The Search for the Ultimate Burger: Ted E's

Ted E's - Burgers & More - March 16, 2011

Located at the intersection of North Beach and Basswood -

this area is somewhat of a restaurant graveyard

Sports decor

Order counter

We stopped here with the entire family for lunch during Spring Break - using a Groupon. It was around 1:30pm and there were about 3 other tables with guests. Orders are taken at the counter with self-service drinks. Food is picked up the kitchen window. The dining area was very clean with a sports themed decor favoring Texas Tech. I have always thought this is an easy way to piss off a portion of your customers. I have friends (hard-core sports fans) that would not step foot in an establishment based on the decor such as this. Ted E's did have all Big 12 teams (plus TCU) and the four local pro teams represented. Kids eat free on Sundays and Wednesdays. They are definitely trying to build up their clientele - they recently sold over 770 $10 for $20 Groupons.

The GOOD: Everyone ordered burgers and fries. The kids meal is exceptionally priced - $3.49 for a kid's combo. Dianna and I both tried Ted E's Original Burger - two 3 oz. patties. Dianna had cheddar while I added American cheese. Our burgers looked absolutely scrumptious. The over-sized bun was gorgeous and nicely toasted. The vegetables were very fresh and complimented the burger, especially the grilled onions we added. Everyone had perfectly melted cheese on their burger. Mine was a little light on the Ted E's Signature Sauce; what I tasted of it was good, it just needed more. The fries were hand-cut, skin-on, crispy, fresh and hot. They were very similar to Railhead Smokehouse BBQ fries, although these fries were nicely seasoned. Dianna loved the sweet, syrup-like tea. I prefer to not drink my calories, ha.

Back to the bun - this would be the highlight of the meal. The bun was incredible - slightly sweet; a mix of Hawaiian bread and a kolache. The goodness of this bun almost made up for the not-so-good meat patty, but not quite.

Best burger bun, ever.

Mmmm, fresh skin-on fries with a nice seasoning.

The BAD: When it comes down to it it's all about the meat patty. As good as the Ted E's bun is their meat patty needs some help. I can't decide if it is never-before-frozen meat just too tightly packed or, a fresh meat patty that has endured the abuse of a freezer. The patty not only lacked a nice meat flavor, it was missing the right amount of seasoning. Even just a dash of the fry seasoning could help this burger.

The UGLY: The Ted E's menu is ambitious to say the least. It has everything from salads, wraps, soups, fried baskets and a huge dessert selection. This is not really "Ugly," but they definitely don't follow my menu simplicity mantra.