FLIP BURGER BOUTIQUE

He says:
I didn’t think it could live up to the hype. I really didn’t. Soon after Richard Blais’s fabled run on Top Chef, the buzz surrounding his latest Atlanta project, Flip, reached hysterical proportions. When it finally opened in December of ‘08, the crowds were ready, and they were crazy. One of my coworkers had to drive over three times before she could even get a seat. Another stood in the parking lot for over 2 hours to get inside. And all this for a “glamburger”? Speaking from personal experience, gourmet hamburgers don’t usually hold a candle to greasy, old-school ones. They are too refined when they should be primal, too complex when they should be bold. Do I really want olive tapenade on my lamburger when a slice of bacon on a Five Guys Burger will do the trick?

As it turns out, yes, I do.

Flip is the real deal … a fun, trendy, and most important, delicious place to eat. It starts with the all white decor – white booths, white tables, white floors, white walls. Hell, even the TVs behind the bar are framed in white. Right off the bat, you know this place is not your usual burger bar. This place is different. And not in a zany, self-indulgent manner that afflicts restaurants like Two Urban Licks. It’s a good type of difference, one that suggests post-modernity, the deconstruction of the hamburger, and its reassembly at the hands of a sous vide ninja. Belying this stark minimalism though, Flip throbs with energy. Lively chatter bounces from the walls. Music videos blare from the TVs. The open kitchen bustles. This is a seriously fun place to eat.

She says:
Our adventure began with the liquid nitrogen milkshakes. The wacky flavors, ranging from krispy kreme to fois gras, reflect chef Blais’s imaginative bent on food. We appreciated his work early on at Element, where items like liquid nitrogen margaritas and carbonized octopus were the norm. I was definitely sad to see Element go. Happily, with Flip, Blais is still pushing the boundaries of fine dining.

The spicy chocolate mole milkshake is a rich and satisfying treat, the quality of the chocolate coming through with every slurp. The mole leaves the subtlest tickle in the back of your throat. As chocolate milkshakes go, it’s about as good as it gets. The nutella and burnt marshmallow milkshake is on another level. The sweet hazelnut chocolate ice cream is outstanding, particularly when coupled with the taste of a perfectly roasted marshmallow. (You know what I’m talking about… when the exterior is just barely burnt while the inside is soft and gooey?) A whole pile of torched marshmallows sit atop the shake like Marie Antoinette’s wig.

He says:
Indeed, the milkshakes began to undermine my tenet that simplicity rules in burger joints. My belief was fully shaken when I bit into the lamburger. So often lamb is overcooked and loses its flavor. Not this burger. Grilled medium-rare, the “lambiness” comes through loud and clear. Its fatty juices are balanced by the minced olive relish and fresh mint, which is in turn cut by the sweet raisin ketchup spread over the buttered brioche bun. Rich, salty, and sweet in perfect proportion, this is the finest glamburger I’ve ever had. It’s complex all right, and it works beautifully.

By the time I got to the fries with two dipping sauces, I was converted. Why dip such terrific spuds in plain old ketchup? Good God, man! Such simplicity is blasphemy! Instead, pair those golden brown fries with the smoky mayo for one of the best side dishes in Atlanta.

She says:
The tempura fried butternut squash are equally amazing. Like the fries, the squash is beautifully fried to get that satisfying crunch, plus it has the whole sweet/salty thing going on. The shrimp po boyger is executed more effectively than any real shrimp po boy I’ve had. The shrimp are chopped up and adhered together to form a dense patty that achieves a thick, burgery texture while maintaining the flavor of fresh shrimp. A slice of fried lemon and a slathering of mayo and Tabasco round out the dish.

The only thing that could possibly make this meal more perfect would be a sighting of the culinary wizard himself. You know, to brag to our friends about.

And then there he was, in a red t-shirt and his trademark spiky hair, delivering a plate of starters to the next table over. As soon as we saw him, Downtown Boy and I caught each other’s eye in excitement. A delicious meal and a celebrity sighting all in one lunch – does it get any better?

We say:
Believe the hype. It’s glamburger time.




Flip
1587 Howell Mill Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30318-7648
www.flipburgerboutique.com

ACROSS THE STREET

She says:
If I were to create my perfect neighborhood business district, it would look something like this... a funky independent coffee shop with fabulous baked goods, a romantic little Italian bistro, a cozy pub with yummy chowders, a cheap Pho shop, and a cute Mexican restaurant with a sunny patio that serves great summery drinks. Across the Street happens to be that cute Mexican restaurant. It’s the perfect neighborhood joint, right down to its appropriate name. (When Downtown Boy asked where it was, I answered “it’s across the street from Highland Bakery).

Across the Street has a small indoor space decorated with local art, but the patio is where the action is. With an outdoor bar, an overhang to protect against sudden rainstorms, and a pleasant view of the Freedom Parkway running path, it’s a terrific place to enjoy a margarita and mojito.

He says:
And that mojito is pretty darn terrific too. With fresh mint and lime, and a hypnotic balance of vodka and sugar, it’s the best mixed drink I’ve had all summer. Even better was the queso dip. Neither too goopy nor too thin, it comes with a hint of chili-infused heat that lifts it above all the other cheese dips I’ve tried in Atlanta. Along with the freshly made tortilla chips, I could eat it all day and night, it’s that good.

The chicken chimichanga is yet another winner. What it gives up in originality it more than make up for in size. Stuffed to the max with the usual suspects – black beans, corn, cheddar cheese – it’s roughly the size of a Chihuahua. I found the chicken breast within unusually tender, which was another plus.

She says:
I didn’t love the shrimp enchiladas, mostly because they are smothered in the exact same cheese sauce as the queso dip. It's good, but unoriginal. However, we both enjoyed the tres leches, a sweet, moist white cake made with three types of milk.

He says:
I admittedly have not been to many Mexican restaurants in Atlanta, but so far this place is my favorite.




She says:
The entrees may be hit or miss, but if we could transport Across the Street closer to our neighborhood, we’d be sitting on their patio every beautiful summer evening with summery drinks in hand.




Across the Street
668 Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312
http://across-the-street.com/default.aspx

ECCO

She says:
I’m mulling over the meal Downtown Boy and I had last week at Ecco during Midtown Restaurant Week, trying to capture the essence of our uninspiring dining experience. “Ecco… Ecco…” I repeat to myself. And then it strikes me: Ecco is perfectly named (albeit misspelled). It is a restaurant repeating something good, something strong and original, but is merely a reverberation, an act of mimicry, an echo, if you will, of better restaurants.

The interior has a classical touch of old Europe, which is appropriate for the “seasonally-inspired European cuisine” they serve (according to our waiter), but it mostly aims for the modern sophistication of newer restaurants with its open kitchen, long bar, and dim lighting. It’s a ubiquitous look, and if you’ve eaten at any upscale New American restaurant in the past year, then you’ve been here before.

He says:
The perpetual sense of déjà vu continues straight into the menu. The oak-grilled asparagus, drizzled in olive oil, has a nice smokiness but otherwise tastes exactly like the asparagus you cooked last night in your own kitchen.

The roasted organic chicken tastes, like, well, chicken. The breasts are well roasted and moist, but the salsa verde blanketing the chicken doesn’t add enough oomph to make this dish stand out.

Fortunately the steelhead is more interesting. This Atlantic trout is highly reminiscent of salmon due to its similar river/ocean life cycle. It is beautifully grilled, and the braised celery provides an earthy contrast to the dish’s overall butteriness.

She says: For me, the most original item was the fried goat cheese. The small balls of fried cheese have a salty outer shell, and are dipped in honey and sprinkled with black pepper. It provides a full symphony of flavors.

The chocolate terrine is like many other decadently rich flourless chocolate cakes, but I wasn’t complaining. Some things don’t need inspiration. It comes with large chunks of nut brittle that give the dish an interesting textural contrast, if not a break from the sweetness. For better or worse, I polished it off, while poor Downtown Boy reveled in his own skewed sense of dessert heaven, raving about the mushy bread pudding thing he was spooning up.

He says:
Oh dear. According to Uptown Girl, if it ain’t chocolate, it ain’t dessert. I liked my sour cherry bread pudding just fine. Like the chocolate terrine, it was a serviceable if unremarkable dessert.

We say:
Most people will like Ecco. The food is solid, and it’s a perfectly nice restaurant that won’t leave a hole in your wallet. But whenever we go we can’t help but get the feeling we’ve eaten these unoriginal dishes – in better incarnations – before.




Ecco 40 7th Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30308
http://www.ecco-atlanta.com/index.htm

TOP 10 ATLANTA RESTAURANTS FOR VISITORS

He says:
Uptown Girl recently sent me a Yelp reviewer’s list of Top 10 places to take visitors in Atlanta. I totally disagreed with it, but it got me thinking … If I had a new visitor in town, where should I take them? For me, it wouldn’t necessarily have to be best restaurants in the city; rather it should show off what makes Atlanta Atlanta, if you get what I mean. I challenged Uptown Girl to take 5 minutes to dash off a list of her Visitor Top 10 while I came up with my own.

Here’s my Top 10, in no particular order.

• Daddy D'z BBQ: BBQ in the South rocks, and this place rocks harder than most.
• Vortex: Atlanta excels at hamburgers, and the Vortex has some of the best. That, and a giant skull entrance.
• Six Feet Under: Fried catfish + city views from the balcony = perfection.
• Flying Biscuit: You need to have biscuits and grits in Atlanta, and this place has the best of both.
• Ria's Bluebird: In a city with great brunch spots, this is the best.
• Sun in my Belly: Top notch ingredients and dishes in one of the loveliest spaces in town.
• Alon's: The best croissants, cookies, and paninis around. Yum.
• Bacchanalia: Atlanta’s best restaurant deserves a spot on this list.
• The Earl: If only other restaurants put as much thought into their burgers as the Earl ….
• Morelli's Ice Cream: Flavors like coconut japaleno and ginger lavender make this a must visit.

She says:
Considering how frequently Downtown Boy and I disagree on most things, we were surprised to see how closely our lists matched. Both of our lists included …

• Ria’s Bluebird
• Flying Biscuit
• Bacchanalia
• Alon’s
• Six Feet Under
• Sun in my Belly
• The Vortex.

Here are my differing three:

• Taqueria del Sol: With such a sunny disposition, there are few days in Atlanta during which a selection of yummy soft-shell tacos (the fried chicken and fish tacos are my favs), fresh guac, and refreshing sangria don’t hit the spot.
• Watershed: This is about the only place you can find fried chicken and the traditional sides that don’t leave you feeling like you took a dip in a deep fryer.
• Two Urban Licks: Only for the fact that it is SO over the top! A visitor to Atlanta needs to understand this city’s wannabe superstar side too.