Lugnutz Burgers Are Nuts
What does it take to qualify a burger as nuts? Well, for one thing, it has to have something about it that just makes you shake your head while you whisper, "That's impossible."
Of course, for a burger to be nuts doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad burger--in fact, with Lugnutz, our main feature this week, I call their burgers nuts in the most respectful and approving way. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
This week involved more moving, a funeral, a wedding, work, etc. If I said last week was chaotic, I spoke too soon. Last week didn't hold a candle to this one in terms of the amount of work that had to be done. And as the busy days passed by, I feared Duy and I might not have the time to eat at a restaurant to review it. Luckily, we found the time, and though we were a bit rushed, we visited Lugnutz determined to get enough material for a blog post.
We drove up with our friend Hamish in the middle of the hot, East Texas afternoon, sweating and tired after a long day of rushing to move boxes full of clothing, and computers, and basically all of our stuff so that we would meet our May 31st deadline (we managed it, thankfully). I was beat, and not very hungry but as we pulled into Lugnutz's driveway, I thought of how good a nice, cold beer would be.
We pushed through the doors into a large, spacious, single-roomed establishment and sighed with relief just like everyone does during the summer when they leave the blistering heat and enter an air-conditioned room. The place looked rustic, with pool tables to one side, a wooden stage on another with Texas and American flags hanging over or painted into it, and a bar on the opposite side of the restaurant. In the middle were the tables and chairs where hungry diners would gravitate to start their dining experience. There was also a large patio in the back for people to just hang out.
We sat down. It was around 3:30 in the afternoon. Lugnutz was empty except for the staff and a few people playing pool. Loud rock and sometimes country blasted from the speakers. Our waitress came over and we ordered our drinks. Five minutes later, a large, cold glass of amber liquid was placed before me and nothing tasted better after a hard day's work than that distinct, sharp bitter taste of light beer.
We came at a bad time, though.
"I'm sorry guys," Clair, our waitress, said her face making that expression one often has when they have to tell others bad news. "Our chef changed her hours recently so she's still in prep and nothing is really ready to cook."
This was disappointing to me but only because this would have been the second time we tried coming to Lugnutz unable to try their food since the last time we tried the restaurant was closed off to the public due to a catering event they were running for around 150 bikers. I wanted to try this place, even if it meant waiting, but we couldn't wait forever. Hamish and I had somewhere to be by 5:30. I was starting to think this would be a bust again.
Duy looked at his watch, all business. "Go ahead and ask her if she can get food out by 4:35. That's the longest we can wait."
I glanced sideways at him. He was cutting it close.
Claire checked with the kitchen and before we knew it she was back, "She says she can do it."
Duy grinned knowingly. "Okay, we'll go ahead and order then. What do you recommend?"
Claire hopped onto the menu faster than an egg overcooking on a high-temperature pan. She looked over Duy's shoulder and pointed to several different items.
"Our bacon jalapeño dip is super good and our deep fried deviled eggs are a favorite--"
Deep fried deviled eggs? I love deviled eggs, I can eat them all day. But deep fried? Despite what I've always heard from others about deep frying making everything better, I'm a little skeptical on whether certain foods should be deep fried. But the item certainly piqued my curiosity.
"--as to our burgers, our Cowboy and bacon and cheddar cheese stuffed burger are the best on the menu," Claire finished.
We ordered all of them--Hamish ordered a crispy chicken sandwich--and reading their descriptions, I knew we were in for a good meal. The burgers sounded delicious and the appetizers were unique.
"I've got to warn you, though," Clair said, picking up our menus. "They come with a lot of food so be prepared."
I shrugged. This is Texas. Everything comes with a lot of food all the time. It isn't anything new. I would soon eat those thoughts (pun intended).
As we waited for our food to be prepared, Cade, the son of Lugnutz's owner, came to sit and chat with us for a little while. We learned while we spoke to him that this establishment was opened in 2009. They're a lot more busy during the school year than the summer, but they hold events to make up for that such as live performances, 16 oz. steak Thursdays, basically events that would inspire a gathering of the community.
Time passed and it was around 4:30 when our food came out. This long wait was understandable, seeing as we caught the chef off-guard.
First to come out was the bacon and jalapeño dip. Our waitress had compared it with an artichoke dip in terms of smoothness and creaminess so I was excited to try it because I love artichoke dip. The chips were a golden-brown color and hot, which told me they were fresh and just made. The dip was piping hot as well and looked mysterious. I could see bits of bacon, maybe a little jalapeño in it, but the top was so covered with cheese I couldn't see past it, so I was curious as to what I would find.
Dunking my chip into the dip I immediately noted the creaminess, enhanced by the melted cheese. Biting into it, there was no heat from the jalapeños, but rather an intense flavorful explosion as the perfectly cooked bacon mixed in with the crunch of the jalapeño, all of this tied together by the cheese.
"That's pretty good," Duy said, and I agreed readily.
Then our entrees came out. Duy and I never got to try Hamish's sandwich, so we can't give an opinion on their sandwiches, which is why I am going to draw all of my attention to these burgers. These burgers were massive. Rarely in my life have I seen a bigger one. It was such a big size that my first thought wasn't how good it looked, but rather how the heck am I going to fit that in my mouth?
I pressed down on it to try to shrink it and juice gushed out of the meat (and my mouth). I managed to compress the burger a little bit, but I still had to open my mouth as wide as I could to fit the first bite in. I felt like a snake, the way my jaw seemed to dislocate in order to open that wide.
The brioche buns were soft, the vegetables a fresh contrast to the meaty double patty. The burger was as juicy as it looked and my taste buds rejoiced and danced around the savory flavors like it was a bonfire. The burger was good, but there was something missing--the bacon and cheese stuffing. I shrugged, it was only the first bit and I'd barely scraped the edge. I figured with more bites I would reach the highly anticipated stuffed center. A few more bites later I lifted the top patty from the bottom to see what was in between them.
There was plenty of bacon but very little cheese. It's a personal preference because I absolutely love cheese, but I had hoped for more to be stuffed inside the burger so that it gushed out, not unlike a runny egg, when I bit into it. Still, all in all it was a very good burger. The meat was cooked perfectly, the buns were soft on the outside and toasted on the inside. And of course, while I've said much about the burger being a monster (which is why I call these burgers nuts) the sheer size of it makes the cost of the meal worth it, easily. You definitely get the burger you pay for and then some.
As to Duy's cowboy burger, which was just as enormous, it looked vastly different from mine. It was even harder to eat. Sauce dripped everywhere, strips of bacon poked out from every angle, it looked like an impossible task to angle one's mouth around it and come away clean. I was soon proven correct as Duy took his first bite and put the burger down, his lips and chin and cheeks covered in brown sauce.
He looked at me, chewing heartily. "Can I have a napkin, please?"
I laughed and ripped him several strips from the nearby roll.
Once he had swallowed, he gave his synopsis, "The burger itself is good, bacon's good, but man--that's a monster to eat," he chuckled as he tried to angle his mouth in for another bite. Reader be warned: if you order this cowboy burger, be ready to eat like a cowboy, because it's a messy burger and you will come away from it it with a full belly, sticky fingers, and more than likely a sticky face.
The fries that came with our burgers were nicely cut and cooked to a perfect golden brown so that they weren't too crunchy or too soft, but just right. Unfortunately, they were under-seasoned. Duy and I can place the blame for this mistake on the rush the chef had to undergo to get our meals ready. Cooking three entrees and one appetizer right off the bat before you're even done with prep has to be challenging, but the chef did a fabulous job with getting our food out. Slight oversights like under-salted fries are to be expected, and while they were under-seasoned, I think it is important to note again how well they were cooked. On a normal day--that is, when orders come in after prep is finished--I'm sure the fries are to die for.
Claire came up to us, "I'm sorry about this guys, but the deep fried deviled eggs aren't going to be ready in time."
"Aw!" I said, I had been looking forward to that dish. But, again, it's understandable. We just had bad luck and timing with coming to Lugnutz this week. We intend on going
back sometime to try those deviled eggs and maybe even that 16 oz. steak that Cade said would melt in our mouths. Until then, though, our judgment of this establishment is that their burgers are fantastic, but I would still venture to call them a little nuts, too.
***
Ratings
Atmosphere -------- 3
Service ------------- 3
Food ---------------- 4
Presentation ------- 3.5
Pricing: Very well priced
Would return? Sure!
Would recommend? Yes
***
 |
| Lugnutz, off of US-59, near Nacogdoches, Tx |
This week involved more moving, a funeral, a wedding, work, etc. If I said last week was chaotic, I spoke too soon. Last week didn't hold a candle to this one in terms of the amount of work that had to be done. And as the busy days passed by, I feared Duy and I might not have the time to eat at a restaurant to review it. Luckily, we found the time, and though we were a bit rushed, we visited Lugnutz determined to get enough material for a blog post.
We drove up with our friend Hamish in the middle of the hot, East Texas afternoon, sweating and tired after a long day of rushing to move boxes full of clothing, and computers, and basically all of our stuff so that we would meet our May 31st deadline (we managed it, thankfully). I was beat, and not very hungry but as we pulled into Lugnutz's driveway, I thought of how good a nice, cold beer would be.
 |
| Lugnutz will sometimes host live performances |
We sat down. It was around 3:30 in the afternoon. Lugnutz was empty except for the staff and a few people playing pool. Loud rock and sometimes country blasted from the speakers. Our waitress came over and we ordered our drinks. Five minutes later, a large, cold glass of amber liquid was placed before me and nothing tasted better after a hard day's work than that distinct, sharp bitter taste of light beer.
We came at a bad time, though.
"I'm sorry guys," Clair, our waitress, said her face making that expression one often has when they have to tell others bad news. "Our chef changed her hours recently so she's still in prep and nothing is really ready to cook."
This was disappointing to me but only because this would have been the second time we tried coming to Lugnutz unable to try their food since the last time we tried the restaurant was closed off to the public due to a catering event they were running for around 150 bikers. I wanted to try this place, even if it meant waiting, but we couldn't wait forever. Hamish and I had somewhere to be by 5:30. I was starting to think this would be a bust again.
Duy looked at his watch, all business. "Go ahead and ask her if she can get food out by 4:35. That's the longest we can wait."
I glanced sideways at him. He was cutting it close.
Claire checked with the kitchen and before we knew it she was back, "She says she can do it."
Duy grinned knowingly. "Okay, we'll go ahead and order then. What do you recommend?"
Claire hopped onto the menu faster than an egg overcooking on a high-temperature pan. She looked over Duy's shoulder and pointed to several different items.
"Our bacon jalapeño dip is super good and our deep fried deviled eggs are a favorite--"
 |
| Lugnutz's menu |
"--as to our burgers, our Cowboy and bacon and cheddar cheese stuffed burger are the best on the menu," Claire finished.
We ordered all of them--Hamish ordered a crispy chicken sandwich--and reading their descriptions, I knew we were in for a good meal. The burgers sounded delicious and the appetizers were unique.
"I've got to warn you, though," Clair said, picking up our menus. "They come with a lot of food so be prepared."
I shrugged. This is Texas. Everything comes with a lot of food all the time. It isn't anything new. I would soon eat those thoughts (pun intended).
As we waited for our food to be prepared, Cade, the son of Lugnutz's owner, came to sit and chat with us for a little while. We learned while we spoke to him that this establishment was opened in 2009. They're a lot more busy during the school year than the summer, but they hold events to make up for that such as live performances, 16 oz. steak Thursdays, basically events that would inspire a gathering of the community.
Time passed and it was around 4:30 when our food came out. This long wait was understandable, seeing as we caught the chef off-guard.
 |
| Bacon and jalapeño dip |
First to come out was the bacon and jalapeño dip. Our waitress had compared it with an artichoke dip in terms of smoothness and creaminess so I was excited to try it because I love artichoke dip. The chips were a golden-brown color and hot, which told me they were fresh and just made. The dip was piping hot as well and looked mysterious. I could see bits of bacon, maybe a little jalapeño in it, but the top was so covered with cheese I couldn't see past it, so I was curious as to what I would find.
Dunking my chip into the dip I immediately noted the creaminess, enhanced by the melted cheese. Biting into it, there was no heat from the jalapeños, but rather an intense flavorful explosion as the perfectly cooked bacon mixed in with the crunch of the jalapeño, all of this tied together by the cheese.
"That's pretty good," Duy said, and I agreed readily.
Then our entrees came out. Duy and I never got to try Hamish's sandwich, so we can't give an opinion on their sandwiches, which is why I am going to draw all of my attention to these burgers. These burgers were massive. Rarely in my life have I seen a bigger one. It was such a big size that my first thought wasn't how good it looked, but rather how the heck am I going to fit that in my mouth?
 |
| My burger: The Bacon and Cheddar Cheese Stuffed Burger |
 |
| Duy's burger: The Cowboy Burger |
I pressed down on it to try to shrink it and juice gushed out of the meat (and my mouth). I managed to compress the burger a little bit, but I still had to open my mouth as wide as I could to fit the first bite in. I felt like a snake, the way my jaw seemed to dislocate in order to open that wide.
The brioche buns were soft, the vegetables a fresh contrast to the meaty double patty. The burger was as juicy as it looked and my taste buds rejoiced and danced around the savory flavors like it was a bonfire. The burger was good, but there was something missing--the bacon and cheese stuffing. I shrugged, it was only the first bit and I'd barely scraped the edge. I figured with more bites I would reach the highly anticipated stuffed center. A few more bites later I lifted the top patty from the bottom to see what was in between them.
There was plenty of bacon but very little cheese. It's a personal preference because I absolutely love cheese, but I had hoped for more to be stuffed inside the burger so that it gushed out, not unlike a runny egg, when I bit into it. Still, all in all it was a very good burger. The meat was cooked perfectly, the buns were soft on the outside and toasted on the inside. And of course, while I've said much about the burger being a monster (which is why I call these burgers nuts) the sheer size of it makes the cost of the meal worth it, easily. You definitely get the burger you pay for and then some.
As to Duy's cowboy burger, which was just as enormous, it looked vastly different from mine. It was even harder to eat. Sauce dripped everywhere, strips of bacon poked out from every angle, it looked like an impossible task to angle one's mouth around it and come away clean. I was soon proven correct as Duy took his first bite and put the burger down, his lips and chin and cheeks covered in brown sauce.
He looked at me, chewing heartily. "Can I have a napkin, please?"
I laughed and ripped him several strips from the nearby roll.
Once he had swallowed, he gave his synopsis, "The burger itself is good, bacon's good, but man--that's a monster to eat," he chuckled as he tried to angle his mouth in for another bite. Reader be warned: if you order this cowboy burger, be ready to eat like a cowboy, because it's a messy burger and you will come away from it it with a full belly, sticky fingers, and more than likely a sticky face.
 |
| Our full table (including Hamish's Chicken Sandwich |
Claire came up to us, "I'm sorry about this guys, but the deep fried deviled eggs aren't going to be ready in time."
"Aw!" I said, I had been looking forward to that dish. But, again, it's understandable. We just had bad luck and timing with coming to Lugnutz this week. We intend on going
back sometime to try those deviled eggs and maybe even that 16 oz. steak that Cade said would melt in our mouths. Until then, though, our judgment of this establishment is that their burgers are fantastic, but I would still venture to call them a little nuts, too.
***
Ratings
Atmosphere -------- 3
Service ------------- 3
Food ---------------- 4
Presentation ------- 3.5
Pricing: Very well priced
Would return? Sure!
Would recommend? Yes
***
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