Category Archives: Burgers

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

 

The Royale Magnificent Burgers

[The scene opens on an open restaurant with a line of booths on one side, tables with white chairs, and an open kitchen complete with ice cream and double-sided bars.  Four clocks sit on the wall bearing the times at different locations with a blank spot reading “Bermuda Triangle”.]

The Royale Magnificent Burgers is one of Plano’s newest burger joints from John Tesar, the Apheleia Restaurant Group, and Plan B Group with a decidedly literal Wes Anderson theme.  The basics: amazing burgers, badass adult milkshakes, and a full bar offering cocktails.

First and foremost … get your ass to The Royale and order yourself an adult milkshake.  We went for the Salted Caramel Shake with Nasau Royale Liqueur and it was ah-mazing.  There was just the right amount of alcohol to give it a kick without being a day-ruiner.  (You know … too much sugar and a bad proportion of booze to milk so you get the sugar rush and a bit of a buzz just to lose the buzz and hit the sugar slump?  Awful.)  The icing on the cake … err … the whipped cream on the milkshake was a slice of marshmallow, light whipped cream, something delightful covered in chocolate, and caramel, and, of course, a pinch of course salt.

Royale - adult milkshake

The food at The Royale was delightful.  We couldn’t miss The Onion Ring Elevation after seeing it on a neighbor’s table served on the neck of a cast iron giraffe.  (We named him Steve.)  The tempura batter was light and perfectly spiced and the accompanying smoked paprika-chipotle aioli was the perfect pairing.  Also not to be missed: their poutines.  We went for the Lobster Poutine that has large chunks of quality Maine lobster meat atop crisp fries, cheese curds, and gravy.  They were pretty damn delicious once they remembered to add the gravy!

I have to say that I’m not “up” enough on all the Wes Anderson jargon to know why a lot of the names on the menu are funny, but I can appreciate the quality of these patties.  The  Burger Sauvage (a 6oz 80/20 patty with avocado, sprouts, swiss cheese, sautéed mushrooms with a side of mushroom aioli), while standard ingredients, kicked other portobello swiss burgers’ asses with the bold addition of sprouts and avocado. We took the manager’s advice about the burger and ordered The Salmon Exhibition–a salmon patty green onion, lemon zest, olive oil,  lettuce, tomato, and kimchi aioli with a side of their house made pickles.  I’ll give him this, while I’d never had a salmon burger, this one was top notch.  (He told us that he’d love almost 30lb since they opened and he eats at least two a week with lettuce instead of a bun.)  Luckily they serve a Daily Slider Ensemble so you don’t have to go through the Sophie’s choice of picking your burger.

And yes … you can get a Royale with Cheese.

Their drink menu was going undergoing a bit of a revamp so I don’t go into too many of their cocktails, but they opted to rename some classics (a Moscow Mule was “The Czar”) and put a bit of an edge on others.  Don’t miss their selection of local beers and wines by the glass, bottle, and ON DRAFT!  I think the real winner in their bar is the physical bar itself.  The double-sided bar offered three or four seats on the internal bar side so you can eat at the bar and still face your friends.  (I’m not sure how they can get away with this with liquor laws, but I’ll celebrate while it’s a thing.)

I have to say that their bathrooms are perhaps some of the neatest I’ve come across … just don’t let the fact that they’re unisex take you by surprise.  (There goes checking your teeth for meal remnant or adjusting your rack in the mirror. ?)  Make sure to visit the facilities to see the faux unicorn heads and Hawaiian-feeling wallpaper!

 

THE ROYALE MAGNIFICENT BURGER
royaleburgers.com
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3310 Dallas Parkway, Suite 121, Plano, TX
972-781-0212

Snuffer’s Happy-Tizer Happy Hour

Did you know that the Snuffer’s on Lower Greenville is haunted?  Well, it sure is.  Just ask the servers and they’ll send over one of their staff members that have had a paranormal experience pop by your table and tell you a couple ghost stories.  … or they’ll just tell you about the scary good deals they’re now offerings during happy hour on their Happy-Tizer Menu.

Y’all know that I love a good happy hour, so when I was invited in to try out their new options, I didn’t shy away.  Monday-Friday, 3-7pm you can now get select mini-apps for as little as $2.  That’s right … two buckaroos … a pair of greenbacks … just a couple Washington’s … you get the idea.

As always, the Dallas favorite offers happy hour beers and margs as low as $3 to make your visit truly happy.  Think $3 house margaritas (frozen or on the rocks) and drafts (Bud Light, Samuel Adams, & Dos Equis) and $4 house wine and shooters.  While I’m not a huge beer drinker, it felt right ordering one to sip … and then a house margarita … and then another beer.

The real excitement as of late is their new happy hour food offering, a.k.a. their Happy-Tizers.  Check out the picture below.  All that goodness can be yours for $22.  And for that price, you can try all of them … and you should.  Their fried pickles and mushrooms are legendary* and these small servings are just enough to satisfy your craving but not take over the meal.  (Though, really, what’s wrong with a meal of fried pickles and mushrooms?)  Their tortilla chips were seasoned just right and the onion rings and buffalo wings were perfectly satisfactory.

If you’re trying to decide what to order on this little menu, skip the burger quesadilla and the queso … save those options for Blue Goose down the street.  They’ll get an “E” for effort on those, though.

Stop in and check out the new happy hour serving sizes at any of their locations, but don’t forget the beers and things.  Oh … and make sure to order at LEAST the personal-sized Cheddar Fries.  (Because it’d be rude to leave without a helping of them.  After all, they’ve been around longer than you … if you were born after 1978.)


SNUFFER’S RESTAURANT & BAR
snuffers.com
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10 locations

*at least to me.  For nearly my entire college career, when I was in a bad way the day after a good party, I knew Snuffer’s fried pickles and loaded Cheddar Fries were my saving graces.  They never failed.

***Snuffer’s invited me in to enjoy selections from their Happy-Tizers free of charge.***

Hopdoddy on McKinney

Every time I go to South Congress in Austin I MARVEL at the line wrapped around Hopdoddy.  Once they came to Dallas, I had a new appreciation for the patience and resolve of the people who wait in that line.  Hopdoddy is damn good, y’all.

Their McKinney Avenue location, one of three in D/FW, occupies the former Frankie’s space and has been there for just under a year.  It’s a great space with a nice amount of natural light, a giant bar in the middle (my fave), and plenty outdoor seating.

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Choosing what to eat here is more challenging than finding your way from the parking garage into the restaurant.  (I took my dad on this review with me, so, if you remember from my review at Village Burger Bar, you’ll know that I was the one making the risky food choices.)  Luckily we had some time to decide after the drinks hit the table.  Dad went with the Chocolate Stout Milkshake and I, in true SusieDrinksDallas form, went with an adult libation, the SoCo Sweet Tea (house infused Limoncello, Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka, raspberry purée, & fresh-squeezed lemon).  My drink was nice and light and the raspberry purée wasn’t too liberally added … the perfect treat for a warm evening.  I was tempted to go for one of their Maine Root Fountain Sodas or local beers, but was happy with my ultimate choice (because … limoncello).

After a few sips, I got in to the french fry options.  They serve their fries not as a side, but as an appetizer (giving them the attention that they sure as hell deserve).  Their fries are good … but their Truffle Fries are outrageous.  Get.these.fries.  Make sure to check out their dips, too!  If you’re anything like me, you just want them all to get a little taste of each.  (Quite honestly, I just really hate to decide so it’s easier to get them all.)

Since we were at a burger bar, we ordered burgers.  (That may have been on of the more idiotic sentences I’ve ever written.)   Per usual, good ole’ Dad ordered his standard well done cheeseburger, ketchup only.  He seemed to like it, but I know that it couldn’t compare to my Primetime Burger.  Seriously, y’all … the beautiful melange of the incredibly tender Texas Akaushi Beef, brie cheese, truffle aioli, arugula, caramelized onions, and steak sauce danced around my mouth like I think my first bit of solid food will on Friday morning.  (Oh, yeah … I’m on a juice cleanse.  Writing about food is real hard right now.)

Dessert had to happen because they have … wait for it … adult milkshakes.  The Nutella & Chocolate Pretzel Milkshake is kind of everything.  It’s sweet and the pretzels give the shake a bit of texture and a salty kick.

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I do have some slight regrets from my visit … though I’d order everything I ate again (and again), I think I didn’t explore the menu as much as I should have.  I’ll be ordering the Baby Kale Salad (baby kale, arugula, feta, watermelon, avocado, sunflower seeds, pickled red onions, pomegranate vinaigrette) the next time I stop in.

Luckily I rereturned with a few friends a couple weeks later and was able to try some other items.  We were treated to their ah-mazing Green Chili Queso (which had a nice kick and a perfectly creamy texture) to accompany the Kennebec Fries.  Since one kind of fry is never enough, we got into the Truffle Fries that came with some of the most amazing dip I’ve ever experienced.  The Ahi Tuna Burger (Sushi-Grade Tuna, Sprouts, Teriyaki, Honey Wasabi, Nori Chips, Pickled Ginger, Mayo) was maybe the most surprising thing we had that night–the tuna was so delicate that it just feel apart and the nori chips gave it a nice crisp.

Picture borrowed from @phileats_ on Instagram

Hopdoddy recently started a new offering at their McKinney Avenue location–they’ll now serve you at a table instead of having you order when you arrive QSR-style.  It was a nice touch and actually made me order more food.  (Watch out, my friends.)

Beyond the delicious food and great service, Hopdoddy likes to keep it as local as possible and real fresh, which makes me love it even more.  Their beef is ground fresh daily from all-natural, quality, hormone-free meat; their buns are baked twice daily and you get to choose from three types including a gluten-free option.

Stop in for a burger and fries sometime soon … and sit outside because the weather starting this weekend will be perfect for an al fresco meal.  Just don’t forget the Truffle Fries … or the milkshakes … or the house-made limoncello.  (Ya know, all of it.)

HOPDODDY BURGER BAR
hopdoddy.com
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3227 McKinney Ave #102 (at Hall Street)
(214) 871-2337

Happy hour: Monday-Friday, 3-7pm

**Hopdoddy invited me in for a meal on them.**

Pat's & Mike's Dallas Burgers

“Bartend” at Pat’s & Mike’s and Help Raise Money for Charity

Think you can bartend? Interested in raising money for charity? Well … you can raise money for a charity of YOUR choosing by simply having drinks with friends. Yup, you have the chance to drink for a good cause … Habitat for Humanity, Wounded Warrior and Scottish Rite are just a few of the organizations who have already benefitted.

Some background…

The guys who were now serving up burgers, fries and one hell of a margarita, long before many others in Dallas, Pat and Mike Snuffer (yes, of Snuffer’s*), opened a burger joint with their cousin, Steve Cole, in North Dallas in November 2014. Now, if you have ever met these guys, then you already know how genuinely nice and caring they are, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that they have a way to give back to the community that also helps spread the word about their new place, Pat’s and Mike’s. (Hold tight … I’ll have a full review on the new eatery for you shortly.)

So here is how it works…

Every Tuesday night from 4 pm to 7 pm, Pat’s and Mike’s welcomes a “Guest Bartender(s)” to mix it up and support a charity of their choosing. Many people choose to raise money regularly for a charity of their choosing, and websites such as Chipotle Fundraising and many more offer assistance in raising money by using online payments and fresh ideas in order to maximise donations. Pat and Mike use a similar method in setting up regular events in order to maximise donations. For obvious legal and liability reasons (not to mention cost), “Guest Bartenders” won’t be pulling a Tom Cruise in “Cocktail” and mix up drinks and serving up shots. “Guest Bartenders” will help pour some beers and assist in the bar area in other ways – meaning no special experience behind a bar or in a restaurant required.

You raise money by inviting friends, family, coworkers … heck, anyone you know to come have a drink while you “bartend”. Hopefully, your stellar service will encourage tips from your group and 100% of the tips “Guest Bartenders” earn go directly to the charity they selected. Seriously, take a look at what a few “Guest Bartenders” have easily raised for their charities over 3 hours on a Tuesday.

  • Habitat for Humanity – $1,600
  • Scottish Rite Hospital – $2,000
  • Wounded Warrior – $1,000
  • LPC Charity – $2,000

Whether you are looking for a new way to help raise funds for an charitable organization or just want your drinking to benefit one, check out Pat’s & Mike’s “Guest Bartenders” on Tuesdays. Give them a call to book your Tuesday and have some fun!

PAT & MIKE‘S
www.patsandmikes.com
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18101 Preston Road, Suite 240C, Dallas, TX 75252
(469) 941-4489

*The original Snuffer’s is no longer owned by them … just FYI!

Village Burger Bar

I remember the days when weekend nights were spent at The Loon (RIP) and were often followed by late night burgers and fries at Village Burger Bar.  If I had a dollar for every time I called a cab to pick me up at VBB, I’d have about $7.  (I miss the days that I could do that and not feel like death warmed-up the following day. Damn y slowing metabolism and adult responsibilities.)

Village Burger Bar has been around for years and has proved its staying power.  So many other burger joints have come and gone, but they’re still around flipping burgers and slinging drinks until 2am in West Village — oh … and at three additional locations now.

Throughout the years, I remember craving their frozen rum & Cokes (which are a bit sweeter than what I usually go for).  On these 100º+ days, though, they’d be a welcome refreshment.  However, VBB recently switched out their longstanding Cuba Libre with an even more summery option–Frozen Cherry Limeades.  Let me tell you, folks … they’re dangerous.  They’re sweet, but not overwhelmingly so.  Make sure you bring a Sharpie to keep count of how many you’ve downed.

The next drink that hit the table (gently) was a Strawberry Martini (vodka, strawberry puree, simple syrup).  It packed a decent vodka punch … along with some serious vitamins.  The strawberry was just enough to give the drink some flavor without making it too goopy. 

While VBB is famous for its burgers (and bar), that’s not all it has to offer.  Their Grilled Buffalo Chicken Strips are a light way to start a meal, served “naked” with their hot sauce on the side.  However, if you’re into the whole “eat so much that I need to unbutton my pants” thing, go for the West Village Dip.  This dip’s legit, y’all … cheese, bacon, tortilla chips … damn.  I mean damn.

VBB offers “Bespoke Burgers” where you can choose your own patty (beef, turkey, or chicken) then pair it with any (and all) of 9 cheese, 14 sauces, and 17 toppings (including a fried egg, dried cranberries, and bourbon caramelized onions).  I kind of hate math, but my calculations show that you could make … a lot of different burgers.  If you’re not super into the whole “define yourself by your burger choices” thing, they offer eight suggestions.  My long time favorite has been the Swiss ‘Shroom Burger.  Make that happen sometime.

I took my dad along for this review and he’s a finicky eater.  (It was his second review with me and he’s getting good at it!  I don’t have to smack his hand anymore when he tries to take a bite of his food before I’ve gotten sufficient documentation.)   When I say finicky … I’m not kidding.  This man likes well done cheeseburgers, “plain and dry with ketchup only and a side of well done fries” … and that’s exactly what he ordered on our visit to VBB.  He said, as boring as his cheeseburger was, that it was a great burger and the accompanying shoestring fries were perfectly crispy.

To top off the meal, my dad got a tall, frosty glass of St. Arnold’s draft root beer.  I mean … I was sick to death that I was sick (literally) and couldn’t steal a sip of it.

They offer a full bar, the aforementioned burgers, paninis, plenty of sides (the siren call of the onion rings and truffle fries was nearly unavoidable), some desserts (hello, root beer float), and plenty of other deliciousness.

Overall, Village Burger Bar is as good as I remember it.  Now that I have eaten it (a bit more) sober than I was accustomed to previously, I realize the quality behind the menu.


Village Burger Bar
www.villageburgerbar.com
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West Village: (214) 443 9998
Mon-Sat: 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Sun: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
 Allen: (469) 854 6616
 Legacy: (972) 801 2772
 North Dallas: (214) 484 4679