Off the Map: After All That, We Forgot the Pickles

Fried Pickle Chips -- Blue Ridge Grill, Atlanta, GA

Blue Ridge Grill

Blue Ridge Grill looks more like a lodge out of the hills of Vermont than it does a restaurant across from an Atlanta strip mall.

Come for the Food, Stay for the View

Despite this dichotomy, the place is packed when Vodka and her friends, Bloody Mary and Sazerac, arrive at 8:00pm... meaning we don't get seated for nearly a half hour.

And Heaven Knows How Patient Vodka Is When Her Cocktails Are Delayed

We are here to eat the fried pickle chips, as praised by Alton Brown on the FINGER FOOD episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate. However, by the time we are actually seated, the only thing we can concentrate on ordering is our booze, and it is not until the waiter has walked away from our table that Bloody Mary correctly realizes that, in her sober stupor, Vodka has forgotten to order said pickle chips.

YES I WILL HAVE A MARTINI PLEASE HURRY

Once this mistake is corrected, and our palms are soothingly wrapped around cocktail glasses, we find the pickles to be just as pleasing as Alton had promised.

How Cucumbers Were Meant to be Eaten

Cut thinly and coated with a solid, but not overwhelming, amount of batter, they are fried to perfection and accompanied by a buttermilk dipping sauce.

Finger Food You Can Eat by the Fistful

Even though the item is not technically on the menu, we find that nearly every table in the vicinity is chowing down on them, which begs the question as to why Blue Ridge Grill continues to keep their pickles under wraps.

And Also Begs the Question Why Atlanta Likes to Treat Their Best Dishes Like a Speakeasy

The rest of our meal is good, if unremarkable. 

In Other Words, Vodka Doesn't Remember What We Ate

Perhaps These Photos Will Ring Some Bells

Or Not

Along with the pickles, the personal highly for Vodka is that her dirty martinis are accompanied by blue cheese-stuffed olives, and the chocolate mints that arrive with our check. Notably these are both things that Vodka did not have to remember to order.

Please Just Bring Vodka the Things She Likes Unprompted

Perhaps the secret pickle chips should take note.

Blue Ridge Grill's Fried Pickle Chips: 4 stars

Off the Map: Southern Pub Comfort

Burger -- Holeman & Finch Public House, Atlanta, GA

Holeman & Finch Public House

By the time we arrive for our first meal in Atlanta, the restaurant is practically closed.

Not Exactly Keeping NYC Hours in the Peach State

Boasting the last reservation of the evening, we wander into the joint at 9:00pm... and proceed to stay, downing cocktails like water, until deep into the Georgia night. 

It's Not Even Noon Somewhere: Getting Escorted from Closing Restaurants Since 2011

The first plus of Holeman & Finch's Public House is that they don't appear to find this behavior remotely off-putting. 

Though This Guy Seems a Bit Judgy

The second plus is that their burger, as recommended by Anne Burrell on the BURGERS episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate, really is as good as advertised.

Midnight Snack, Beef Edition

It seems that back in the day, the burger was only available in limited quantities, and only served after 10:00pm. 

Why Keep Such Majesty a Secret?

It's not clear when Holeman & Finch came to their senses and added it to their menu full-time, but Atlanta should be glad that they did.

Bird's-Eye Views of Burgers Are Never as Impressive

Vodka is visiting the Peach State along with her friends, Bloody Mary and Sazerac, and between the three of us, we give the restaurant's extensive cocktail menu a thorough tasting. 

We'll Take One of Each Please

While making our way through our first glasses, we chow down on an order of three deviled eggs, which come in bacon, pickle, and spicy varieties (frankly, they all pretty much taste like eggs). 

Quite the Curly Yolk Application

While Vodka and Sazerac request the burger, Bloody Mary chooses the shrimp toast, along with, inexplicably, a side of squash. 

Things Vodka Has Never Once Voluntarily Chosen to Order: Squash

Jumbo Shrimp

What makes the burger stand out, as opposed to the typical pub variety, is that it double-stacks two patties, instead of serving one thick slab of meat. The beef is layered with slices of cheese, red onions, and ample pickles, and all together, it is quite delicious. 

(Don't) Hold the Pickles, (Don't) Hold the Relish

In a comparison we mean as the highest compliment, the burger has an upscale-fast-food quality, along the lines of a Shake Shack or In-N-Out. The meat is tender but not juicy, thus rendering it easier to eat, and no less pleasing. Overall, the burger really is as tasty as promised, if not overly memorable.

How's That for a Back-Handed Compliment?

Though perhaps we should blame that quality less on the burger itself, and more on the multitude of cocktails that washed it down.

Holeman & Finch Public House's Burger: 4 stars