Yet…you search. Maybe its recapturing a first kiss…or grandma’s apple pie, or the smell of your first brand new car. For me, it is nothing so simple as meat and bun. A hamburger. Nothing more. But what makes it different than any other burger on the planet is that the burger of my memory came from a steakhouse in Arlington. And it was a rare outing that my family got to take to go there (what with my parents having four young boys who could pack away the chow) and so with tray in hand, we’d place the order in cafeteria-style, and they’d place a colored stick on your try signifying what you ordered and the level of doneness. For me it was a hamburger always medium-rare and it was as simple as meat and bread. No cheese, no ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise or vegi’s. The bun and meat that the now defunct York Steakhouse used was beyond comparison.

So that leads to me the Now. And the Now has me doing burger reviews far and wide all over the Metroplex and beyond looking to recapture that same taste and deliver me in the Way-Back Machine to capture the taste of my Youth.

And I have discovered it. I can only tell you this My Friends…I would go to the Ends Of The Earth for this burger. If I lived a Paupers existence I would toil and labor in the fields of Disgusting Wretchedness to earn enough money once a year to savor that burger again.

So now that i’ve totally built this place up, let me first start off by saying this is no burger joint. Much like the ones I review this place buries them all. I said it and i’d put their burger up against anyones Champion only to watch them crumble and fall off one by one. D Magazine reviews burgers, and so does the Observer and Texas Monthly…but they didn’t come to the Man…me…and I could have eliminated many a contender they used. So that said, this is a classy place and among other things, they sell this burger and its the only one on the menu. As far as I was concerned the only one on the planet from this point.

So now…lets get to the review of…

Ricks Chophouse. Mahogany wood and leather in abundance, like I said..this place is classy. And I knew what I was getting my self into. Just a really cool interior and a perfect date night place. Fancy, but you can wear jeans and a hat because you know what? I did. I know, Classy Mondo…that’s me!

Now they do have a full service bar and the night I was there, they had a really cool piano and singer and guitarist playing while the Mavs were finishing up their pre-season on the big screen. I was enjoying some vino and then the moment came…time to seat me at my table. I was very much looking forward to this. The smells coming from the kitchen were amazing!

So now lets cut to the chase. Its says it plain and simple on the menu. “Burger”. I ordered mine plain and dry…and medium rare. In restaurant parlance that means no vegi’s or condiments…just like I had it when I was a kid. And so after an appetizer..the burger arrived.  Now, before I go any further I need to tell you two things. First, the burger on the menu is certified Angus beef, comes with Cheddar, Heirloom tomato, lettuce and tobacco onions with fries. I do have pictures of it. And the bun…to me…that’s what makes the burger and Rick has done himself a favor by getting a French guy to do his hamburger buns homemade…and lemme tell you…WORLD of difference! Here’s what THAT burger looks like:and another picture of it

So finally we go to the burger I ordered. Remember plain and simple…just delicious. the Grapple and Grip rating I give it a 5. Pure perfection. The bun was nice and fresh and toasty and the burger was the perfect size for it. It didn’t slide around and move about. One hand was all that was needed. Gutbomb Or Nothing To It: Well, you know what, definitely not a gutbomb because I didn’t have anything on it! But I have to tell you…that first bite stopped me in my tracks. When that first bite was being enjoyed, I might as well have been 8 years old again. I was transported back in time and to tell you that I savored that first bite is an understatement. I can’t stress this enough. This is the burger of MY childhood, and the memories it evokes are mine. For me, this is burger perfection. I could have wept at the table because of my joy. I contained myself don’t worry, but wow that first bite was stellar…and every bite was as good as the first all the way the crumbs on the table. High Roller or Nifty Thrifty: Its a High Roller. Its $11 at lunch or dinner, but as far as i’m concerned…well worth it. Hell, there’s some chain restaurants who’s burgers are that much and lemme tell you…they don’t hold a candle to Ricks Chophouse. You can take that to the bank.

SO all in all…Rick’s Chophouse is well worth the trip for the best burger on the Planet in my humble opinion. Don’t be fooled, I know some of you like bacon and chili and jalapeno’s and whatnot…thats cool. That’s fine. As for me, i’ll make mine a Ricks plain and dry and be as happy as one can be.

Rick’s Chophouse107 North Kentucky, McKinney, Texas 75069 (214) 726-9251

HOURS:

Lunch: Monday through Saturday 11:00 to 5:00

Dinner: Monday through Thursday 5:00 to 9:00

Friday and Saturday 5:00 to 11:00

Grand Bar: Monday through Wednesday until 10:00

Thursday until 11:00

Friday and Saturday until Midnight

Okay…Hey! Scotty P’s has more than my prerequisite but you know what? I’m willing to forgo my rules this one time (and probably won’t be the last) because Hot Damn! They’ve got themselves a winning burger there! As a matter of fact, many of you know hopefully know why I even go on these burger quests. I’m looking for that Holy Grail of Burger Taste that I haven’t had since childhood. So my quest takes me far and wide, from the outskirts of the Metroplex to the seedy and questionable places inside the Metroplex just looking for that taste and flavor I haven’t experienced since I was but a Whopper Jr.

So now lets get down to discussing Scotty P’s. In the current lexicon of texting shorthand…OMG! Okay, Uncle! I give! I concede. I submit! You get the point. This burger comes about as close to what I want in a plain and simple cheeseburger as you can get. None of the BBQ sauce-Avacado-Bacon-Jalapeno jazz that some of you other people like to put on a burger. I’m not knocking it by the way. I’m just saying I review straight up no BS burgers here and any peripheral side items you want to glop onto your burger, by all means be my guest. As for me, i’ll just take it plain and simple. So that being said…let’s get down to it shall we?

Okay, first of all as for ambiance Scotty P’s is pretty top notch. Its definitely not a dive or a true burger joint. This place has class and there are some of you who want flecks of lettuce scattered about on the floor, errant mustard and ketchup splotches on walls and tables, but you won’t find any of that around Scotty P’s. Sad. LOL i’m just kidding.

And now for the burger itself.

Pure burger Heaven man! Flame grilled and and came out medium rare and just juicy and delicious and very tasty. On a sesame seed bun and melted gooey cheese and nice and hot. It was spectacular. I mean it. Now, for some of you, i’m going to tell you that it is in your best interest to go ahead and throw down and get the DBL/DBL. But you can’t beat Scotty P’s for their burger and taste. A definite 9.5 on my Mondo Burger Meter.

Scotty P’s has it all…shakes, onion rings, chili, beer,salads, and you name it. Even Dom Perignon for you real high rollers. 7 locations around the Collin/Dallas County area. Scottyps.com will get you all the information you need. And trust me..you won’t regret this burger. Absolute Heaven!

Mondo Mike

Yes Yes Yes! Easy Street Family Cafe has something for everyone. One of those great little diners in the Metroplex that serves up really awesome food and for me, best of all…some down right click your heels damn good cheeseburgers! Just so you know, they have meatloaf and club sandwiches and all that stuff that makes you want diner food, but man i’m telling you…when you go there you MUST get the cheeseburger.

So lets get to it. The inside of the place is as you would expect it to be with one exception. They ALLOW smoking in there. I was surprised by that because I thought smoking was pretty much banned everywhere, but not here. So if you like a good stick after a great meal, then this is your place.

Now for the burger itself. It was very suspect when it arrived at the table and I wasn’t too sure about it. I mean, it just looked like a plain ol’ diner burger so my expectations were low I have to admit. Boy…was I EVER wrong. The first bite was pure Heaven.

Here’s a different angle of that bad boy.

Okay. So lets just cut to the chase. That first bite…a very nice crunch of bread which sent the burger over the top because the bread was buttered and toasted on the grill and it had that nice buttery flavor when it mixed in with the meat and mayo and mustard and everything else, and it was just a delight. Seriously, just freaking fantastic. The Grapple and Grip was an 8 on the Mondo Scale of Burgerage.

AS for whether the burger was High Roller or Recession Proof, for only $5.95 you get the burger and fries(or chips) with all your fixings on the side. And fresh too! Definitely savings to the wallet.

All in all, for me its the gem of Lewisville burgers and I implore everyone to check it out. A winner in Mondo’s Book! 8 out of 10. Directions and phone number is below:

While the UFC is brining in new talent, like Anthony Johnson and Todd Duffee, all the time, UFC President Dana White has been reaching out and bringing back a lot of the faces that the fans have been following for years. So while some of the newbies might be the emerging stars in the ring, these five heavy-hitters definitely know a thing or two about whooping ass.

To see all 5: CLICK HERE

Ingredients:
- 2 packages of cream cheese
- 2 cans of no-bean chili
- 3 bags of mexican shredded cheese
- 1 jar of jalapeno’s
- 2 bags of Frito’s “scoops” tortilla chips

Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
- Take both packages of cream cheese and dump them into a baking dish.
- Take a knife and smear the cream cheese until it covers the base of the pan
- Dump two cans of no-bean chili on top of the cream cheese
- Covering every square inch of the chili with all three bags of Mexican shredded cheese.
- Add some jalapeno’s and cook that bad boy for about 20-25 minutes until the cheese on top is thoroughly melted.
- Dump a bag of chips on the couch cushion next to you and continue eating until the Man Crack is gone.

Football is a hard-nosed sport, and people are bound to get injured now and then.  Of course, even in a sport of tough guys, for every Brett Favre playing through injuries and old age, you have some kicker who injures himself celebrating a chip shot field goal. Back in the day of course, when the men were men and so were the women, football players didn’t let little things like “broken bones” or “giant bloody lacerations” get in the way of going out on the gridiron and stomping ass.

Which Dallas Cowboys team member made the list?  To find out:  CLICK HERE

In the past two years, we’ve gotten Lost in a galaxy far, far away, as we’ve tried to predict the twists and turns of the NFL season. This year, we aren’t playing around any more. We are here to crack some skulls and bring swift justice to the NFL. That’s right, we are looking for a dark tone this year. With that, we give you the NFL in 2009…Batman style.

To see the complete NFL Batman based predictions:  CLICK HERE

There are so many things we miss in football and Sports Illustrated did a good job of delivering some great moments of a gone by era!

For example:  The well dressed coach on the sidelines, and was there any classier than Tom Landry?

To see the complete set of pictures: CLICK HERE

With two new teams cracking the top 10 in Week Two, we have an epic non-conference battled surrounded by a bunch of pushover games for the nation’s elite.  Obviously headlined by the classic Big Ten/Pac-10 matchup, Week Two will give the teams in the top 10 a chance to try out trick plays, give time to some freshman, and iron out any kinks in their armor prior to conference play.  COED is setting the stakes with an over/under of a 37.5-point average margin of victory for all teams in the top 10…and yes, that includes USC vs. Ohio State. (note: all TV times Eastern Time Zone)

(click photo to view full gallery)

No. 1 Florida (1-0) vs. Troy (0-1)

12:21 p.m.  ESPN-GP  / SEC Network

To see more: CLICK HERE