Four reviews---

Raven’s Grill @ The Texas Star

    After a day of enjoying a round of golf at The Texas Star golf course, a hungry player can satisfy his/her appetite at the Raven’s Grille with a Texas favorite, the hamburger.
    The restaurant overlooks the manicured golf course and offers a moderately priced menu with most of the Texas favorites including three flavors of hamburger.
    The atmosphere is comfortable, family friendly and open to the public. There is a large screen television to watch if rolling green is not of interest.
    Ordering a burger makes a native Texan proud because of the names: Texas Star Burger, High Mesa melt and the spicy Battle Cry Burger.
    The most noticeable difference in these burgers is the lack of grease. The meat is lean, slightly dry, but no gristle is wonderful. The patty is just the right size for a hungry adult, large but not huge. Because of government-mandated health codes, the burger is cooked well done.
    Burger King has nothing on these burgers. The Raven’s Grille burgers have a loud char-grilled flavor. The patty is sandwiched nicely between fresh ingredients including a flavorful, toasted bun.
    The Battle Cry Burger is a robust combination of bacon, jalapenos, chili mayo and pepper jack cheese, served with big, thick fries and a pickle.
    The Raven’s Grille has good food, but the service is slow, so do not go expecting a speedy meal.
    Raven’s Grille is located at the Texas Star golf course grounds a mile or so west of 157 on Highway 10.
                                                                                            —KC Jones

Jerry’s BBQ

    Sometimes the title of a business hides pleasant surprises.
    Such is the case with Jerry’s BBQ.
    Jerry’s has a good, double-sided menu.
    Although the marquee outside the restaurant states BBQ, one side of the menu touts Jerry’s BBQ; the other side proclaims Jerry’s Hamburgers.
    If not specified in advance, burgers come with mustard, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce and onions, all on a toasted bun.
    Extra ingredients include bacon, fresh mushrooms, chili, grilled jalapenos, shredded cheddar cheese, grilled onions and ranch or bleu cheese dressing.
    The half-pound patty is juicy and fresh, never frozen, and costs $3.99 (the six-ounce burger is $2.99). Cheese is extra.
    Jerry’s also offers a one-pound burger, starting at $7.25.
    The fries are thick and could have been crispier. Although frozen, the fries are better than average, but fresh would do wonders for the flavor.
    Onion rings are also frozen.
    A small homey kind of place (barely seating 30), Jerry’s BBQ is located at 929 University Dr. in Fort Worth (in the old J&J’s Oyster Bar). The restaurant is open Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
                                                                                —Paul D. Matson

No Frills Grill & Sports Bar

    People can indulge their love of sports and burgers at one place: No Frills Grill & Sports Bar.
    No Frills Grill is at two easy area locations: 4914 Little Road at Interstate 20 and 1550 Eastchase Parkway at Interstate 30.
    I arrived at 2 p.m. Friday to avoid the lunch rush, but the place was still packed.
    The interior of No Frills Grill is dim. At the Eastchase location, the restaurant is located on the left side, and the bar is on the right side with a dividing wall down the middle.
    The floor is unpolished concrete, and the decorations include college banners hanging on the walls and plastic football helmets and banners hanging from the black rafter ceiling.
    Televisions are prominently displayed, lining the ceiling and walls next to the tables and booths.
    The bar has tall tables and bar stools with backs.
Whiskey bottles line the back of the bar, and there is a life-sized cutout poster of the wrestler, “The Rock,” behind the bar.
    Two pool tables and a shuffleboard table are in the bar section. On-line trivia games are available as well.
    The staff was very friendly, and all were wearing red “No Frills Grill” t-shirts.
    The menu is varied and consists of hamburgers and sandwiches, chili, soup and salads, Tex-Mex items, seafood and chicken. For something different, diners can try their meals blackened.
    A child's menu is available for $2.99. Appetizers include hot wings, stuffed jalapenos, cheese styx and various Tex-Mex items. A sampler appetizer platter also is available.
    Domestic and imported beer is served along with a choice of liquors and wine. Happy hour is 3-7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and draft beer is on special Sunday.
    During Sunday and Monday night NFL football, one can dine and have 20 cent wings and happy hour draft while the game is on the air.
    I ordered a queso and jalapeno burger, and my date ordered the bacon cheeseburger. We split a basket of onion rings and ordered root beers to drink.
    The burgers are served with mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions on the side. The sesame seed buns are toasted.
    My burger arrived promptly and was perfect; however, my date sent his back because it was missing the bacon he ordered.
    The prices are reasonable; service is fast and friendly, and the food is good.
    I give it a 4 burger rating.
                                                                            —Cindy Moorhead

Fabulous Fifties

    Nostalgia is but a burger away at The Fabulous Fifties hamburger restaurant on Park Row and Bowen Road in Arlington.
    Elvis is alive and well and performs each week to inside diners. Those who miss the impersonator can enjoy pictures, records, posters and signs that honor The King.
    Along with Elvis impersonators and paraphernalia, diners can take in the Marilyn Monroe corner and select ’50s music from the jukebox. Coca-Cola napkin holders and salt and pepper shakers add to the colorful décor.
    Forty-five records line the top of the order counter.
    And the hamburgers? Well, one can order the Lucy, Desi, Ethel or Fred, along with a variety of other burgers featuring cheese, chili or other specialties.
    This reviewer’s favorite is the Ethel with chili and cheese.
    Children should enjoy their meals, which are served in cardboard Corvettes. The burger and fries are placed on the seats.
    A burger bar features onions, fresh dressings, lettuce and other toppings. Diners may load up on ketchup or Ranch dressing for their tasty fries or onion rings.
    As well, diners fill their own drink cups and may add squirts of cherry or vanilla flavorings. Several drink choices are available, along with shakes and sodas.
    Along with the normal burger fare, The Fabulous Fifties offers other sandwiches and sides as well as ice cream.
    The interior is much like a soda fountain that harks back to the ’50s. Red and white vinyl booths line the walls of the dining room while tall gray soda fountain tables and chairs are placed in the center.
    Long rows of Formica-topped tables allow diners to pull up tall rotating benches on which to sit to eat.
    These tables can accommodate eight to 10 people and would be perfect for family dining.
    Canned music from the ’50s plays continuously from loud speakers, but the noise is not overwhelming.
    Those who did not grow up in the ’50s still will enjoy the atmosphere and cute decorations.
    Fortunately, the food is quite good yet not outstanding. The burger is tasty and cooked to the diner’s request. The meat had a great taste and was a bit too done, yet good.
    The toppings bar was kept clean, tidy and inviting. This reviewer was not there during the busy lunch hour and chose to eat at 2:30 p.m. However, the place was still quite busy, which reflects the popularity of the place.
    The Fabulous Fifties is a great place to take friends and children for an evening of quick fun. Also, for those in a hurry, the restaurant has a drive-through.
    At a very busy intersection in Arlington, The Fabulous Fifties is a one-of-a-kind hamburger diner, rating 3 l/2 burgers for food and 4 burgers for atmosphere.
                                                                                            —Berol Mirado