More Burger Talk.

1. I hate to admit it but -- I visited Kinkaid's last night and the cheeseburger was good, but not as good as I expected. Was it a bad night for an otherwise good burger spot? Or have they grown beyond their ability to keep up? The bun was exceptionally wimpy and the onions could have vaporized the ink off of the Fort Worth Business Press I was reading while there.

2. So Smashburger is coming to town? I have never been to one. Anyone have an opinion?

3. I still can't get over the fact that DFW.com chose the Fred's hamburger as the best in the area. And while I'm on the subject, congratulations to the Star-Telegram for their new website which is usable and eye-pleasing, unlike the last one which was the visual equivalent of a Chuck E Cheese restaurant.

4. I saw that Pappa's burgers is having a half-price night. That would be worth a visit, unless it's on the same night as Wednesday night's half-price fajita for two night, which is like fajitas for four in any other part of the world. And their beef fajitas are very, very good.

5. The best part of the Star Telegram's Smashburger article was the mention of the possibility that In-N-Out Burger from California is considering a DFW location:

"We often look at potential new markets, and North Texas has been part of that evaluation process," said Carl Van Fleet, In-N-Out’s vice president of planning and development. (Fort Worth Star Telegram)

Keep saying your prayers.

Jazz by the Boulevard. Changes Due to Rain.

Jazz by the Boulevard is moving inside for tonight's performances.

New venue: Amon Carter Exhibit Hall in the Will Rogers Complex.

See the Star Telegram for details.

House Prices in Fort Worth. Good News.

The Fort Worth Business Press reported today that house prices are relatively stable in Fort Worth as compared with U.S. cities with populations of 600,000 and over. Fort Worth ranked 4th.

The top ten markets with the best expected performance in home price are:

1. Baton Rouge, LA
2. Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY
3. Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX
4. Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
5. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX
6. Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
7. Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
8. Pittsburgh, PA
9. San Antonio, TX
10. Syracuse, NY

The article does go on to say that the areas that saw the boom cycle are now most likely to be in the decline. Likewise, the markets such as ours, that did not experience a boom real estate cycle are more likely to have price stability. Fort Worth and the area has the added benefit of business growth and an increasing population.

See the Fort Worth Business Press for additional information.

Love Shack. So 7. Very Good.

Four of us went to the Love Shack off 7th Street today. I hate to admit it but I ordered the Penne Pasta salad-- it's a diet thing. The salad was very good, but this place is about the hamburgers.

Andrew, who had a hamburger, gave me his review:

1. Nice festive atmosphere. Not enough indoor seating in the summer. A good atmosphere all around.

2. Dirty Love Burger. The burger was excellent, the bun was toasted well, the bacon was a real piece of flavorful bacon, not some wilted piece of shingle. The meat was perfect: juicy, thick, hot. Perfect. Special sauce was great as well. One question: why the quail egg? It was overcooked and flavorless. I was hoping the yoke was going to break and spill out onto the burger. I was even eagerly anticipating the moment. But nothing.

3. Anasazi beans were a welcome side dish. Something different than french fries.

4. Very impressed. Will go back very soon.

. . . If only So7 had other tenants . . .
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Editors comments: I tasted the pinto beans and they were delicious. I tried the french fries and they were good, not great. Then again, I have been eating Thrashers Boardwalk fries at Rehoboth Beach all summer and it just doesn't get any better. Love's fries were a little wimpy, but they were fresh cut real potatoes. As far as the egg on the burger -- I'll take an egg on anything and love it. But if it is overcooked and the yoke is hard I think it tastes rubbery. I tried Andrew's Dirty Love Burger and the egg was overcooked for my taste. But the important point is that Love Shack makes a very good hamburger at a reasonable price.