Burger review: Alee Burgers in Dallas

by Rob Banes of The Quest for the Ultimate Burger

Cooked on a flat-top.

DALLAS — Our final burger quest of 2010 took us to Alee Burgers, which is a recently opened burger and wing restaurant at the southeast corner of Forest Lane and Webb Chapel. Alee Burgers is a no-frills restaurant with seating for about 20 people and an open kitchen behind the register. It appears to have been a Subway in a past life. There were a few people waiting in line to order, and when it was my turn, I ordered a half pound bacon cheese burger cooked to medium, which at lunch is served with fries and a drink for $5.68. Behind the register, I saw that all the burgers were cooked on a small shiny flattop. After I paid for my order, the server took notice where I was sitting and then went to work on cooking my burger to order. About 10 minutes later, the following burger was brought to my table.

Alee Burger

Shredded lettuce and slices of tomato were placed on the bottom bun, which had been very lightly toasted, and then salad was topped by the patty, which reminded me of the patties at Smashburger. A single slice of slightly melted American cheese was then placed on top of the patty and topped with a large serving of diced grilled onions and two crispy slices of bacon. The top bun was also lightly toasted and was slathered with mayonnaise. Taking a bite, I could taste the salt and pepper used to season the patty, but the flattop needs time to build up the seasoning, which gives those nice crusty bits that only come from a well seasoned cooktop. The patty was cooked to medium-well but it was still somewhat juicy in every bite. The American cheese really didn't add anything to each bite of the burger since it only covered a part of the patty and was pretty flavorless in itself. The bacon was cooked to a nice crunch and the grilled onions were cooked perfectly to a nice golden color with just a slight crunch in each bite. The bun was a standard seedless hamburger bun, but it did not fall apart and gave a good flavor to each bite of the overall burger. Finally, the fries were probably my favorite part of the whole burger. The were medium cut, skin-on fries that were hot and crispy and seasoned with a spicy seasoning salt. I am usually not a fan of this style of fries, but I will be back to try them again.

Overall, Alee Burger was a good burger made even better by its price point. It's hard to find a half-pound burger with fries and a drink for less than $6. I really liked that the burgers were cooked to order, and with time, the flattop grill will get used and the patties will have even more flavor. The staff was very pleasant and seemed to be interested in serving up great food. I will definitely be back to try the other burgers on the menu at Alee Burger, and I look forward to having some more of their fries.

Ratings (1-25):

Bun - 18, standard hamburger bun, lightly toasted

Meat - 19, nicely cooked patty, lightly seasoned, crisp tasty bacon

Appearance - 20, smashed style patty and great grilled onions looked really good on the platter

Taste - 19, good flavors, time will make the burgers even better

Overall - 76