Sac-A-Burgers - Mabank

I had the pleasure of stopping by the Sac-A-Burgers recently while on the way home from my cousin Lee's funeral. I don't want to downplay the sadness I felt attending the funeral. We will miss you Lee. You were a great man, a wonderful father and an inspiration to 'live life' if ever there was one.

I stopped to get some fuel at the local gas station and asked where the best burger in town was. Both cashier's rang out in unison, 'Sac-A-Burger'. So, I had to try it. I asked for directions and proceeded to seek out this place.

When I arrived it was on the 'outskirts' of town. It has a drive thru that seemed to get a good portion of business. I went inside to find a small place with about 12-13 booths, a jukebox, two pools tables, three video games and several quarter-hungry sticker machines that you know keep the youngsters busy.

I ordered up the bacon cheeseburger, a side of seasoned fries and a medium iced tea. The total was just over $5, a bargain compared to the prices in places like Dallas and Fort Worth. Oh yeah, it was a cash only place, another sign of a good hole-in-the-wall joint ala Herd's.

I found a place to sit and noticed a few locals looking me over. I was dressed decently, having just attended the funeral. I quickly ignored the glances. I figured with the place off the beaten path they might not see many strangers stop by.

The locals didn't make me feel uncomfortable in the least. Perhaps it is like when a person from Texas goes up North and everyone turns around the moment they open their mouth to speak as that wonderful Texas drawl spills out. Perhaps they could sense I was from the Metroplex. I don't think I look like a 'city slicker' and I certainly don't talk like one.

One attribute I could do without, and I find this to be true in several small town places, is the building is not smoke-free. It wasn't thick with smoke like you would find in a casino, bar or bingo parlor, but a few people were lighting up. If everyone chose to do so, it could easily get difficult to breath in a small place like this without some form of smoke-eater running.

My burger arrived quickly. It was a thin burger, appeared to be hand formed with a lack of char I like to usually find on thin burgers. It was no doubt cooked on a flat top, no char-broiled burger here.

The bacon was crisp, the chopped iceberg lettuce was fresh and the red onions were a nice touch. The patty was a bit smaller than the bun, but not out of proportion. The bun was toasted, it would appear, probably on the grill. Overall the burger was cooked well, not dry from too much time on the grill and not raw so that I would be concerned about E Coli or Salmonella.

I bit into it and found it to be piping hot and quite tasty. I quickly consumed it and the perfectly cooked seasoned fries and washed it down with some very good iced tea. That meal just hit the spot. I finished it off with a scoop of my favorite ice cream in the world, Blue Bell Banana Nut. I can almost never find this flavor, but they had it by the scoop here for 89^¢.

On my way out I noticed the menu on the wall was quite extensive, this wasn't just a burger and fries establishment. If I find myself in Mabank again, hopefully under better circumstances, I can see myself stopping by for another burger or working my way through the menu.

Here's the info on where to find Sac-A-Burger:

Sac-A-Burger
624 W Mason St
Mabank, TX 75147

As for the Texas Burger Stop's rating, here goes:

• Patty Size and Style: Thin, appears to be hand formed
• Cooking style: grilled on a flat top
• Char: No significant charring
  
• Bun: toasted, probably on the grill
• Vegetables: fresh veggies, red onions
• Napkins needs: one napkin should do
  
• Special attributes: Cash only
  
• Ownership: Looks to be locally owned