Ketchup, Dallas

Ketchup Burger Bar’s inventive chefs bake their own brioche buns, handcraft black Angus beef, ahi tuna, and lamb burgers, and personally mix a quartet of ketchups, each with a distinct flavor quality. They use only organic ingredients for their specialty house burgers. The spiced ketchup unites a complex bouquet of cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom, and the chipotle ketchup bears a smoky flavor with a spicy kick. The ketchup burger, like a losing contestant on any Nickelodeon game show from the ‘90s, is drizzled with the sweet and tangy house ketchup, along with piles of tillamook cheddar, veggies, and grilled red onions. Crisp zucchini fries and garlic chive fries act as dams against tomatoey overflows, and creamy shakes and root-beer floats cool off palates still all hot and bothered from their burger indulgences.

Romantically lit by sconces jutting from brick walls and track lighting overhead, the restaurant’s interior pleases the eyes with burgundy wood accents. Flat-screen televisions hang over the full bar, their comforting glow reflected in glasses of wine and draft and bottled beer. The burger boutique offers free valet parking at lunchtime, along with ample underground spaces, ideal for those who like cave diving, but only from the comfort of their SUV.:m]]