Burger 21

The DFW area has no shortage of upscale burger joints, but more seem to open daily.  Florida-based, Burger 21, joined the DFW market with it's first Texas location opening up in the Frisco on the Downtown Square.  While I think the upscale burger market is over-saturated in my area, I still wanted to try this place out and I have been a couple of times since it opened.

Below are my opinions of what I have tried:

Bacon Cheesy- basic bacon cheeseburger on a brioche bun.  Good, but not great.  

The Tex-Mex Haystack- served with lettuce, tomato, applewood-smoked bacon, Gouda, onion strings, guacamole, and chipotle-jalapeno sauce on a brioche bun.  This burger was really good.  In fact, I would say it had the most flavor of any burger I have had thus far in 2016.  I Highly recommend this burger.

Fries- I have tried both the regular french fries and the sweet potato fries.  Of the two, the sweet potato fries are the better choice here, but both are serviceable.

Kids Grilled Cheese- Served on thick bread and perfectly toasted.  It was a big hit with my youngest daughter and myself.  

Key Lime Pie Milkshake- Absolutely amazing milkshake.  It tasted just like a key lime pie and was even served with a lime, whipped cream, and graham cracker crumbs.  They had a lot of other options on their milkshake menu, but this one was the most intriguing to me and I was not disappointed.

Although I have barely scratched the surface of their menu, the food (and shakes) are good enough to where I would certainly go back again.  While the beef patties on the burgers are somewhat bland, the restaurant has a lot going for it in the toppings and sauce department.  I have never had to wait over 10 minutes for any order and the staff is polite and helpful.   Definitely a good edition to the Frisco Square area.

Burger 21
https://www.burger21.com
Livin the Good Life Rating = 3

B&B Burger & Beer

Although I have my favorite restaurants that I enjoy visiting while in Vegas, I also like trying new restaurants.  While in town for the opening weekend of March Madness, my buddies and I decided to try out B&B Burgers & Beer, which was conveniently located across from the sportsbook at The Venetian.  Although the restaurant was packed, my friends and I were able to secure some seating where we could still watch the big TVs at the sportsbook.  

In addition to a few speciality burgers, the menu also boast a build your own burger menu with various buns and toppings.  I chose to create my own with bacon, cheddar, and garlic aioli on a pretzel bun.  It was a good burger with quality ingredients.  Whereas most pretzel buns are somewhat tough, this one was extremely light and fluffy, yet still had the pretzel taste.

Bacon Cheeseburger on a Pretzel Bun w/fries

Several sides are offered, including fries, onion rings, slaw, chips, warm potato salad, and lettuce wedges.  I was able to sample both the fries and the onion rings.  The fries were pretty good, but the tempura onion rings were really good.

Onion Rings

It ended up being a pretty good meal and I would go back there again.  While not my favorite burger joint in Sin City, it was certainly above average.  While we were pleased with the food, we were not pleased with the outcome of the game we were watching and had put money on.  Oh well, you win some and you lose some.  The food was was winner.

B&B Burger & Beer
http://www.venetian.com/restaurants/american/b-and-b-burger-and-beer.html
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

The Brass Tap

The Brass Tap, a craft beer bar, recently opened in Allen, TX.  In addition to being a craft beer bar with a huge selection of craft beers (over 200), it also has a kitchen that has a fairly large menu for a bar.  Since this place is just a stone's throw from my residence in McKinney, I have been there several times and sample several menu items.

Below are my thoughts and opinions on the food options I have tried:

Jalapeño Corn Fritters- Puffy and sweet with a slight kick from the jalapeños.  Served with Peppadew Pepper Ranch and sweet chili sauce for dipping.  Great appetizer.

Pretzel Bites- Another winner in the appetizer department, the pretzels are great, but the real winner is the beer cheese fondue.  Great combo of flavors when you dip the pretzel bites in the fondue.

Tempura Chicken Sliders-Meh...the tempura chicken finger on a King's Hawaiian roll sounded great, but didn't live up to expectations and was very bland.  The fries were average at best too.

Pretzel Pizzas- Individual pizzas made with pretzel dough.  Although you can barely make out the pretzel flavor, it is there.  I have tried both the Margherita and the Four Meat pizza and both were good.

Fish and Chips-Fish was good, but didn't care for the fries or the slaw.  Pretty basic fish and chips that you would expect to find at a pub. 

Cowboy Burger- smoked Gouda, pepper jack cheese, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and Cowboy Sauce.  Average burger, but loved the brioche bun and whatever ingredients they used to make their Cowboy Sauce.

For the most part, I have liked most of the food that I have tried at the Brass Tap.  It is certainly above-average in the bar/pub food dept.  The Jalapeño Corn Fritters and the Pretzel Bites are a definite hit in the appetizer department.  I am happy that another good restaurant is close to my house, but if you are a craft beer fan, you will be impressed with the selection as well.

The Brass Tap
http://www.brasstapbeerbar.com/Allen
Livin the Good Life Rating=2

The Theodore

Tim Byers is one of the hottest chefs in DFW and his most recent brainchild, The Theodore, recently opened at NorthPark Mall.  Normally I shy away from mall dining, but this particular mall tends to be the exception to the rule and houses several quality restaurants.  Since I am a huge fan of another Byers restaurant, Smoke, I couldn't wait to try out this menu.  

Dining Area

The menu at this causal restaurant includes such items as sourdough toasts, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, desserts, etc.  Since it opened in November, I have had the opportunity to try several items.  Below is my opinion of the items I have tried:

Sausage and Chervil Sourdough Toast-This toast was generously topped with sausage, chervil, bacon, onions, and a spread which I could not identify.  I usually have an aversion to light colored sausages, but this one had a unique taste and was better than most.  The toast was flavorful in it's own right and was toasted just enough to hold up all the toppings.

Corned Beef Brisket and Cabbage Sandwich-  This open faced sandwich was topped with a delicious corned beef and plenty of cabbage.  This was some of the best corned beef I have had in recent memory and it was served atop the same delicious sourdough bread as the toast above.  Although I would have preferred less cabbage, it was cooked well and added to the flavor of the sandwich.

Burger on Sweet Yeast Roll-Quite basic, but extraordinary in it's simpleness.  The meat was juicy and flavorful, the roll was truly sweet, and the veggies were crisp.  It is refreshing to see a burger that is delicious without adding a bunch of toppings other than cheese, bacon, lettuce, pickle, onion, and tomato.

Beef Wellington- The fleet was cooked to perfection and the pastry was nice and crispy, but I really didn't care for the foie gras that sat atop the filet.  I have never been a fan of foie gras and thought even this small sampling of it, detracted from the meat itself.  Mashed potatoes accompanied this dish and they were amazing, but I would have preferred a larger sampling.  The gravy was also delicious.  

Crab Apple Toffee Cake- Loved the toffee cake, but felt the crab apple was a little too sour for my taste.  I was also disappointed in how small the dessert was.

Dark Chocolate Tart- Chocolate perfection.  The tart made me question ever eating anything else chocolate again besides this dessert.  In fact, it was so good, I considered ordering a second tart.

Most of the menu items I have sampled were good, but not all lived up to expectations.   The service was spectacular and what one comes to expect from a Tim Byers restaurant.  I do think Byers has another winner in The Theodore and I truly believe it is a nice addition to NorthPark Mall.

The Theodore
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Jakes

Frisco Square recently got a new burger restaurant called Jake's Uptown.  They have several locations in the Metroplex and have been highly praised by critics and local publications.  I am almost embarrassed to say that I have lived in the DFW area for over a decade, but never been to Jake's.  I have obviously heard of Jake's, but have never had the opportunity to eat there.  My wife said that she was fond of the chain, so we decided to go there for lunch one day.  This would be my wife's first dining outing since she had foot surgery last week.  It was worth the trip just to see her using her knee scooter as my oldest kid rode on the front of it.

We arrived right before the lunch crowd hit and were seated immediately.  I was pleased to see that they had one of my favorite appetizers on the menu; fried green beans.  Since my wife is always saying I need to eat more vegetables, we ordered some for the family to share before our meal.  For my meal, I ordered the cheeseburger and the Jumpin' Jake Fries.  Despite the fact my wife claimed to "love" their burgers, she ordered the BLT with Sweet potato fries.  My daughter ordered the grilled cheese with regular fries (they were not jumpin' or sweet).

Fried Green Beans

The service was great throughout the entire meal and our appetizer arrived shortly after we ordered.  Unfortunately, they fried green beans were disappointingly chewy and had a batter on them that made me wonder if they came frozen from a bag rather than made from scratch.  My wife was not impressed either, but we both liked the spicy sauce that came with them.

My cheeseburger arrived on a toasted poppy seed bun that was delicious.  Unfortunately, the meat was rather bland and somewhat dry.  The Jumpin' Jake fries were lightly battered and perfectly seasoned.  They were without a doubt the highlight of this visit.  Despite the fact the my wife's BLT looked appetizing and had a large amount of bacon on it, she was not impressed.  She also said her crinkle cut sweet potato fries were pretty average.  My daughter did seem to enjoy her grilled cheese and fries.

Cheeseburger and Jumpin' Jake Fries

BLT and Sweet Potato Fries

I had very high hopes for Jake's, but left feeling very disappointed. I just don't see what all the hype is about.  There are better burgers in the city of Frisco and I would in no way put Jake's in my top 10 DFW burger joints.  Since it is a relatively new restaurant location, perhaps they are still getting the kinks worked out as they train their kitchen staff.  I will give Jake's another try in a couple of months.  Although the food was a letdown, the staff was friendly and the service was fantastic.  

Jake's Uptown
http://www.jakesuptown.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 2