Addicted to Burgers

A few of us hadn’t been to P’cheen in about 5 years. So, we decided to bring the burger club as we remembered the burger being quite tasty. Apparently one vital menu item changed for the worse: The burger.

Let’s start with the ingredients: beef, cheese and ground mushrooms. Yep, that’s right. Ground. Mushrooms. Then, I bit the unappealing bullet and ordered the burger, unlike a smarter, fellow burger clubber. With the injection of the mushrooms, one would think the juicier characteristic would save the meat’s flavor, but it was the exact opposite. All of us agreed the mushrooms threw off the flavor of the burger. The meat was bland and resembled something from a concession stand with mushrooms in it.

Ultimately, the burger quality starts with the meat, so honestly nothing can save this burger unless the mushrooms are removed. For that reason, if you’re ever at P’cheen, I recommend the Fried Chicken.

TOTAL SCORE: 5.2 out of 10

They say variety is the spice of life. Well, we lived it to the fullest at Cypress Street Pint & Plate. Usually, the Burger Club guys all order the same burger with some slight variations, but Cypress Street offered such an eclectic mix that we mostly did our own thing.

The two standouts were a burger with pork belly, cheese and garlic aioli, and the Sublime burger, which ditches the buns in favor of two deliciously decadent doughnuts. And this was all after a few pretty amazing pimento cheese fritters that we were almost fighting over.

Wednesday was trivia night, so we stuck around for a while after dinner for more beers and decided Cypress Street wasn’t just a great place for a burger, but also a great place to hang out. Everyone left more than satisfied, and even talked about the fact that we’d like to go back and try just a plain burger without all the extras. That’s always a good sign, so we’d recommend definitely stopping in to Cypress Street for a pint and a plate topped with any one of their burger creations.

Pleasant surprise. That’s the phrase that best sums up this review for Moxie Burger in Roswell. With a name like Moxie Burger, they implied some pretty bold burgers and with it being OTP, the cards were already stacked against them as we battled traffic to get there. Once we did arrive, however, the rest was a pure delight. 

With some really great pre-made combinations such as the Moxie Burger with pimento cheese and signature Moxie Sauce, The Cadillac with ground lamb, goat cheese and a creole chili sauce and the Entrepreneur where you can build your own from a host of great toppings, Moxie Burger really exceeded expectations. Their rich and flavorful beef patties made a great base and the homemade buns were just the right touch, while all the fresh ingredients were savory but not over powering. No shortage of amazing sides as well, as we highly recommend the fried goat cheese. 

All in all, we couldn’t stop raving about this place, with great burgers, an outstanding tap beer selection and live music on the patio, it’s definitely worth the drive. 

http://moxieburger.net/

TOTAL SCORE: 8.46 out of 10

Anyone who has been downstairs at JTC Kitchen is familiar with their authentic southern style cooking that makes for a top notch dinning experience. Upstairs at the bar, their burger doesn’t experience the same rave reviews. 

We’ll start off by saying the burger looks fantastic as this huge beef patty is topped with mounds of Georgia blue cheese, homemade bacon-onion jam and surrounded by two homemade buns. That doesn’t sound too bad does it? Let’s start by analyzing the beef patty. While it had some decent flavor, this is where having a large patty was actually a downfall as it was not cooked properly and ruined the whole experience. The bacon-onion jam was awesome, but the Georgia blue cheese was so overpowering that between all 5 burgers at the table, no one could really taste it. Normally, fries are the filler between burger bites, but the general consensus was that the truffle fries out-manned the burger.

JTC is a great restaurant and by no means do we recommend avoiding the joint, just avoiding the burger. 

http://www.jtckitchen.com/

TOTAL SCORE: 7 out of 10

Located right off the Decatur Square, Leon’s Full Service is a favorite of many nearby residents and Atlanta foodies. As the esteemed Burger Club arrived, we were pleased to see that a Terrapin takeover the night before meant there were a lot of great, unique brews on tap. We took a seat on the patio and placed our order for five grass-fed beef burgers.

Along with some delicious fries and dipping sauces, the burgers came with tillamook cheddar, housemade ketchup and mustard, BBQ pickles, and baby iceberg lettuce. Believe it or not, but the mustard was a bit of a surprise. Despite it being a traditional burger topping, you just don’t find it offered up on the burger already much these days. The cheese was a little sparse, but overall, we really dug this no-frills burger with a damn good bun. As a storm rolled in and the wind picked up, we left Leon’s a little buzzed from the high gravity beers and full from a burger we all agreed was worth the trip.

http://www.leonsfullservice.com/

TOTAL SCORE: 8 out of 10

By now if you’re a foodie in ATL you know who Richard Blais is. No, you say? Well, head on over to any of his three restaurants, Flip Burger Boutique, HD1 and now his dream restaurant, The Spence. You’ll thank me, I promise. With The Spence, his most recent addition in the heart of GA Tech, we knew we were in for something different. The location was unexpected mostly due to its college surroundings. Once you walk in, you quickly step into a warm comfort food atmosphere. Open kitchen concept as well as bar. Various thick, odd sized reclaimed wood tables flank the kitchen. One in particular resembles a massive butcher’s block which seats about 8 or so. Not only are the large vases part of the decor on the tables they’re also used for some of their more elaborate dishes. To top things off, one of Blais’ staples is the music. Where else can you go for a fine yet casual dinning experience while Dr Dre is playing over the sound system? Good stuff.

Onto the food. Originally we went in with the expectations of trying the Triple Triple Cheese Burger. As it turns out the menu at The Spence changes daily. Sadly, the Triple Triple Cheese Burger was not available so we opted for the Juicy Lucy. Take two patties made up of ground up rib eye, braised pork rib, 80/20 chuck. Then injected with cheese that oozes out with every bite. Then top it off with pickles and onions. All put between Holeman & Finch buns and served with a side of triple cooked fries. You know, standard stuff. For some, the patties were a bit too crispy on the outside yet still super juicy in the middle. While the burgers at Flip are great all on their own, the Juicy Lucy stood out as a killer burger within the more standard category. Simply put, a great traditional cheese burger with a slight twist.

http://thespenceatl.com

TOTAL SCORE: 7.7 out of 10

George’s has been a Highlands main stay since 1961 and it’s very clear why. They have a great, honest burger. In a city that is literally brimming with gourmet burger joints, George’s keeps it real and down to earth.

George’s has a list of awards from years past that include Best Burger 2008: Citysearch and Best Burger 2009: The Dining Guide. They don’t have the fancy frills like ground up pork mashed into their patty, nor do they offer any of the fancy sauce combinations the other burger joints do. They offer straight up burgers, with a mix of toppings and preselected combinations that cover the bases well. The flavorful, well seasoned ground beef comes with a choice of toppings such as a nice mix of good cheese, crispy bacon and more exotic items like guacamole spread and salsa. We did find a few items that needed to be addressed. In our visit, it seemed everyone received wheat buns that were not asked for, nor an option given. Not a deal breaker, but would have been nice to have the choice. And as much as it may sound good, stay away from the Lemon Pepper options and save that for your next round of wings at Taco Mac. 

All in all, a good burger from a classic location in the heart of Atlanta.

http://www.georgesbarandrestaurant.com/

TOTAL SCORE: 6.9 out of 10

It had all the makings of a great burger. Name your own toppings, which included the options of white cheddar, brie and bacon just to name a few. The patty was a decent size, made from organic beef and served on a fresh challah bun. So what went wrong?

Cooks in this town are afraid to cook their burgers with even a tinge of pink inside. Either that or ordering 6 burgers at the same time is just too much for some places to handle.

It’s a shame really, because it had real potential. When the servers ask you how you want your burger cooked, there is a level of expectation that they deliver on that. At Publik Draft House, they didn’t and because of that there really isn’t much to review. They ruined a good burger; a burger I have seen others get that look quite juicy and delicious. Unfortunately, ours didn’t share that same fate. 

http://www.publikatl.com/

TOTAL SCORE: 5.8 out of 10