The burger: There's a reason why Byte owners Mark Lowman and Travis Shaw have a patty melt on the menu at their Warehouse District counter-service newbie, and it can be boiled down to a single word: expediency.
Rather than deal with procuring a proper bun for a burger, they're maximizing what's already on hand, namely a Pullman-style loaf of white bread.
Efficiency is also the reason behind the double-patty format. "Faster cooking times," said Lowman.
Those two patties – juicy, firmly packed Angus, taken to a uniform medium – add up to a hefty dose of beef.
It's even juicier thanks to the cheese. Instead of slices, Lowman and Shaw liberally bathe each patty in a Bechamel sauce that's enriched with Cheddar ("And we throw in a little bit of nacho cheese," said Lowman), followed by a layer of thick-cut onions that have been slowly caramelized to tender sweetness. It's a classic combination: Puritanically simple, tasty and so quick on the assembly side of the equation that this is one sandwich that practically sprints out of the kitchen.
The menu labels the grilled bread as "Texas Toast," but that's a bit misleading; it's not sliced nearly thick enough to own that proud label. However, it's got the whole butter-the-heck-out-of-it thing going on, a quality that pretty much embodies all that is attractive about the Lone Star State's namesake bread product.
Here's another plus: the patty melt is available to midnight, Monday through Saturday, along with the rest of the globally inspired menu, which ranges from Korean- and Indian-themed rice bowls to chicken burritos. I'm guessing that the top-selling item is a pile of crisped-up Tater Tots buried under bacon, jalapenos, caramelized onions and queso. The universal appeal of Tater Tots strikes again.
Price: $9.50, which is the ceiling for this value-focused menu.
