Ketchup Burger Bar, which I tried yesterday, is the latest addition to the Dallas burger scene, and takes a slight departure from the standard burger joint and toward the gourmet, offering thick patty burgers made with everything from beef to lamb to tuna. And they do it well.
This is a fairly trendy looking place with a full bar, complete with high tops and tvs, and serve yourself assorted soft drinks and...ketchups.
These are homemade and bottled, and each very different from each other and nothing like a regular ketchup. Quick summary of each:
House - tastes more like a sweet whole grain mustard than a ketchup, good, but my least favorite
Chipotle - closest to a classic ketchup, laced with mild spice and good smoked chipotle flavor
Green Tomato - tastes like apple butter, not ketchup, but is great
Spiced - curry ketchup, the best of the bunch
There were about five burgers on the menu that I wanted to order, and not only do they have a great selection of burgers, but a great selection of fries and sides.
I opted for The Roadhouse, medium rare. This one is served on a fresh baked Brioche bun with melted Gruyere cheese, cherrywood smoked bacon, onion rings, garlic mayo and tomato. It was awesome. The burger was full of great beefy flavor and was juicy as hell (so much so that broke the strength of the bottom bun but I'm not going to take points away for it because I'll take a broken bun with that burger any day), the bacon was well cooked and remained chewy, which I prefer, and the mayo added a great flavor to the whole thing. The onion rings looked like the frozen variety and not the homemade variety but it doesn't matter because for this burger they were perfect. Very crispy, and they maintained that crispness throughout the entire meal, not greasy or soggy at all.
I also was happy to see a Trio of Fries available, a you pick em mix and match of their various fry offerings. I opted for the garlic chive, white truffle parmesean, and spicy buffalo fries. All were good, with the white truffle parmesean leading the pack with the most flavor, the best flavor, and best cooking execution. The spicy buffalo fries had incredible flavor as well, but unfortunately came off a little soggy after being tossed with wing sauce after frying. The garlic chive were good, but didn't have the punch I was hoping for, and I actually wonder if I didn't accidentally get the House Fries by mistake. The other side options available are sweet potato fries, zucchini fries, house fries and onion rings.
Thought I'd also share a picture of what my friend ordered, the Turkey Burger, which he said was very, very good. Ground turkey with white cheddar, jalapeno-corn salsa, arugula and spiced aioli on a fresh baked molasses wheat bun.
My only real knock on this place is that they don't have root beer. It's my go to drink when I go for a burger, and they don't have it. Other than that, this place is legit. These guys are innovative and execute perfectly, they've got a neighborhood spot with a great atmosphere whether you want to just have a drink, catch a game, or hit it up for lunch or dinner. I hope this place makes it, but I fear for it's survival. My meal ran me $18 before tip (would have been $15 if I'd have gone with just one type of fries), parking is non-existent, and unless you're seeking it out you won't ever notice it. We met at 12:15 and it should have been packed, but it wasn't. And it's not because of the food. So please hit this place up and frequent it, get some more money in their pockets so that they can solve the parking issues and spend on some marketing, because this is a place that you'll love and want to keep around. I'm out of here, but am looking out for YOU!
Summary
Atmosphere: trendy neighborhood restaurant and bar, good for catching a game, good if you're flying solo, good for groups, good for a date
Food: gourmet burgers
Dog Friendly: no
When to Go: lunch, happy hour, dinner
Crowd: there wasn't one on this visit, but it'll end up the Uptown crowd of 20somethings, 30somethings, credit card millionaires, hotchicks
What to Order for the First Timer: The Roadhouse, Trio of Fries
I rather enjoyed the food, and think the owners have something special. However the service is dreadful. The assistant manager/bartender, Barbara? Was worse than getting a tooth pulled. I'd have a glowing review if it wasn't for her lack of customer relation skills.
ReplyDeleteWhat a crock. I went into Ketchup Burger Bar last week and in fact Barbie was my server.
DeleteShe was nothing you described. Completely professional, and was very helpful to my questions about the menu.
The fries trio and squash couscous burger were to die for!