For a self-proclaimed dive bar, Christian's Tailgate (formerly Christian's Totem) sure gets a lot of good press. It's listed on Playboy.com's A-list for America's Ten Best Burgers. It was also highly rated by the Texas Burger Guy. To say we went in with high expectations would be quite an understatement.
The first thing I noticed was that Christian's is surprisingly large, clean and well-lit. We've eaten some of our favorite meals at some pretty questionable establishments (anyone ever been to Cupp's in Waco?), so this was a little disconcerting.
The second thing I noticed was that they got our order wrong. Not stunningly wrong -- my burger had the wrong type of cheese, and they gave us fries instead of onion rings -- but since all we ordered were two burgers, one side, and 2 serve-yourself drinks, this also didn't bode well.
What a surprise then that the food was everything we were hoping for. I had a cheeseburger (American, though that wasn't my choice) with lettuce, tomato, mayo and mustard. The patty was a 1/3 pounder, thick and delightfully salty. It wasn't quite as juicy as I had hoped--I like a little ooze in my burger--but the meat was very good quality and all of the toppings were very fresh. I managed to eat the whole thing, but it wasn't easy, and I didn't feel like eating anything else for the rest of the day. Super-filling and super-tasty for only $7 a pop.
The fries weren't anything to write home about, but that may have only been my disappointment at not getting my onion rings clouding my judgment. I'm willing to forgive mediocre fries for a fabulous burger; in fact, I pretty much expect mediocre fries, which is why I don't usually order them. How can a couple of fried potatoes live up to 1/3 pound of American Angus on a bun? Now fried onions, well, that's a whole 'nother story.
One note about atmosphere: we went to Christian's on a Wednesday around noon, and it was so crowded we ended up sitting at the bar. We weren't drinking -- although the set up is fabulous, if you care to do so -- but the dude next to us was. Heavily. About a pitcher of Bud Light in, he started hitting on the bartender, who wasn't interested and wasn't afraid to show it. Though it sounds funny, it was really just kind of awkward and sad. From the look on the bartender's face, you could tell this kind of thing happens to her a lot, so prepare yourself if you decide to sit at the bar.
