Movie Tavern 7th Street

Visited on September 25, 2010

2872 Crockett Street

Fort Worth, Texas 76107

682.503.8100

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So, now for something really different. In the heart of the redevelopment along the 7th Street corridor this is a movie theater that serves burgers, not a burger place that shows movies. This line should serve as the prediction of how this posting is going to go.

Perhaps its not fair to pick on this place, but when someone says to us 'you have to try the burgers at Movie Tavern' then well, we have too.

When you gather into the theater, the seats are large and comfortable and there is a "tray table" that swivels around for your food. A red button on your seat alerts the service staff that you are ready to order. They take your order and transmit it to the kitchen for delivery.

The time from our order to delivery was rather slow. And when we needed anything (they forgot the side of mayo and then never brought the drink refills) service was horrible.


There is a large menu, but it is more bar food than anything else. We did try the fried pickles (we are suckers for these) and they were average as well.

The burger was 1/3lb, small for us true Burger Saturday guys. It was served on a plate and cooked well done. There was not much juice factor - which is no surprise when you cook your burgers well done.

Contained in a sesame seed bun, the appearance of this burger was not on par with most of our other reviews. The burger comes with ketchup and mustard and garnished with tomatoes, pickles, lettuce and purple onions (as you can see.) There were options for cheddar cheese and bacon. But even adding these things will not make this burger worth buying.

The fries were fresh from the bag with little seasoning and were more cold than warm. They do serve diet coke and fresh brewed iced tea, and yes, beer. But if you are a Burger Saturday type of person, you can skip this place.

Overall, this place does not rate well with us. While it is a great place to watch a movie, it is not a great place for a burger. And since this business started in our hometown, we hoped it would do better.

When you go, we recommend sitting in the front section next to the aisle against the wall (not on the aisle - you can see it in the image above - plus this will make sense when you get there.) This way you will not be distracted time and again by the servers crossing in front of you to serve people down your row while you are trying to watch the movie. Personally, MBH finds it very distracting and not a fan. Stats:


Locations: 14  (3 in Fort Worth)  


Date Est: 2000



SCORE: (1-5)

Burger: 2 pickles

Sides: 2 pickles

Menu: 2 pickles

Character: 2 pickles

Service: 2 pickles

Price: $8 cheeseburger (with fries)

The Purple Cow Diner

Visited September 18th, 2010

4601 West Freeway, Suite 140
Fort Worth, Texas 76107
817.737.7177
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Okay, so yes, this is a "kid's" place. And yes we did recently have a kid. But the real reason we came here is because they serve burgers.

The first Purple Cow Diner was opened in 1989 in Little Rock, AR. They moved into our neck of the woods starting in 1998. Yes, Purple Cow is a franchise type business. So, yes, the atmosphere feels forced and not genuine. But their target is kids and kids would not notice the difference, so it does work on some levels. Going for that old diner feel, there is a soda fountain bar in the main area by the kitchen. The tables and chairs are what we remember from the old days (just new version replicas) So all in all, not the true character we look for like in a Fred's or the original Kincaid's. But still fun for the little ones. This is also a popular place for TCU parents before the game as well.

The burger was served on a plate this time in keeping with their "diner" motif. They serve diet coke (something we are starting to track now since Matt will only drink diet coke and no Pepsi or RC Cola like Charley's.)
The service was good. Everything was fast and the wait staff took good care of us.


 The burgers were cooked well done, but had a limited juice factor. Served on a white toasted seed bun The patties are smaller around compared to the other places on our reviews. The weight was 1/3 lb (although it honestly seemed less.)  

It is served "dry" with everyhting on the side (as you can see in the picture.) They do have some specialty burgers that others in the party tried, but no one was "knocked out" with anything we had.  The meat was not well seasoned. But the price was fair for what we got.

All burgers come with potato chips versus fries, but you can upgrade for $1.25. (Who eats chips with their burger?) The fries were hand cut style in a long thin variety. They tasted fine, but could use some seasoning. We honestly have had better fries at fast food places.

Overall, this place has a unique purple atmosphere, but the burger was average. If you are taking kids on Burger Saturday, this might be a good place - after all - where else can you get purple shakes and ice cream cones? But for our burger purest readers out there, you rest assured this place rests well outside the Top 10. 

Joining us for this Burger Saturday were Madeline's big brother Brayden and his wife Christine and Madeline's grandparents from Indiana, Charles and Linda.


Stats:

Locations: 1 (4 total in DFW)


Date Est: 1989



SCORE: (1-5)

Burger: 2 pickles

Sides: 2 pickles

Menu: 2 pickles

Character: 3 pickles

Service: 3 pickles

                                                    Price: $7 cheeseburger (with fries)

Galligaskins

Visited September 11, 2010

5817 Camp Bowie Blvd

Fort Worth, Texas 76107

817.377.0196

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Started in 1972 and still in the same location is often a great way to start a review. And for Galligaskins' this fact is both good and bad.

The good is that the food here is good. The menu has a ton of sub choices and even some salads for some of you none meaters. there is only 1 burger choice, though, so you will see a low score on the Menu rank below.

The bad is the decor. The same chairs and tables and paint seem to still be in use. While in some instances this might add great character, here it just feels dingy and old. In fact, one of our party got dripped on from the broken ceiling tiles over the table.

The burger is 1/2 lb (if you order it that way.) But what they actually mean is 2 1/4 lb patties stacked on top of each other. Not that this is bad, but if you like you burger cooked medium, you will never achieve that with a 1/4 lb patty. Served in a basket with red and white paper, the overall appearance is disappointing. The temperature was good, but as we feared, the meat was cooked well done. the bun, as you can see, is nothing special - just from a bag.

Since this is actually a sub place, the condiments were unique. For example, the pickles are actually the pickle relish they use on their cheese steak. This added a unique and different twist of flavor. Condiments are tomato, lettuce, onions, pickles and sweet cherry peppers. They do put a side of ketchup in the basket since its a burger for heaven's sake.

The fries are hand-cut and greasy. MBH opted for the tator tots which were delightful. A diet coke place that uses styrofoam cups. (Styrofoam is better for flavor in fountain drinks.)

Overall, this place will not make the Top 10 and if you want a Philly cheese steak, you should check this place out. It honestly is the best in Fort Worth. But if you want a burger, you can skip this one. Sorry to be negative to a locally owned business, but when it comes to beef, we have to be honest.  

Joining us for this Burger Saturday were Madeline's brother and sister (Brayden and Christine) and her "Moo" from Hot Springs, AR.  

Stats:


Locations: 1

Date Est: 1972


SCORE: (1-5)

Burger: 2 pickles

Sides: 3 pickles

Menu: 1 pickles

Character: 1 pickles

Service: 3 pickles

Price: $5 cheeseburger 

Five Guys Burger and Fries

Visited September 4th, 2010

4833 S Hulen Street
Fort Worth, Texas 7132
817.263.8900
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Just into Fort Worth is the largest of our Burger Saturday contestants (outside of the occasional jaunt into fast food) Five Guys Burger ad Fries. This was a special day for us because it marks the addition of a 3rd person to our crew - our daughter Madeline.

Started in Virginia in 1986, we actually ate in the original store years ago. What we can say is that the food and menu of that early experience were consistent with this one. The decor leaves a little to be desired. It does feel a little hokey with the cheap "aren't we the best" signs all over and the seating arrangements were especially poor. The space is crammed with 2 person tables that can be moved or separated for various size groups. But if you have a wheelchair, stroller or cart, do not even attempt this place. The tables are so close together, a wheelchair could not enter the store. Sad. (see for yourself in this image)

You work your way through the cue and place your order first then find a seat and await your burger served in a brown paper bag and wrapped in aluminum foil.

The burgers were cooked well done and had a great juice factor. Served on a white sesame seed bun that is baked for Five Guys (and not from the same place you get your buns,) there are 2 patties of beef on the basic cheeseburger versus 1. The patties are smaller around compared to the other places on our reviews, but the weight was still 1/2 lb.

A neat part of the order is the garnishes. You can choose from any or all of the following on your burger with no extra cost. There are 15 items on the list including Mayo, Relish, Onions, Lettuce, Pickles,Tomatoes, Grilled Onions, Grilled Mushrooms, Ketchup, Mustard, Jalapeno Peppers, Green Peppers, A-1 Sauce, Bar-B-Q Sauce and Hot Sauce. And for you bacon people, they do have a bacon cheeseburger which is essentially the same as the other add bacon.


The fries were home style in a long thin variety. Cooked in peanut oil (wanted to mention that for those of you with allergies) they have a good flavor. they can be ordered regular or Cajun style. We tried both. While the Cajun style were fun, the flavor was so overwhelming that it actually detracts from the burger, so we would recommend to stay with the regular fries. The fries portion is generous so kudos for that.

Overall, this place had a great tasting burger and good side of fries. But the poor space planning and basic, uninspired bun will keep this place from the Top 10. They will make the Top 10.5 (which does hurt since they are a franchise and not a local!)

Stats:



Locations: 1 (625 in 40 states)


Date Est: 1986


SCORE: (1-5)

Burger: 4 pickles

Sides: 3 pickles (think dessert)

Menu: 3 pickles

Character: 2 pickles

Service: 3 pickles

Price: $8 cheeseburger (with fries)