Keller’s, Dairy-Ette and the Value Burger Conundrum

Here’s Your Shot at the Burger Quest

We’ve found a lot of good burgers. Generally they fall in two classes – “Best of Dallas” contenders and “Good Value” burgers.

Best of Dallas is self-explanatory but we’ll go ahead and explain it anyway. These are destination burgers. Burgers you tell your co-workers about around the water cooler. Memorable, transcendental burgers. You “experience” these burgers.

You don’t eat them every day though.

Good Value burgers are less expensive. You don’t say “Let’s go grab a quick burger for lunch” and head out to places like The Grape, Boulevardier, Rapscallion or Neighborhood Services. You go get you a Good Value burger.

Let’s be real – Good Value burgers can’t compete with Best of Dallas burgers. They should be judged against one another – not against Best of Dallas. It just wouldn’t be fair.

We’ve been talking about creating a Good Value Division for some time. We decided to go for it after visiting Dairy-Ette. We’d been looking forward to our Dairy-Ette visit. None of us had been but heard good things about the place. It made at least one Top Ten list and was actually picked as “Best of Dallas Winner 2011 – Best Burger”. We don’t know how – it’s not even close to the best burger in Dallas. We can easily lead you to at least 25 better burgers. But Dairy-Ette serves up a good burger and it’s inexpensive – the two qualities of a Good Value burger.

Good Value won’t be an official division but a necessary one. It would be a crime to leave them out. Good Value Division would need it’s own rules so we offer up the following:

• We’ll make one exception to the “No Chain Restaurant Rule” used in Best of Dallas. Since we live in Texas Whataburger is in. Don’t even talk to us about McDonalds, JIB, Wendy’s or Burger King.
• Dallas iconic restaurants will have a leg up on the others. So Keller’s, Dairy-Ette, Del’s and Melios Brothers are in – basically if a joint has been around for 50 or so years it makes it in. Goff’s would have made it if it hadn’t burned down.
• Presentation and side items should not influence Good Value rankings – but of course they do. What would Keller’s be without Tater Tots?
• A burger is a Good Value burger if it tastes good and is inexpensive.
• We don’t really know the break point between expensive and inexpensive.
• You and your back yard grill don’t count unless you’re ready to cook for all our readers.

• You have a say in the Value Burger Division. Sign up at DallasBestBurgerHunters.com to get email updates and give us your recommendations.

Go for it. Let us hear from you. See if you know the best Good Value burger in Dallas.