3.22.2009

Review #31: Bracken Store Cafe - Bracken, Texas



This past week was spring break for the TBG kids. Both kids wanted to pay Shamu a visit at SeaWorld in San Antonio. Before leaving on our trip, I searched my list of requested burger joints to find a good place to review in the San Antonio area. A search of my requested burger joints found a highly recommended burger joint named Bracken Store Café located northeast of San Antonio. I had received four requests for Bracken Store Café. I searched the web for information on Bracken Store Café and landed on their website which showed a picture perfect mom and pop burger joint. Also on their website I found that Bracken Store Café had been voted #1 by the San Antonio Guide for Hamburgers/Cheeseburgers. An award winning burger plus multiple review requests from TBG readers… I definitely felt confident I was about to discover another great burger joint in San Antonio. I popped in the address in my GPS, loaded the family in the car and headed west. Turns out it’s a good thing I had a GPS because Bracken Store Café is definitely off the beaten path. In fact… I think it may not even be on a path. The physical structure screamed it was a good find. The strange hours, 11- 3 pm on Mon-Sat and 11 - 7:30 Fri, screamed it was a good find. Multiple recommendations and an award from a local newspaper screamed it was a good find. I couldn’t hardly wait to get inside, place my order and see what kind of burger this picture perfect mom and pop burger joint offered its customers…


IMPORTANT: If you haven't already, please read the Texas Burger Guy terminology post. That will help you understand the terminology I use in this review.



Bracken Store Cafe Cheeseburger Review
Bracken Store Café has all the elements of a great mom and pop burger joint. First – you have to have a very ordinary, even rundown restaurant. The less “frills” a restaurant has – the better. Second – great burger joints need to be off the beaten path. No doubt Bracken Store Café has this requirement met. Third – despite the remote location – the restaurant needs to be busy. This tells me lots about the place. It’s out in the middle of nowhere, not upscale by any means yet the place is busting with people. This requirement was a little hard to gauge as we arrived around 2:15… well after the lunch hour. Finally – a great burger joint needs lots of “flavor”. As we walked into Bracken Store Café – it was clear to me that this place has lots of “flavor”. License plates, business cards, signs, neon signs and about everything in between adorned the walls. They also had uneven floors! Bracken Store Café seemed to have it all… now was the time to test the burger.

The most important part of my visit was about to begin… ordering and eating the Bracken Store Café Cheeseburger. Following the recommendation of the San Antonio Guide, I ordered the famous Bracken Burger with Cheese. I wanted to order fries and onion rings as well to give those a try… but they were sold out of both. I settled for tots instead. Disappointed about the fries situation, my family sought out a place to sit and enjoy our food. It didn’t take long for our food to arrive… or so we thought. Another person’s food was delivered but before we realized it we had sampled their fries… I guess this was the last batch of fries in the restaurant. No rings… but we did get to try the fries after all. Things were looking up. It wasn’t long though that our food was brought to our table and it was time to dig in.

Here is how I see the Bracken Store Cafe Cheeseburger ranking in the TBG categories:

Oooze Factor
The Cheeseburgers at Bracken Store Café are ½ pounders. I opened the burger and examined it to see if the meat is frozen or fresh. The patties are fresh beef. They don’t skimp on the meat they put on the burger either… it was a pretty good chunk of meat. Although it was big – it wasn’t too ooozy… not dry either… just not very ooozy. The white paper it was served in was white through the whole meal. This is a clear sign to me that a burger has an average oooze rating. Not dry… but far from ooozy.
Oooze Factor Rating: 5



Cheeseburger - Click to enlarge

Herd Killer
The cheeseburger was a nice size. It wasn’t small by any means but it wasn’t necessarily putting the fear of death in any herds anytime soon.
Herd Killer Rating: 6


Cheeseburger - Click to enlarge

Handling
The burger was a good size… although not a two or three hand burger. It isn’t small… but not huge either.
Handling Rating: 6


Cheeseburger - Click to enlarge

Bling Bling
The Bracken Store Café Cheeseburger is $4.69. That isn’t a bad price for what you get. We ordered the burger, a chicken salad sandwich, large order of tots, 4 drinks and two kid’s meals for 24 bucks. That’s a good deal if you ask me…
Bling Bling Rating: 8

Gravedigger
Since Oooze and Herd Killer are both coming in about average, I think Gravedigger will also come in about the same. For a burger to put the fear of death in me, it has to be a super greasy burger with substantial size. This burger just didn’t have that going for it…
Gravedigger Rating: 5 Shovels

I left Bracken Store Café satisfied that I had eaten a good burger and paid a good price for it. I was very impressed with the atmosphere in the restaurant which I will discuss later in the review. While the burger was good… it was far from a great burger. I feel a bit like Simon Cowell on American Idol when I say this… but the burger was just not memorable for me. I forgot about it in 10 minutes. Bottom line… my food was just good… not great. It’s simple and average. These are words that aren’t used when describing my favorite burger joint or even a good burger joint. If you are in the mood for a great burger in San Antonio, I’d look somewhere else.

Overall Bracken Store Cafe Cheeseburger Rating: 5

Restaurant Review
Much has already been said about how excited I was when I saw the old building that is Bracken Store Café. Adding to the excitement was the fact that the restaurant is very much off the beaten path. Visions of a San Antonio Mel’s Country Café danced in my head as I entered the place.

Once inside Bracken Store Café, I quickly realized I had indeed found a classic example of a mom and pop burger joint. The floors were uneven in places. The interior is filled from floor to ceiling with “stuff”. That “stuff” includes things like license plates, signs of all kinds, pictures, newspaper articles, hundreds of business cards I assume from regulars. I took a rough count of the tables in the main dining area and I counted 14. There was a smaller dining room that had 3-4 tables. I didn’t count the chairs on the bar but I’d guess another 6 chairs at the bar if you wanted to dine there. It’s not a big place by any means but it isn’t the smallest place I have eaten in either.

We tried the chicken salad sandwich, tots and the kid’s chicken fingers. I sampled Mrs. TBG’s chicken salad sandwich and I concurred with her opinion that it was just a chicken salad sandwich… nothing to write home about. The same could be said of the kid’s chicken tenders although the serving portion of the kid’s chicken tenders was pretty substantial. I’d recommend ordering one and having the kids share them. The tots were just like the other food… just tots… nothing special.


Tots - Click to enlarge



Chicken Salad Sandwich - Click to enlarge



Kid’s Chicken Tenders - Click to enlarge

Restaurant/Atmosphere
Bracken Store Café is a good casual place to sit down and eat. The food is just good… it isn’t great but its good food at a fair price. I’d definitely pick a Bracken Store Café over a fast food joint any day. Easily the best thing about my experience at Bracken Store Café was the staff. The lady taking our orders was nice but probably the best thing for me was the number of times one of the staff members came to our table and asked if everything was OK. They really were very helpful and very nice. We were there when they weren’t as busy but judging from the number of people they had on staff in the restaurant… I’d bet they could handle a lunch crowd pretty well.


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Directions
Bracken Store Cafe is located Northeast of San Antonio near Rolling Oaks Mall.

Address
Bracken Store Cafe
18415 Bracken Dr
Bracken, Texas
(210) 651-6515

Map
Bracken Store Cafe

Website
Bracken Store Cafe Website

TBG Overall Rating
Bracken Store Cafe provided a pleasant dining experience. I remember most the people and the service we received. The food was just OK. If you are ever in Northeast San Antonio and in the mood for a mom and pop burger joint experience, I’d check out Bracken Store Cafe.

Overall TBG Rating for Bracken Store Cafe: 6

3.01.2009

Review #30: Koppe Bridge Bar & Grill - College Station, Texas


On any given month, I receive a little over fifty emails requesting reviews of your favorite burger joints. To get to all of them is pretty much an impossible undertaking. There are a few burger joints for which I receive multiple requests. These burger joints grab my attention because obviously there is something worth checking out at these places. Koppe Bridge Bar & Grill in College Station, Texas is one such burger joint. I have received no less than twenty one review requests for this one burger joint. I felt obligated to check this place out. My curiosity peaked this past weekend and I made the trek to College Station to visit this highly recommended burger joint. Would I leave Koppe Bridge disappointed? Was there something to all the hype this place received? Would I find the greatest burger of all time at Koppe Bridge? These questions and more filled my head as I approached the wooden structure known to Bryan/College Station locals as the “Best Big Burger in Town”.

IMPORTANT: If you haven't already, please read the Texas Burger Guy terminology post. That will help you understand the terminology I use in this review.



Koppe Bridge Cheeseburger Review
With twenty one review requests received for Koppe Bridge, the numerous Best Burger awards adorning the walls of Koppe Bridge and the “Voted Best Burger 1999-2007” image printed next to the Koppe Bridge Cheeseburger on the menu… the expectations for the Koppe Bridge Cheeseburger really couldn’t have been set any higher. I halfway expected to see lepers rubbing the burgers on their bodies to rid themselves of their illness or maybe see a man walking on water after consuming a Koppe Bridge Cheeseburger… It hadn’t quite reached that level yet but it was rapidly approaching. With all the hype, I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into one of these burgers and see what all the hubbub was about.

I approached the counter where you place your order, reviewed the menu and ordered. I scanned the interior of the restaurant for a table large enough to seat me, Mrs. TBG and my two little TBG kiddos. While waiting for our order to be called, an Aggie basketball game was being aired on one of the many flat panel TVs in the place. I’ll discuss the atmosphere of Koppe Bridge later in the review but what a fantastic atmosphere this place has!!! All that was needed to complete the scene was a fantastic burger and fries.

As I sat there watching the Aggie faithful witness a dismantling of the Iowa State Cyclones basketball team on national television, I couldn’t help but think about all the readers who enthusiastically recommended Koppe Bridge. I glanced around and read some of the certificates received by Koppe Bridge for their burgers. I couldn’t wait to receive mine. Finally – my name was called and I proceeded to the pickup area to gather my very own Koppe Bridge Cheeseburger. The wait was over. The time was now to find out if this burger was for real.

Here is how I see the Koppe Bridge Cheeseburger ranking in the TBG categories:

Oooze Factor
Probably since I have eaten more than my fair share of burgers and have now reviewed 30 burger joints, I quickly assessed the Koppe Bridge Cheeseburger as doing really well in the Herd Killer category. The burger was by no means dry. In fact, it looked quite juicy and very tasty from the outside. My first bite confirmed what I suspected... high Herd Killer but low Oooze. It was not dry at all but it wasn’t ooozing much on my hands or on the white paper lining the basket it was delivered in. In fact, no oooze was seen on the paper at all. Not dry but not dripping with ooze either.
Oooze Factor Rating: 6



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Herd Killer
I could clearly see why this burger was ranked “Best Big Burger in Town”. I mean… dude. The patty after it had been cooked was still a ½ inch thick! The picture should show what I’m talking about. I was VERY impressed by the sheer size of the patty. I wonder how many herds were thinned out for Koppe Bridge in any given day… it has to be pretty staggering. With the size of the burger being so large, the creator of this burger should take into account that a bite of the burger will include a huge chunk of meat and with that should also be some vegetables, mustard and cheese. In general, I’d say the Koppe Bridge cooks should consider adding more vegetables, cheese and mustard as the dominant flavor for me in nearly every bite was beef. The flavor of the vegetables and condiment was lost. The cheese was especially outmanned. My burger had one single slice of cheese on this large behemoth of a patty. I strongly recommend doubling up the cheese on the burger to give it more of the “cheesy waterfall” effect that I love to see happening on the side of my burger. Sheer size though is what Herd Killer is all about so I have to give this burger the highest rating possible...
Herd Killer Rating: 10


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Handling
If you can somehow eat the Koppe Bridge Cheeseburger with just one hand… I’d say you have a career in the NBA waiting for you. This is one serious burger with some serious size. Bring a friend. You may need them to help shove this thing in your face.
Handling Rating: 10

Bling Bling
Koppe Bridge offers a Cheeseburger Basket which includes the monster cheeseburger, fries and a drink for $6.95. For my family, we ordered two kids meals, a chicken sandwich and my monster burger and got out of there for about $30 bucks. All in all not too bad considering you probably won’t need to eat for another 24 hours after leaving Koppe Bridge. I was very satisfied with the value.
Bling Bling Rating: 8



Gravedigger
I’m sure eating at Koppe Bridge day after day would probably end your life sooner than expected. There was a lack of Oooze that I have to consider in this category but there was also a heaping pile of cow between the buns as well that would keep me right with my maker should I regularly dine on Koppe Bridge Cheeseburgers.
Gravedigger Rating: 8 Shovels

Overall - I glad I made the trip to College Station to dine at Koppe Bridge. The burger was definitely huge. The fries served with the burger are the natural cut fries that I absolutely love. The fries looked like they have a potato slicer in the back and fryer. If I had to guess, I’d say they make the fries fresh on-site right before serving them. It just doesn’t get better than that if you ask me. The issues with the burger were noted above. I would recommend Koppe Bridge consider evaluating their burger’s flavor more closely as I think the dominant flavor is beef which absent seasoning can be bland. Some added veggies, condiments and cheese could help add some much needed flavor to the mix. I will get into the atmosphere in a second here, but the cheeseburger was really good. If you are in the area and in the mood for a good ol’ fashioned burger joint experience, it’s hard to find a place better than Koppe Bridge.

Overall Koppe Bridge Cheeseburger Rating: 9

Restaurant Review
Approaching Koppe Bridge, Mrs. TBG said it was “ominous" and that it "looks like a club." Before you enter the restaurant, you are greeted with a sign that warns that the floors inside are uneven and to watch your step.


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When I read this I laughed out loud. I quickly thought about Lankford’s Grocery in Houston that has very uneven floors but I don’t think they have a sign warning people about them… Once inside Koppe Bridge it was clear to me why they have the sign posted outside. As soon as somebody walked close to you, you bounced. Literally, the floor was bouncing below you as somebody walked by. That’s just awesome! I don’t care who you are, if you can’t appreciate a place that stays as busy as Koppe Bridge while sportin’ bouncy floors… maybe burger joints aren’t your thing. I bounced to my table and found yet another VERY positive sign that this burger joint was unique. The tables have been carved up pretty handily by previous Koppe Bridge patrons.


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I just love seeing this too. It tells me this place has been in business for a long time and the atmosphere is relaxed and easy going enough that they don’t mind if you bring some woodworking tools with you to lunch. That’s just awesome!

We tried the chicken sandwich and the kid’s chicken fingers. Mrs TBG said the chicken sandwich was awesome. A quick bite of it confirmed her opinion. A sampling of the kid’s chicken tenders also confirmed why both mini-TBGs had clean plates at the end of lunch. Quite possibly the best fries I have had in a while. The closest to these are what are called Bosque Fries. These are homemade fries invented by a close friend of mine in Bosque County. They are awesome. The Koppe Bridge fries are right up there.



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Restaurant/Atmosphere
Koppe has all the elements of a great burger joint. It has a loyal following of customers. It has a very casual atmosphere. It is a great place to just hang out, eat a burger and watch a ballgame. If shooting pool and playing video games if your thing – Koppe Bridge has you covered. It’s a great place to just hang out with friends. You can also sit out on the patio as well if you’d like. The waitstaff was very helpful and polite. Despite being very busy they were able to get my food out pretty quickly and were willing to answer my questions about their menu.


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Directions
Koppe Bridge has two locations in College Station. I went to the original on Wellborn which opened in 1992. Their second site, opened in 2002, is on Harvey.

Addresses
Original Koppe Bridge
11777 Wellborn Road
College Station, TX
(979) 764-2933

Koppe Bridge on Harvey
3940 Harvey Road
College Station, TX
(979) 776-2833

Maps
Original Koppe Bridge

Koppe Bridge on Harvey

Website
Koppe Bridge Website

TBG Overall Rating
Koppe Bridge provided a great dining experience. If you enjoy a good old fashioned burger joint the way they were meant to be, come to Koppe Bridge. The burger was good. The environment was better. I’d go back again and again if I lived closer.

Overall TBG Rating for Koppe Bridge: 9

1.05.2008

Review #29: Ray's Drive In - Lufkin, Texas


On a rare visit to east Texas a while back, I found myself starving for that precious cuisine that inspired me to start this website.... the mom and pop burger. A colleague of mine knew that I was going to be in the vicinity of her hometown in Lufkin and strongly encouraged me to try out Ray's Drive In. I had also received eight emails from readers encouraging the same. When I drove by Ray's, I was immediately impressed by the drive in. You don't see many drive ins like this that don't have a Sonic sign out front. And Ray's was a busy drive in too... another good sign. Immediately upon walking inside Ray's I was greated with another good sign... lots of locals seated in very plain - non-flairy booths. It was late in the day and I was starving for a good greasy burger. Would Ray's deliver or fall flat? Would I be glad I ate here instead of grabbing a cardboard burger at Micky D's? There was only way to find out... order up!!

IMPORTANT: If you haven't already, please read the Texas Burger Guy terminology post. That will help you understand the terminology I use in this review.

Ray's Cheeseburger Review
Having reviewed 29 burger joints now and having eaten at way more than that... I'm discovering that another litmus test that can be applied to determine if a burger joint will be good or not is if they are utilizing a huge wall size Coke or Dr Pepper menu with the snap in letters/numbers. Seems like everytime a place is using one of those things their burgers turn out awesome. Ray's uses one of these style menus. After wading through the long list of items, I decided to stick with the cheeseburger for this review. As usual, I ordered the onion rings and fries to get a taste of both for the review.

After placing my order with the waitress and paying at the counter, I took my paper number and gazed around the dining area of Ray's to find a seat. As I settled into my yellow booth, I noticed several locals that walked in and ordered the usual. This sight only added to my anticipation of eating my very own Ray's Cheeseburger.

A few minutes later and the highly anticipated moment had finally arrived... they called my number. As I walked up to the counter to retrieve my little red plastic tray carrying the food I so longed for, I couldn't help but wonder if I had just met the burger that would dethrone the Boondock's monster as my number 1 burger of all time.

Here is how I see the Ray's Drive In Cheeseburger ranking in the TBG categories:

Oooze Factor
At first glance, I could tell the Ray's Cheeseburger would rank high in the Oooze Factor category. The white paper they had wrapped it with was turning transparent from all of the oooze seaping through the paper. Thinking it odd for me to tear into a wrapped burger, I controlled myself long enough to unwrap the burger and take a look at this beauty. Much to my pleasure, the burger was ooozier than I expected. My first bite confirmed what my eyes were telling me... this was one ooozy burger. Overall - a good healthy oooze factor score.
Oooze Factor Rating: 9



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Herd Killer
This burger wouldn't exactly strike fear in the heart of a cow. I have had plenty of average size burgers that were awesome. Ray's was good, but it wasn't the best one I had before. The seasoning on the burger was a little heavy with pepper for my taste. It may have just been an overzealous pepper shaker in the kitchen that did it, but pepper was a little too dominant a flavor for my taste. The mustard and vegetables on the burger definitely created a very good flavor. I just wish they had added a little more meat and had seasoned it differently.
Herd Killer Rating: 6


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Handling
While not huge, the Ray's burger is not to be eaten with just one hand. They put this burger in front of you with a good size bun as well. You can try one hand but you'd get it all over you... better to use at least one and a half hands.
Handling Rating: 7



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Bling Bling
I didn't feel ripped off at Ray's. I went in there with an appetite and left with a full belly for reasonable amount for fries, onion rings, drink and 1/2 pound burger. I was very sastisfied with the value.
Bling Bling Rating: 8





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Gravedigger
While I didn't make a call to my attorney to make sure my will was updated, I did feel like eating one of these burgers every week would chop a few months off my life. The oooze alone was enough to make me worry... but I'm not losing sleep.
Gravedigger Rating: 7 Shovels

Overall - I was happy with my visit at Ray's. The food was really good... the atmosphere was awesome and the side items were great. I probably enjoyed the atmosphere more than anything else. You really don't see the old fashioned drive ins being used very much. It was a pleasant departure from the usual format. My recommendation is if you are in Lufkin and looking for a good burger that will fill your belly and make you glad you stopped in... go to Ray's. You'll be glad you did.

Overall Ray's Cheeseburger Rating: 7

Restaurant Review
Not to focus on it too much, but the thing that makes Ray's unique is the atmosphere. When the waitresses are splitting duties between helping people inside the restaurant and the people parked in the stalls... well that's just cool. The huge menu that greats you is a welcome site. If I had the opportunity, I'd try some of the specialty burgers listed on the menu. There was a Ray's special which you know is good.

The other menu items I tried... the onion rings and the fries were both very good. The onion rings were the dry - fried variety versus the soft and greasy type. They were good but I prefer the soft and chewy ones. The fries were natural cut which was great. Good flavor on both items.

Restaurant/Atmosphere
Without question, the lasting memory I'll have of Ray's is the atmosphere... both inside and out. Inside you'll find lots of the classic style booths. In addition to the many booths, there are several tables. This place has to be a place that locals hang out in the morning to solve all the world's problems. It has a cozy feel to it. It was obvious that Ray's had been in this place for a long time and judging from the amount of business... it didn't look like they were going anywhere for a time to come.

The waitstaff was very helpful and polite. I think I freaked out one of the waitresses when I took my pictures for the review. Sorry!


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Directions
Ray's is located just off Highway 59... or North Timberland if you are a Lufkinite.

Address
420 N Timberland Dr
Lufkin, TX 75901
(936) 634-3262

Map
Ray's Drive In Map

TBG Overall Rating
Ray's provided a great dining experience. There are always things that I would change pretty much everywhere I go... Ray's is no exception. I'd move Ray's closer to Houston so I could eat there more. It's a good place with a long history. If you are ever in Lufkin - stop in and give Ray's a try.

Overall TBG Rating for Ray's Drive In: 7

8.18.2007

Review #28: Wallbangers - Corpus Christi, Texas



Recently, I found myself in Corpus Christi on business. As I was checking into my hotel, my stomach started speaking to me. I glanced over to a rack of brochures. There, sitting on the rack was a brochure for a local mom and pop burger joint named Wallbangers. The name intrigued me and the pictures on this brochure intrigued me as well. It seemed like a good find but I wanted confirmation. I checked with a friend of mine who grew up in Corpus and he concurred. The hotel concierge also concurred. Wallbangers is a well known producer of big nasty burgers. That was it - my mission had been changed from visiting the original Whataburger (Corpus is where Whataburger was started) to visiting Wallbangers. In just a few short hours I wanted to find myself seated in the Wallbangers restaurant chowing down on some Corpus Christi bovine. It wasn't long after this that turned into the parking lot of Wallbangers. Nestled at the end of a strip center... Wallbangers was unusually busy for my 2:30 pm arrival. It was simple on the outside. Good sign. It was busy. Another good sign. It was recommended by the locals. Yet another good sign. Things were looking good but there is only one way to find out if Wallbangers is worthy of a good TBG review or if will go down as just another burger place.... let's eat!!!



IMPORTANT: If you haven't already, please read the Texas Burger Guy terminology post. That will help you understand the terminology I use in this review.

Wallbangers Cheeseburger Review
As I gazed upon the wall size Wallbangers menu, I quickly noticed how "custom burger" seemed to be the theme of this place. It smelled to me like a Fuddrucker's copy. One look to my left where I discovered the place where you dress up your burger (ala Fuddruckers) and I had cracked the code on this place. It was a Fuddruckers model. Now don't get me wrong - I LOVE Fuddruckers but Fuddruckers model works for Fuddruckers. I have been to 4 other burger joints that have desperately tried to perfect the Fuddrucker's experience but have sadly and in some cases WAY WAY missed the mark. Nevertheless - this was a new day and a new burger joint. I remained hopeful - although skeptical at the outcome of this experience. I loved the way the menu was laid out. You select your patty, how you want it cooked, your cheese, your sauce, and any add ons like bacon, mushrooms and jalapenos. It was all I could do to stick to ordering the standard TBG Cheeseburger for my review. My coworker ordered one of the "Stuffed Burger"... more on that later. I ordered onion rings and fries as well. Have to try it all out.


After a brief wait, my number was called and I made my way to the fixins bar where I dressed my burger up just the way I like it. Upon returning to my seat I looked at my coworkers burger and felt "Outwhataburgered". Man that thing was awesome looking. My burger didn't look all that shabby either. But... looks aren't everything... how would it rate???


Here is how I see the Wallbangers Cheeseburger ranking in the TBG categories:


Oooze Factor
Hidden underneath this monster homemade bun was the main course... my patty. It definitely had the shine going on from the oooze in it. I have seen many shiny burgers that ended up being dry inside the patty. This one turned out to be pretty good. I didn't have anything running down my arm - just an excess of trimmings I piled on the burger by mistake. Overall - about average oooze.
Oooze Factor Rating: 7


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Herd Killer
This burger would strike fear in many a cow's heart. It was nice and big. I knew I would have trouble getting it all in my stomach. The big question mark for me was would it have good flavor. After my experience at Arnold Burger in Amarillo - I am very aware that the bigger the patty - the more seasoning is needed to avoid a tasteless burger. Well - they didn't quite hit the mark as the patty was so big - it just didn't have a lot of flavor to it. The trimmings made up for some of it - but you can't really replace that sought after meat flavor. It was big - but just not as tasty as I like em.
Herd Killer Rating: 6


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Handling
Hands down a two handed burger. The patty itself should have its own Handling rating of 10 or 11.
Handling Rating: 7

Bling Bling
Given the amount of food you get complete with unlimited refills on your drink, I paid a good rice (don't have exact amount) for my burger. It was around 6 bucks for the burger combo. I wasn't too alarmed at the price.
Bling Bling Rating: 8



Gravedigger
Maybe not my burger - but my coworkers burger would receive a high Gravedigger rating. My burger was big and mean - just not as scary as some others that I have had. Maybe its me - but a Fuddruckers burger just doesn't scare me any which is what this burger reminded me of.
Gravedigger Rating: 5 Shovels




Overall - it was OK. I enjoyed the burger and the side items. I enjoyed the atmosphere more than the food I think. The Fuddruckers model works good for Fuddruckers. The burger was good - but not great. If you are in Corpus and have a hankerin' for a good homestyle burger - Wallbangers is a safe bet... just don't expect too much.


Overall Wallbangers Cheeseburger Rating: 6




Restaurant Review
One of the things that makes mom and pop burger joints great is their creative menus. Wallbangers had on their menu a "Stuffed Burger" which I had never seen before. I encouraged my coworker to get one of those things just to see what it's all about. His burger is shown below in the pictures. It looked like an explosion of meat, cheese, mushrooms and bacon. My heart ached at the site of it. After a few bites he commented that it was really good. Their onion rings were good. I always enjoy loading up my plate with melted cheddar cheese at Fuddruckers. Wouldn't you know it that Wallbangers also had melted cheddar cheese. I loaded up my plate and enjoyed their onion rings which to me were just OK. Nothing special. The fries were curly fries which I like. I bet if they had chili and cheese on the curly fries - they'd have a winner. If you like your heart and want to see your grandkids grow up - you also have the option of making your own salad at the 60 item all you an eat salad bar. The bar sits on its own 1 acre lot... or so it seems anyway...


"Stuffed Burger" with Mushrooms, Bacon and Swiss Cheese

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Heart Attack on a Plate

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Restaurant/Atmosphere
In a town known as the home of Whataburger, Wallbangers delivered an enjoyable experience. The inside of Wallbangers is cozy. They have high backed wooden booths around the perimeter and tables in the middle of the restaurant. Lots of tables. They also have video games which would make this a cool place to hang out if I had the time... All in all - the name Wallbangers is creative. The menu was creative. The atmosphere was just right. My only complaint was the burger was just so so and the Fuddruckers model that they were following. Besides that - its a great place. The staff was nice and extremely helpful. Great atmosphere!


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Directions
Exit Staples Drive off South Padre Island Drive. Go south on Staples.


Address
4100 South Staples
Corpus Christi, TX
(361)855-8007

Map
Wallbangers Map

TBG Overall Rating
Wallbangers provided a good dining experience. I would have liked more flavor from my burger but I did get melted cheddar cheese with my onion rings so it wasn't a total loss! If I am ever back in Corpus I'll probably look for another place to try.

Overall TBG Rating for Wallbanger's: 7