Mid June 2018
Sunday evening meant no rush hour, so seemed like a good day to expand my range. My wife and I met Geoff on the north side of 1604 at Big'z.
Service and Setting
It's a big red barn. The parking lot was pretty full for a Sunday night, but inside there's ample indoor and outdoor seating. It is a order-at-the-counter operation and you'll return to pick up your order when called over the PA. I've been to a lot of "family-friendly" burger spots of late; as far as playgrounds go, this one was simply astroturf and some rubber balls. Interestingly, the kids seem to be having just as much fun as on the slide at The Cove, or the Playmobile set at Tycoon Flats.
Menu
The menu looks pretty simple at first glance. What you soon realize is that aside from size options, there are a dozen topping add-on options, 5 different bun options, and probably 20 sauce options. They have a "make it dirty" option which I assumed had something to do with rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard's well-publicized heart disease before his death in 2004, but it turns out it just means adding an egg. They'll ask you how you want that cooked too.
Beverage
A barely-satisfactory list of beers, some of which are on draft and others some bottles. Not particularly featuring Texas-local brews. Soda and double-thick shakes as well.
Patty
Half pounders ordered as a single, double, or triple. I saw one double come out, and that seems like a stretch for most folks. I don't know who is eating the triple since the longed-for San Antonio Raiders are the closest we get to having an NFL team in town. They will ask how you want it cooked, and all three of our burgers came out the right temperature. Really had juice over grease. Great, beefy flavor. Enjoyable edge to edge.
Dress and Bun
There are 5 or so bun upgrades, but I don't think I saw any come out of the kitchen. That standard bun was good. It stood up well to the challenge of a densely-topped burger. I'd say it may be the weakest part of the burger as far as flavor, but it does a good job of holding everything together. My wife, Audrey, dressed her burger up with American cheese, avocado, bacon and a fried egg. I won't pretend decisions like these weren't part of the reason I married her. I went with pepper jack, beer-battered onions and an egg. I was drowning in onions. They were good, but a quarter slid off when I picked up the burger, and I removed another quarter so I could taste the burger underneath. My egg was a little undercooked (the egg white was still booger consistency). We all agreed the toppings were fresh and tasted good.
Sides
Fries, rings, sweet potato fries. The french fry experience reminds me most of eating in fries in Belgium. Excellent flavor, good crunch with high inner-potato ratio. Not as much crisp to is. They came in a cone. Also like Belgium, the sauce options extend way beyond ketchup to a dozen different flavored mayo's (ranging from basil to truffle), as well as mustard and ketchup twists. I'm surprised they don't play up adding the sauces to the burgers more.
Geoff's Take: "The patty had a wholesome beef flavor, and the toppings tasted fresh. I wasn’t as impressed with the fries as you were."
The Verdict
Juicy and delicious burger. Endless customization to give you new things to try. Consistent experience for all of our burgers. Really worth driving out to enjoy. A whole-hearted 5-spur burger.
