Hot Dish Review

The days leading up to my trip to Louisville were filled with pink dresses and frou frou hats. I was on a mission. Now all I had to do was find silk flowers, ribbon, and bits of crafty stuff to attach to the hats to make ‘em worthy of the Kentucky Derby.

After a rather brilliant hat purchase at Ross, I found myself ravenous. It was nearly 3:00pm and I just couldn’t imagine dealing with Michael’s without a bite to eat first. Luckily, there was Smashburger nearby, one of many, many new burger joints I had yet to visit.

Much like Yeah! Burger, guests order at the counter, however, the menu is a bit more limited….and less organic. It offers a few regular selections or you can build your own sandwich with an Angus beef pattie or a chicken filet with a variety of toppings to choose from. Too hungry to be creative, I went for the tried and true burger with cheddar, bacon, lettuce, and mayo.

It was hard to resist the sweet potato fries, but I kept myself in check. And thankfully too, since they are sprinkled with garlic. Why? I was given a number and took a seat in a booth. The bare-bones red and white decor fits the burger chain’s casual atmosphere. My burger arrived open-faced, all smashed flat and gloriously greasy, draped with melted cheese. Two thick and chewy slices of bacon formed a cross on top. After a couple of bites I discarded half the bun to save more calories. Make sense? If not, you are not a chick.

Good and fast….isn’t that what fast food is supposed to be? My last trip to McDonald’s drive-through (which by the way is the epitome of laziness) got me a dry, tasteless, filet-o-fish. If I stop by Smashburger again I’ll try the Spicy Baja burger or the Avocado Club. But before I do that, I need to try Five Napkin, Burger Tap, Grindhouse, and Farm Burger. Heck, I haven’t even made it to Ann’s Snack Bar and it’s supposed to be the best burger in the damn country!

With a burger in my belly, my visit to Michael’s was a success. The next day we were off to the races!

2625 Piedmont Road NE 404-237-2374

News from Alyssa at The Reynolds Group:

FLIP named Best Lunch by Maxim Magazine in Food + Drink Awards 2011

ATLANTA (July 18, 2011) – FLIP is proud to announce that Maxim magazine has ranked it the nation’s best lunch in the “Five Best Lunches” category of its 2011 Food + Drink awards! This annual list compiles the best breakfasts, lunches and dinners nationwide as voted on by chefs, celebrities and Maxim readers. FLIP was named for its gourmet kobe beef burger and its krispy kreme and nutella + burnt marshmallow milkshakes. Check out the online article here and pick up August’s Food + Drink Awards issue.

FLIP is a modern hamburger boutique offering “fine dining between two buns.” The menu, developed by concept chef Richard Blais, redefines the classic hamburger. FLIP has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine magazine, The New York Times, CNN and Forbes.com. Located on the Westside of Atlanta at 1587 Howell Mill Road, at the Summit Birmingham at 214 Summit Blvd in Alabama, and in the Buckhead community of Atlanta at 3655 Roswell Road, Suite 300, FLIP is a contemporary space that incorporates elements of fine dining with a creative, raw energy. Open for lunch and dinner daily from Monday – Thursday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday – Saturday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

After months of driving by the Yeah! Burger on the corner of N. Highland and Virginia on my way to some other restaurant, I finally had the chance to dine there with LC and his daughter TC, who we had just picked up at the airport.

I love the fresh retro-modern decor. Guests order at the register then take a seat and wait for their drinks and burgers to be delivered. Only problem with this system is Yeah! Burger ain’t no McDonald’s. There are thousands of sandwich combinations and a multitude of sauces, sides, and extras so you may end up behind some dude that didn’t look at the menu before getting to the cashier.

Unlike a fast food joint, Yeah! Burger serves alcohol. Great, except their selection is weirdly bad. I ordered an organic Bison IPA to go with my organic grass-fed bison burger, on a wheat bun with with pepper jack, lettuce, grilled onions, avocado, mayo, and bacon jam.

LC decided on a grass-fed beef patty on a whole wheat bun with cheddar, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, and jalapenos and a PBR draft. We split a side of fifty-fifty….half buttermilk battered onion rings and half hand-cut fries. As soon as I saw fried pickles on the menu, I knew he would order those too.

The little chick wasn’t hungry, just nibbling on fries and pickles while we scarfed down our burger. I only ate half my bun and was pleasantly surprised to discover my burger was cooked medium, not well. When Doty opened the first location, all burgers were cooked through. Now the menu says they are cooked medium, and well-done on request. Rare is not an option. LC’s burger was well done, although he didn’t specify.

My burger wasn’t as good as I remembered. It was difficult to distinguish the meat from the bun. It was all brown. Maybe the bun was too soft. My toppings lacked flavor, except the amazing bacon jam. LC only got two slices of jalapeno and they, too, didn’t have much kick, so he requested more, which were much spicier. Our sides were a little on the greasy side, but hell, they were all fried.

In addition to burgers, Yeah! Burger also offers hot dogs, salads, kiddie meals, and milkshakes made with High Road Craft Ice Cream, a local specialty ice cream company that recently opened their production facility on a limited basis to the public. A visit is on my to-do list!

At around ten bucks a burger plus two sides and two beers, our total was $35. Despite the price and the minor glitches, I really appreciate having this healthier alternative in Atlanta and consider Yeah! Burger one of the best!

1017 N. Highland Ave. 404-437-7845

At the last regular season Falcons game, LC had tickets for the suite. Nice, except we share with folks from other companies and therefore, no one orders food or drinks.

Rather than go down (and back up) two flights of stairs over and over, I ordered a six pack of Miller Lite to be delivered to the suite. With tax and the delivery charge plus a small tip it was $40. No joke.

After drinking a few of my high-dollar beers, we headed downstairs for a bite to eat. I was craving a burger, as I often do, so we got in line for cheeseburgers. They were already cooked so there was no choice on temp. Servers behind the counter added toppings per order….the usual suspects, lettuce, tomato, onions. Condiments could be added at the “condiment island” that serves all of the restaurants in the lobby of The Dome.

Our burgers were extra-thick with two slices of melted American cheese. They were good and juicy despite being well-done. I discarded the top of my bun and slathered mayo on the bottom. Better than average.

We got one big order of fries to share. They were fried twice for extra crispness. Again, better than average.

Back in the suite we finished off the six pack and watched the Falcons clench home field advantage for the playoffs!

GO FALCONS!

Rather than the leisurely dining experience we had planned on prior to Cirque du Soleil, several unfortunate incidents forced me and LC to rush to get a bite to eat instead.

Once at Atlantic Station, we ran into the closest place that served food, the Fox Sports Grill. With a mere thirty minutes to order and eat, we quickly requested two beers.

LC’s default is set on chicken wings and mine is usually burgers so their appetizer combo that included both was an easy choice. Two kobe sliders with caramelized onions and garlic mayo, two Buffalo chicken sliders, six Buffalo wings with celery and blue cheese, and a stack of thick-cut onion rings.

When our beers came LC made a brilliant executive decision. Two lemon drops, please. Cheers!

Food came in five minutes flat. In my haste, I failed to add cheese to the sliders, however, they still hit the spot. The batter on the onion rings was quite thick, falling off the enormous onion slices. Wings were nothing to write home about and Buffalo tenders made into sliders were even less interesting. All in all, it was passable sports bar fare. Like all quickies, it served the purpose but was, in the end, just not very satisfying.

By the way, Cirque du Soleil’s Ovo was fantastic. It was about the magical world of insects, if insects were incredible acrobats with their own string section.

261 19th Street NW 404-207-1369

Me and the Bunny have stopped at Krystal’s for cheeseburgers on the drive home from Florida the past two years and were planning on it again this year when I saw the Steak ‘n’ Shake sign. Curiously, I had never eaten at a Steak ‘n’ Shake. But after several hours of stop and go traffic on I-75 both of us were ready for a break.

I considered going to Wendy’s. I love their single with cheese. Yet I was compelled to try something new so I ordered the exact same burger, with lettuce, onion, and mayo, at Steak ‘n’ Shake to compare.

My first reaction was that the sandwich appeared to be smaller than a Wendy’s single. Wendy’s uses better lettuce, and more of it, plus their beef patty is more substantial. The steak burger did have a good flavor, much like Wendy’s. I liked the shoestring fries, but they didn’t beat McDonald’s for flavor and crunch. Wendy’s comes in second in the fries department.

Checking out the websites to compare nutritional information, I discovered that Steak ‘n’ Shake’s single steak burger with cheese has fewer calories (which explains the smaller appearance), just 330 (probably 370 with mayo), compared to Wendy’s single with cheese at around 520. I say around 520 because Wendy’s website, despite its user-friendly appearance, is a frustrating mindf*ck. It offers the option to personalize your sandwich for specific calorie and nutritional information, but the widget doesn’t work properly. After six attempts, I gave up. I thought my outdated work PC may be to blame for the website issues, however, I encountered the same problems at home.

I did manage to get the scoop on Wendy’s fries, the small serving containing a whopping 320 calories….ouch! Steak ‘n’ Shake’s small fries came in at 240 for a meal total of 610 calories. Not horrible. Plus, their website was easy to navigate.

Altogether, not a bad burger experience, but I would give the edge to Wendy’s for overall taste. The Bunny really enjoyed her bites of meat, eaten off the receipt (see photo evidence). But these days, with all the awesome gourmet burger joints like YEAH! Burger, Flip, and Farmburger, it’s getting mighty hard to eat fast food.

If you find yourself travelling up (or down) GA 400 and you get the hankerin’ for a burger, stop in at Red Robin in Cumming, a chain that originated in Washington in the 1940′s, recently opening several stores in Georgia suburbs.

After our trip to Oktoberfest in Helen a few weeks ago, me, LC and his family stopped in for dinner on our way back to Atlanta.

I love a good cheeseburger. Lately I’ve become quite fond of the grassfed organic variety at YEAH! Burger. And Wendy’s single with cheese, mayo, lettuce, and onion will always have a place in my heart. Red Robin is all about burgers, in fact “Gourmet Burgers” is their tagline.

The four of us grabbed a table, drooling over the mouthwatering menu of fancy burgers. With creations like the Burnin’ Love Burger topped with pepper jack, salsa, and crispy fried jalapenos, it was a difficult decision.

After some debate, LC and I decided to split the Guacamole Bacon Burger, a juicy beef patty layered with melted pepper jack (substituted for Swiss which makes no sense on this burger), lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mayo, and of course, guacamole and chewy bacon. If you’ve ever heard a Red Robin commercial, the jingle simply says “Red Robin….yuuuummmm”. Now I see (and taste) why! I like the way they wrap them in paper, the steam making the cheese all gooey and the bun soft. It really was a great burger, although I would prefer organic grassfed beef.

Along with burgers we shared an order of fried appetizers/sides….fried jalapeno slices, onion rings, and French fries. I could have done without the whole lot. The fries were cut too thick and not crispy enough, and the onion rings were extremely greasy as were the jalapenos. A Miller Lite washed down the grease and cooled the burn from the peppers, which were actually nice and spicy.

Although Red Robin has that appeals-to-everyone chain atmosphere, it was certainly several notches above fast food.

There are also salads, wraps, and entrees on the menu but why stray from the house specialty when they are so darn delicious? Stick with a burger and you’ll say “yuuuummmmm” too.

370 Peachtree Parkway 770-781-0200

Great news from McCall at Melissa Libby…..I’ve been drooling every morning as I drive by the site on the corner of Virginia and N. Highland just thinking about their yummalicious extra-cheesy burgers!
Click here to read my post on the original location.

YEAH! BURGER TO OPEN SECOND LOCATION IN VIRGNIA-HIGHLAND THIS NOVEMBER

Organic, Eco-Friendly Burger Restaurant Brings Convenient, Customizable Cuisine to Charming Intown Atlanta Neighborhood

ATLANTA (October 13, 2010) – On Thursday, November 4, nationally-acclaimed chef Shaun Doty of Shaun’s in Inman Park and entrepreneur Erik Maier will open their second location of YEAH! BURGER in Atlanta’s vibrant Virginia-Highland neighborhood. The duo opened their first location of YEAH! BURGER this past June within the White Provision development in West Midtown. YEAH! BURGER re-imagines the classic American burger joint as a fast-casual eatery committed to sustainability and natural and organic ingredients, and was recently named one of Bon Appétit’s Top 10 favorite burger spots in the United States.

Now, Atlantans craving a casual, eco-friendly dining experience in Virginia-Highland can get their fill of the restaurant’s customizable burgers, nitrate-free hot dogs, hand-cut French fries and onion rings, organic salads, Straus Family Creamery organic ice cream and gluten-free offerings.

“We’ve had a very positive response from guests at our Westside location and we’re excited to begin serving the Virginia-Highland community,” says Maier. “We believe our natural and organic food, socially-responsible business practices and fast-casual format will be a great fit for the neighborhood.”

With YEAH! BURGER’s fast-casual format, customers place their order at the counter and their food is delivered to the table shortly thereafter. The restaurant also features a convenient carry-out counter where guests can easily grab a quality, customized meal on-the-go. Chef Doty, known for his ingredient-driven cuisine and simple preparations, has created a menu with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options for diners with special dietary needs. Providing guests with the ability to customize their food is very important to Doty, who serves monthly gluten-free dinners at his eponymous restaurant in Inman Park.

“It’s important to me to give my guests options that fit their lifestyle,” says Doty. “YEAH! BURGER’s built-to-order menu allows our customers to create food to fit their desired flavor profile or diet.”

In honor of Labor Day, I wanted to post something helpful for all you grillers. I’ve discovered Sommers Organic Extra Lean Burgers in the frozen meat department at Publix (or was it Kroger?), and they rock!

Each package contains four 1/4 lb burgers, individually wrapped for convenience. The cattle aren’t shot full of hormones to make them grow bigger faster or antibiotics to control the infections caused by feeding them corn. In fact, they are actually grass fed, like the burgers at Yeah! Burger.

I’m really happy that Americans are finally becoming aware of the dangers of antibiotics and hormones used in foods, and making educated choices about what they put into their mouths. The trendy organic, sustainable restaurants are making an impact. If you haven’t seen it already, please watch Food, Inc. It is amazing the shit our government allows to be put in food….nasty fillers, chemicals. All to protect big pharmaceutical companies that line their pockets. It’s disgusting.

Back to Sommers burgers. I’ve made a few in a skillet, about 3 minutes per side for a perfectly juicy medium burger. At only 130 calories per patty, they are as friendly to your waistline as they are to the environment. The nutritional breakdown is 25 grams of protein, 3 grams of fat, and 2 grams of carbs.

I eat mine bunless on a bed of lettuce and tomato, with pepperjack and caramelized onions. What do you put on your burger? Try Sommers and tell me what you think!

Happy Labor Day!

Shaun Doty and Erik Maier’s long anticipated burger joint officially opens today! B joined me last night for a pre-opening tasting of their custom-made burgers and sides.

Doty, who has drawn much attention with his gluten-free dinners at Shaun’s in Inman Park, will be offering burgers served on gluten-free buns and gluten-free fries too at YEAH! Burger. Everything on the menu is organic from the meat to the lettuce. I am impressed.

Partner Erik Maier greeted me when I arrived and seemed genuinely excited about the concept. I imagine YEAH! Burger will enjoy the same intense popularity as Blais’ burger bar Flip has down the street, fueled by a media frenzy and facebook postings circulating among Atlanta’s in-crowd.

YEAH! Burger is a bit less frou-frou than Flip. Guests order at the counter and take a number then find a table on the spacious patio or in the dining room furnished with stainless steel tables. Fun murals add a dash of color to the modern dining room and bar area.

Diners design their own burgers, choosing from grass-fed beef, grass-fed bison, organic chicken, organic turkey, or an organic veggie patty. Buns are made by Holeman and Finch…..Southern or gluten-free white, whole wheat. Or, skip the bun altogether and wrap your patty in lettuce.

Complete your sandwich with organic cheese and your choice of regular toppings like lettuce and tomato, or get all fancy with nitrate-free bacon and sunflower sprouts.

I ordered my beef burger with pepper jack, grilled Vidalias, bacon, and lettuce with tomato and avocado on the side, thinking all those toppings would get too sloppy. Guests can choose a sauce as well including tempting selections like bacon jam (hello!), honey mustard, and rooster sauce. The traditional Duke’s mayo for me please! Extra sauces are .50 cents each. The bacon jam was as good as it sounds, YEAH! sauce seemed like ketchup and mayo, but I could be wrong.

B ordered a bison burger on a gluten-free bun. We both would have ordered them cooked medium but all burgers here are cooked medium-well…..the eager staff promised they would be juicy. Bison and grass-fed beef are far less fatty than standard beef so I was curious how Doty was going to keep the meat from drying out. Why not cook them to order? Flip does a tartare so I’m assuming it is possible, especially since the meat is of the highest quality.

B chose blue cheese, grilled Vidalias, and avocado on her burger. We each ordered the fifty-fifty as a side….half buttermilk onion rings and half fries. They will offer sweet potato fries but unfortunately not last night. We also tried the red chili and the cole slaw.

Pints of Sweetwater 420 were delivered followed by our burgers and sides. Thick patties covered with melted cheese sat upon toasted buns. Crisp lettuce, perfect tomatoes, freshly cut avocado, chewy bacon….they looked delicious, but how would they stand up to other sandwiches in Atlanta’s burger boom?

OK, a big bite (note photo). Juicy, cheesy goodness! Crunchy onion rings and shoestring fries….hell YEAH! How do they keep the meat so juicy? I’m gonna need to know. B loved her burger too, we both ate every bite!

Made with beans and meat, the chili wasn’t spicy enough for us. The slaw was so light and fresh. B said it had cilantro in it so I dug in. But it wasn’t cilantro, it was mint which I usually cannot tolerate, but in this dish it was refreshing.

There are a few salads and all natural hot dogs too, but most folks will come for the burgers served on H & F’s practically famous buns. I even spotted Chef Linten Hopkins delivering them!

On the sweet side, Doty offers old-fashioned floats made with Boylan’s sodas, organic milkshakes (no foie gras here), and concoctions called Concretes made with soft-serve vanilla ice cream with your choice of creative mix-ins like chocolate covered coffee beans and peanut brittle. I would have ordered a dessert but Erik said the machines were off.

The verdict? Even more impressed. The second location on the corner of Virginia Avenue and North Highland is slated to open this Fall….can’t wait!

1168 Howell Mill Road at 14th Street, adjacent to the White Provisions complex.