Burger wars, re-visited

[Otto]

Silk's right. Angry Dog makes a great burger. And they've got a great beer selection.

[whatasteve]

The Burger Wars crew made our long-overdue pilgrimage to First & 10 this week - and as always, it was exceptional. The new and official rankings:

1. Uptown Bar & Grill
1A. First & 10
2. Jake's
3. Tipperary Inn
4. Joe Willy's
5. Two Rows
6. Campisi's
7. Cheesecake Factory
8. Snuffers

The new whatasteve numbering system was created because it goes against my moral fiber to rank anything ahead of First & 10. But honesty requires that Uptown Bar & Grill (the creator of the "damn-near perfect" burger) remain at the top of the list. But it's unacceptable to have a number other than 1 before First & 10 - hence the "1A" ranking.

The Point Burger at First & 10 is something to behold. A huge, flavorful patty, not nearly as greasy as some (see Joe Willy's) but not dry, either. The bun could be better, but taken in its basic form, with only cheese and onions, the Point Burger is without peer. The flavor of the Uptown burger was about equal, but the superior bun is what pushed it to the top.

First & 10's fries (the so-called "cottage fries" - shaped like circular chips) normally are great. Greasy and prone to residing in your gut all afternoon, often inducing food coma on all who consume them. But on this foray to First & 10, they were overcooked to the point that they resembled air hockey pucks. They were good for setting a drink on them, but that was about it. Thankfully, this is about rating burgers, not fries, so First & 10 sits -- as it should -- near the top of the list.

Since we're basing the rankings only on the nights we attend each place, Uptown still sits atop the list. But I'll always call First & 10 the best burger in Dallas. Because as a rule, it is.

(Side note: Whatachick's "skinny burger" also seemed pretty tasty - although I only had one bite of hers. She needs to offer that analysis....)

[PK]

Well as usual, Whatasteve and I are going to have a difference of opinion here. This time (against my better judgement) I order the same thing as the others did. The "Point" burger is good and generally tasty, but at 12oz it was all I could do to get my mouth open wide enough to set my teeth into the top and bottom of the burger at the same time. Also, my order for medium rare was served eventually (the service is a bit sloooow) looking an aweful lot like medium, leaning very hard toward the well side. As a result my burger was not as juicy as it should have been.

Unfortunately, the cottage fries were a dud unless you like very thick potato chips. I have been there before when the fries were actually dripping grease, which, although messy (and a bit tough on the ole ticker), would have been welcomed this time.

My ratings as they stand today:

1. Uptown Bar & Grill
2. Campisi's
3. Tipperary Inn
4. Joe Willy's
5. 1st & 10
6. Two Rows
7. Jakes
8. Cheesecake Factory
9. Snuffer's

Let me say here, all the burgers have been enjoyable, but having to rank them is like ranking Playboy Playmates....what's not to like? Everyone has a favorite....right???

[This message has been edited by PK (edited 06-19-2002).]

[BiteMe]

I'm sorry Steve, truly I am, because I've had excellent burgers at First and 10 many times before. But, based on just last night, I cant give high marks to a burger that took 40 minutes to make it to the table, and when it arrived it wasnt even fixed the way I asked for it. The Cottage Fries weren't the only thing that were overcooked. And those fries....... yeesh, you could have used them for roofing tiles. And I couldnt send it back, because God only knows when it might have returned.
Some of the problems could be blamed on a shortage of waitstaff, just 2 waitresses in the entire room. They couldnt handle a crowd that size, and I think everything suffered because of it. The waitress who took away my Coke to refill it, but never brought it back, was pretty much the last straw.
On the positive side, the Point Burger was thick and still juicy, despite being cooked too long (alot of fat in that meat). It was easily the thickest of the single patty burgers, smaller only than the Grande Burger and Tons of Fun. And yes PK, bigger is better, if the burger is good to begin with. More of a good thing is a better thing. The Point burger could be a real contender, if only the waitress and cook were able to pay attention to what they were doing.

So, here are the rankings.

1.) Tipperary Inn.
2.) Jakes.
3.) Joe Willys.
4.) Two Rows.
5.) First and Ten.
6.) Cheesecake Factory.
7.) Campisi's.
8.) Snuffers.

I must say its sad to see that the other judges seem to have brought a fair bit of pre-judgement into the Burger War. Steve and PK have obvious agenda's to defend the burgers they favored before the War began, and PerunaPunch hasnt posted a word since the rest of us put down the Snuffer burger he entered into the survey. In the interest of objectivity you guys should recuse yourselves from judging the burgers you've already made up your minds about.

[Maddog]

This being only my 2nd round in the Wars, I feel I'm in total rookie-mode here, but here goes:

I guess I'm the only one who's cottage fries were, for the most part, "soft"...there were a few I could use as ice-scrapers, but the majority were the way they were supposed to be.

The service was absolutely horrible, but as BiteMe said, it had more to do with a small staff than anything. Still, it took them 40 minutes to fix the food and they got MY order wrong too.

And I'm still trying to shake off that amateur wrestling footage they kept showing over and over....ugh.

As for the burger itself...It's definitely ranking as number 2 out of 2 so far. Definitely a big burger, but the patty was even more tasteless than the one at Joe Willy's.

So, for now, the rookie's rankings are:

1. Joe Willy's
2. 1st and 10.

[PK]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by BiteMe:
<B>Steve and PK have obvious agenda's to defend the burgers they favored before the War began....</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

PX, go back and re-read the last part of my last post. Obviously I have always had a high opinion of the Campisi's burger, which to some extent got this whole Burger War going, but I was willing to knock it down a notch when I had a burger I truely thought was better....Uptown's to be exact. We all have different taste and criteria. Hell, Whatasteve hates any kind of fish....I love fish, especially shushi. Does that mean I have a fish agenda and Whatasteve has a no fish agenda? You call your rankings the way you see them and I'll call mine the way I see them. Like I said, all the burgers have been enjoyable to an extent, but you want them ranked, so I have listed my rankings. You don't have to accuse me of having an agenda just because my taste differs from yours. BTW, I really do like the Campisi's burger, but the Uptown's is better.

[BiteMe]

What? What are you talking about, when did fish become part of this discussion?

[whatasteve]

PK, you taint the sanctity of this thread by even mentioing fish. Never speak of it again.

PX, if I truly was bound to defend the honor of my pre-War favorite, there's no way Uptown would be sitting atop the list. First & 10 genuinely deserves to be near the top of the list, so it is.

And, you're right, the service really sucked. But we're rating taste here, not waitresses and their hustle.

[Iceman]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but Chucks off of Trinity Mills and the tollway has a great double cheeseburger. Onion rings are nice as well.

[Maddog]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Iceman:
<B>Not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but Chucks off of Trinity Mills and the tollway has a great double cheeseburger. Onion rings are nice as well.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
and extremely close to where I live! I'd like to nominate this 'un to the list for some future trip...

[BiteMe]

OK, lets take this one step at a time, beginning with:

"And, you're right, the service really sucked. But we're rating taste here, not waitresses and their hustle."

Yes, the rating doesnt concern hustle, but when you order a burger a specific way, and the waitress brings it out to you prepared differently than you requested, thats going to adversely affect the way it tastes.I dont know if the waitress wrote the order down wrong, or didnt communicate with the cook, or whatever, but the burger didnt come the way it was supposed to. Not just me, either.

Next, this quote from your previous post:
"The new whatasteve numbering system was created because it goes against my moral fiber to rank anything ahead of First & 10."

and:
"But it's unacceptable to have a number other than 1 before First & 10"

and:
"But I'll always call First & 10 the best burger in Dallas. Because as a rule, it is."

This is what I mean when I talk about Pre-Judgement. The Point Burger was #1 in your mind before you arrived, and they could have served you a soft boiled lump of charcoal, and you would still rank it #1. You made your decision before we got there.

I wasnt trying to offend either of you guys, but your responses prove my point. You've got pre-existing emotional attachments to these 2 burgers. Later.

[whatasteve]

A couple of things -

To BiteMe: I see no need to explain the logic that governs my discriminating taste. You're still bent because we went to Uptown when you were out of town. (Sorry about that, by the way.) My gut has a mind of its own when it comes to burgers, and frequently overrules all logical synapse firings in my head.

And i'd say that Chuck's sounds like it's in Oklahoma, but then I'd be a hypocrite, since Whatachick has mentioned some burger joint in Richardson (or is it Garland?) that's supposed to be excellent. I believe it was runner-up to Uptown in DMagazine's "best burger in DFW" race.

[SMUPonyFan]

I could not sit back and watch you all talk this anti-1st and 10 talk anymore. First of all, the food is great, which you all seem to agree with. Second, James Bailey (owner of 1st and 10) would do just about anything for SMU. Third, you do not go to 1st and 10 for the service, you go there for the atmosphere and great SMU hospitality. You never know who you will see there. The SMU coaches are frequents, and you are gauranteed to see a fellow fan.

You all are rating burgers...not the crispyness of the fries on the one visit you made, not the service you got. If you want to talk about service, start a service wars thread and I bet you will get a lot of action over there.

Just remember, it is not always the service, it is the big picture, food and atmosphere. 1st and 10 is a place that no true SMU fan would not like, unless you don't like meat and good fried foods.(in which case you might fall in the communist category)

------------------
Go Red, Go Blue, Go Mustangs, S M U

[BiteMe]

Yeah, whatever.

I've already sufficiently described how bad service can damage a good burger. That is what we are supposed to be talking about, and that you choose to ignore reality for personal reasons is not my problem.

I also dont need any Holier-Than-Thou lectures about Bailey, either. I've known the man for more than 20 years. I've eaten at First and 10 over 100 times, and eaten his catering at more SMU events than I could ever possibly count. No one, and I mean NOBODY, has any right to question my loyalty to SMU, or anything else.

Thats pretty much my final thoughts on the subject. You dont like me? Bite me.

[whatasteve]

Thank you, SMUPonyFan!

Couldn't have said it better myself. Mr. Bailey is as supportive of SMU as anyone, and his support includes filling my expanding girth with that wonderful burger of his. And all the SMU memorabilia on the walls greatly helps overlook the occasional delays. (Hell, they always have about five games on the tube - what's to complain about?)

And the fries, they could have been better. But it sounds like you're well aware that our rating system is based on burgers only.

Well said, on all counts.
Keep the (First & 10) faith.