Top Five Metro Burgers
(in the humble opinion of Steve Lazewski and Greg Morrissey)
Steve’s list:
1. Who’s Who Burger, 69 Highland Park Village
2. Balls Hamburgers, 4343 W. Northwest Highway #300
3. Kincaid’s Burgers, 4901 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth
4. St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin, 2730 Commerce
5. Twisted Root Burger Co., 2615 Commerce
Greg’s list:
1. Village Burger Bar, 3699 McKinney
2. Balls Hamburgers, 4343 W. Northwest Highway #300
3. Burger Island, 1250 Northwest Highway Suite C, Garland
4. Uptown Bar & Grill, 2523 McKinney
5. Kincaid’s Burgers, 4901 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth
Burger rankings
Best neighborhood burger: Lakewood Bar & Grill
“We walked in there and didn’t expect anything, and walked out of there shocked and amazed,” Greg says.
Burger specifics:
Steve’s #24: Coppell Deli & Deliman’s Grill
“I question John Madden. Every time he does a Cowboys game, he goes there to eat, and he just raves about it. It was good, but if I was driving through Dallas, I wouldn’t get off the Interstate to go there.”
Steve’s #37: Dunston’s Steakhouse
“It tasted like propane.”
Steve’s #36 and Greg’s #42: Fat Daddy’s Burger House
Both men ranked this place near the bottom of “the list.” But there is an upside: “Free beer!”
Greg’s #35: Keller’s Drive-In
Included in GQ magazine’s nationwide “20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die” story, it didn’t even land in Greg’s top 30 Dallas picks. But if you go, he says: “Order the No. 5 (with Keller’s special sauce).”
Greg’s #6: Hole in the Wall
“One of the best as far as dives and greasy burger joints. The ambiance was ideal.”
Greg’s #26: Buck’s Prime
“An entire Asian family was back there cooking the hamburgers — it kind of threw me off.” But, he says, they used an “ancient Chinese secret … MSG.”
Steve’s #1 and Greg’s #21: Who’s Who Burger
Says Greg: “I had the $10 Kobe burger, and to me it tasted gamey, like deer. It had almost a bitter taste to it.” Says Steve: “Maybe I just did it on a good day.”
Steve’s #9 and Greg’s #36: Wingfield’s Breakfast & Burger
“It’s almost a pound of meat, and it’s cheap — only $3.80,” Steve says. “It’s well worth the money.” But this is another place the guys disagree about. “The meat was overcooked,” Greg says. “Waste of a good cow.”
Two all-beef patties, special sauce, etc.?
Wonder which guy’s gut you ought to go with? Their preferences might help you decide:
Greg:
Ideal burger: Fresh-off-the-grill, juicy, medium rare, mildly spiced
Thick vs. thin: “I’m not a really big fan of the half-pound. I think that’s too much meat.”
Diced lettuce: Yes, please
Condiments: “I have to be able to taste the meat, and I don’t like the condiments overpowering the flavor.”
Steve:
Ideal burger: “I don’t pick it apart like Greg. As soon as I eat one, I just know where it’s going to rank.”
Thick vs. thin: “I probably like them thicker more than thin.”
Diced lettuce: No, thank you
Condiments: He’s a mayonnaise guy
Best buns in the business
Soggy buns, stale buns and buns exceeding the appropriate “meat-to-bun ratio” are all no-nos, according to Lazewski and Morrissey. But during their quest, they discovered a few places that appear to have perfected the toasted bun: Stan’s Blue Note in Lower Greenville, Strokers Ice House on Harry Hines and Gazebo Burger in Plano.
Good brews
If a restaurant brews its own root beer, its ranking can only improve. Lazewski and Morrissey have sampled original brews at Twisted Root Burger Co. in Deep Ellum, Dairy-Ette in East Dallas and TwoRows in Old Town.
