It seems you can dine anywhere, and no matter the cuisine, a cheeseburger seems to always wedge its way into the entree section of a menu. They usually all follow a similar format: beef of the wagyu or angus variety, pickles, grilled onions, a special sauce and fries.
You could give or take a few of the toppings, but one fact is certain: your waiter will tell you it's the best in the city. "Best" becomes a competition of texture, flavor and preference, but all of those fall to the wayside when you factor in nostalgia. And that's exactly what Lee and Williams had in mind when they took their first bite of the perfected NADC Burger.
It wasn't the flavor, the texture or the ratio preferences; it was all of them, and the unshakeable feeling of sitting down at dinner as a child and biting into a burger fresh off the grill.
Were we all eating wagyu patties as kids? No, but we were all eating American cheese in those single plastic packets and neon green pickle slices. When Lee and Williams considered the ingredients they wanted to use, they delved deeper into familiarity, rather than opting for bigger or better, like artisan cheeses and house-perfected ingredients.
The $16 NADC burger takes two pieces of smushed and toasted brioche bread and squeezes two 3-ounce wagyu patties, American cheese, pickles, grilled onions, slightly tamed jalapeños and special sauce between them. It's not a smashburger. Instead, they fry the patties to a medium rare and let the beef do all the talking.
You can make alterations, but why would you? C'mon. Time and place.
To go with it, they have two kinds of fries: twice-fried in beef tallow that you can order as-is, or make them "beast mode" by adding cheese, diced pickles, tamed jalapeños, special sauce and seasoning for a $3 upcharge. Regular fries cost $5. The ketchup has a chiptole, peppery twist, and you can also get a side of special sauce with either fry choice.
NADC fries are fried twice in beef tallow for a perfectly crispy exterior and soft interior.
Aaren Prody
For $15, they have five different cocktail creations. Each features a different spirit like mezcal, rye, whisky and rum. Yes, there's a margarita. N/A options include Rambler water, Dublin sodas and Liquid Death canned water.
Scott Tarbox is the Texas muralist chosen to paint the colorful murals inside and outside of NADC. You can get an up-close view of both murals sitting at any of the tables inside or out. Luckily, they're open til midnight every night, which, right now, is the only time sitting on the patio is a decent option.
Every bite of the burger at NADC is perfect. After grilling both beef patties, they let them drain for a minute or two to remove the excess grease, then assemble the burger. This way, the brioche doesn't get soggy, and the burger has structural integrity after every bite. They really thought of everything.
It appears they're still trying to tame those jalapeños because we didn't see any on our burgers or beast mode fries, but we stopped in as part of a media invitation before the restaurant opened officially on Friday, August 15. Maybe soon they'll wrangle them.
Something unexpected was $4 chocolate chip cookies. Baked in-house. Brown butter. Crispy edges and a soft, chewy inside. Maybe those don't strive to be the best, but there's not a damn chance we're not going to add one to our order every time.
Do we love NADC's five menu item (cheeseburger, kids' burger, fries, loaded fries and cookies)? Yeah, it makes things pretty straightforward. Time will tell if the simplicity leads to a consistently above average burger.
NADC Burger, 2908 McKinney Ave., Sunday - Monday, 11:30 a.m. - midnight
