name on your card–sometimes with a song, sometimes with a rap, but always in an entertaining way.
We’ve ordered several things from the menu. The specials are always worth a look, but our two favorite burgers are #1, the Blue Cheese & Jalepeño Burger ($6.99) and the REAL Buffalo Burger ($7.99) with Ceddar Cheese ($0.75).
The buns are just the right size and toasted just the right amount, and the ingredients are top notch. A lot of what they serve is homemade including the pickles, rootbeer, watermelon sweet tea and ice cream.
The Buffalo is lean, hearty and savory. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m ordering a Buffalo burger just for the idea of the whole thing, or because I really like Buffalo. There isn’t a doubt at Twisted Root. I LIKE the Buffalo.
The beef burgers are 1/2 Lb. patties that blend chuck and brisket meats. They’re juicy, just like you want a beef burger to be. If you choose one of the specialty burgers, the toppings are out of this world, especially the blue cheese and jalepeño.
They have all the standard condiments, but they also have their own unique versions of ketchup, mustard and BBQ sauce.
The “Root” part of the name refers to the Hand-Cut Sweet Potato Chips and the Hand-Cut Twisted Fries. An order of Blue Cheese Fries is enough for two or three people and comes close to being as good as Garlic Fries from 21st Amendment in San Francisco.
Burger Town - a documentary
