Critic: The $17 Burger at TJ’s Seafood Market Doesn’t Achieve ‘Transcendent Greatness’

— Nick Rallo takes a bite out of TJ’s Seafood Market’s $17 Yacht Burger: “Each ingredient, on its own, is a pitch right down the center of the plate,” the critic writes. However, the meat is “cooked a few notches past medium for what you’d like in a 17-buck wagyu patty” and “there’s another flaw keeping the burger from transcendent greatness: sweetness.” [Dallas Observer]

— Mike Hiller takes a trip to Kenny’s Smoke House to see if chef Kenny Bowers is continuing his successful restaurant streak: “Bowers low-and-slow brisket, pork ribs and pork shoulder that will satisfy most weekend barbecue fans, even those pesky friends from out-of-town who want to eat ‘authentic Texas barbecue,’” Hiller writes. “If you’re on the hunt for big, meaty beef ribs, Kenny’s Smoke House should be on your dance card.” [Escape Hatch Dallas]

— Kathryn Debruler finds a dull menu at Cedar Grove: “On one side of the restaurant an expanse of mirror swirls the room into full view. The chatter of your dining comrades is swirled with it, as the acoustics are as loud and echoing as a middle school cafeteria.” The bar turns out a $75 adult lemonade stand as well as an assortment of punches, pitchers, and the drink of the summer — frose. Several of the sampled brunch dishes fell flat the critic writes, including a breakfast flatbread that “successfully avoided boring” by veering “into Do These Flavors Go Together? territory.” [Dallas Observer]

• All Week in Reviews Coverage [EDFW]