15 August 28 - september 3, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Burger Trippin’ We track down a burger profiled on The Daytripper— totally worth the trip. BY NICK REYNOLDS A round an hour and a half drive southwest of Dallas sits Glen Rose, a sleepy (but growing) small Texas town of roughly three thousand. It’s known for its pristinely preserved dinosaur tracks that are among the highest quality in the world. These tracks, which are found in the Paluxy River that snakes through nearby Dinosaur Valley State Park, date back an es- timated 113 million years. As you’d guess, dinosaurs are beloved here. You’ll see an abundance of them in statue form across yards all over town. And current Detroit Lions head coach (and former Dallas Cowboys tight end) Dan Campbell starred in high school in Glen Rose. But Glen Rose has a lot more to it than di- nosaur tracks and Dan Campbell’s old high school. The food scene is legit here. Grumps Burgers, Riverhouse Grill, WhiskyWoods Steakhouse, Big Cup Eatery and Ham- mond’s BBQ (to name a few) are all held in high regard around these parts. Our main reason for making the trek out here, however, was the 60-year-old Loco Coyote Grill. Seen on Chet Garner’s Emmy Award-winning Texas travel series, The Daytripper (you can watch the full Glen Rose episode here), this off-the-beaten- path gem oozes serious character. As we were driving in (Coyote Grill sits in a field in the middle of nowhere), directly behind us were a dozen or so bikers who were heading to Coyote Grill. At least another 20 bikers were already seated when we en- tered, all donning their trademark leather vests complete with patches and biker club affiliations. It felt like we were extras in a Sons of Anarchy scene. Our Food & Drink editor also told us in 2019 about Loco Coyote Grill (which report- edly got its name after a pack of coyotes killed and ate all the chickens back when the original property was a chicken farm): “Go. Do this. Take a road trip on a week- end with mom or whoever. It’s an hour and 25-minute drive from Dallas. You spend that amount of time getting out of the Kroger parking lot.” She was right, it’s worth the drive. The Loco Coyote Grill isn’t a dining experience you’re going to forget anytime soon. Texas legend Willie Nelson has also been known to frequent this locally famous hole-in-the- wall. Our mission (that we drove 75 miles for) was to conquer the Jack Daniel’s BBQ burger – an absurd behemoth of sliced bris- ket, fried pickles, onion rings and a juicy three-quarter-pound beef patty. And no, the fried pickles and onion rings do not come on the side. When it was placed on our table, we knew we were in for a battle. Loco Coyote’s Jack Daniel’s burger is daunting; it’s the kind of burger you ap- proach with respect, strategically attacking it (from all angles at times), bit by bit and piece by piece. This mountain of a burger was as good as advertised — all the different components harmonized in some sort of deranged ca- loric symphony that would leave any dieter of any kind potentially seeking therapy for the next six months. The brisket was partic- ularly good (Loco Coyote is known for their stellar barbecue, so that’s no surprise). And while we did manage to finish it, it took three of us (which is sad) to polish it off. Does that count as “conquering” it? Heads up: this burger, with everything that goes into it, is obviously not going to come cheap. It starts at $28, and cheese ($1), bacon ($2) and jalapenos ($1) were extra, so ours totaled $32. But it’s worth noting that this burger can easily feed two. Loco Coyote’s menu also has po’boys, catfish, tacos and a killer chicken-fried steak. Got the car gassed up yet? For North Texans, Glen Rose is a superb day trip destination. Come check out the di- nosaur tracks and historic downtown Glen Rose, which is as quaint and charming as it gets, and take in a museum (like kid-friendly Dinosaur World or the Creation Evidence Museum of Texas) before sitting down for a stellar small-town lunch. Fossil Rim Wild- life Center, which features 1,800 acres with over a thousand animals (many endan- gered), is also nearby. (Editor’s note: Absolutely do not miss a tour at the jail built in 1893. It is filled with many ghosts, per our tour guide. Don’t worry; if one latches on, they know who to call for an exorcism.) Loco Coyote Grill, 1795 Co Rd 1004, Glen Rose. Thursday – Friday, 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.; Sat- urday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. ▼ BEER OBSERVER ON TAP JOIN US FOR A RELEASE PARTY ON SEPT. 17. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS Y ou may have noticed we’ve been dig- ging into reader events recently. We’ve hosted two members’ supper clubs, one at Radici and the other at Ramble Room, and have another scheduled for Oc- tober (details to come soon). This is all an ef- fort to get face time with our readers who support us; to have conversations about what’s on their minds and how we play a part in their daily news ritual. It never fails to be an enlightening experience. Our next event is a release party for our beer collaboration with Community Beer Company. This is open to both members and non-members (no tickets required, just show up and enjoy), but members will get special perks. On Sept. 17, join us at 6 p.m. at the sprawl- ing Community Beer Co. brewery on Com- monwealth Drive just northwest of downtown as we tap a keg of Off the Record, an amber ale with a touch of spice. New members get a free pint. To become a member, all you have to do is make a con- tribution of any amount, and it can be one- time or recurring. The first 10 existing members there get a free pint; after that, members get a beer for just $5. The best part? One dollar of each beer sold goes back to support the Observer’s newsroom. If you are a member, keep an eye on your email inbox for instructions on how to claim your perks at the event. We can’t thank you enough for your support. We tested many samples and landed on this one for its nice balance between malt and hops, which complements the traditional amber’s caramel and toasty notes. We worked hard on picking a name, playing with alt- weekly daily news coverage puns, but ulti- mately we went with Off the Record Amber Ale as a nod to the most salacious news bits: our favorite conversations are off the record. Community Beer is one of the original North Texas breweries that helped usher in a craft beer wave just over a decade ago. Their Mosaic IPA is a stalwart in the local beer scene. The open-space brewery was built with the community in mind; it’s a gathering space for friends, birthday parties and there are always a good number of dogs when the weather is decent. More recently, they launched a line of spirits, including a vodka, agave silver and whiskey The main point of this brouhaha on Sept. 17 is to interact with our readers. Yes, we created a beer just so we could meet you. So, please join us at the brewery. Anyone can show up for a pint and chat about news, potholes, the best carnitas in Dallas, marinara sauce and whatever else comes to mind. ▼ STEAKS ‘WORTH THE SPLURGE’ NURI, THE $20 MILLION STEAKHOUSE, MAKES THE CUT. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS T he Wall Street Journal saved the cover of the Off Duty section of this weekend’s print edition for a spread on upscale steakhouses. “Steakhouses Worth the Splurge” pro- filed just three places in America, and none of them were Nick and Sam’s — or Stillwell’s or Tango Room or Al Biernat’s — but rather the posh spot with a noted $20 million build-out, Nuri Steakhouse, from the Smoothie King founder and CEO, Wan Kim. The restaurant on Cedar Springs Road has already been named to the list of the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants. The article starts with an ode to the steakhouse as the centerpiece of the Ameri- can restaurant genre. The article boasts that “Even as meat prices soar, a new wave of steakhouses is thriving while giving the genre a to-the- studs renovation.” For $20 million, Wan got a tiara atop the Dallas dining scene. At Nuri, you’ll get an $18 black garlic Caesar salad and a $65 16-ounce prime strip (the cheapest cut on the menu). If we had the corporate card for a night, we’d go for the snow-aged Japanese Wagyu, which costs $120 for a 3-ounce strip. The WSJ praised Nuri’s tableside cheese- cake show. The dessert is topped with a raspberry white-chocolate ganache that looks like Silly String (but, unfortunately, not from a Silly String dispenser, which would be so much fun). More important to the refined carnivore, however, is the source of the meat. In the ‘80s, Wendy’s popular ad campaign asked, “Where’s the Beef?” But now diners literally want to know where the beef is from. An ar- ticle we ran about the Snake River cuts at III Forks was one of our most-read pieces late last year. Nuri sources a lot of its meat from 44 Farms, which we’ve written about exten- sively. The large ranch sprawls over hun- dreds of acres of green rolling fields in Central Texas and supplies many steak- houses (and burger joints) in Dallas. Nuri also uses Heartbrand Reserve, certi- fied Akaushi beef that is USDA Prime Qual- ity grade. Some cuts are also from Blue Branch Ranch in Oklahoma, and Nick Reynolds Behold the Jack Daniel’s BBQ Burger. Bring your appetite. | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish >> p16
