18 September 14 - 20, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents choice awards. We think the possibility of discovering another great burger is worth a road trip to Waxahachie, so after reading the KERA story we piled into the car and drove to downtown Waxahachie to see for ourselves. We arrived at a small red-and-white cor- ner building with a small Sinclair-like dino- saur in front, umbrella’d outdoor seating and an adjoining free parking lot. It wasn’t even 11:30 in the middle of the week, but already a line had formed. While we queued up, we surveyed the interior. The nostalgic Americana did not end with the gas station dino: inside, the dining area was covered from floor to ceiling with all sorts of automobile memorabilia, traffic and highway signs, a complete VW Beetle hood painted in a ‘60s paisley motif, guitars, neon beer signs and dozens of framed pho- tos of classic cars, all illuminated by several strings of lights hanging from the ceiling. It reminded us a bit of the basement wood- paneled rec rooms of our childhood, the pre- cursors to today’s man caves. We ordered a couple of cheeseburgers along with some fries and onion rings. The quarter-pound Angus, never-frozen pat- ties clock in at $5.99; throw a slice of cheese on there for another buck and add a drink and side for $4 more and you’re doing pretty well for under $12, so that’s what we did. We added a fried apple pie, because why not? You’re going to have to wait a bit for a burger like this. The menu says, “Thank you for your patience. Our menu is cooked to or- der. Always fresh. Never frozen. No heat lamps. No short cuts,” and indeed it did take about 20 minutes for our order to arrive. But the wait time was worth it. The burgers are not large, but there are other, larger specialty burgers such as the El Camino and Low & Slow that have bigger patties with more specialized toppings and cost around $10. There’s a six-patty monster for $27, but we opted for simplicity. These burgers are pretty spectacular: tasty and juicy, fresh and satisfying, very reminiscent of those great burgers served up from back- yard Weber grills. The hand-cut fries and thin onion rings were above average as well. These really are some of the better burgers we’ve had; kudos to the KERA readership. The fried pie was big enough to share, which we did outside on the patio, enjoying the mid-90-degree weather and slight breeze that came across as almost fall-like after all the 105-plus days we’ve all endured as of late. It would have been great to wash all this down with a frosty mugged, homemade root beer float but, alas, Pop’s had run out of root beer. Evidently, it’s really POPular and was our one disappointment, along with not or- dering a couple more burgers for the road. So, if you don’t mind the drive or are in the area anyway, definitely go visit Pop’s Burger Stand, and for an added treat go on a Thurs- day Cruise In night. That’s when classic cars are said to congregate for a feast of tail fins and chrome as well as great burgers. Enjoy. 107 N. Monroe St., Waxahachie. Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m – 3 p.m. ▼ OPENINGS PLOMO Y QUESO DALLAS’ NEW LATE NIGHT MUNCHIE SPOT WILL ‘1,000% SERVE YOU’ IF YOU SMELL OF WEED. BY NICK REYNOLDS P lata o plomo? It’s said notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar would ask this simple yet terrifying (which was the point) question to close business deals. And it really wasn’t a question, either. What it means is, Silver or lead? You can take the bribe or the bullet. Your choice. As you can imagine, it was quite effective. For obvious reasons, you wouldn’t want the latter. But in this case? Yes. Give us Plomo. Plomo Quesadillas is a newly opened quesadilla bar in the Knox-Henderson neighborhood. It’s so new we could almost smell the fresh paint on the walls. This que- sadilla bar was founded on the campus of the University of Arkansas and served as a late-night grub haven for drinkers, partiers and students (specifically the menagerie of all three). Like its Arkansas brethren, this location will be open deep into the night. Likely way after curfew. From Thursday through Saturday, you’ll be able to score a bevy of unique and traditional quesadillas until 4 a.m. With the plethora of nightlife and bars that line Henderson and neighboring Lower Greenville, it’s easy to see how Plomo could become one of the area’s top late-night munchies options. Speaking of munchies, Dallas restaurant E-Bar Tex Mex made some waves locally by implementing a no- serve rule for any customers who reek of weed. Plomo, however, embraces it. A recent Instagram post says, “If you have the smell of marijuana on you, we will 1,000% serve you.” So feel free to hotbox your ride. We stopped by for lunch recently and grabbed a couple of quesadillas and sides. Circling back to Pablo Escobar, there’s a quesadilla at Plomo named after the drug lord that we naturally had to try. The Esco- bar ($9) quesadilla is stuffed with ribeye, Jack cheese, avocado, elote and pickled red onion. You’ll also select from nine sauces to complement your quesadilla, from chipotle to sriracha to a spicy mango sauce. We went with chipotle. Even stone-cold-sober in the middle of the day, this was a great quesadilla. We could see it being even better after a night of bar- hopping. On the side, we had queso and chips ($3.50 for a small), which was fine if unspectacular. The tortilla chips were long- stripped and thick-cut. Our next quesadilla was the El Chapo ($9), named after the infamous (and now imprisoned) Sinaloa Cartel boss. As you can see, Plomo’s a big fan of legendary drug lords. After our trip to Plomo, we had a sudden urge to go home and binge-watch the Netflix series Narcos again. This quesa- dilla creation features piquant pork cho- rizo, Jack cheese, pico, pickled radish and cilantro. We also recommend Plomo’s elote ($3 for a small): corn, cotija, cayenne, a dash of lime and mayo, all topped with a sprinkling of ci- lantro. Good stuff. Other quesadillas we’ll have to try next time include the Vasquez (Caribbean jerk chicken, Jack cheese, mango, pickled jala- peños, Sriracha, cilantro) and Rick Ross (chopped brisket, Jack cheese, avocado, ja- lapeños, pickled red onion, salsa verde). Some quesadillas get even wilder the fur- ther you venture into the menu, like the Mac Miller, which comes filled with cho- rizo, mac and cheese, pico and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. If you’re looking for more traditional, less souped-up quesadillas, those are here, too, like cheese, steak, chicken and brisket quesadillas. There’s also an option to “dirty” your favorite quesadillas for two ex- tra dollars: Plomo will add a layer of fried cheese to the surface of your quesadilla. Why even ask? Plomo Quesadillas, 1802 McMillan Ave. Sunday – Wednesday, 11 a.m. to midnight; Thursday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 a.m. Nick Reynolds The Escobar comes piping hot and filled with ribeye, Jack cheese, avocado, corn and pickled red onion. City of Ate from p17
