Hot Dish Review

Atlanta doesn’t have many options for dining after 10pm. Five years ago, Top Flr opened and was among the first to offer kickass food until midnight, otherwise one had to resort to Waffle House or Krystals. These days, there are a handful of newish trendy pubs and restaurants that serve a late-night menu like Ormsby’s and Barcelona.

And then there’s The Highlander, our neighborhood dive bar that caters to the rock ‘n’ roll crowd, college students, and some local characters. The menu is as diverse as their patrons with starters ranging from crab au gratin to corn dog bites. Unexpected entrees like the curried goat and Asian marinated hangar steak are a freaky contrast to more common dishes like beef stroganoff and fish ‘n’ chips.

After an evening of live music at The Red Light Cafe with LC and my friends AA and SP, the four of us headed to The Highlander for a late late dinner. AA was ravenous and ordered the fish ‘n’ chips with fries. LC and I had snacked on a chicken wrap with potatoes while listening to Alchemy Road (that’s them in the upper left photo) so we decided to split something “light”, a spinach salad and a bowl of chili. SP, who is more disciplined than any of us, ordered a healthy salad with grilled chicken.

Our spinach salad was substantial, with a generous handful of chewy bacon pieces and crumbled blue cheese. The chili was quite spicy, topped with cheese and scallions, and strangely served in a disposable pie tin. LC and I love spicy food, but we decided that it’s best eaten earlier in the evening after a long night of heartburn. Problem is, I rarely walk through the doors of The Highlander before midnight.

Unless I’m playing Nudie MegaTouch with AD.

931 Monroe Drive 404-872-0060