It's One of the Most Expensive Burgers in Dallas, and Still One of the Best

By Nick Rallo Fri., Oct. 17 2014 at 9:39 AM

Sara Kerens

Nice to see you again, delicious burger.

A few minutes go by at Deep Ellum's Local when I have the entire restaurant to myself. When I walk in, the music's playing, candlelight's on the tables and I can hear plates chattering in the hallway. It's like I walked into someone's duplex, too early for dinner. I made for the bar, where I was quickly set up for one of the most expensive burgers in Dallas.

If you haven't been to Local--It's a precious metal in Deep Ellum. It's a little food sanctuary. It's nested in the worn wood and brick of the old Boyd Hotel, right across from Mama Mia's, and it serves focused, smart food. I stopped by to see if the burger is still worth its $22 price tag, in this Great Postmodern Age of the Dallas Burger. I really do know what you're thinking: No burger should be this much. No burger is worth this much. What is it made from--Time Warner Cable bills? It'd be easy to toss it.

Don't. Instead, get this burger.

Nick Rallo

The big and beefy burger. B-words.

Dig it out of the rough, when you want to treat yourself to a burger that's meticulously built. This is a burger you think about all day. It's the burger you treat yourself with after a difficult week of work. It's made with Burgundy Pasture beef, topped with Gruyere, caramelized onions, a sunny tomato, pickles and a horseradish "secret sauce." Puffy tater tots come on the side.

Some restaurants, overcompensating for the price tag, would load you up with too many, pretentious toppings. Local keeps things sharp and unapologetic. You pay for good ingredients--the beef patty is hefty and a rumbles with juice and flavor. That horseradish sauce zips through the rich, melted Gruyere and beef. It's not dainty, either. It'd fill you up if you'd been lost in the jungle for 48 days. It's the first burger Cast Away Tom Hanks should have eaten after being rescued from the island.

Things are warm at Local. It's like eating a food monastery. I feel like a monk should have been walking around, swinging those incense chalice things. One single TV above the bar showed baseball on mute. Chef Tracy Miller brought out the burger with a smile. Oh, thank you, kind burger deliverer. I didn't die right, I'm still here?

It's one of Dallas' most costly burgers, and still one of the best.

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MissMacy

There is no hamburger on the face of the earth that's worth $22.

cdrgardengirl

Local is a hidden restaurant gem housed in the old Boyd Hotel on Elm Street in Deep Ellum. Chef Tracy Miller serves up a food experience.

randyr7638

This IS a great hamburger! It starts and ends with the beef.

Twinwillow

Nick, I guess you don't get out to the movies very much. Tom Cruise was nowhere near that deserted island.

That "castaway" you're thinking of was actually, Tom Hanks!

nickrallo

@Twinwillow YIKES. I had just watched Edge of Tomorrow. Can I blame that?

Myrna.Minkoff-Katz topcommenter

@Twinwillow Yes. Who else but Hanks could have turned in such a fantastic performance in that movie? As for burgers, Myrna loves them simply adorned with onion and pickle. Minimal distraction.