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I love a great burger, however, there aren’t too many around. Over the last 30+ years, I’ve eaten at a lot of burger places, most commercial, some independent, some large, some tiny. I’ve been to a lot of the places that are hyped by friends and acquaintances. In fact, I’ve been to enough to know not to believe the hype until I’ve tried it for myself.

There have been three places in the Dallas Ft. Worth area that I will go out of my way for a burger. Two started out of state as independent places and have grow to large chains, but still serve amazing burgers. The other is a Dallas staple that now has at least two locations (though I’ve only been to the original). Yesterday, I found my fourth, Del’s Charcoal Burgers.

Now in their 53rd year, Del’s is the same now as it has been for so many years. They have customers that have been coming in for 50 years. The menu boards are the originals, as is the formica countertop. The menu is pretty simple, but there is something for (almost) everyone including hot dogs, burgers, and fried Twinkies!

I opted for the double cheese burger with shredded cheddar, pickles, lettuce, and mayo (because tomatoes are disgusting). The burger was amazing; juicy, moist, and flavorful. I was sure I would be ordering another. By the time I made it through the burger and fries, I surrendered. It was plenty of food, even for me. And when put up again other burger places, the cost was also great, especially when you figure in the quality. While not the least expensive burger I’ve had, its much better than what they charge for some of the better known burger houses around town. My double burger and fries, my wife’s burger and onion rings, and two root beers came to about $17.

Many regulars will probably debate the true soul of the place. Surely, the home brewed frosty mug root beer is a large part of that. This is a place for root beer connoisseurs. When Hossein “Hoss” Taher bought the place, the root beer recipe was part of the deal. Now Hoss and his family run the place and obviously put their hearts and souls into it. Despite the tiny size and old age of the building, the place is spotless. As we finished our meals, Mr. Taher came out to take our dishes and make sure we enjoyed ourselves. I particularly like how he told us how old the place was when he found out it was our first visit. You could see how proud he is of the place. It would be great if more small business owners were as involved and excited about their business as Hoss.

After writing this and thinking about that burger, my empty belly is telling me it may be time to head back over for another burger and root beer.

Saturday night, we went to dinner at a friend’s house. My wife and I brought some steak, chicken, and boneless beef ribs to grill. My favorite way to cook a steak has always been, salt and pepper, then grill it. Sometimes I’ll throw on some steak seasoning. I NEVER put any topping on my steak…until now.

We also made some chimichurri sauce to go on the steaks and chicken. Rather than buying some already prepared ingredients, we decided to do ALL the work ourselves. This include cracking the peppercorns, peeling and chopping our own garlic, as well as cutting the other fresh vegetables. And no food processors, we did it all by hand.

I’ll post the recipe, the a few more pictures of the preparation process. The complete recipe for steaks and sauces can be found here. If you’ve never had chimichurri, make some today!

Yield: 5 cups
1 bunch flat leaf-parsley, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp coarse salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp chili flakes
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except the oil and vinegar, and mix well. Stir in 1/4 cup water and the vinegar and let rest for 30 minutes. In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 95 degrees F. Slowly add the warm oil to the bowl, stirring constantly. Allow the mixture to cool completely.

Transfer it to an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator. The flavors will develop and enhance overnight. For best results, prepare at least 2-3 days ahead of time. Chimichurri can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.

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I miss these commercials…though they almost killed Quiznos.

And here is where Quiznos found “The Sponge Monkeys”.

In two months, I have had three different people mention a burger place to me. Any place that generates that kind of buzz must be good. Especially considering the fact that there are only two anywhere close to driving distance from where I live and work. For those of you who have eaten at Five Guys Burgers and Fries, you understand what I am about to say.

The wife and I were looking for a day trip in DFW last weekend and decided to head to Grapevine and Southlake since I haven’t been up that direction before. I found a few places to take some pictures before heading over to try out this burger I kept hearing about. We made it about 2:00pm on a Saturday and the line was out the door! My first thought was there is now way I was standing in that line for a burger. However, in the moments it took us to decide to stay or go, we moved up several places in line.

Even though the line was long, it moved FAST. I supposed this is because of their menu. You can get a hamburger, a cheeseburger, a bacon cheeseburger or a hot dog. Your choice of sides are fries…regular or large. That is the entire menu, other than toppings and drinks. Side note: if you aren’t too hungry, or you are a delicate flower, order the Little Burger because the regular comes standard with TWO patties. Heaven.

Five Guys does not have freezers, only coolers because their products are never frozen. THAT is how you ensure you get fresh product. Burgers are cooked to order and a whiteboard on the wall tells you exactly where that days potatoes came from. Even their buns are baked regionally at selected bakeries. You may want to skip the place if you don’t like your meal being delivered in a greasy brown paper bag. Me? I’m cool so long as it doesn’t drip on me.

If you live in Dallas, you can visit them in Southlake Town Square or at the Galleria Mall. Tell ‘em David sent ya. (But don’t be surprised if they look at you funny.)

If you’ve got a Five Guys story, or know of another great burger place I need to try, let me hear from you in the comments.

I have never been a fan of turkey. Not that it’s bad, but it doesn’t seem to have much flavor (except the skin). Even the turkeys injected with flavor doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of taste. I eat it, but I don’t look forward to it.

A few years ago, Oprah (ugh) featured a turkey company, Greenberg Smoked Turkey. Finally something I can agree with her on. My brother-in-law works for a law firm that gives these birds out at Christmas. This year, he passed it on to my wife and I.

It looks different from most turkeys when you take it out of the bag because the skin is VERY dark. This is from the smoking process. After adding the family spice recipe, they slow cook the turkey over a hickory fire. This in one good turkey. I suppose that’s why they sell over 200,000 each year.

I HAVE to try one of these!

Baskin Robbin’s Large Heath Bar Shake (32 oz)
2,310 calories
266 g sugar
108 g fat (64 g saturated)

Let’s look at America’s Worst Drink in numbers:

73: The number of ingredients that go into this milkshake.

66: The number of teaspoons of sugar this drink contains.

11: The number of Heath Bars you would have to eat to equal the number of calories found in one Baskin Robbins Large Heath Bar Shake.

8-12: The average number of minutes it takes to consume this drink.

240: The number of minutes you’d need to spend on a treadmill burning it off, running at a moderate pace.

For more really unhealthy drinks, check out this article.

I haven’t been to Snuffers in about 16 years. Today we ordered from there at work and I had to order this burger just to see it. What is better than a burger and cheese fries? How about a Cheese Fries Burger! Tastes great, saves time. Awesome.

What would Christmas be without fruitcake? My theory is no fruitcake has been made since 1957 because the same ones are still in circulation and are passed from person to person with each passing year. Simply add another layer of radioactive glaze and repackage.

Should you decide to contribute to global warming and actually make a fruitcake this year, I have created a great recipie sure to create a fruitcake that will survive nuclear holocaust.

1 cup raisins
3 cups chopped nuts (shells included)
3 cups concrete mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups dried fruit, such as figs, dates, and prunes
1 cup red lumps
1 cup green lumps
1 pound butter
2 cups epoxy
6 eggs (shells optional)
1/2 cup turpentine

Rent a kiln used for firing pottery; heat to 1000° for two hours. In large mixing bowl, mix all dry ingredients well. Blend butter, baking powder, and eggs until fluffy. Combine with dry mixture, then add concrete. With the help of two other people, lift bowl and pour into fruitcake mold.

Bake for 2 days, or until cake is as hard as a rock.

Remove from kiln and let cool.
Wrap in cheesecloth and foil and store for at least 6 months.

I like birthdays…when they’re not mine, anyway. The wife wanted Japanese food so we headed to a place we hadn’t tried before. If you have ever been to Benihana’s, then you get the idea. Hibachi grill, chef’s cooking in front of you, knives and spatulas flying around, food thrown at you occasionally.