So it’s been about a month since Southern Living told us that the Atlanta Braves were adding a Holeman & Finch burger stand at Turner Field. Turns out, there’s a little bit more to the story.
Here a few neat little details:
a) There are three stands serving up the double stack patties, not one!
b) There are a limited number burgers available each game. That’s not surprising given the fact that 24 are made each night when the burgers go live at 10pm back at the gastro pub. However, the Braves has released a HF Burger Ticket Package. Available on Braves.com, there are 24 of these tickets available each game. Basically, you get a seat in the pavilion and are guaranteed a burger. If you haven’t had it before … the H+F burger is a double patty cheese burger served with three house-made treats: ketchup, mustard, and pickles. Also, it’s served on a pan de mie bun from their bakery. The cost for the package is $32. Yes, H+F will send an employee to each home game to monitor quality control.
c) If you don’t buy a burger ticket (which is special b/c it looks different than the other Braves tickets also commemorative), you can still snag one at any of those dedicated stands. What’s bad ass is that the burgers are $10, aka the same price as they are at H+F’s mother ship. That’s a far cry from the ludicrously priced steak sandwich Kevin Rathbun serves at the game. That alternative gourmet option is something crazy like $24. [I don’t remember the exact price]
Anyway, just thought it was worth a mention … if you missed the link to buy tickets that’s earlier in the post, here it is again!
That shape is mirrored in the buns, the true rockstars of the Burger Tap menu. Super squishy and slightly sweet, the flat-out spectacular buns hold up exceptionally well to the sometimes-heavy toppings.
He also gave the menu a full run, something I did not do and I think he hit on some excellent points that I did not focus on during my one trick pony write-up. Give it a read, he knows what he’s talking about.
It seems as if Atlanta’s culinary milieu dictates the popularity of the burger. It’s very much a straight out of Field of Dreams situation, whereby “if you build it, they will come.” So it happens that Burger Tap, Morningside’s brand spanking new restaurant, is serving burgers. Elephant, meet room.
Aside from a few blurbs on various Atlanta news sites, Burger Tap opened last week a little under the radar. A quasi-derivative of yogurt shop chain Yoforia, Burger Tap is attempting to put a spin on Atlanta’s unavoidable food trend. As I was in the hood during their earliest of days, me and a few compadres decided to stroll in and see if Burger Tap had anything worthwhile. After a single meal, things seem promising.
Burger fans have a new spot to visit in the comfortable confines of Morningside (at the northern tip of Virginia-Highland). Burger Tap has officially opened in what was formerly Caramba Café. The menu here is 100% burgers and sides … so don’t go if you’re looking for something dietetic.
It’s a really small menu too, with just four burgers, a grilled cheese option, and four sides (all of which get made in the fryer). According to their website, their patties are constructed out of a brisket, chuck, and short rib mix. That’s actually pretty promising as thoughts of the H+F and Bocado burgers come to mind. And no, that’s not a misprint down there – the restaurant offers 888 dialing for all your penny saving concerns. I’ll let y’all know my thoughts on the food as soon as I have a second.
Named after a once seedy section of Manhattan, The Bowery offers a taste of New York City to those who call Los Angeles home. Occasionally identified as the purveyor of LA’s best burger, The Bowery also attracts a good number of out of town visitors, as was the case with yours truly during my West coast trip.
The Bowery can most easily be identified as a gastro pub, a byname they embrace by self-proclaiming the title of LA’s first such establishment. A NYC inspired white subway tile exterior with a small patio serves as The Bowery’s call to arms. Inside, those white tiles are supplanted by jet black ones as a handful of two-tops form a banquette; in a space dominated by the bar, The Bowery’s interior is packed tightly. To round out the ambiance, a chalkboard drink menu is located near the front, displaying The Bowery’s repertoire of adult beverages. It’s a simple setting that sets the stage for a not so straightforward menu.
Super blog Serious Eats just published a list of burgers they say are worth the hype. The list includes 11 restaurants from all over the country and sure enough – Atlanta got two nods. Both Holeman & Finch and Ann’s Snack Bar scored spots on the coveted list. What’s more interesting is that Atlanta was the only city to get more than one place on the list. NYC and SF sort of did – as Shake Shack and Umami Burger showed up – but those are chains.
Anyway, here’s what Serious Eats had to say:
Holeman & Finch
Holeman & Finch’s burger has been hailed by Food & Wine and Epicurious as one of the best in the country. I chose it as my favorite burger of 2010 for good reasons, reasons that I’ll just copy and paste here: "The juicy patties are simply exploding with a beefiness that sings freshness. The bread and butter pickles, ketchup, and mustard are all impeccably made in-house and are joined by melted American cheese and red onions. The whole thing is served on an unsweetened brioche made next door at the company bakery, which Bon Appetit just named one of the 10 best in America. I’m hesitant to call any burger perfect, but improving this thing does not seem possible." —Daniel Zemans, Chicago correspondent
Ann’s Snack Bar
I’m not sure any burger in Atlanta (even Holeman & Finch’s now-iconic double-stack) has been more hyped over the years than the Ghetto Burger at Ann’s Snack Bar. (A shout-out from The Wall Street Journal calling you the best in the US will do that.) At first blush, it sounds like it can’t possibly be a pleasant experience: a sketchy neighborhood locale amidst razor-wire chainlink fences where you’ll likely endure a crazy-long wait for one of only 8 seats and then risk getting yelled at by the sexagenarian proprietor for anything ranging from using a cell phone to cursing… all for what amounts to a double bacon cheeseburger with chili on it? But, yes, this sloppy one-pound-plus behemoth is that good. Like, last-meal-on-earth good. —Todd Brock, Atlanta correspondent
The burger’s answer to the Rice Krispie just landed in Atlanta. While Snap, Crackle, and Pop serve as tripped out figments of my imagination, Buckhead’s Smashburger insists that we are all witness to smash, sizzle, and savor their flat-topped burger offerings.
Already at two metro locations with a third one on the way (though still short of the announced five), Smashburger is an upper echelon fast casual joint with an eye on your waistline. A stylistically predictable brand job (and a logo design eerily similar to that of next-door gamer haven GameStop) is a quintessential example of chi-chi. But there’s more to a restaurant than MEATS the eye!
Ann’s Snack Bar is famous. You know that, I know that, and anyone who’s had the Ghetto Burger knows it. Over the past year plus, rumors have inundated our food waves regarding the imminent demise/sale of Ann’s. Now, NBC has picked up on the story. Short but sweet I suppose:
Q: What is the meat slapping, gut busting, massive attack set to take place at John Howell Park in Virginia-Highland on Saturday, October 2nd (from 12-4p)?
To elaborate: some might say we’re in a burger renaissance. I might say we’re in a burger infestation. Regardless of your perspective, it isn’t a stretch to say that Atlanta’s cityscape has become a bastion of meat-eating fornication. Spurned on by the dizzying selections our city has to offer, Embraced Atlanta is putting on a charitable contest of epic proportions … appropriately slugged as The Battle of the Burgers (web). Read on for all the information!
After 45-years at the intersection of Lindbergh and Cheshire Bridge, The Varsity Jr. is sailing off into the sunset. One of six outposts of the institution, the original plan was to rebuild the family-owned location. I first heard about this via a ton of people on twitter and my heart sank as the information was confirmed by 11-Alive just a little bit ago, this thing seems set in stone. They have all the gritty details, so I won’t bother to give you all the he-said, she-said. What I will tell you is that this sucks! The Varsity Jr has been at the same place since before I was born and while I’m a Fenway type of guy, the plan to rebuild it seems reasonable to me. This isn’t right! And while I’m not so bold as to think my word alone carries any weight, but maybe with some help it will. Thus, I’ve started a petition to save the Varsity JR.. We don’t have much time, but let’s see what a little elbow grease can do!
After 45-years at the intersection of Lindbergh and 
