Have a Burger Your Way at YourWay Burgers & Wings, Dallas

It's a bit of a coincidence that I've been on a burger tear as my work travels have taken me around the country. More by chance than design I've found myself at one gourmet burger joint after another in various cities. It's been a delicious bit of focused exploration, and I look forward to continuing the trend.

The most recent entry was during a trip to Dallas a few weeks ago. I stay and work in the north Dallas area when I'm in town. I had to make a run to a nearby FedEx Office to pick up a print job. I'd not been to this FedEx before, and I found that it was in a small strip of shops that contained several restaurants and a cake bakery. It was mid-afternoon, but I hadn't had lunch, so I decided to have a bite before heading to the hotel. After perusing the choices, I thought it would be fun to continue the ongoing burger research and chose YourWay Burgers & Wings.

YourWay is a small chain in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The location I visited was in the suburb of Farmer's Branch. The space has a clean, simple, contemporary decor, with the majority of the tables and booths in the front, with the ordering counter and bar along the left side in the back. It's not a huge restaurant, and is longer than it is wide, but it had a comfortable feel and could easily handle a sizeable lunch or dinner crowd.


The menu consists of not only certified Angus beef burgers, but turkey, buffalo, and veggie, as well as salmon and grilled or crispy chicken as sandwich options. Additional entrees such as hot dogs and the wings are available. There are also salads and a sizeable list of appetizer/side items. You can pick from one of several specialty burgers such as the Juicy Lucy, but you can go your own way and build your own from a dizzying array of choices. Just pick up one of the write-on/wipe-off cards at the register and choose your bun, protein, cheese, and other toppings ranging from avocado to chili or a fried egg. More prosaic toppings such as lettuce, tomato, onion, and condiments come from a self-serve bar.

In my two meals there (yes, I went twice), I thought the burgers were good; not up to the standard of Au Cheval (but then, what is?) but on par with the other gourmet burgers I'd had recently. On my first visit, the tater tots caught my eye. I wondered if they were the standard variety, or if there was something special. I asked the cashier, who said they were good, in a non-committal way. What can be bad about a tater tot? I thought, and went ahead with my order. They were fine, but nothing special at all.

On my second visit I branched out and got the onion rings. Now, I love a good onion ring, but I vastly prefer a ring that's battered, not breaded. I have a wide range of tolerance for thickness and other characteristics, but I prefer rings that don't sit like lead in my stomach, ya know? The menu proclaimed that the YourWay rings were battered, and I decided to take the chance. I was rewarded for my faith ... I would return to YourWay just for the onion rings. Don't get me wrong, they are not Varsity Onion Rings, but they are excellent, and the highlight of my visits. They could have been a touch less greasy, but they weren't overwhelmingly so. Yes, next time I'm in north Dallas ... more onion rings.

Side Notes:  In that same little strip of shops were two other food destinations of note:

First is Mango's, a Vietnamese / sushi restaurant. I got a beef tenderloin salad as a quick takeout dinner one evening that was quite good; I'd like to go back for a more leisurely, exploratory dining experience.

Second, Meringue is a specialty cake shop. It's a special-order bakery, not a shop with a display case full of ready-made items. Except. Except. They do sell cupcakes ... and they are some awesome cupcakes. There is not a huge selection of flavors. They are not giant, but they are flavorful and have the BEST cupcake frosting I've had anywhere. It was light and fluffy but had the same flavor profile of the standard butter/shortening frosting. It was meltingly lovely and expertly flavored. It's a good thing I live hundreds of miles away from this bakery ...