Burger Tex

I will admit that I've known about Burger Tex for quite some time. The original location is in Austin, Texas and they have multiple locations in the Houston area. I have been to the Austin location, as well as the Pearland, Texas location. Today, my work took me to La Porte, Texas, which is not far from Pasadena, Texas. The restaurant is located at 6918 Spencer Highway. I ordered my standard bacon cheeseburger. After a small wait I received my food and proceeded to the fixings bar. I also spoke with one of the employees about this particular Burger Tex and found out that they are all family owned. I helped myself at the fixings bar and loaded my burger with fresh, crisp lettuce, dill pickles, and jalapenos, with some A-1 sauce to boot. The hamburger patty was well seasoned and the bacon was crispy and flavorful. Everytime I've visited one of these restaurants, I have never been disappointed. Today was no exception. I'm sure if I visit any other Burger Tex location, I won't be disappointed. The fries are nothing special, your grade school crinkle cut fries. But no matter, the burger is what makes the visit worth it. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being The Perfect Burger, I give Burger Tex a 10.

SmashBurger

Last night I decided to treat myself and my wife to a hamburger dinner at SmashBurger, located at 7412 FM 1960, in Humble, Texas. This restaurant was recommended to me by a friend. I checked out the menu online prior to going in order to get an idea of what they served. The first thing I noticed were the prices of the burgers. They seemed to be in line with other franchise restaurants I've visited. A little high, however, I figured the quality of the food would be worth it. After I reviewed the menu, I decided, of course, to get my usual bacon cheeseburger, however, at SmashBurger, you can create your own burger. I decided to go with chipotle bread, mustard, chipotle sauce, lettuce, jalapenos, and pickles, with a half pound patty. You can choose between a third pound or half pound. I forgot to order the bacon when I ordered my food, but the nice salesman hooked me up with some free bacon. I, in turn, returned the favor by giving him a tip. I ordered the regular french fries, even though they offer SmashFries, which is made with olive oil and rosemary. My wife decided to get the SmashFries. After a short wait, our order was brought to our table in cool metal wire baskets, even the fries. The first thing I noticed when I received my food was how huge the hamburger patty was in comparison to the bun. No case of "Where's the beef?" here! The chipotle sauce was spicy and in combination with the chipotle bread and fresh jalapenos, it was one spicy hamburger! At least I had a cool chocolate milkshake to wash that hamburger down with. The patty was seasoned enough for my liking and the bacon was fresh, hot off the grill. The cheese melted nicely and the lettuce was crisp. I didn't like their pickles though, they use kosher pickles. Their fries were nothing special either. I didn't care much for their SmashFries as well. The customer service is top notch. One thing we noticed after we left was how we smelled just like the joint. I smelled like I had been behind the grill. It reminded me of my days when I used to flip burgers. I didn't care much for that. I don't know if it was because we were sitting right across from the kitchen or if the whole restaurant smells that way. The price was about right for the quality of the food. Other than that, it was a good burger, but definitely not perfect. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being The Perfect Burger, I give SmashBurger an 8.

Tornado Burger

I'm still working the Southwest side of Houston and today me and my coworker went to eat lunch at Tornado Burger located at 505 Murphy Road in Stafford, Texas. This restaurant was already on my list of places to visit in the Houston area and it was also recommended to me by some people. I had also previously seen their menu and I knew what was ahead for me. Of course, I went with the bacon cheeseburger, but at Tornado Burger, they also serve their burgers spicy, which means that they ground jalapeno peppers right into the meat. This reminds me of my favorite burger place that's no longer around, Tookie's, where they used to ground bacon into the meat. So, I ordered my bacon cheeseburger spicy. In addition, I made it a single meat, single cheese. I say single because they also have a double meat, double cheese combo meal. One of the things I liked about this restaurant was definitely the prices. You can order a single meat, single cheese burger with a drink and fries for less than $5. Sounds great, but what I didn't know, was that it was like having a Whataburger Jr. at Whataburger. They are small. I recommend going with the double meat, double cheese. It's a couple of bucks more, but then that means that you won't have to wash your single burger down with another single burger, like I did. Now for the burger itself, the meat was definitely seasoned well, especially with the added flavor of the jalapeno. The bacon was crispy and flavorful and the cheese melted nicely. The bun was buttered real well. What I didn't like was that the burger doesn't come with pickles, the mayo was laid on a little thick, and it was a little too greasy for my taste. The fries were freshly made and fantastic. I would definitely return to this restaurant. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being The Perfect Burger, I give Tornado Burger an 8.