Category Archives: Burger

TGI Friday’s Releases Its New Fire-Grilled Meats and Two New Cocktails

With their competition reinventing their menus with less items, there’s a new fire under TGIF’s behind. Their answer: do what they do, just better and for less cost to the consumer.

Friday’s is overhauling their entire menu, meaning new apps, entrees, sides, drinks, and more. TGI Friday’s new Choose Two menu dropped today and it’s all about fire-grilled meats … and good ones, at that. There are 15 different combinations for you to try, each for just $14.99.

First up: Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls and the Philly Cheesesteak Burger. We have yet to find someone who doesn’t love egg rolls (we held a poll in the tasting to prove ourselves right), so it only makes sense to American-ize them into a Philly Cheese-take (pun intended) appetizer.  The burger’s patty is juicy and topped with a cheesy pepper concoction that you’ll fork off the plate after it falls off the burger. Don’t worry – if you order the burger, you get an egg roll on top. (Because burgers are better with an appetizer on top.)

As for the new Grilled Meats menu … all of Friday’s meats are grilled fresh on the fire and never frozen, and they’re moving to higher quality cuts that give the guest a nicer amount of meat with less effort cutting around the less desirable bits. We won’t go through all the different meat and side combinations you can get—they’re all pretty damn good, so just pick your favorite(s). We will, however, tell you about all the juicy, fire-grilled meats you can now get …

Premium Center Cut Sirloin: 6oz seasoned with hickory smoked sea salt, topped with parmesan butter.
Dragon Glazed Salmon: Atlantic salmon fillet brushed with sweet and spicy Korean BBQ sauce, topped with mango pico de gallo.
Big Ribs: 30% meatier, bolder, tastier premium pork back ribs, cooked low and slow in house. (The new ribs launched in October and have been a hit.)
Parmesan Crusted Chicken: topped with a white poblano queso and toasted with crispy parmesan bread crumbs.
Bacon-Wrapped Grilled Shrimp: two skewers of three large jumbo shrimp, wrapped in hardwood smoked bacon and brushed with parmesan butter sauce.
14-ounce Bone-In New York Strip: this cut is ridiculously juicy and flavorful … not to be missed. It’ll give some steakhouses a run for their money.

New sides were also recently introduced to accompany these delicious meats—crispy Brussel sprouts, baked mac & cheese and giant onion rings. All of which were equally “souped-up” recently. Their standard mashed potatoes aren’t anything to shy away from, though … they fold in cheese to make them rich and they’re nearly impossible to hold yourself back from eating the whole pile.

The important thing to remember here is your eyes may be hungrier than your stomach, but that’s okay because they have to-go boxes for you to take things home.

Along with the new entree options, they’ve released two new cocktails, the Magic Lemon Drop Martini and their take on a Hurricane. They’ve been making efforts to move their bar to a “clean bar” concept—no fake colors or ingredients, just good, clean, quality ingredients.

The Magic Lemon Drop is cool on many fronts—visually, because of it’s greatly contrasting purple and yellow colors; experientially, because you get to be your own mixologist with the garnish by dropping it in and watching the color change; and Boomerang-worthy, because they use butterfly pea tea extract. The BPT extract is a new, trendy cocktail ingredient that makes a cocktail blue, and then changes color when some ingredients are added—purple with acidic ingredients, pink with a high pH ingredient. Less new, but still a stunner, their take on the traditional hurricane is fresh and delicious, made so partly because of the fresh passion fruit puree they use.

TGIF’s is stepping up it’s game again, y’all.


TGI FRIDAY’S
tgifridays.com
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Slater’s 50/50 – Burgers, Bacon, Beer

Three of my top ten favorite things: burgers, bacon, and beer. And it  happens that there is a new place adding to the renaissance of the Lower Greenville area in Dallas within walking distance of where I live. Their description? “Slater’s 50/50, Burgers, Bacon, Beer”. This is incredibly dangerous to my waistline because, when the opportunity arose to try it out, I loved it.

There are so many great burger joints in Dallas. TBH, when I heard about it, I was like, “Another one? Do we really need it?” My tuned changed after a visit and a meal.

The space is incredibly well designed and the layout flows nicely. I took my wife along for the visit, and, as a healthcare interior designer, she admitted that she liked everything about the space. The large, u-shaped bar offers plenty of seating, and an impressive collection of beer taps. Additionally, there are plenty of TVs so you can sample all their beer offerings while watching the game.

There are some things about Slater’s 50/50 that make it really sizzle. (Pun intended.) First, bacon serves a primary function in everything they do. (As God intended.) From their burger patty made of 50% ground beef and 50% ground bacon to bacon cocktails, ketchup, milkshakes, and even a bacon brownie … you get the sense of the theme. This isn’t just any ground beef though. Slater’s 50/50 uses only the freshest and highest quality ingredients—all patties contain premium, natural beef, made without hormones or antibiotics.

We started off with the Crispy Brussels Sprouts with mustard and white balsamic vinaigrette, shaved parmesan, bacon and fried sage. This was a great starter—one, because it is delicious. Two, it wasn’t too filling, which was excellent because I wanted to save room for what was to come next.

The Bison & Bacon Burger made with 100% Durham Ranch bison, thick-cut bacon, swiss, jalapeño bacon jam, tomato, green leaf lettuce, and sage and garlic aioli served on a honey wheat bun. This beautiful beast was incredible and the bison perfectly lean. I know, this isn’t one of their 50/50 beef and bacon patties, but I had to try it.

The wifey ordered the Rosemary Turkey Burger made with ground turkey, rosemary parmesan bacon, smoked gouda, spring mix, tomato, red onions, roasted red peppers, and sage and garlic aioli, served on a honey wheat bun. I highly recommend this one. The flavors of this turkey burger will knock your socks off.

The sides here aren’t just that, they could carry the show themselves. (And one could say we are connoisseurs of Onion Rings.) Sadly, there are very few places in Dallas where you can find top-notch onion rings (I am totally open to suggestions if you have them). However, the side of onion rings we got to share were fantastic. They are served with, wait for it … bacon ketchup! Great job Slater’s 50/50 … we all owe you.

And for dessert? OF COURSE, we got the Bacon Brownie—candied bacon, chocolate ganache, a la mode! I had my doubts—I have had many sweet treats paired with bacon, and I can honestly say, I have only really enjoyed a few of them, and mostly for the novelty. However, since literally everything we had eaten up to this point was served with bacon, our palettes were totally ready for this brownie. It was incredible. Though, after all the food and beer, we couldn’t come anywhere close to finishing it. (Though we made a noble effort.)

Speaking of the brownie, another thing that needs to be mentioned about Slater’s 50/50 is their philanthropy. They have partnered with The Boys & Girl’s Club of Greater Dallas, and for the rest of August 2017, if you purchase their Slider Pops (current Burger of the Month) or Bacon Brownie, a portion of the proceeds will go to benefit this amazing cause.

Aside from their unique signature burgers, you’ll notice their beer pairings that accompany every food item. However, every server in the joint is required to go through Cicerone certification. If you don’t know what that is, it’s basically a beer sommelier.  So if a suggested beer doesn’t strike your fancy, or you are looking to try something new, the servers and bartenders can help you find the perfect beer from their 50+ local beers—each served at the correct temperature and in the glass that the beer is supposed to be served. The taps are constantly rotating due to being local and to make room for seasonal offerings. It’s the perfect location to find new beers to love and to see what the local crafts are producing.

If you aren’t a beer person, you won’t be left out. They have a wide range of signature cocktails, bacon and un-bacon. We got to sample a couple of them ourselves. The Peach Basket (whiskey, peach puree, ginger beer, orange squeeze) was wonderful.  Also, their Across the Pond (Smirnoff Citrus, St-Germain Elderflower, grapefruit juice, soda) was incredibly refreshing. We agreed that’s great for these stupid hot summer days here in Dallas.

One thing to note: if you like to dine with your favorite pupper in your life, Slater’s 50/50 is dog-friendly on both their ground outdoor and rooftop patios AND offers a Doggie Menu! This menu includes their 50/50 patty, beef patty, turkey patty, chicken breast or 2 strips of bacon! So bring them along with you next time you visit and treat them to their own feast!

Altogether, Slater’s 50/50 should on your list of places to visit; it really is a one-of-a-kind experience. There is a pretty good chance you will see me there stuffing my face and sampling a local beer offering. Just try not to stare.

Slater’s 50/50 Dallas
slaters5050.com/locations/dallas/
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2817 Greenville Avenue (Lower Greenville)
214-888-0158

Restaurant Hours:
Sun to Wed: 11am – 10pm
Thu: 11am – 11pm
Fri to Sat: 11am – 12am

Day Drinking:
Mon to Fri: 11am – 6pm

Pinstack Las Colinas

Adult children, rejoice! Pinstack has a new location off of 635 in Las Colinas.

For those of you who haven’t been to their Plano location yet, Pinstack is the modern version of a bowling alley, arcade, and restaurant, all poured into one. This new location is 53,000 sqf of fun with three main areas—the restaurant and bar, the bowling alleys, and the arcade area. Just beyond the restaurant is a 4,000 sqf patio with half of it climate controlled and the other half outside with various giant-sized lawn games. The arcade area also offers a two-level laser tag arena, a rock climbing wall, a high-ropes course, and hundreds of the newest video games and simulator technology.

For those of you who would rather watch than do, the restaurant and bar have much to offer you. I would highly recommend starting with the Mac & Cheese Pops (fried mac & cheese balls), served with a tomato bisque sauce. They’re entirely too easy to eat.

From there, you can’t go wrong with the Blackened Mahi Mahi served over jasmine rice with pineapple pico and sweet chili sauce, or the Simply Grilled Chicken served with sautéed heirloom cherry tomatoes and asparagus, baby arugula, balsamic reduction, and parmesan cheese.

This wouldn’t be a complete review on this site without some cocktail info, so be sure to give their signature Paloma a go. This classic cocktail is refreshing and delectable … really, it’s a perfect way to cool down after a heated game of laser tag. They also offer domestic and craft pints (quite a few of them on draft), house wines, and margaritas

Happy hour is Monday through Friday, 4-7pm, and features specialty pricing on cocktails, beer, and wine! They are also offering specials on Mondays and Wednesdays: their Monday night special, dubbed Bowl & Bite, offers $3 draft beers and 1/2 price appetizers. They also have Wine Down Wednesday with 1/2 off bottles wine!

This particular Pinstack location can accommodate up to 1,800 guests with an inviting layout for private parties and events.

PINSTACK LAS COLINAS
Pinstack Las Colinas
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2750 West I-635 (Irving)
214.765.2695

Hours:
Sunday-Thursday: 11am-Midnight
Friday: 11am-2am
Saturday: 10am-2am

Shake Shack Plano is here!

Shake Shack Plano is now open for business! Blazing the trail for a lineup of pretty amazing restaurants planned for the new Legacy West development, the Plano Shack marks the second DFW location for the NYC chain; the first was in Uptown.

ShackBurger, Link Burger, and Fries

In addition to Shake Shack’s classic lineup of juicy burgers, crinkle cut cheese fries and frosty shakes, the Plano location features a special selection of locally inspired menu items. Sink your teeth into a Link Burger, topped with a Pecan Lodge jalapeño cheddar sausage link, and wash it down with something cold and local from Four Corners Brewing Co. or Deep Ellum Brewing.

Brat Burger

Oh, and by all means, save room for dessert. Locally inspired offerings at the Plano shack include a tempting lineup of custard concretes: the West Slide (vanilla custard, Sugar Ray’s old fashioned strawberry cupcake, and strawberry puree), the Top Twirl (chocolate custard, Top Knot banana chocolate cake and miso caramel) and the Pie Oh My (vanilla custard and slice of Emporium Pies seasonal pie).

PRO TIP: If you’re running by during your lunch hour, use the app to preorder and skip the line!

SHAKE SHACK PLANO
shakeshack.com
7401 Windrose Avenue, Plano (in Legacy West)

Opening Hours:
11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Sunday – Thursday
11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Friday & Saturday

 

Now Open: Smashburger in The Colony

Smashburger, the quality-obsessed, Colorado-based, “better burger” chain, is spreading like wildfire. In November, they opened their most recent Dallas-Fort Worth location in The Colony on State Hwy 121, just east of Josey Lane.

If you’ve never experienced Smashburger before, you’re not doing it right. Smashburger’s commitment to building a “better burger” starts out with high-quality ingredients. Fresh, never frozen, natural Certified Angus beef is “smashed” for exactly ten seconds on a 385º buttered grill top. The burger perfectionists at Smashburger have the “smashing” down to a science; this time and temperature has proven to be the secret to locking in that juicy goodness, while crisping the bottom of the burger to a crispy, caramelized shell. Hungry yet? Your burger is then nestled between a soft, buttery artisan bun, and topped with fresh, high-quality ingredients.

What kind of ingredients, you might ask? Well, that’s up to you. With burger offerings that include spinach & goat cheese, spicy jalapeño Baja, and buffalo blue cheese, the sky is (more or less) the limit. Feeling inventive? Take your shot at BYOB (that’s building your own burger), instead.

If burgers aren’t your thing, Smashburger also offers delicious chicken (grilled or crispy) sandwiches, as well as a black bean burger in their lineup. If you’re inclined to ditch the bun altogether, try indulging in one of Smashbruger’s fresh, plentiful salads. If you’re looking for a little something on the side, four equally tempting varieties of fries are available: Traditional French Fries, Smash Fries (seasoned with olive oil, rosemary, and garlic- my personal recommendation), Spicy Buffalo Fries, and Sweet Potato Fries. Also available: Onion Rings and Fried Pickles. If you’re looking for something a little lighter, try the Veggie Frites- a flash-fried side of green beans and carrot strips.

If you do opt to demonstrate remarkable discipline and choose the Veggie Frites for your side, I think it’s only fair to reward your responsible decision with a delicious hand-spun milkshake. (That’s how this works, right?) Smashburger handcrafts all of their shakes with Häagen-Dazs ice cream, in a range of irresistible flavors like Nutterbutter, Salted Caramel, and Chocolate Oreo. I highly recommend stopping in for their seasonal shake offering, the Belgian Cookie Crumble- sweet cookies blended with vanilla ice cream and notes of cinnamon and caramel, topped with cookie crumbs and whipped cream. Holy yum.

Smashburger serves a variety of rotating local craft beers from the likes of Deep Ellum Brewing and Rahr and Sons, to name a few. You will want to keep this in mind, come warmer weather. Conveniently located just a stone’s throw from Lake Lewisville, I’m hard-pressed to think of a better way to conclude a day on the water than indulging in a juicy Smashburger, a piping hot stack of Smashfries, and an ice cold local craft beer on Smashburger’s new patio. Note to self: This is happening.

SMASHBURGER – The Colony
smashburger.com
214-618-0880
-multiple locations- & 4940 State Highway 121, Suite 125 (The Colony)

Open  daily 10:00 AM- 10:00 PM

 

Haystack Burgers and Barley

There are plenty of places to grab a burger in the D/FW area with new spots opening regularly. Some just aren’t worth the effort to show up and order. The great people of Richardson are lucky, because one of their newish spots, Haystack Burger and Barley, stacks up.

We’ll start with alcohol because … me. They have a signature frozen drink, The Haymaker, that puts a whole new spin on frozen drinks–whiskey. (And y’all know I love that.) Make sure to limit yourself to one because they’re on the stronger side. Praise the frozen concoction gods. Oh, and if you were wondering, the “barley” in their name represents their beer selection, which happens to be somewhat extensive for a small QSR and features local, quality options.

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Their burgers are made with high quality beef and topped with fresh ingredients. Each of their burgers is unique and has a weird twist here or there–get a little wild with the Escabeche Burger (jalape?o escabeche, pepper Jack, applewood smoked bacon, chipotle mayo, fried onions) or go with their signature Haystack Burger (fried onions, cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomato, & pickles).

Now let’s talk sides … get them all. But really … the Half/Half (fresh cut Kennebek potatoes and fried onion strings) is where it’s at, and the Fried Pickles were crunchy, salty, and just real damn perfect. And definitely don’t miss the many many dipping options. I think we had six ramekins of sauce by the end of the meal and used each and every one of them.

haystack_fried-pickles_susie-oszustowicz

The best part is the story behind the restaurant, which is kind of adorable–a Richardson couple wanted to open a quick-serve restaurant for their neighbors. One daughter named it, the other daughter helped decorate it. When I went in for a visit, the whole family was in for an early dinner … I mean, suhcute. It’s great to see such a small fast food restaurant doing so well, especially as it can be difficult to compete with some of the bigger chains. You can find out more here about managing your finances as a QSR if you’re interested in running one of your own.

BONUS … Monday-Friday, 3-6:30pm:

  • $2 off draft beers and wines by the glass
  • $4 Haymakers
  • Refill a growler with one of their local selections for $4 off

Stop in for a dinner before you head next door to catch a movie at Alamo Drafthouse Richardson (because these burgers are better) and make a night of it.

Haystack Burgers and Barley
haystackburgers.com
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Richardson: 100 S. Central, Suite 17 | 972-479-9424
new location: Turtle Creek Village: 3838 Oak Lawn Ave, #175 | 214-377-7802

 

Shacktoberfest

Everyone’s doing the Oktoberfest situation (yes … I know it’s still September … it’s a thing).  So it makes sense that Dallas’s newest quick-serve burger join, Shake Shack, dubbed Shacktoberfest. September 23 – October 2 you can get six German-style menu items from burgers to shakes with a decidedly Shake Shack slant to them.

 

25oz. Shacktoberfest Bier Stein fill with Brooklyn Brewery Oktoberfest ($10, refill available for $7.69 … the stein is yours to keep!)

Brat Burger: topped with a flat-top griddled Usinger’s cheddar-stuffed bratwurst, crispy beer-marinated shallots and ShackSauce ($7.59)

ShackMeister Brat: Flat-top griddled Usinger’s cheddar-stuffed bratwurst, crispy beer-marinated shallots and cheese sauce ($5.29)

Bavarian-Style Soft Pretzel: Toasted soft pretzel topped with Bavarian spices ($2.99)

Apfelstrudel Shake: Apple strudel shake topped with whipped cream and cinnamon-sugar shortbread ($5.79)

Black Forest Shake: Chocolate and cherry shake with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles ($5.79)

Shake Shack – Uptown Dallas
shakeshack.com
2500 N Pearl Street (in Crescent Court), Dallas
214.983.1022

Hours
11AM – 10PM, Sunday – Thursday
11AM – 11PM, Friday & Saturday

 

Dugg Burger Plano: Now Open!

Lately, every time I turn around, another popular Dallas eatery or watering hole seems to be setting up shop in Plano. Being a person who doesn’t love detests Dallas traffic, this trend is more than OK with this Collin County resident.  Along those lines, I was super excited to learn Dugg Burger had plans to open a second location in Plano (my ‘hood!), especially after hearing Susie talk up the Dallas location.

Dugg Burger Plano features the same ingenious burger crafting concept developed at their Dallas location. Your custom burger experience starts out with Dugg’s bun prepping system, resulting in a hamburger bun that’s as clever as it is delicious. The top half of each bun is “hulled out” using a fancy-pants, custom designed bun hulling tool, and then toasted on a magical, stainless steel, magnetic dome. This keeps your bun from falling apart (and also results in warm, toasty goodness).

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Now that your bun has been sufficiently hollowed out, it’s time to choose your cheese (cheddar, Swiss, American, or pepperjack), and then stuff that sucker to the brim with your choice of 13 ingredients. Dugg offers 12 amazing toppings on a permanent basis–lettuce, grape tomatoes, dill pickles, Dugg sauce, BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard, sautéed mushrooms, fire-roasted jalapeños, caramelized onions, crispy onion strings, and hickory-smoked bacon–then they offer an additional topping choice called the “Lucky 13,” and this one rotates regularly. The Lucky 13 ranges from mild to wild; during my visit, it was a habanero sauce prepared with a secret ingredient. (I’ll give you a hint: it was “magically delicious”. Yup, I’m dead serious.) You can check out the current Lucky 13 on Dugg’s website. The best part about the topping situation? Cheese, plus ALL of the toppings, are included in your Dugg Burger’s $7.75 price tag. Uhh-mazing.

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While you are deliberating over the topping situation, Dugg Burger already has your juicy and delicious burger patty sizzling away on the grill, so you won’t have to wait long before sampling your masterpiece. You’ll definitely want to add a side of fries to your order; Dugg’s are perfectly golden and crispy, and served hot, fresh, and delicious.

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But really, why stop there? Dugg Burger serves thick, decadent milkshakes prepared with the best ice cream on the planet, Henry’s Ice Cream. (EDITOR’S NOTE: it’s quite good if you weren’t born with a spoon or Blue Bell in your mouth like us normal Texans. ☺️) And, in case you’re wondering what happens with all of the “hulled out” bready goodness from the buns, well…you might want to save room for dessert. Yup, once you’ve polished off your burger, you can enjoy the rest of your bun in the form of warm, sticky, bread pudding.

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Dugg Burger had a total of seven local craft beer offerings available during my visit,  including labels from 903, Revolver, and Deep Ellum Brewing Company. They are also serving up wines by Times Ten Cellars. With summer bearing down on us, I must add Dugg’s Plano location has a great little patio perfect for enjoying your perfect burger.

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Dugg Burger- Plano
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4701 W . Park Blvd #110, Plano