Chili Cheese Burger @ Kincaid’s (Fort Worth)
The last time we talked burgers, the discussion was about how great Twisted Root was and how much I miss my Double-Doubles. Then Michelle chimed in with a turkey burger, which I was quite skeptical of at first, but after getting to try them a couple of times, was thoroughly won over by not only the health benefits, but the taste too. Quite a nice departure from the red meat variety and something I could get used to if cows ever became endangered….but, since we are in Texas and that’s likely to never happen, lets get back to the beef!
Upon first searching out a great burger in DFW I noticed that Kincaid’s was mentioned by many people in many different places. They lauded how it used to be a meat market of sorts and that the burgers were made from choice beef that was ground daily. It was painted as a no frills, no fuss establishment that housed a lunchtime line that sometimes stretched out the door. A burger institution if you will.
This sounded like my kinda place, so the next chance I got, I headed out west to Fort Worth to see what was going on.
Now I went to Kincaid’s twice for this review because sadly, the first time was quite a let down. I ordered a cheese burger, fries, and a drink, sat down and waited for my meal. They called my order shortly after that, which brought about my first suspicion: they had signs up that read ‘this isn’t fast food, so please be patient’, so why did my order cook up so spooky fast? I sat down with the burger and opened up his greasy case. He was thick and messy and I was hoping juicy, but this just didn’t make sense. There was no way this size of a burger cooked up that fast. I then noticed that the table across from me was still waiting for their food and they had been there before I even ordered. All of this was highly suspicious and then my fears were confirmed when I bit into the moisture deficient patty that was almost an inch thick. Gross. Maybe the fries will redeem the meal. Nope. Soggy and over-fried. I was severely disappointed and decided that they had either pawned off someone else’s overcooked burger on me, or served me up a par-grilled patty that was ready and waiting. How was this possible for such a lauded burger joint? I was perplexed and later found out that I wasn’t alone in this dry-burger problem. Ed Levine of Serious Eats had a similar adventure at the Fort Worth Kincaid’s and was similarly disappointed.
I left confused. Befuddled at the fervent hype of the Chowhound message boarders. Could so many people be so collectively wrong? I knew I had to go back and give them one more shot and as it turns out, Kincaid’s second showing was much better. The burger came out messy and greasy, but this time had plenty of juice. I had it piled high with delicious chili and the fries were fresh and perfectly golden. I did however order the smaller sized hamburger which was a much thinner patty and less susceptible to overcooking. I would recommend taking this route if you ever venture into Kincaid’s. While not the best burger in town, I will definitely head back in when I’m looking for nice chili burger to fill me up.
If you don’t feel like driving out to Fort Worth, they also have new locations in S. Arlington and Southlake. Look them up!
Price: $4
4901 Camp Bowie Boulevard | Fort Worth, Texas
(817) 732-2881
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Brian, I would say you are probably correct. I think you either got someone else’s order the first time, or more likely, you got a partially-cooked patty. If that’s the case, I wonder if the owner actually knows that this is going on.
I’m going to have to check this place out myself. I need to know if it’s really good or just a bunch of hype.
Go for it gammypie. They definitely are worth checking out and are quite tasty but just didn’t blow me away as the hype suggested.
I’ve had this happen too. Both at Kincaid’s and Tommy’s down the street. I don’t know how you like yours, but I’ve never had one I really liked that i didn’t order medium rare from Kincaid’s.
Brian, you have me convinced!
Adam: Thanks for the heads up. I guess I’ll have to be specific next time on the temperature of my burger. Usually if they don’t ask me, I figure it’s not an option.
Interesting. We’ve heard so many good things about their burgers. Of course, who wants to drive from East Dallas if isn’t going to be great? Not me.
Oops…Brian, KatyMc and Gammypie are one in the same.
KatyMcD….I’m blogging too early in the morning.