I was heading to Dallas for some meetings and, knowing my penchant for burgers, the folks in our office arranged our outside meetings around being in the neighborhood of Stackhouse around noon.  We were coming from the north side of the city and arrived shortly after the other folks and found them waiting on the patio. 

Stackhouse opened in October of 2011 and has become one of the hot spots on the Dallas burger scene.   It is located in an old (1920s) house, near Baylor University Medical Center.  I can see how this joint could be happening – great vibe inside, with an ample patio and rooftop dining.  

The premise from their web site is simple – “fresh homemade burgers cooked to order, fresh cut fries, and don’t take any short cuts.”  Two of my top two criteria for being a good burger spot.  Things portended well. 

When we walked in through the back door (there’s a small parking lot on sight, with ample street parking behind) we walked right up to the counter. With the menu on the wall, you choose between burgers (a six ounce patty that is the basis of their single, double and triple) with assorted toppings (cheese, bacon, Texas chili, avocado, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, fried egg or grilled fresh or pickled jalapenos), sandwiches or salads with assorted sides. 

One of my co-workers had ordered some chips for the table.  This mound of thin sliced, fried potatoes was HUGE!  The chips were fried near perfectly and made a great snack while we waited on our food.

I decided to forgo the sides and instead ordered a cheese burger and a chili dog.I ordered my burger with cheddar and tomato.  When it arrived at the table and I went to lift the top of the bun to add ketchup and mayo, the cheddar had formed a tite-bond-like attachment to the burger itself.  It was a gooey-cheddar-y mess.  And quite tasty.  And the bun was buttered and toasted. With the crunch of the toasted bun, coupled with the  gooey cheese, this was a well-designed burger. 

On to the chili dog.  The first thing that I noticed was that the chili on the dog was made from pulled brisket, as opposed to ground beef and had quite a bit of a kick to it.  Nice, although there was a LOT more chili than dog, even more noticeable on the over-sized bun.  

I was initially worried that I might end up hungry since I hadn’t ordered a side.  But the chili dog was substantial and between it and the burger, I didn’t end up hungry by not ordering fries. When I saw the fries arrive at the table behind me, however, I did feel a pang of longing.  

I cleared my plate, as did my table-mates.   This place is a winner and priced reasonably.   On top of that, it was unseasonably cool and we were able to sit outside in the shade of giant tree enjoying 76 degree temperatures, good company and great burgers.  Winner.