15 December 14 - 20, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents A Burger and a View The Dallas Arboretum may not be a secret garden, but it does have a secret burger. BY CARLY MAY GRAVLEY L iterally, they call it a sandwich. Jayson Jones, executive chef at Restaurant DeGolyer at the Dal- las Arboretum, recently reached out to us with two bold claims: Restaurant DeGolyer has the best patio in Dallas and a new burger worthy of our best burger list. We honestly didn’t know much about the dining options inside the arbore- tum prior to hearing from Jones, so we had to go check out this potential hidden gem for ourselves. What we need to mention first is that Restaurant DeGolyer is, indeed, inside the arboretum, and you will have to pay admis- sion to get in. Or, you could spend the day there and wrap things up with a burger. The menu contains a breezy selection of lunch dishes, including salads, sandwiches and a robust list of desserts. While every- thing is enticing, we took Jones up on his new burger. It’s worth noting that on the menu, the burger is listed as a “short rib and brisket sandwich.” We find this unnecessarily con- fusing, not just for people seeking the burger but for those who would understandably ex- pect this sandwich to be more barbecue-ad- jacent. If you’re going to have a burger on your menu, call it what it is and stand by it. And this is certainly a burger worth standing by. It contains two patties on a bri- oche bun with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, red onions, caramelized onions and your choice of cheese. The burger here is the go-to for the picky eater and should still hold up for those who prefer their veggies on the side. The burger is served medium-well, with little pink to be seen, but it’s still juicy and flavorful. The two patties have a hearty thickness but are thin enough to let the fla- vors shine without struggling to fit your jaw around the burger. We went with Swiss cheese on our burger, and it was the right call. The burger contains a careful balance of flavors, from the sweetness of the caramelized onions to the savoriness of the meat, with the cheese adding a bit of gooey texture. The burger is served with a side of fried green beans, whose greatest strength proved to be its greatest weakness. The batter used to fry the green beans was perfectly sea- soned, and each bean was fried to a thick, golden perfection. The least exciting part, however, was the green bean itself, which got a little lost in the batter and was further muddled if you choose to dip into the pro- vided ketchup. It’s a serviceable side, albeit a bit forgettable. Clinching a spot on our best burgers list is quite the feat, but Restaurant DeGolyer has certainly put forth a considerable con- tender. As for their claim of having a gor- geous patio, that feels like a given, right? The restaurant is part of the historic De- Golyer House, a breathtaking Spanish Colo- nial Revival estate built in 1939. The patio not only contains distinctive architectural details of the period such as stunning stone and tile work, it also overlooks White Rock Lake and parts of the botanical gardens. The additional fees that come with having lunch inside the arboretum feel justified, as this dining experience feels serene and miles away from the bustling city it’s nestled in. Would we recommend stopping by the arboretum just to eat at Restaurant De- Golyer? We’re going to leave that up to you. But if you happen to be spending the day there and pondering a burger on a scenic pa- tio, we recommend this one wholeheartedly. Restaurant DeGolyer, inside Dallas Arbore- tum, 8525 Garland Road. Daily, 11 a.m – 3 p.m. ▼ HOLIDAYS IT’S CHOCOLATE-EATING SEASON A ROUND UP OF THE BEST CHOCOLATIERS AROUND DALLAS. BY AMELIE BAQUERO A s you’re making your lists and checking them thrice, here are some great ways to add something indulgent while supporting a local business. Many of these Dallas-area chocolatiers offer special holiday packages and unique gift sets. We strongly support your buying some as a gift and treating yourself as well. Chocolate Secrets 3926 Oak Lawn Ave. Chocolate Secrets, a gourmet chocolate and fine wine boutique cafe known for its hand- crafted confections, releases a special menu for every occasion. This Christmas brings a variety of Santa Claus chocolates, Christmas trees and a toy train. Some bigger holiday specials such as the Bourbon Pecan Choco- late Pie and the Sweet Potato Pie are avail- able only for online preordering. With over 52 flavors of chocolate bonbons and truffles, 25 flavors of macarons, 15 flavors of ice cream and 25 different cakes and pastries, Chocolate Secrets offers something for ev- ery member of the family. And you too. CocoAndre 508 W. Seventh St. A famous chocolate and horchata shop lo- cated in the Bishop Arts District, CocoAndre has Christmas characters made of milk- and white chocolate in different sizes: from orig- inal Santa Claus, cowboy Santa and Santa in the chimney to a snowman, teddy bear, Ru- dolph, gingerbread and even nutcrackers. Besides all the adorable characters, CocoAn- dre also has an advent calendar, gift boxes and hot chocolate bombs to make the holi- days sweeter. Dude, Sweet Chocolate 408 W. Eighth St. Dude, Sweet Chocolate, a chocolatier in the Bishop Arts District, specializes in dark choc- olate and seasonal creations including fudges, truffles, toffees, nuts and artisan chocolates. The drinking chocolate known as “The Mo- cha Maker” is a popular holiday treat. The full holiday 2023 collection includes house favorites like the Yule Log Chocolate (Sa- lami), It’s Fra Gi Lay bar, Golden Rings truf- fles and eggnog pecans. Dude, Sweet Chocolate also has holiday boxes like The Little Dude Bag and Santa’s Box of Misfits, both available to pre-order online. Haute Sweets Patisserie 10230 E. Northwest Highway and 6959 Arap- aho Road Haute Sweets in Lake Highlands and Far North Dallas has a lot of sweets and baked goods on offer, but their cho-cuterie boards are a special holiday treat. Get a whole box of brownies, bonbons, cookies and every- thing chocolate in two sizes: $55 for two to four people or $100 for a larger board that’s enough for 8 to 10 people. The flourless Christmas cake, Holiday Chruch cake, and reindeer poop macarons are also available up through Dec. 24. Kate Weiser Chocolate Multiple Locations Kate Weiser Chocolate specializes in unique and modern chocolates that are some of the most beautiful confections you can find. Carl the Snowman is one of Kate Weiser’s signature pieces — a hollow dark chocolate snowman filled with hot cocoa mix and mini marshmallows (the OG bomb). The original Karl serves about five to eight cups, and the Lil’ Carl makes one mug of cocoa. Other sea- sonal specials include a gingerbread man, the Holiday Candy Bar and peppermint car- amels. Kate Weiser also has two advent cal- endars, the Texas and Classic Advent Calendar. Yelibelly Chocolates 4500 Ratliff Lane, Addison Yelibelly makes handcrafted chocolates as well as whisky disks, which are designed to pair with your favorite dram. They have ad- vent calendars for 24 days of flavors for De- cember — but what is time? Any day is a good day to start a new calendar of choco- lates laced with whisky, Charmbrod, Schnapps and gin. They also have cute boxes of bonbons that are so pretty they don’t even need to be wrapped. | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish Carly May Gravley Restaurant DeGolyer has the best burger you didn’t realize was a burger. Manny Rodriguez Photography Dude, Sweet Chocolates gift sets are sure to be a hit. >> p16
