Attention Dallas-area carnivores: there’s a new burger in town, and it’s a stunner. The Coma Burger from newly-opened Deep Ellum brewpub, BrainDead Brewing, is a noteworthy addition to Dallas’ robust burger scene (and no-brainer for all the year-end best new burger lists).
House-ground black angus brisket, duroc pork bacon, and Texas wagyu top sirloin are combined and then molded into a thick patty. The burger is basted with clarified butter, and topped with sweet onion jam, shredded butter lettuce, smoked cheddar, fresh tomato, and crispy shallots. It’s then sandwiched between a brioche bun from Village Baking Co. that’s been brushed with more clarified butter, and smeared with stout mustard. The result is smoky, succulent, and a little guilt-ridden. You’ll want to lick your butter-coated fingers clean before wrapping them around a chilled beer.
Chef David Peña makes everything at BrainDead from scratch — from the house-cured bacon, to the stout chocolate milk — with the exception of the bread and tortillas. All of the bread is from Village Baking Co., and the tortillas are from Luna’s. Perviously, Peña worked as the executive chef at Palomino, and before that worked at Henry’s Tavern in Plano. “I’ve done high-end [cooking], and I’ve done burgers,” he explained to me late last week. The Coma Burger is a bit of both.
