Hot Dish Review

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

Following my inaugural Widespread weekend with B, we were coerced into brunch at Hobnob (will post when I receive the photos) after arriving back into Atlanta from the remote state of Cumming.

A shower washed off the makeup and the mud, but instead of tucking into my ridiculously comfortable and enormous bed, I ended up hopping in the car with LC and T to check out some football at Taco Mac. We chose (OK….I chose) the Metropolis location due to its proximity to T’s hotel, the Palomar. Known for their huge selection of specialty beers and wings, the space is big enough to comfortably seat 5 or 6 NFL teams with flat screens in every direction. I’ve tried their “death wings” in the past which are, needless to say, deadly hot.

The fried green tomato benedict called the “hangover helper” at Hobnob, plus the three mimosas, had perked me up quite nicely. Now at Taco Mac, I was craving onion rings. The three of us ordered the NEW! queso poblano, a bowl of melted white cheese with ground beef, poblanos, jalapenos, and cilantro in the center, served with a basket of not-so-good corn chips. Their salsa had a nice kick.

A couple of Miller Lites later, LC decided on the NEW! Buffalo chicken tacos. Among the choices of sides he got the fresh veggies. Why? You’re at a sports bar not a salad bar. Anyway, a bowl of chicken tortilla soup and a side of onion rings sounded like the perfect cure for me. T made the wise decision to get a cheeseburger, cooked medium. Then he made the bad call of apples on the side. WTF?

Food arrived but there was a flag on the play. LC dove into his broccoli as I pounced on the onion rings. It is possible (although a long shot) that his broccoli was better than my onion rings. With an ultra-thick breading, they were the kind that the slice of onion pulls out of the breading when you take a bite. Obviously frozen. I sent them back and ordered fries instead. I hated to do it but had to send the soup back as well because it was barely luke warm.

My soup came back piping hot and hopefully not with any unsavory additives. Corn, chicken, and some peppers and tomatoes in a stew-like broth was soothing and satisfying. Fries were delivered sizzling, straight out of the fryer. They were certainly better than the half-ass onion rings.

I took a bite of one of LC’s Buffalo chicken tacos, a flour tortilla filled with fried chicken nuggets tossed in hot wing sauce, blue cheese, cole slaw, and tomatoes. The chicken tenders weren’t spicy and I didn’t care for the blue cheese. Overall, they scored low. T offered me a bite of his cheeseburger which was the real winner of the day.

Another beer for dessert and we headed out, only moments away from my soft and fluffy bed. Game over.

Hot Summer days are best chilled down with a refreshing ice cold Miller Lite. After a few of those one might get a hankerin’ for a greasy cheeseburger.

Me and JD enjoyed a casual afternoon at Moe’s & Joe’s where the beers are cold and the burgers are better than standard bar fare. The place is a Virginia Highlands institution, complete with retro red vinyl booths (not out of intentional coolness but simply because they’re old) and wood paneling covered with graffiti. Its kitschy appeal draws a freakish variety of patrons, from rowdy college kids to sketchy neighborhood drunks. And us.

The Mo Jo Burger is their original burger, advertised as “served since 1947″ on the menu. It’s on the small size so it’s perfect for a snack, made with a juicy patty topped with melted cheese on a soft bun. Lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo complete the sandwich. I ordered mine with onion straws which were crispy and addictive.

Another Miller Lite, and another. Summer is awesome!

1033 N. Highland Ave. 404-873-6090

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.

Wow, this place brings back memories. Like Elmyr, it was a regular haunt for me and my roommate LR back in the day. We would snag a booth along the back wall and order proper gin martinis.

The Highland Tap is the only place in town, or anywhere for that matter, that knows how to serve a martini properly, with a sidecar in ice water. Just a small amount of the drink is poured into the glass for sipping, while the remainder is kept cold in the sidecar. Genius.

A fun afternoon Braves game, fueled by numerous Miller Lites, had me in an anything-goes mood. With the rest of the day off, that could be dangerous.

After an impromptu shopping frenzy at Urban Outfitters with B, we headed to the Tap for a cocktail. She ordered a spicy bloody mary with celery, peppers, olives….basically a salad for garnish, while I got my usual Bombay Sapphire, dry, straight up with olives.

I worked up an appetite with all that drinking and shopping, so I ordered the mini (5 oz.) steak burger, medium, with cheddar and bacon. Served with lettuce, tomato, and mayo, it was juicy and delicious. Enormous onion rings came with it, but their crumbly crust did not adhere to the onions, causing them to be half naked….not a bad state to be in, generally, but not so good for onion rings.

We chatted and closed out the afternoon with a final Miller Lite for me and a glass of Cloudline Pinot Noir for B, pricey at $13 a glass. Although relatively short, they have a solid wine list at the Tap. But for me, it’s all about the martini.

1026 N. Highland Avenue 404-875-3673

The last time me and ST went to Taco Mac it was for the NFL playoff games at the new Prado location. We ordered Three Mile Island wings which were hot and delicious! But we swore to order the hottest of the hot, Death, the next time.

Last weekend, at the original location in the Virginia Highlands, we ordered half TMI and half Death. Looked like Death just has some extra sauce. They were indeed crazy hot, but not too hot for us! Our lips were on fire, cooled off by the chunky blue cheese dressing and celery, followed by the ubiquitous Miller Lites. Fantastic crispy onion rings completed our dinner.

Try ‘em. I double dog dare you.

The promise of drunken comraderie is as much of a draw at ginormous sports bars as are the games. Taco Mac leads the way, with their extensive beer list, better than average bar food, plus tacos (naturally), and other Southwestern fare.

But the name belies the origin of this chain which originally began as a pub in the Virginia Highlands. A couple of guys from Buffalo, NY wanted to bring authentic Buffalo wings to Atlanta. Lacking funds, they chose a run-down taco stand, kept it’s original name, and soon customers were coming from all over town to try their famous wings.

Last Sunday me and ST met a couple of his buddies at the Taco Mac at The Prado for the Saints and Vikings playoff game. MT, the ladies man, and RC, the happily married nice guy.

After a treacherous drive in a torrential downpour, we were ready for a beer or three. Me and ST started off with Guinness. I always like to try something less pedestrian when there is an impressive selection like Taco Mac’s, so I ordered a Brooklyn Chocolate Stout. Served in a special glass, it was thick and rich with notes of coffee and chocolate.

And I was also ready for some food. Men love wings. Not sure why but they all do. Taco Mac serves seven flavors, from the mild Lemon Pepper to one simply called Death. MT, clearly a pussy, got some Lemon Pepper with his steak and onion rings, while the rest of us shared twenty pieces of the Three Mile Island, the fifth level of heat intensity. And hot they were! Cooled down with celery sticks dipped in chunky blue cheese dressing, these wings flew out of their basket, along with the thick and crispy onion rings.

It would simply be wrong to not get a couple of tacos at Taco Mac, right? I couldn’t resist the Los Cabos Fish Tacos since me and ST will be going there in July. Blackened tilapia with shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, and chipotle mayo were wrapped in soft flour tortillas. They were fishy. But the fries served with them were decent.

We washed it all down with multiple Miller Lites, Sierra Nevadas, and Heinekens as New Orleans continually matched Minnesota’s score, making for an exciting game. We left during the fourth quarter and I was sure we’d miss the end but when we got home, the score was 28 all in overtime. A 40 yard field goal decided the game, sending the Saints to the Superbowl.

There is something for everyone at Taco Mac including salads, burgers, burritos, wraps, and a kid’s menu. But you gotta get some wings! Next time, I’ll try Death.