First Look: Big Foot Burgers and Brisket Queso at LSA Burger Grandscape

We've been ogling the new LSA Burger building for a while, whether it was while we caught a show at Lava Cantina, as we barreled north on Highway 121 or we spent an afternoon wandering through the Grandscape development in The Colony, which includes Nebraska Furniture Mart and a litany of restaurant choices.

And as of this month, LSA is finally open for business. The original LSA (it stands for Lone Star Attitude) has been a Denton standout since opening in 2013, with creative burgers anointed with names of famous Texas musicians. At LSA Grandscape, the same great flavors continue but the burgers are named for Texas towns instead of musicians. On a recent sunny Sunday, we snuck in for a taste.
LSA Grandscape is a big restaurant that oozes a relaxed vibe. It's a two-story affair, although seating in the upstairs loft is closed off until LSA hires enough staff to serve both upstairs and downstairs. We're excited to go back when the upstairs is open, if only to take in the portraits of famous Texans that line the walls. On the main floor, tables are spread comfortably apart, and a large bar dominates the back wall of windows, which will open up in nicer weather to a sprawling patio.

One thing you won't see are TVs hanging over the bar or tucked into every corner. LSA wants to be a family restaurant with a focus on the food, avoiding the tumble into the sports bar abyss. After trying some of the menu, that's a decision we wholeheartedly agree with.
At our waitress' suggestion, we started with the brisket queso ($10.25), which enthralled us with its gooey, yellow cheesiness. Plenty of brisket and a sweet barbecue sauce bump up the wow factor for your tastebuds, and warm tortilla chips admirably hold their crunch under each scoop of queso.

Burgers are still the highlight at LSA, for good reason. The $14.25 Bigfoot (yes, it's a Texas town) packs a perfectly medium-cooked 44 Farms beef patty blanketed with Havarti cheese and LSA's "snake venom" pepper sauce, with lettuce, tomato, mayo and avocado to cool some of the peppery heat. It's a two-handed messy affair and everything you want your burger to be.

We also tried the slightly healthier turkey burger ($12.25). Think of it as a Bigfoot with arugula instead of pepper sauce, and you'd be close to the mark. We're not sure what kind of seasoning magic is going on in LSA's kitchen, but we found the turkey burger to have way more flavor than we expected, and wouldn't shy away from ordering the poultry patty again if we wanted to watch our red meat intake.
Fries are extra, but two people can easily share one order. We won't judge you if you don't order the garlic Parmesan fries ($5.25). Maybe you and your date plan on making out later, but everyone else should get on board with the perfectly crispy and fluffy potatoes, topped with enough garlic and Parmesan to kick up the flavor but not so much to be overpowering.

As mentioned, the upstairs isn't open yet because of staffing, and the restaurant is open only from Thursday to Sunday. During our visit, the crew seemed plentiful and were always friendly, and our waitress said expanded hours are on the way. We only hope the team is fleshed out quickly so we can pop back in for a midweek bite. For now, you'll need to carve out some time on your weekend to experience all the burger goodness that LSA Grandscape has to offer.

LSA Burger Grandscape, 4545 Destination Drive, The Colony. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Thursday; 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Friday – Saturday; 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sunday .