Flip

The first time Leslie and I went to a Flip Burger was in Atlanta, with Leslie's parents. The man behind this modern take on the traditional burger joint is Richard Blais of Top Chef fame. He is quite an intelligent chef - thinks outside of the box (sometimes WAY outside), but all the while maintains the integrity of the food.

When moving to B'ham, we were elated to discover many fine eating establishments - including the town's very own Flip Burger. After the ordination service from my last post, we decided to treat ourselves to lunch for a successful service (aforementioned obstacles notwithstanding), and Flip seemed like a logical place to go.

Living in Birmingham Lesson No. 1: NEVER under any circumstances go to The Summit on a Saturday. Doing so will put you in mortal peril. Imagine one gigantic complex comprised of several swanky satellite strip malls (Saks and the like), with traffic jams that rival the worst rush hour anywhere. Consider yourselves warned.

After several minutes of frustration with the native (read: BAD) drivers, bless their hearts, and finally discovering a Mini-sized parking space, we entered Flip and were surprised that there was no wait. Apparently everyone else needed their Juicy Couture fix.

We sat down and perused the menu, gazing upon limitless choices of utter deliciousness. In spite of the ensuing burger feast, something wasn't making sense. I saw various burger prices: 7. 7.50. A 9 here, a 9.5 there. The occasional 10+. This very-recent-former New Yorker thought to himself that there was no way burgers from a boutique burger shoppe could be this cheap. It must be that these prices were just for the various proteins. Clearly things like, you know, a bun were extra, and the descriptions near each burger must be merely suggested toppings for, naturally, a surcharge per item. I turned to Leslie: "I'm confused... How does this work?" Leslie looked baffled: "Come again?" Me: "I don't remember Atlanta being like this..." "Huuuuuuh???" Leslie says, and I'm thoroughly convinced the next words out of her mouth will be: "Stop it - you're making a scene...".

Come to find out, it is possible to get a really well-conceived/executed burger for less than my near-and-dear Landmarc burger that, the last time I ordered it, was pushing nearly $20 due to a $3 cheese hike. Apparently there's a looming dairy crisis. Who knew?

And what fine burgers they are. I ordered the Farmer, with grass-fed beef, cheddar, and apple chutney. Salty and sweet - one of my favorite flavor combinations. Leslie had the Korean - a pork patty topped with braised pork belly, kimchee and a delicious sauce that reminded me of Korean barbecue. On the side: onion rings - the second-best I've ever had, only topped by Craftsteak at MGM - served with beer mustard on the side. Fried pickles with buttermilk ranch were also delicious.

And then, there are the milkshakes. Leslie had a pumpkin pie-inspired one that was very tasty, and for me: the foie gras milkshake. This was a whopping $8, but worth the price of admission. Not to mention the fact that it's made with liquid nitrogen and comes out "smoking." Honestly, the whole thing left me a little cold (Haha! - get it? Cold? Milkshake? LN2? Anyone? Bueller?). Though I was expecting the foie to take center stage a bit more and you could only detect a faint hint of fatty/iron-y goodness, it did add an incomparable richness to what otherwise would have been an ordinary vanilla milkshake. And with that, it was certainly the best vanilla milkshake that I've ever had.

Flip - we will be seeing you again, but not until I have a few more go's on the trainer...