BuzzBrews — The Diner Enthusiast

I don’t live in Dallas, but I traveled there via airplane recently on an American Airlines Airbus A321 jet. It was a nice plane. I like American’s in-flight color scheme and their entertainment system. I played a game called Bejeweled for two hours and ten minutes. I was not happy with the fact that I was unable to order a Belgian waffle on the flight.

I was hungry after landing. Gary Salmonside, the local Hertz attendant at DFW, told me that the best diner in Dallas was BuzzBrews in Deep Ellum. I’m happy to say that Gary was not wrong, although I can’t be sure he was right either. I haven’t been to all of the diners in Dallas.

The Diner Aesthetic

BuzzBrews is a Texas diner. It’s decor is deeply influenced by it’s rich Texican-Mexican heritage. There are neon beer signs, intentionally misplaced wood planks, and deep, wild west mahoganies. The look and feel of BuzzBrews was far from the usual aesthetics of the New York diners I frequent. The change of pace was delightful.

The Diner Enthusiast says: "Texas forever, Six."

The service

Everyone in Texas is friendly, including the staff at BuzzBrews. The water refills were well-timed, the food came out hot and quickly. I did find it strange that all of the coffees were self-serve, like what you’d find in a fine motel lobby. I was not a fan of that particular element of the service because my right foot does not work very well, and I don’t like to take unnecessary steps.

That said, I was impressed by the server’s ability to split the bill across multiple people. I am not on Venmo. If you’d like to send me money, please send it to my PO box.

The Diner Enthusiast says: "Alright, alright, alright. But weird coffee service."

The food

The food at BuzzBrews is tasty, and I mean that in the strongest sense of the word. Each dish is a messy, juicy amalgamation of sauces that blend into one beautiful product.

Here’s what I ordered:

Coffee, black
Huevos Rancheros, eggs over-easy
Griddle toast

~Coffee

As I said before, the coffee service at BuzzBrews is unusual. When you order coffee, you’re given an empty mug, at which point you must walk to the coffee station, where you’re free to choose from a variety of roasts. Although the coffee tasted fine, the setup put a bad taste in my mouth. And it hurt my foot.

~Huevos Rancheros

What a delicate dish. Crisp, yet soft tortillas. Eggs perfectly cooked over-easy. Tasty black beans with a sprinkling of cotija. A symphony of salsa verde and picante mixed on top that two-stepped perfectly with the egg yolk. Huevos has never been better.
I should also add that I liked the thick steak knife they gave me to eat my huevos with. Cutting through tortillas is not an easy task.

~Griddle toast

This was my first experience with griddle toast, the French toast of the southern states apart from Louisiana, where I'm told they still eat French toast. Griddle toast is not as thick as French toast, and it’s griddled. It’s like sweet Texas toast. I, personally, prefer French toast, but the plate of griddle toast at BuzzBrews had delicious accoutrements like crumbled walnuts and butter blobs.

The Diner Enthusiast says: "Houston, we have no problem. Except this is in Dallas."

The price

My social security benefits go far in Texas. The total bill came out to $16.97. I admit, I did split the griddle toast with my new friend Gary, but that’s still a far cheaper meal than I would have been able to get in New York.

The Diner Enthusiast says: "Clear eyes, full hearts, and a can't lose price."

CLosing remarks

When I landed in Texas, I was alone and hungry. But, after I left BuzzBrews, I had a new friend, the benefits of an employee discount at Hertz, and I was not hungry. I was not hungry at all.

Discussion points

Diners are not black and white. My goal is to discuss diners, not to review them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. I’ve left a few discussion points below to help start your conversations in the comments section.

Which menu item at BuzzBrews would Rick Perry most likely forget if he were asked to memorize it and then read it aloud?
Why did the bathroom at BuzzBrews have separate entrances for men and women even though they both opened into one shared, co-ed bathroom?
Do you think it’s okay for me to use Gary Salmonside’s employee discount at Hertz? He said it was okay.