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

Pizzeria Testa

Neapolitian pizza restaurants seem to be trending in the DFW area.  It has become a pretty common occurrence to see a new Neapolitan pizza restaurant opening somewhere in the Metroplex.  Pizzeria Testa opened up last year in Frisco and has been getting some very good press lately.   Although the restaurant has been open for over a year, I had not tried it until just a couple of weeks ago when I met my wife there for lunch.

Lunch Salad

Pizzeria Testa has lunch specials where you can get a salad and a personal pizza for under $10.  My wife ordered the special and got a Margherita pizza with a house salad.  The personal pizza was larger than what she anticipated, so she gave me a slice as well.  We both liked the taste of the Margherita pizza and she enjoyed the salad as well.

Margherita Pizza

For my meal, I decided to forgo the lunch special because I wanted to try a pizza that was not an option on the specials.  I ordered the Affumicata pizza, which  had smoked Mozzarella and Speck.  Smoked cheeses are an Achilles heal for me and this pizza lived up to my expectations.  The Mozzarella had a great smoky flavor and the large pieces of Speck covered each slice.   This pizza was absolutely perfect and tasted just as I had hoped.

Affumicata Pizza (Smoked Mozzarella and Speck)

Even after eating an entire pizza by myself, I still wanted dessert.  My wife and I ordered the Tiramisu and loved every bite.  This classic item is one of our favorite desserts to order at Italian or pizza joints, but the Tiramisu at Pizzeria Testa is simply outstanding.  It had a perfect texture, outstanding flavor, and looked as good as it tasted.  I can't think of any Tiramisu that was better than what we had at Pizzeria Testa

Tiramisu

I feel that Pizzeria Testa deserves the praise that it has received.  Their pizza ovens combined with fresh ingredients really turn out some excellent Neapolitan pizza.  The service was commendable on this visit and the dining room was very comfortable.  This restaurant would be a great place to go on a romantic date or a fun place to dine with a group of friends.

Pizzeria Testa

http://www.pizzeriatesta.com

Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Three Squares

This seems to be the summer of new restaurants in Frisco.  Of course with the growth the city is experiencing, I guess you could probably say that for the last twelve years.  Some work colleagues and I were wanting to go eat lunch somewhere new, so we decided to try Three Squares.  The restaurant recently opened up on July 4th in the Forest Park Medical Center area, which is just a short distance from Frisco Square.

Interesting use of books

The space is decorated in a very contemporary design.  They also have a very large covered patio area that would have been a very nice place to sit, had it not been July.  They serve breakfast lunch and dinner, hence the name.  This is a very causal dining experience.  Customers order at the counter, get your own drinks, and find a seat while waiting for your order to arrive.  

Kettle Chips and Salsa

For starters, I ordered the chips and smoky salsa.  Although they have many sandwiches and other items, I was really in the mood for a burger.  I ordered the Plain Jane burger and tater tots. The kettle chips and salsa were fantastic, but it was odd eating something other than tortilla chips with salsa.  The burgers came on a bun that is branded with the Three Squares logo.  It had a great chargrilled flavor, but was a little dry for my taste.  The tater tots were very light and crispy. One coworker ordered the ABC burger and said it was really good.  Another ordered the Honey I'm Home ham sandwich and absolutely loved it.

Plane Jane burger and Tots

By the time I finished my meal, I did end up having some serious entrée envy.  As I went to get some more water, I saw an order of the Potato Chip Crusted Mahi Mahi on a bed of jalapeno cheddar grits.  That menu item will certainly be ordered during my next visit.  Three Squares also had some great  sounding breakfast menu items such as the s'mores French toast and the Todo's Burrito.  All of us were pleased with Three Squares and happy to have another lunch place to add to our lunch rotation.

Three Squares
http://threesquaresfrisco.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 3

Nola Grill

Many new restaurants have been opening in Frisco lately.  One of the ones I have been most looking forward to trying is Nola Grill. The owners of Nola Grill have been renovating the space formerly occupied by Josephine's and they finally opened their doors last week.  My wife and I were excited to have a new Southern style restaurant in the area and were able to dine at Nola Grill for lunch last week.

The renovations made the space look much different from the previous occupant.  We were warmly greeted by the staff, who accommodated my wife and her knee scooter.  Yes, I said knee scooter.  Her recent foot surgery has resulted in her being relegated to a knee scooter.  I understand the medical need for her having a knee scooter, but I don't understand her insistence on putting a wicker bicycle basket on the font of it.  She insists that it is both stylish and practical.  Needless to say, my wife is very lucky to have a husband who was still willing to take her out to lunch when she is wheeling around looking like a cross between the Wicked Witch of the West and a village idiot.  

Onion Rings with Tabasco Infused Ranch

Since we had both skipped breakfast and were starving, we decided to start with an appetizer of onion rings served with Tabasco infused Ranch dressing.  I also ordered a cup of the duck and andouille gumbo.  The onion rings were extremely good with a very nice flavor and an outstanding batter.  The order was on the small side, which left me wanting more onion rings.  The gumbo was very good as well.  I am not usually a big fan of duck, but it mixed really well with the seasoning and the andouille sausage.

Duck and Andouille Gumbo

For my meal, I got the Uptown Special ($9), which was a fried catfish filet, two fried shrimp, and fries.  The catfish was a pretty thick filet and was a little undercooked for my liking, but the crispy batter was seasoned well.  The fried shrimp were some of the best I have had in quite some time and the fries were tasty as well.  The meal was somewhat small for my liking, but it was the lunch portion.  My wife got the Down South Combo ($10), which was a blackened catfish filet and Shrimp Creole on a bed of rice.  She liked her meal, but was disappointed that it only came with two shrimp.

Uptown Special

Down South Combo

We were still hungry after our meal, so we decided to get dessert. She got the bread pudding and I got the strawberry layer cake.  My strawberry layer cake was very good, but not as good as my wife's bread pudding.  Being the kind husband that I am, I helped her finish her bread pudding.

Strawberry Layer Cake 

Bread Pudding

Overall, we both liked Nola Grill.  The food was very tasty, although I wished the portions were bigger.  Having said that, the lunch menu was very affordable and we felt like it was a good value for the quality of food.  All the wait staff was very attentive and the plate presentation was terrific.  While eating, some customers sitting near us ordered Po' Boys.  They looked delicious and I will have to order one next time I visit this place.  My wife and I are also very curious to try the dinner menu at Nola Grill, so we will plan a trip back for dinner in the very near future. 

Nola Grill
http://nolagrillfrisco.com/
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