Del Frisco's Grille Uptown Burger Recipe

In honor of National Burger Month, Del Frisco's Grille locations in Dallas, Southlake and Fort Worth had their chefs create specially curated burgers in order to celebrate the special occasion.  I'm definitely a burger kind of gal, so I ventured out to the Uptown location of Del Frisco's Grille to see what all the fuss was about.

"Uptowner" burger / Photo Credit: Leah Frazier

Executive Chef Antonio Zamora created the "Uptowner" burger in honor of National Burger Month. Zamora touts, "We take two prime beef patties, herb roasted wild shiitake, portabella, oyster and crimini mushrooms, and top it with local creamy brazos Brie cheese, crunchy pepper arugula tossed in truffle vinaigrette and finish it with a sweet basil aioli on an Empire bakery brioche bun."

This burger was so mouthwatering and tasty--the brie cheese is what truly makes this burger. I paired this burger with both the seasoned Frites and adult milkshake for a total burger tasting experience.

Adult Milkshake / Photo Credit: Leah Frazier

For those of you who want to try your chef hats at recreating this beauty, here's the recipe for this foodie creation straight from Del Frisco's--or you could just venture down to the Uptown location to try it out. If you do decide to try out this recipe, leave a comment and let me know how it turns out:

Photo Credit: Used Courtesy of Endicott PR for Del Frisco's Grille

Preparation Time: 8 Minutes

Ingredients

2 prime beef patties

1 Brioche Hamburger Bun

1.5 oz. Local Brazos Brie Cheese

1.5 oz. Herb roasted Mushrooms

.5 oz. Organic Arugula

1 tbsp. Truffle Chive Vinaigrette

2 tbsp. Basil Mayo

1. Season both patties evenly on both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Place on Griddle and cook for two minutes.

3. Flip over and immediately place mushrooms on top of patties and the Brie over the mushrooms and cover till heated.

4. Butter the buns and toast on griddle until they are golden brown.

5. Spread basil mayo on both the top and bottom bun.

6. Toss arugula in a small bowl with truffle chive vinaigrette and set on the bottom half of the bun.

7. Place cooked patties on arugula and cover with the top bun.

Dallas Restaurant Review: Spiral Diner

4.5 rating out of 5

Spiral Diner is located in South Dallas and is known for having a 100% vegan menu. For those who LOVE meat (like me) and couldn't possibly imagine life without meat--I know that this sounds completely boring and tasteless.  But...I dare you to give Spiral Diner a try...it will definitely make a believer out of you.  They have everything from "faux" milkshakes to loaded nachos to vegan soul food.  Ok...I see you're still not convinced.  If you can get over the mere fact that the milkshakes are made from almond milk and the loaded nachos are drizzled with a vegetable based cheese...then I know you will REALLY enjoy this diner.  It is truly a gem. 

Spiral Diner: 1101 N. Beckley Ave., Dallas, TX 75203

My mom and I went to Spiral Diner after church one Sunday and since we were under a spiritual fast through church that removed meat from our diets, Spiral Diner seemed like the natural choice. Tip: If you go to Spiral Diner, there will be a wait...so either get there super early or wait until after 1:30PM, otherwise you will be caught in the "after church" crowd and will have to wait at least 45 minutes to an hour.

Upon my arrival I was super parched, so as soon as we were seated, I ordered an Oogave watermelon cream soda. It was soooo good.  I think I ended up having 4 glasses. Oogave is an all-natural organic soda with no chemicals, no GMO products and it's caffeine free. It was delicious! If you don't want to go to Spiral Diner for this...no worries, I've spotted Oogave at Central Market several times.

Oogave Watermelon Cream Soda

Then I ordered the pancakes with blueberries, tofu scrambler and vegan sausage.  It was amazing!  But...the pancakes were seriously (hands down) some of the best pancakes that I have EVER had.  The next time I go back to Spiral Diner...I will ONLY be getting the pancakes..a FULL STACK! They were served with an agave syrup...but seriously, the syrup was not even necessary because the pancakes were just that good.

Blueberry Pancakes w/ vegetable margarine, vegan sausage and tofu scrambler...yum!

I am definitely interested in going back and tasting more items off of the menu...such as the milkshakes, the nachos and the soul food ribs/mac-n-cheese.  I can't wait!  If you do venture out and try Spiral Diner, let me know.  I'm interested in knowing what you think.

Dallas Restaurant Review: The Island Spot

3.0 rating out of 5

So me and a friend (who is half Jamaican) set out on a quest to eat Jamaican food in Dallas. Ever since I went to school in upstate New York where the Caribbean influence is heavy, I have had an infinity for Caribbean food.  However, I must admit...I was not as well-versed into Jamaican food as I thought.  My friend was going to cook me ackee and saltfish but wouldn't you know it....Dallas does not sell ackee anywhere!  So that's how we ended up at The Island Spot.  The Yelp reviews were good so what was there to lose?

First off, the decor and the ambiance is priceless. An "A" for ambiance for sure! I literally felt like I was dropped off on an island and on vacation.  My friend just stared at me like I was crazy because I was swaying back and forth to the reggae music and getting into full-on vacation mode in the middle of December.  I ordered a rum punch as soon as the waitress came around...and proceeded to imagine that I was in Jamaica.

Jamaican Rum Punch

After I stopped pretending that I was in an amazing swimsuit, with an amazing body and surrounded by beautiful blue waters with sand between my toes...I decided that we needed to taste anything "jerk"...because that would be the true test of whether I would refer The Island Spot to anyone.  So we ordered the Jerk Chicken Wings as an appetizer.  They were excellent!  Definitely a must-have if you visit this restaurant.

Jerk Chicken Wings (I apologize for the picture...maybe the presentation should have been better by the restaurant?  But in any event, it was amazing!)

So after stuffing our faces with the Jerk chicken we looked forward to the actual entrees which was of course the Ackee and Saltfish that I have come to learn is a Jamaican staple food and then I ordered Ox Tails with saffron rice and spinach.  I just had a craving for ox tails...what can I say? Let's start with my ox tails...

Ox Tails w/ Saffron Rice and Spinach

So sadly I was disappointed in my ox tails.  They were "ok". They lacked seasoning....in fact it was bland.  Just to make sure my taste buds wasn't off, I offered my friend several bites and he confirmed that they were at best a 3 out of 5 rating.  The spinach was great...but who can mess up spinach?  *Sigh* Really disappointed with this.  Fatkid Foodie Fail.  Moving onto the ackee and saltfish...please dear God let it be better.  Leah hates to waste a meal on less than desirable food.

Ackee and Saltfish w/ Cabbage and Rice & Peas

So I fell in love with the ackee and saltfish. The seasoning and flavors were a great blend. I wasn't aware that this dish had a tomato base to it which was a great addition. My one complaint was that the saltfish was scarce.  I joked to my friend, "Can I get some saltfish with my ackee?" Now, my friend coming from Jamaican roots said that the ackee and saltfish was "ok" and that his grandmother makes it better...but is that really fair?  We always will think our family can make signature dishes better.  So his opinion, while I'm keeping it in mind...doesn't really weigh on my thoughts as the non-Jamaican. haha!

I will definitely be giving The Island Spot another try as far as trying out different entrees but I can say that I left more disappointed than satisfied.