by Rob Banes
Last week’s burger quest took our group to Jeff Rockow’s new gig – Coffee House Cafe at Frankford and Preston in North Dallas. Chef Rockow was formally the head chef at Rex’s Seafood Market and is now working at Coffee House. The restaurant is open from 6-4 M-F and 8-4 on weekends and specializes in typical diner food done in Rockow’s style.
When we entered the restaurant, we were pleasantly greeted by the hostess and seated at our table. A few moments later our server came to our table and took our drink orders. After bringing my ice tea, I ordered a 8 ounce Akuashi burger cooked medium with bacon, cheddar, grilled onions and mayonnaise. It seemed pricey at over $14 but I was curious to see what Chef Rockow could serve after being a regular at Rex’s Seafood Market. About fifteen minutes later, the following burger was brought to the table.
The whole wheat bun was lightly toasted and red wine sautéed onions were placed on the bottom bun and then topped with the half pound patty. Cheddar cheese was then melted perfectly over the hamburger patty and then the top bun was placed on top of the burger.
For some reason neither bacon nor mayonnaise made it on the burger and after I was almost done eating the burger, the server came by and asked how we were doing and said he would bring some mayonnaise. I declined at that point but it was a little disappointing.
When I took my first bite of the burger, I was impressed at how juicy the patty was and how the cheese and onions worked really well in the bite. The onions had been sautéed in red wine and were caramelized nicely and were definitely a highlight of the burger.
Akuashi beef is a Kobe style beef that is well marbled and while I had never had Akuashi beef before; I had seen it on several menus around town at a high price point. The patty was very juicy, was seasoned well and was cooked to a perfect medium. I would have liked to have had bacon on the burger to add even more richness to the burger but it really wasn’t needed. Finally the burgers were served with kettle chips instead of fries. I know it is easier to pour chips out of bag but when serving a burger made from Akuashi beef, you would think that Coffee House Cafe would serve a great side of fries with the burger.
Overall I thought that Coffee House Cafe served a really good upscale style burger. The patty was extremely juicy and cooked perfectly. I was a little disappointed in the service issues but I think with time, they will work out the kinks. This was an upscale burger that can compete with some of the better burgers in town. I will be back to Coffee House Cafe to either get a burger or try some of their other menu offerings.
Ratings (1-25:)
Bun – 19 – nicely toasted bun, prefer a white bun as opposed to wheat bun
Meat – 21, great blend of fat and beef, very flavorful
Appearance – 20, good looking burger, cheddar cheese melted perfectly on top of patty
Taste – 20, great representation of upscale burger, cooked well and tasty grilled onions
Overall – 80
Rob Banes is one of the city’s great food enthusiasts and burgermeisters. He counts beans by day and burgers by night at Quest for the Ultimate Burger.
This is our new favorite place. I’ve had that burger and pretty much agree – but I loved the bun. When you go for breakfast, the lemon ricotta pancakes are stellar and their ice brewed coffee is an incredible treatment of a coffee bean.