Zac Crain and I almost got into a fistfight today at lunch, but that wasn’t because we ate at Stackhouse Burgers. The new joint is on Gaston, just down the street from the Elbow Room and Baylor Hospital. A homebuilder named Randy Kienast co-owns the restaurant, which is in a renovated house that was built in 1925. Kienast did the renovation, and he did it well. The place has a good vibe.
Zac is a vegetarian, which is one reason he’s probably so filled with anger and bile. He ordered the veggie burger ($6.95), which was of the bean variety. Despite his distemper, he said he liked it. Me, I got the Cuban (Canadian bacon, ham, Swiss, thinly sliced pickle, mustard, $8.95). I thought the sandwich was delicious, if a bit pricey. The thick-cut fries ($2) were a welcome complement.
The three ladies who made up the rest of our lunch party went with the chicken club ($7.95) and hamburgers (either a single 6-ounce patty, $5.95, or two patties, $8.95). Here’s where we ran into some trouble. The griddled brioche-style buns were delicious, but they were also very absorbent and fell victim to sandwich sog. Each of those three sandwiches became unwieldy midway through the meal and had to be finished with fork and knife. One of the ladies remarked, “Ooh, I’m getting all messy.” To which I responded: “Yeah, you are, you little sandwich eater. I bet you like that. Go ahead. Wipe your mouth.” Zac lifted his gaze from a Words With Friends match just long enough to glare at me.
Another quibble: you order your burger either “pink” or “done.” Both ladies ordered their burgers pink, yet they were done. That said, they got finished. And the order of house-made potato chips ($2.75) we shared was awesome. So light, so thin, so perfectly salty-crispy. Don’t go without trying them.
And you should go. Just blocks away, some of the most august burger joints in town do their business (Adair’s, Twisted Root, Angry Dog). Yet here comes Stackhouse Burgers, a brave restaurant that deserves your lunch business. Especially if the weather is nice and you can get a seat on the second-floor balcony. Just be prepared to get messy, and, if you bring Zac, be prepared to take a punch. That’s all I’m saying.
2917 Gaston Ave., 214-828-1330. Or go here. Mon-Thur & Sun: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fri, Sat: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
