(4) M&O Station Grill, 200 Carroll St., Fort Worth vs. (5) Fuddruckers, 5601 Southwest Loop 820, Fort Worth
Big, loud and prodigious at producing a multitude of burgers that you top with your choice from a lengthy list of options, the Dallas-born franchise Fuddruckers has kept a foothold in the burger pantheon for more than two decades. But on the day of this reckoning, the 2/3-pound, chipotle BBQ-smoked bacon-cheddar cheeseburger (to which we added pickles, pickled jalapeño, sliced red onion, lettuce and tomato) was no contest for the burger put forth by M&O Grill. Don't get us wrong: Fudds gets the job done. But the flavors felt ordinary, and none of the burger's individual elements leapt out. The M&O Original, meanwhile, is a solid cheeseburger, with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle slices, to which we added bacon and jalapeño slices. Although the burger was on the squishy side, the bacon was nicely crisp and smoky, and the jalapeños lent a nice, not-too-overpowering note of heat. Add in a flavorful, toasted bun and the house sauce, a sweet-tangy blend of tomato sauce with tart relish -- and you have a decisive (if not especially spectacular) victory.
The winner: M&O
