Dallas is getting a new burger joint, this one from New York. Called Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, it's a global burger chain owned by husband-and-wife Chris Barish and Julie Mulligan, expanding within the United States.
That includes Dallas' Victory Park, at 2475 Victory Park Ln. #120, which seems to be on the ground floor of the new Victor Dallas residential building, where it will open in late 2022, serving burgers and so-called world famous CrazyShake milkshakes. It'll be a debut not only for Dallas, but Texas, as well.
"With the city booming and continual demand from our fans for a Texas location, it’s the perfect time for us to open," Barish says in a release.
Barish is more than familiar with the Dallas area: In 2006, he opened Martini Park, one of his very first concepts, in Plano at the Shops at Legacy, and says he's excited to be returning.
Black Tap is their take on a classic burger joint, with a downtown New York vibe. The menu offers something for everyone, from signature burgers like the All-American with American cheese, to chicken sandwiches, salads, wings, and snacks.
Food
Their burgers have won awards and include:
- Greg Norman with Wagyu beef, blue cheese, and arugula
- Texan Burger, with bacon, cheddar, BBQ sauce, and an onion ring
- Italian-American inspired Mulberry Street burger, with provolone, hot cherry peppers, prosciutto, soppressata, roasted garlic aioli, and grated parmigiano-reggiano
- Wagyu Steakhouse Burger, with pepper jack cheese, bacon, crispy onions, and A1 sauce
They have a specific method for cooking their burgers, which they postulate keeps them juicy: They cook it on a griddle — never a grill!, they say — and flip it only once. "Then, we layer on two slices of cheese and serve it up on a perfect potato roll with lettuce, tomato, and a pickle on the side," they say. Whatever the results, you have to admire having a method.
There are also two salads, wings, fries with a dozen sauces, and starters that include chips & queso, fried pickles, teriyaki broccoli, and crispy Brussels sprouts with sesame-tahini.
Milkshakes
Their CrazyShake milkshakes are trademarked, and that's smart because there's probably a lot of restaurants that would want to be calling their milkshakes CrazyShake, too. By "Crazy," they mean crazy in the way that is useful for Instagram, such as a milkshake topped with a slice of birthday cake, a cloud of cotton candy, or Cookies "glued" to the side of the glass.
Whimsical and over-the-top flavors include:
- The CakeShake, featuring rainbow sprinkles, a funfetti cake slice, whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, and a cherry, which they have in limited quantity per day, just to ramp up the fervor
- Cookies ‘N Cream Supreme, with crushed Oreos, a cookies 'n cream sandwich, whipped cream, and chocolate drizzle
- Bam Bam Shake, with Fruity Pebbles rice krispie treat, strawberry pop tart, laffy taffy, whipped cream & a cherry
Beer
Craft beer is also a big part of their DNA. The name Black Tap refers to the black tap handles found at craft beer bars.
They pour mainstay classics, limited-edition Black Tap brews, rotating seasonal beers, and collaborations with local microbrewers.
Decor
Each location is unique, with its own cool style. Co-owner Julie Mulligan oversees the design, which she says in a statement will be infused a little Texas hospitality, original artwork and murals, and New York vibes.
The first Black Tap opened as a small 15-seat joint in New York's Soho neighborhood, but has since expanded to the West Coast with locations in Las Vegas and Anaheim at the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort, and also internationally to Dubai, Geneva, Zurich, Verbier, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Bahrain.
Black Tap Dallas will be followed by Black Tap openings in Nashville in late 2022, and Miami in early 2023. Great great, but who cares about them, they're not in Texas.
