Flip's Patio Grill

Visited: Saturday July 31, 2010

6613 Fossil Bluff
Fort Worth. TX 76137
817.847.4424
Map
Website
Menu

First started in Grapevine and then added Fort Worth, this place has shown up on the Urban Spoon Top 10 Burgers in Fort Worth for awhile. (But then again, so did Charleston's) Built from he ground up, this place is more sports bar with large outdoor patio (which was nice) than it was burger joint. In fact, joint is not the right word for this place., It is a restaurant with 2 bars and live music and the usual plethora of LCDs on the wall with various sports programming (ala Boomerjack's.)

The burgers are served open face in a basket with hand cut fries. It was a 1/3;b patty whose seasoning and flavor did not knock us out. The temperature was good, although we ordered it medium and they came out well done. (We get that a lot.) The "juice" factor was average. It had some succulence, but again not up to our Top 10 rankers.

Buns were a plus. They were baked fresh daily and then lightly toasted, which you know we like. You even get an option for white or wheat (which we found out later as we were leaving - waitress did not tell us that.) The "Famous Big Cheesy" comes with red onion, pickle, tomato and lettuce. A twist was no sauce. You could get anything on the side (mustard, mayo, etc) but nothing comes on the burger.  AGH liked this as she rarely feels like the kitchen gets the condiment portioning right. So this way she had total control. (Although we had to ask more than once for our sides and then had to wait to start eating.)


There was a great variety of "specialty" burgers on the menu. This is probably why so many people like it. And to be fair, this is a good reason. But when most people say their favorite burger, it is normally some type of specialty burger and not the basic cheeseburger. You know our philosophy - if the best way to judge is on the basic cheeseburger. We tried the Fried Pickles and were very pleased with them - probably better than Jake's - and AGH had side Cesare salad which she was very pleased with. So, we would give a nod to the better for the sides of Flip's.  

All in all, Flip's does not make our Top 10. Not because it was not a great place, but because unlike the food editor of D magazine, we found the flavor package of the Famous Big Cheesy to be, well, not so famous. We would not steer you away from his place, but remember it is a sports bar that plays live music. Which means it is dark and more like a bar than a "hole-in-the-wall" burger joint.




Stats:

Locations: 2   (1 in Fort Worth)

Date Est: ?


SCORE: (1-5)

Burger: 3 pickles

Sides: 4 pickles

Menu: 4 pickles

Character: 2 pickle

Service: 2 pickles

Price: $8 cheeseburger (with fries)

Griff's Hamburgers

Visited: Saturday July 24, 2010

4525 River Oaks Blvd
Fort Worth. TX 76114
817.626.2007
Map


Celebrating 50 years in 2010, this place was more like a Wendy's than a typical "hole-in-the-wall" joint. There are 5 locations in the metroplex and we have heard people rave about it and, quite frankly, if someone lived on this side of town and never ventured out for burger greatness, this place would probably be worth raving about.

The interior was as cheesy as you can get with old tables and chairs featuring glass vases with fake flowers in them (with lots of dust on them.) Think o f it as circa 1970's Burger Chef. There was an old Galaga video machine, so AGH got her chance to play and prove once again that she would be crushed if the world was to be attacked and she was our defense.

Like many places, you place your order at the counter and pay and then go to a table. There is a patio if you want to be outside, but again rather old school. So, you gathering it was old, not charming or "hole-in-the-wall."

The burgers were served in a wrapper within a wrapper. (not sure why other than branding.) The wrappers look rather "clown-like" which hopefully was the plan. The fries on the side frozen in a bag fries, not fresh cut. The onion rings were better.


Buns are toasted, which you know we like, and a little larger around than the norm. But portion was only 1/4 pound. This was called the "Giant" burger. Probably should have had more meat if it was going to be called giant. The "Giant" cheeseburger comes with white onion, tomato and mustard, lettuce. Temperature was fine, but it was a little "fast food" dry for our tastes.

There were options for other add-ons like jalapenos and mushrooms and you can do the "Monster Burger" with multiple meat patties, but still multiplying at 1/4 lb a patty will not get it there for us. This was one of the few times we did not leave a joint stuffed full and not able to eat dinner later (just dessert!) The prices you see below in the rating look good, but remember its not the same size, so keep that in mind.

Would you choose this over McDonald's? Yes. Would we choose it over Billy Miners? Yes, again. But we would not choose it if we truly wanted a Burger Saturday experience.

Stats:

Locations: 5  (2 in Fort Worth)

Date Est: 1960







SCORE: (1-5)

Burger: 2 pickles

Sides: 2 pickles

Menu: 3 pickles

Character: 1 pickle

Service: 3 pickles

Price: $4 cheeseburger

M&O Station Grill - Top 10 Ranker

Visited: Saturday July 10, 2010

200 Carroll Street
Fort Worth. TX 76107
817.882.8020
Map
Menu

Formerly the 7th Street Station Grill, it moved a few blocks north of the old location and renamed M&O Station Grill. That's "M" for Marvin and "O" for Obie as in the Leonard brothers, well known for that Fort Worth icon, Leonard's Department Store. The restaurant adjoins the Leonard's Department Store Museum and M&O owner Rose and her husband Chef Danny Badillo wanted to show their appreciation for their good neighbor, Marty Leonard and also to building owner, Jimmy Jenkins for their part in helping make "M&O" happen - thus the name change.

A true contender in the Top 10 world, this place delivers. The burger shown is the chorizzo stuffed cheeseburger (MBH's fav.)(and no, we did not cheat, we had the regular cheeseburger as well for the review.)  Although built recently, it still has some "hole-on-the-wall" charm. Trying to imitate an old diner (see image below,) there are seats at the bar or tables. It is a small place, so you may have to wait, but it is worth it. 

The burgers are 1/2lb juicers with awesome flavor and seasoning. They are served on plates, which is MBH's preference, with lettuce, cheese, white onion, pickles and tomato. The "Original" comes with a special hamburger sauce. Buns are toasted, although not fresh-baked.

They are served with fresh, hand-cut fries on the side which were hot and crispy on the outside. And the choices of "specialty" burgers will appeal to all.

This place is closed on Sundays and only open for lunch on Monday, but they stay open till 8:30 all the other nights. The menu has expanded over time to entice the non-carnivores to visit with their normal friends.

Stats:

Locations: 1

Date Est: 2008

SCORE:

Burger: 5 pickles

Sides: 2 pickles  (no variety)

Menu: 4 pickles

Atmosphere: 4 pickle

Service: 4 pickle

                                                Price: $8 cheeseburger