Airport Grill

Located just off Giant Tire Parkway, home of Bridgestone and other awesome industry north of I-20, Airport Grill is named for a single-strip airfield known as Twin Lakes Air Park. It’s the only restaurant around and is popular among both blue collar workers and desk jockeys who are employed in the area, many of whom come for large take-out orders to bring back to colleagues.

If you are looking for kale salad or coulis of watermelon or single-origin anything, don’t come here. On the other hand, if you crave a juicy, two-fisted double-bacon cheeseburger piled with condiments and garnishes galore and accompanied by quality French fries, this is the place.

You can get chili on a burger, but for me, the fine-grind beef brew is redundant with beef patties. It is likeable chili — tomato-sweet, mild-mannered, nice on a hot dog and especially right when paired with melting orange cheese, like on chili cheese fries.

The crinkle-cuts used for chili-cheese fries are nothing special, but ruggedly flavorful French fries are available with burgers. Another good side dish spud is potato chips — thick and highly seasoned. Other crisp-fried options include sweet potato waffle fries and big, fat onion rings.

A recent visit yielded a surprisingly upscale daily special of tenderloin tips: tender chunks of beef, each medium rare as ordered (!) amongst a tangle of sauteed onions and red and green peppers, served with intensely flavorful brown gravy and a plate of buttered Texas toast. It cost about twice as much as the most deluxe burger, but was an indulgent meal to remember.