by Steven Doyle
May is National Burger Month, and today is the celebrated Burger Day, so it only seemed fitting to speak with the baroness of beef, Dee Lincoln. You may recall Lincoln from her celebrated tenure as co-founder of Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, which she resigned from back in 2010 to blaze a new trail with her Dee Lincoln’s Tasting Room & Bubble Bar in the new Cowboys Stadium. Soon after Lincoln opened a second location in Rosewood Court in Upton which proved highly successful. Then there was something called Dee Lincoln Steak and Burger Bar that hit in late 2013. This was far more appealing to the masses, and it housed many, many burger options.
The Steak and Burger Bar is something Lincoln an easily replicate, an the second version popped up last month in Plano with the promise for many more in the near future. There is brilliance in this brand, and there is gold in those burgers. Today we check in to sample many of the burgers with Lincoln, an discover a way to meat enlightenment.
We started with something a bit more unusual that what you might find in the typical restaurant serving up very good burgers. This would be the ground lamb topped with feta cheese, pickled red onion, a tandoori ketchup made on premises, and laden on a beautiful brioche from Village Baking Company and a tuck of bibb lettuce. This is the adult version of burgers. The meat has a firm charred outer layer with a warm, soft pink center that oozes lamby goodness with each nibble. For our money, this is the crowned prince in the Lincoln burger line up.
For a spicy treat we tasted the South of the Border burger which consisted of a house-made chorizo chili, a thick tomatillo salsa, a reprise of the pickled red onion, queso fresco, and a fan of sliced avocado. The burger was packed full of flavor, especially with the enrichment of that delicious chili. It was at once cool and crisp, but with a punch of spice that was not overbearing. As with all the burgers, the meat was the driving force of flavor, and this particular patty was hand formed using a Local Yocal grind. Local Yocal is that kicked up butcher from McKinney that supplies only the very best.
We have plenty of non-meat bearing friends, and the eggplant Parmesan burger is a terrific option for vegetarians and carnivores alike. Beside a thick cut slice of fried eggplant, the burger features mozzarella, house made marinara, arugula and Parmesan aioli. The fry is sparse, leaving the eggplant to fend for itself as a component, and the added goodness of the sauces and cheese makes this a very desired option on a warm Texas afternoon. Vegans will be delighted to learn that with a few minor adjustments this burger could be theirs as well.
The Cowboy is a manly rodeo of burger genius that is simple in design, but with a long road of taste, checking in with crispy onion shavings, molasses glaze, pepper jack cheese. This is the “yeehaw” of the menu not only for its presentation, but displays a certain charivari that will leave you smiling.
Land and Sea might be the most refined burger of the bunch as it is topped not too unlike a steak Oscar with Bearnaise and crab. Lincoln told me that this was a knife and fork burger, and she was correct as you might suspect.
For the burger purist, there is an actual house burger classic that is made with that same all-natural dry-aged wagyu beef, cheddar, butter lettuce, beefsteak tomato and shaved red onion slices. We take our with plenty of yellow mustard, the way we actually do this in Texas.
There are actually many more burger options, including one made with chicken. Check in to see what Lincoln is doing for National Burger Day,which to Lincoln is every day of the year. The duo of locations include one in Uptown Dallas across from the Quandrangle at 2626 Howell, and the new store which is now open for lunch at 4701 West Park in Plano. Both will serve you well.
