Willie’s

8| April 19, 2017 | Pat’s wins in the hunt for the best burger around

TAYLOR MORRISON REPORTER M any questions have plagued mankind throughout its existence. Always at the forefront of philosophy, we ask questions like, “Why are we here?,” “Where did we come from?” and “What is the purpose of life?” Cursed with curiosity, mankind has searched for countless answers to countless questions. Finally, after thousands of years of unexplainable questions, as a species we are one step closer to revealing the truth about the ultimate question: What is the best burger in Wichita Falls?

The hunt for answers has led to five mom-and-pop locations throughout the city: Ronnie’s Burgers, Scott’s Drive-in, Gene’s Tasty Burger, Pat’s Drive-inn and Willie’s Place in a search for the best burger in town.

• TASTERS — Stephen Wright, English senior; Shay Finley, born and raised Wichita Falls native; and myself, Taylor Morrison.

• RATING — A burger could earn up to 10 points

each on three topics: vegetables, patty and bread.

OUR IMPRESSIONS

After tallying the numbers, Pat’s Drive-inn is the overall winner for this round of “Best in Wichita Falls.” The grilled bun is what really set it apart from the competition according to Stephen Wright. 1. Pat’s 2. Willie’s 3. Scott’s 4. Ronnie’s 5. Gene’s.

“The fact they grilled really set the bun over the top. Everyone else just put ingredients on a bun and served, but Pat’s actually did something with it,” Wright said. Even though the score has set a measurable standard for most-to-least favored, each individual taster had their own top pick.

Wright highly favored Gene’s, “I know it scored the least, but personal taste isn’t determined by a score, so I really think Gene’s was my favorite spot for today.” Finley also didn’t agree with the majority winner. “Willie’s Place was the best. It scored second, but that doesn’t change the fact that Willie’s is the best,” Finley said.

Finally, personally, I favored Ronnie’s. I feel there is something about the meat quality that makes it stand apart. Pat’s The Porker

PHOTOS BY TIM JONES

Willie’s Onion Burger

1. PAT’S

Pat’s sits alone on a corner in downtown Wichita Falls. It’s located on Scott Street, just across from the city’s bus station. Pat’s is a little peculiar in-name for two reasons. One, the name is spelled drive-inn, with two n’s, as in a hotel, or lodge. Two, Pat’s isn’t a drive-in at all, there is a drive-thru and a dining room inside, but no drive-in intercoms or parking spots.

The taste testers arrived at Pat’s and elected to sit in a booth, as opposed to bar top, which is set up in a classic diner fashion. Our waitress suggested we try The Porker, which is a standard cheeseburger with a piece of grilled ham sitting nestled between the patty and the top bun. In a standard, recurring fashion, the burger was otherwise topped with lettuce, onion and tomato.

Finley: The bun is grilled, like grilled way more than the others.

Wright: Yeah, I like that, but, again, my veg is falling out everywhere. And I can’t really taste the ham. Finley: Yeah, if I didn’t know there was ham on the burger, I would just assume it was thick, chewy bacon. Morrison: You guys are crazy. The ham tastes awesome, and the beef patty is a bit thicker than Gene’s. Wright: I agree with the patty being thicker, I agree with bun being better grilled, but I can’t taste the ham at all. I think the overall quality is the best so far, but that has nothing to do with the ham.

400 Scott Ave, Wichita Falls, TX 76301 (940) 322-3531

2. WILLIE’S

Note: Sadly for Willie’s, the tasting team lost a key member of its entourage. Stephen Wright had to step away from our screening of burgers for physiological reasons. He was not alone in his fleeting health. Five burgers in three hours takes its toll on even the most seasoned of carnivores. Stephen, if you’re reading this, it means you have not succumbed to your stomach ache, you need to know we hold no grudge, and look forward to our next outing for, “The best in Wichita Falls.”

Willie’s shares location features similar to Gene’s. The restaurant is located at the bottom of the Beverly Drive hill and 10th Street, every road to it goes through some form of residential area. Across the street to the east is a row of buildings that have seen better days. They now sit mostly empty, with a coin dealer and slot car racing center being the most predominant businesses in the strip.

Inside Willie’s there are only four tables. The walls are adorned with old tin signs, license plates, and mounted deer heads. Arriving at roughly 5 o’clock, the start of the dinner rush, the line was longer than the other restaurants, customers filled the seats, and we were forced to take our meal outside.

When asked what the best burger was, we were given multiple, and we soon understood that we would have to pick one of our own, so if that makes Willie’s a bias example, I apologize. One of the top answers given, of the many, was the Onion Burger. Without reading the menu and just hearing the name there was interest between the tasting team, and it was agreed that the Onion Burger will go under scrutiny; but more importantly, in our stomachs.

The Onion Burger, to complete a core competency, was dressed standard. Yes, again, lettuce, onion, tomato and pickle. What makes the Onion Burger standout however, is the char on the burger, and the grill on the onions. The onions are grilled in mustard.

Finley: They actually grilled the onions, which shouldn’t be a big deal, but it’s the first time to happen today. Morrison: And they grilled them well, it’s not just a caramelized onion, it’s fried in mustard so the favor is super deep and tangy. And the crust is the best today, hands down. Finley: Oh yeah, no doubt, best char of the day. I would eat this burger every day. Morrison: The veg doesn’t fall out either, and that’s huge, because we have had that happen a few times today. Finley: The best note to end on, this place is 10/10 for me.