The New Guy Gets Happy at Angry Dog, But Doubts It's Home to His Favorite Dallas Burger

By Joe Tone Thu., Apr. 7 2011 at 12:39 PM

The Angry Dog burger. It will make your artery walls angry, but that's about it.

Throughout April, the New Guy is only eating at places suggested by City of Ate readers, in a futile attempt to speed his conversion to Texasism. Have a suggestion? Leave it in the comments or hit us on Twitter at @cityofate and @joeptone.

When I reached out for restaurant suggestions yesterday, no spot got more love than Deep Ellum's Angry Dog, and it didn't take long to figure why. The 'hood is organically eclectic. The crowd was coolly diverse last night, a mix of chowing families and slumped boozers and a couple of dates that looked like first ones. The vibe: cool but unpretentious. The service: prompt and friendly, but not overly so. They left me and my meat alone in the corner how we like it.

And the menu? That's a thing of meat-loving beauty.

I had a small anxiety attack picking between the dog and the burger, both of which are as heavy on accolades as they are calories. But five readers handpicked the burger as one of the city's best, so I ordered it up the way every burger should be: medium rare, topped with cheddar, mayo, mustard and whatever else comes standard, in this case the lettuce-tomato-pickle trifecta. No bacon; something that delicious will make even an average burger stand apart. Can't have that when we're picking favorites.

My server asked if fries were OK, and I asked if there were any other options, and he said something about pasta salad, and we shared a good laugh about that. Fries it was.

It came. I ate it in about seven bites. I get it. Damn good burger -- well constructed, nice bun-to-meat ratio, juicy, just the right size. No complaints. It won't be my favorite in town; I'm partial to a more nuanced flavor in my patty, and something about the cheese being shredded and a tad unmelted when it arrived freaked me out.

But all in all: A good tip, dear readers. And wouldn't you know it? It's lunch time.

Location Info

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Angry Dog

2726 Commerce St., Dallas, TX

Category: Music

14 user reviews	Write A Review
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Angry Dog

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Allenmcgee2009

Adair's & Wingfields set the standard IMO. Twisted Root is flat out overrated. Someone mentioned Keller's and reminded me of goin there with a portly friend who ordered a #10. The gal on the other end of the speaker insisted they had no such order. My friend said, "Yeah, but you got 2 #5s back there"....

CrackerDaddy

Adair's is my personal favorite. Lee Harvey's serves up a tasty burger as does Hunky's. Not a fan of Wingfield's. Yes, it is a BIG burger; but, the meat is not that tasty. If you want a good hood burger, try the burger at Big Daddy's store at Pine @ Colonial. Their fried chicken is the bomb too......I'll take it over Rudy's any day.

Noah W. Bailey

Next time put bacon and grilled jalapenos on it. Angry Dog kills Maple and Motor every time in my book. Plus you don't have to listen to the owner talk about himself in the third person.

Chinese Whispers

Yeah that guy seems awfully arrogant.

G_David

Mayo on a burger is an abomination, in my opinion - mustard AND ketchup is the way to go. And strangely, the fact that the cheese is shreded at A.D. is a plus in my book, though it's usually quite a bit more on the melted side when I go.

I'm just glad that there are so many great burger joints in town - something to fit everybody's idea of what a burger should be!

Gus Mitchem

You guys are totally FOS, the suburban burgers can all suck it, McKinney, Frisco bullshit. The Angry Dog is a good par, Maple and Motor is well executed, Adairs is for drinkin and Wingfileds you better have your CHL to venture down there and engage a burger will sitting duck in your car. Any burger that has to create a bunch of bits (special burgers) to engage you like Twisted Root is hiding something. Same for the grape, we you start adding exotic ingredients it ceases to be a real burger.

Maple and Motor - the buttery crispy burger and dill relish is the secret and it worksKellers - Thin patty bliss, get a double, watch out for the giant onions and enjoy

Chinese Whispers

Right on the money with this one. Forget driving to the northern suburbs, if you are going to spend the gas money go to Fort Worth and go to Kincaids.

Pete Freedman

Or Love Shack Burger.

matt

put down the urban thesaurus dude. scary

Phil

that cheese looks pathetic.

another vote for kenny's in frisco.

Joe Tone

Oh God. Ten more burgers to try. I am going to be fused to my office chair by Cinco de Mayo.

Ed D.

...and then you'll be a real Dallasite. Good luck (and go to Snuffer's for the cheese fries with everything)!

Gipson

Be sure to add the Stodg Burger at The Porch to your list of burgers to eventually try. It's no bargain ($15), but one bite in you'll know it's worth it.

Byrd

maple and motor is ok... it can get pricey once you start adding stuff to your burger tho... I actually prefer maple and motor's brisket sandwich.

my fav burger in dallas... hmm.... Adairs, Twisted Root, Lee Harvey's is aight... I haven't had the Keller's(Northwest loc) #5 double meat w// thousand isl in a while but man, I use to LOVE it...

the $3 1/2lb burger at McCormick and Schmicks(sp?) happy hour is pretty damn good for a $3 burger.... that and a beer will save you if you happen to be stuck at Northpark during 5pm rush hour

Meh.

Angry Dog isn't bad - but it's nothing to write home about. Go to Adair's on a Wednesday night. Get a burger and listen to Red. All will be right with your world.And frankly, I think Maple and Motor is overrated.

dfw75208

Wingfield's.

Les Hall

Amen brother. I too think Maple & Motor is highly overrated. I got grilled onions once and it was a slick, slurry of slimy slop :) Love me some alliteration.

elbueno

Top burgers:

1) Kenny's Burger Joint ( worth the drive to Frisco)2) Maple + Motor3) Tie: The Grape & Kellers

Chinese Whispers

I disagree. There is absolutely nothing in Frisco worth driving to. A barren wasteland of suburban repetitiveness.

NewsDog

Mayo? On a burger? What are you, some some sort of damned yankee?

I still say go up the street to Adair's.

CrackerDaddy

Adair's.......FOR REAL!

Beda

I'm a native Texan and have always preferred mayo over mustard on my burger. Show me the article in the Texas constitution that says mustard is the state condiment for burgers.

anon

Sorry Beda, but no, Mayo is a *southern* thing, not a *Texas* thing.

Gipson

Mayo also serves a valuable function beyond flavor. If you slick it on both halves of the bun, it will shield the bread from the burger juices. That way you get tasty, relatively dry bread 'til the last bite, rather than a sloppy, soggy mess.