For a decade, "best burger" lists included four names: Kincaid's, Charley's, Tommy's, Fred's.
Then came the Love Shack, and Dutch's, and Pop's turned our world upside down.
A year after our last DFW.com Battle of the Burgers, new burgers have us surrounded like a tighter dress belt.
Here's a look at the latest burgers, big and small:
The Florida-based Capital Grille is new on the "beef block" of prime steakhouses in downtown Fort Worth, but don't overlook its lunch burger.
At $16 for a combo, the Capital burger had better be good. But more that that, it's made from ground sirloin with smoked bacon, Havarti and a hint of sweet onion. If you like burgers for the beef -- this is the Cadillac; 800 Main St., 817-348-9200, thecapitalgrille.com.
Riding out of the past, Billy Miner's Saloon Stockyards picked up where the old downtown hamburger grill left off, but with a new owner and new location near Joe T. Garcia's.
The new Miner's is buying the same beef and serves a nearly identical rendition of the Fuddruckers-esque original, but in a smaller bar. Yes, it has peanuts; 1521 N. Main St., 817-624-7275, facebook.com/BillyMinersSaloonStockyards.
Chef Tim Love has become the burger-chef-to-the-stars, and his new Woodshed Smokehouse burger upstages the Love Shack's.
The Woodshed burger ($11) combines chopped beef and sausage and tops it with smoked cheddar. The smoked baked potato and borracho beans excel; 3201 Riverfront Drive, 817-877-4545, woodshedsmokehouse.com.
The dark horse among new burgers is Burger Xtreme, a low-key take-out counter with locations in southwest Fort Worth and also Rowlett.
Burger Xtreme brings hand-packed, half-pound burgers ($4.50) to a 5-inch bun, like a homespun Whataburger.
If you like thicker burgers, order a double with grilled onions, jalapeños, mushrooms, bacon, even ham or pineapple; 817-294-4044, burgerextremefortworth.com.
Dallas' must-try burger is at Off-Site Kitchen, a new grill built to look and taste old.
The burgers are fist-sized, hand-packed ground chuck with finely shredded lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion on a grill-toasted, custom bun ($3.25).
Varieties include a "Murph" with roasted jalapeño-smoked bacon relish and special sauce; 2226 Irving Blvd. at Sylvan Avenue (Wycliff Avenue), 214-741-2226, offsitekitchen.org.
(Dallas' next great grill will open in the fall: Hopdoddy Burger Bar of Austin, under construction on Luther Lane in Preston Center; hopdoddy.com.)
Just as Chop House Burgers gains Food Network fame, Arlington has a new contender: Jimmy's Jungle Burger.
Jimmy's offers half-pound burgers ($4.25) stacked high with astounding amounts of toppings, including a "jungle burger" with grilled onions, mushrooms, bacon, jalapeños and two cheeses; 3415 S. Collins St., 817-468-4200, jimmysjungleburger.net.
With competitor Pop's moving to the southwest side, Chubby's Burger Shack has expanded to a new location at 7914 Camp Bowie Blvd. W.; chubbysburgershack.com.
(But don't ignore the burgers at nearby Salsa Fuego.)
More new burgers: the Corporate Image bar (lunch and Monday nights), Oliver's Fine Foods, River Oaks Cafe (green chile), Kemp's Bar & Grill in Hurst and Swiss Pastry Shop.
And if you go to In-N-Out Burger, order yours "animal-style" with grilled onions, or at least "mustard-fried, add pickles." (In-N-Out needs a secret menu for Texans.)
Bud Kennedy's Eats Beat appears Wednesdays in Life & Arts and Fridays in DFW.com Weekend. 817-390-7538
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