I was in Burleson, recently, and found Grump's Burgers. What a find it was.
Located in the Old Town section of Burleson, the burger joint is housed in an old two-story building, complete with a Texas Flag roof. The location screams 'Come on in and sit a spell', so I did.
Burgers, Texas Flag, Old Town charm, I held back tears of joy.
They offer peanuts to consume while you wait, ala Logan's Roadhouse, but they playfully call them Grump's Nuts. To-go bags can be picked up for $2.99/lb along with their much-talked-about jalapeño ketchup. I didn't sample the ketchup. I wish I had.
The line to order your food forms to the left. Step up, read the menu, place your order. Simple enough approach.
On this day, I opted for the standard cheeseburger, but decided to amp it up with a jalapeño bun (.99¢ upcharge). I also was intrigued by their sweet potato fries until I saw the Dirty Fries on the list of available fry choices. Grilled jalapeño and onions smothering my fries? How can I say no? My mouth watered at the thought of it.
I grabbed my drink glass (the large is refillable for $1 on every visit thereafter) and sat down to enjoy some peanuts before my meal arrived. They point out they are not a fast food joint on a sign near the register. Hand-formed, never frozen burgers take time. Why rush perfection, I thought. Wouldn't have it any other way.
As I enjoyed the peanuts, washed down with a tall glass of half-and-half sweet tea, I watched videos from GAC on the TVs around the room.
My Dirty Fries arrived soon and I was surprised by the mounds of jalapeño's and onions covering them. Pleasantly surprised. I should have ordered a side of ranch dressing, I thought. But, alas, I dug in and it was pure greatness. They were no match.
A few minutes later a gentleman who I presumed to be the owner or manager arrived to inform me the supply truck did not have the jalapeño buns so my burger would require a regular bun. He was so nice and apologetic about it. "Things happen", I said and continued my assault on the Dirty Fries.
The burger arrived soon after and I noticed it had a large toast mark from its time on the flat top. Nice touch.
I opened it up to apply liberal amounts of black pepper, a ritual I always perform. It contained a good amount of onions and shredded lettuce, some pickles and two slices of tomato. The tomatoes weren't the deep-red color I usually like, but, they looked fine. Good deep-red-colored tomatoes are difficult to find any longer for some reason, even in the grocery stores. The patty was a medium thickness and looked to be perfectly prepared. Overall, visually, it's a home run.
When I took my first bite, the experience was complete. It packed plenty of flavor, was juicy but not dripping with grease and had a nice melding of flavors in each bite.
Was it the best burger I had ever had? Well, no, but it's in the top 10. Maybe top 5. It's good.
I posted on my Facebook account that this is the kind of place that would do very well in Graham, TX, on the largest downtown square in America. The old world charm of the building, the non-nonsense approach to customer service, and the quality of the food would be in instant success. Sure, Graham has the Dairy King and KN Root Beer and I wouldn't trade them for all the tea in China. But a place like this on the Square would be awesome and there is always room for another burger joint.
If Grump's ever expands elsewhere, perhaps Graham and the NE Tarrant County area might make the list. Then, my options for burgers at each place I call home would be complete.
As for the Texas Burger Stop's rating, here goes:
- Patty Size and Style: medium thick, hand formed
- Cooking style: grilled on a flat top
- Char: nice char across the patty
- Bun: soft, toasted (as noted above, opted for jalapeno bun, but it was out of stock)
- Vegetables: fresh shredded lettuce, onions, pickles and tomatoes
- Napkins needs: one napkin should do
- Special attributes: lots of TVs, adult beverages available, friendly wait staff, very cool old town building
- Ownership: local chain
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