January normally means healthy salads and rabbit food, but unfortunately busy schedules and being sick has made it really hard to stay on the course. Thankfully a night out with a girlfriend gave me a chance to distress and try out something different that the quick drive-through of Taco Bell or Dickey’s. Home Base: It [...]
In life there are only two kinds of people: Classic burger eaters and Complicated burger eaters. For some it’s all about simplicity – meat, cheese, pickles, lettuce, onion and a condiment or two. Their motto is the lesser is the better. I admit many times using simple ingredients make the tastiest things…however, I don’t always [...]
As many of us approach New Year’s, we begin our annual journey to get back on the dieting horse in attempt to lose weight. This year my family vowed to embrace the healthy diet regimen come January 1, so in Team Reo fashion, we decided to go big or go home and enjoy one last [...]
January normally means healthy salads and rabbit food, but unfortunately busy schedules and being sick has made it really hard to stay on the course. Thankfully a night out with a girlfriend gave me a chance to distress and try out something different that the quick drive-through of Taco Bell or Dickey’s.
Home Base:
It was fitting that we decided to visit the developing Downtown Arlington area to test out the Mellow Mushroom. Next to Arlington Theatre and the ever beloved Babe’s, one of the newest kids on the block, the Mellow Mushroom is like a little bit of Austin came to the California Pizza Kitchen. It’s got an impressive drink menu, a fantastic lava lamp chandelier and a bad-ass blue bar. And even better, they’ve got real good pizza to boot.
The Line Up:
Ready for blue drinks, blue lights and blue bar? Get ready to get rid of the blues at the Mellow Mushroom.
My friend and I didn’t go to chow down, but go somewhere fun, new, with some fun drinks, expansive beer list and something good to eat. Since I enjoying reading menus, I already knew that the menu had several pages to select from, so the Mellow Mushroom would fit the bill. We plopped down at the bar adorned with several flat screens for a front-row seat for whatever game that was on that night. In addition to the cool bartender who served us our first two drinks, the music was a perfect mix of Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and Steve Nicks. After a few rounds of drinks and amusing conversations with our fellow bar buddies, the appetite kicked in so we opted to order a small house pizza with every meat-eaters dream like pepperoni, hamburger, applewood bacon – basically a really good supreme pizza, but better that ever. (And I normally order veggie pizzas on thin crust!)
Even though I was told it would take 20 minutes, it seemed much shorter than that, which was good since we instantly started chomping down on the pizza. And it was good. How could it not be with bacon and . To sum it best, within a few minutes of us being served our pizza, three others were ordered because we were raving about how good it was.
The Score:
Reconsider eating meat because you don't want to miss this pizza at the Mellow Mushroom.
Outta the park – as far as pizza goes, right?
Based on our cocktails, a 9 percent beer called “La Fin de Monde” and that damn good pizza, we’re planning to go back and try about ten more things that seem pretty tasty. Maybe next time I’ll even bring the kids – and order the Kosmic Karma and try some other parts of the menu like the dessert!
Mellow Mushroom
200 N Center Street
Arlington, TX 76011
(817) 274-7173
In life there are only two kinds of people: Classic burger eaters and Complicated burger eaters.
For some it’s all about simplicity – meat, cheese, pickles, lettuce, onion and a condiment or two. Their motto is the lesser is the better. I admit many times using simple ingredients make the tastiest things…however, I don’t always agree with that when it comes to a burger.
For other people like me, it is all about how many things you can put in between two pieces of bread and sink your teeth into. My husband, who falls into that Classic category says he knows if there is a burger that got a salad bar on it, I’m going to order it (partly because I like the thought of it and partly because I can’t make up my mind). He also knows that my newest fad is getting a fried egg on top of my burger makes it gold. I was hankering for a gold burger.
Home Base:
So when a craving for a good burger came tapping at my taste buds, I really wanted something with an egg on it. Luckily right across from Babe’s Chicken and the Mellow Mushroom in the newly renovated, “up and recoming” Downtown Arlington area, I had noticed something about a “Grease Monkey.” Always scouting out new openings, I looked it up and found, low and behold, that the Grease Monkey Burger Shop & Social Club had a unique burger offering and would put an egg on it. So off we went.
I was really excited to try the place and when we got out of the car, we saw we weren’t the only ones. Considering its outdoor/indoor concept, I already knew even without tasting anything, I would be back at least for the other part of the name, to socialize. Once we figured out how to get in (one door is for eating and the other is for drinking (although you end up in the same place), we bellied up to the bar to order.
The Line Up:
After a quick scan, I decided I needed to go with the namesake to figure out if this was gonna be a good burger, The Angry Burger. It has peppers, roasted garlic, pepper jack cheese and red chipotle mayo sauce – so how could it be wrong. And with a name like Grease Monkey I figured I was going to need some antacid after the fact, I order the “Threesome” for a side, which included fries, onion rings and sweet potato toes. Oh, this was going to be gluttony at its best.
Although it seemed like a long wait to pick up the order, we were able to keep ourselves entertained with taking a look at all the interesting artifacts and the people watching. The appearance of my order was impressive, including a big pepper on top of my bun. But a good burger is not about the looks – it’s about the taste. So with two hands and empty stomach, I chowed down on everything.
After we came up for breath, we asked the question – what did we think? While the flavor was good, the meat was a bit burnt for my liking and while the sweet bun was an interesting taste, it was just too much bun. And just like the movie, “Wild Things”, it’s really the dark horse or in this case, the sweet potato tot, that comes out ahead. It was crispy, crunchy and just a nice tot with a little different kick.
The Score:
It is a run.
It was a good burger. Perhaps not the best, but I will be back again to consider some other options when I’m in the mood for something fried like the Portobello Burger or the Chicken-Fried Burger (you read that right, not chicken, but a hamburger patty that is fried like chicken.) I’ll admit I rarely crave anything fried, but the next time my honey says he is craving something he can eat with ketchup or I want to meet up with friends, I think we found a place that’s perfect for friends, family and fried food.
Grease Monkey Burger Shop & Social Club
11 a.m.-2 a.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight Sunday and kitchen closes 11 p.m. Monday-Saturday and at 9 p.m. Sunday)
200 N. Mesquite St.
Arlington, Texas
817-665-5454
www.greasemonkeyburgers.com
As many of us approach New Year’s, we begin our annual journey to get back on the dieting horse in attempt to lose weight. This year my family vowed to embrace the healthy diet regimen come January 1, so in Team Reo fashion, we decided to go big or go home and enjoy one last meal. Babe’s is often considered my spouse’s “last meal” treat, but this time I wanted to take the opportunity to try a heavily recommended burger placed called Chop House Burgers.
Home Base
Located in middle Arlington, the very non-descript joint (we passed it twice before we found it), was exactly that. No flashy signs, tables, chairs or carpet. I hoped this was a sign that they focused on the important stuff, the grub, which is why many of tables were dirty (I would learn later that there is no way to eat there WITHOUT making a mess.)
The Line Up
We bellied up to the counter to check out the menu and make our order. Of course, the namesake burger,was listed first and seemed to already be the apparent choice with applewood bacon, cheese and what it is most known for, a hamburger patty made with brisket and sirloin. HOWEVER, since I love to read menus, I moved on to see what else I could find… Oh my, did I find some doozies including The Cheeseburger that made with two grilled cheeses as the bun. However, my eye then found a few added options tacked on the wall away from the menu board including the word lobster and truffle, so I was sucked in. As an added option to a burger, they had three butters including Lobster, Wasabi or Cabernet and Goat Cheese. I began to salivate while I considered dipping my fries in one of them and putting another one on my burger, but decided that sometimes you need to spread the love over more than one visit. I opted for the wine and cheese option (if I had to have a real last meal wine and cheese this would be it), so I thought it was too poetic not to order it.
A few other things were added to our order including a homemade chili on my husband’s burger (along with fried jalapenos) and a piece of sawdust pie. Not the pretty thing I’ve ever seen, but since the pie included chocolate chips, coconut and pecans, I thought it couldn’t be wrong. I was given the name “Mr. Green Jeans” on a green card that they would call when our order was up and then took my seat.
While we waited to dive in, I took it all in. I began to sing quietly to the Eagles song playing while I took a look around. Many of the people around us were talking about the fact the joint was supposed to be included in an upcoming “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” on the Food Network. Considering it was a week night and customers seemed pretty steady, I’m sure the buzz had attributed to some of the patronage. However, many of these guys were regulars, exemplified by the mom and two children who had called their order in, walked in and the waitress immediately brought their food straight to the table. This place seemed to be exactly what Guy Fieri’s show promised, good food and good people. I was even more excited.
The Chop House Burger with Cabernet and Goat Cheese Butter
The Score
When the food arrived, I was taken back by the lilac-colored blob on my burger. I’ll admit not the most visually appetizing, but then I remembered if you mixed goat cheese and wine together this would be the color it made, so I quickly moved on to the bite of bacon, meet and goodness I was about to embark on.
Yes, it was delicious with just the right amount of meat and cheese with a light flavor of red wine all in one bite. For me, that’s pretty close to one of the best burgers I had tasted. My only gripe was after I had taken a breather to taste some of the other items on the table like some of the most flavorful chili I have had in a restaurant, my bun was pretty soggy. After half of it, I put it down and called it done. Believe me, as much as I had devoured, you would, too.
For the pie, it wasn’t the best I had ever eaten, but I finished it along with some of the best, seasoned monster homemade onion rings I had ever eaten.
Sooo folks it’s a Home Run! Try this one now before the nation learns about it on Food Network and the lines get long!
Chop House Burgers
Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Closed Sundays
1700 W. Park Row Drive #116
Arlington, Texas 76013
817-459-3700
http://www.chophouseburgers.com
