FLIP Burger Boutique
I’m probably the last one to post a review on FLIP. I’ve been here a handful of times and each time, we’ve had to wait a good 45 minutes for a table. It didn’t matter whether we came on a weekday or a weekend, mid-day or peak time. There was a wait. But tables do turn fast and it’s nice to people watch while waiting or ogle what people are eating.
On this last visit, my sister insisted we sit at the bar where Chef Mark Nanna was in action. So we gave up our table twice for the much coveted bar seats. Believe me, it was worth the wait — Chef Mark in a graceful cadence, focused, yet still having fun.
I do have to point out that the burgers here are smallish (5.5 oz uncooked). I have to have at least two. They are bigger than a slider yet smaller than the norm. I did see a few ladies eat just one and a good many who ate two. Most guys eat two or more. I had three. Burgers are made with hangar steak, brisket, and shortrib so there’s a good amount of good tasting fat in them. My all-time favorites are the FLIP burger and the Butcher Cut. The FLIP burger is pure, unadulterated burger goodness. You can’t go wrong with it. It is simple yet a consistently good all-around burger. The buttery brioche the burgers come in is definitely a plus and makes the burgers as good as they are.
I really like the Butcher Cut. It’s got caramelized onions, blue cheese, and red wine jam. The jam cuts into the fattiness of the meat which is really nice. The Po Boyger, sadly, is my least favorite. I really love shrimp but a thick patty of ground shrimp tastes, well, shrimpy. In small quantities like dimsum, they’re great but the minute you use a whole lot of them, hmm, I don’t know — they’re just hard to handle. I did see a lot of people order them and didn’t have any problems finishing them. I’m sure it’s just me.
For sides, the onion rings rule. The thin, crispy batter is excellent. The tempura rutabaga wasn’t as big a hit. I guess I just find the breading too thick — they were more like sliced rutabagas encased in doughnuts. Our fries this visit was a let down. They were so oily and I know the oil that the fry guy used just wasn’t hot enough. We had to send it back and the replacement was a tad better but not as good as when we had them before.
I find the Krispy Kreme milkshake a little sweet for my liking. But I do like the Nutella milkshake. It actually tasted more chocolatey than Nutella and I like the bits of nuts for crunch. Loved the toasted marshmallow topping although I personally think they put too much of it.
Verdict: A fun, trendy place to have unique burgers. Service can be slow but efficient, nonetheless. Average tab per person $25 (two burgers, a side, and a shake).
Insider tip:
Shakes can be shared and will be served into two smaller glasses. Additional parking across the street.
The scoop:
FLIP Burger Boutique
1587 Howell Mill Rd NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
(404) 352-3547
[tags]FLIP Burger Boutique, West End, Howell Mill, burgers, shakes[tags]
