THE EARL

He says:
The Earl is a grungy bar in East Atlanta, the type of place where hipsters on laptops and 300-pound bikers in head-to-toe leather sit in adjacent booths. The paint-chipped walls are covered with the sort of tchotchkes you'd find in your crazy uncle's garage: plastic Mr. T busts, rusted tricycles, decapitated dolls ... you get the idea.

I had heard the Earl had one of the best burgers in town, and I wasn't disappointed. The Guacamole Burger was a simple yet superb creation: the creamy avocado and zingy cheddar blended perfectly with the juiciness of the Angus beef. What I like about the Earl is the attention paid to the small details. The toasted hamburger bun with a light spread of butter. The wondrously crunchy beer-battered onion rings, large enough to fill you up but not so large they feel like donuts. The waiter noticing how Uptown Girl and I were halfway through our Cokes and bringing out a fresh pitcher.

She says:
And the tasty cranberry dill sauce that came with my sweet potato fries. It's a great dipping sauce--Downtown Boy couldn't stop raiding my plate.

The black bean burger I had was fine, but nothing special. At least it wasn't mushy, which is important in a black bean burger. There were two other vegetarian options that could be worth a try someday, but honestly, I think I'd rather just go to the Vortex.

We say:
The Earl isn't trying to reinvent bar food, but it does get the little things right.

He says:



She says:



The Earl
488 Flat Shoals Road, East Atlanta, GA. 30316
http://www.badearl.com/