(7) H2 Burger Co., 306 Houston St., Fort Worth vs. (3) Keller's Drive-In, 6537 E. Northwest Highway, Dallas
This was a close race, but for the wrong reasons. H2, usually a DFW.com fave, was having an off day with its H2 Cheeseburger. The patty was nearly overdone on the outside, but too pinkish inside. The meat had a good strong flavor -- so strong, in fact, that it wiped out pretty much everything else, although a horseradish mustard started making its presence known toward the center of the burger. With several choices of cheese, we went with smoked cheddar, and then had to look inside to make sure it hadn't been forgotten. The ciabatta bun was fresh but unspectacular -- words that might also describe Keller's vaunted No. 5 burger, which contains double meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and special sauce on a poppy-seed bun. The popular burger is smaller than H2's cheeseburger, even though it's a double-meat burger, and the patties are nothing special flavor-wise. Yet in this case, we could taste all the components, and the poppy-seed bun had a nice nutty kick to it. We're begrudgingly giving this one to Keller's, but take heed H2: With a little more attention to consistency, we see you going very far in future Burger Battles. The winner: Keller's Drive-In
