All Star Burger

All Star Burger

Shane Street is a name that’s well known to Austin foodies. He’s the man that opened Cool River, Steiner Ranch, the Grill at Rough Hollow. But his All Star Burgers at the Galleria casts him in the role of owner-operator for the first time, and it’s a great concept.

All Star Burger is rock solid American from the pictures on the wall of working class heroes to the tunes on the jukebox (American only, of course). And the food fits right in: burgers, fries, salads and shakes, and all with interesting design and taste elements.

The menu at All Star Burger offers “hand-crafted” burgers, and that’s an understatement. I first tried the Make my Day Burger, and the result was as promised. This has cheddar cheese, smoked bacon, a fried egg, hash browns and red onions on Texas toast, and whether you fired five or was it six bullets, this burger really works. What a piece of burgership! And then there’s the Yo Adrian Burger. Rocky Balboa would have loved this and you will as well. I like the authenticity and taste of a burger with mozzarella, toasted salami, sun dried tomatoes, pesto and arugula, all on a fresh Ciabatta roll. Also love the Pacific Coast Burger with Monterrey Jack cheese, red leaf lettuce, avocado, sprouts and creamy mustard. This has a taste pop that’s almost palpable. And fans from Big Sur to Big Bend will love this one. Next on Shane’s burger parade is the namesake All Star Burger. This is a bit more typical but no less robust than the others. This comes with cheddar, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes and mustard and mayo. And it’s packed with flavor. And finally, in an homage to our beloved Tex Mex flavors, we have the Veteran. This blends Pepper Jack cheese, green chiles, leaf lettuce, red onion and of course green chile mayo. This leans toward the caliente side but the flavors are, in my opinion, enhanced by a bit more heat!

Therer are a number of interesting salads here that can either accompany your burger or stand alone. I like the Pioneer chopped salad with Romaine and Iceberg lettuce bacon and avocado and boiled egg along with toasted almonds, parmesan and a California champagne vinaigrette. NOW THIS MY FRIENDS IS A SALAD!

The fries are a staple at any burger emporium and All Star does them proud. The Old School fries are fresh and invariably crispy with that requisite crunch and they’re very tasty. But the Sweet Potato fries are equally good, maybe even better. There are great flavors at work here and a long shelf life: they’ll be irresistible for as long as it takes to down the biggest burger or salad.

Now for the last part of the taste puzzle, All Star has clever and tasty milkshakes. A combination of new inventions and retro classics. The Dreamsicle is a magnificent anachronism with 50’s flavor oozing out of each delicious sip. And the Apple Pie shake is off the charts: thick and very comforting. My first thought was “stupid good” and I rarely pull that one out. A serious compliment in the Balon vernacular. And then there’s the Smore shake: primal flavors from your childhood. I can almost see the campfire now and the chocolate bar and graham crackers. Wow!

All Star Burgers is conveniently located at the Galleria just down the drag from Dillards. It’s fun for families, couples, heck anyone with a taste for CLASSIC Americana will love this place!

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