Eric had been dying - I mean dying - to go to this place. Richard Blais (the silver-medal champion of last seasons Top Chef) opened the joint only a few months ago after leaving Home on Paces Ferry. It's located on Howell Mill Road, just south of I-75 and north of the water plant.
As a complete aside, we are insanely jealous of any and all restaurants that open within a 5 mile radius of Howell Mill Road. We used to live in that area and, back in the day, our choices were far and few between. We visited Fox & Hound less than we should have. And visited the Chinese restaurant (name?) more than we should have. What can I say -- we were idiots at the time. But the choices weren't great to begin with. And see what happens? We move to the stix in Cherokee County and, whola, all these buzz-worthy restaurants and cafes start popping up in the Howell Mill area. Even Via Elisa with their homemade pastas and raviolis! It's enough to make a person go crazy if you think about it too much.
So, we were determined to go, and arrived on a Saturday at 2:00 p.m., to find the place moderately busy with a substantial wait. Grab a menu and start daydreaming about the choices of your burger.
When finally seated, we had already discussed our options and desires.
I ordered the Japanese kobe burger with seared foie gras, shaved truffles, bread and butter pickles, and a red wine reduction. Yes, it was exorbitant at $45. But you only live once. And I really wanted to see what is considered the 'best' burger.
The shaved truffles were non-existent. I'm a truffle girl, afterall, and I seek these black (or white) beauties. Their aromas haunt my palate. And if a truffle were to merely walk across the bun, I would know. But not this guy. Maybe the foie overpowered it? Or the pickle? I'm not really sure, but I tasted no truffle on this at all. I also was disappointed because the burger was to arrive medium-rare. Instead, it tasted as if it had been on the grill about 3 minutes too long.
I ordered the standard fries and were impressed by their crispy bits and fresh herbs, even if the dill kinda overtook some of the pieces. Most surprisingly, I was entranced by the smoky homemade mayonnaise. It could have easily had a couple of drops of bacon drippings in it. I dipped fry after fry in it, as if my inner-Dutch tastebuds were emerging. It was thick and clung to each fry like glue. Oh, it was yummy. I would come back to Flip, just for this mayo.
Eric ordered the Lamburger, for a fashionable deal at $9. It was accompanied by green olive relish, mint, and cucumber yogurt dressing. I thought it was very very good, and, honestly just as good as my kobe. But then again, I'm a lamb girl. I was jealous of his version, but not jealous of his sweet potato tot, which were swimming in grease. There comes a point where the sweet potato no longer takes on the taste of a root vegetable, and this certainly was it. It had been chopped. Formed. And fried into hockey-puck pellets. Those fresh herbs weren't going to bring these guys back to life.
Service was sticky and we had to wait about 15 minutes for our desserts - a pistachio & white truffle milkshake. A bit of a faux pas to be presented with the final bill, and present your card, and sign for the final total and tip before the dessert even arrives. I don't expect white-glove service at a burger boutique, but I do expect the servers to honor the food and the patrons. Instead, we felt rushed to slurp down our milkshakes so that other ansy diners (who were peering over our shoulder) have an opportunity at a table. Had those other diners not seen us go through the settling-of-the-bill situation, I'd feel a little more comfortable with taking our time to savor the milkshake.
Nonetheless, the pistachios were great, somewhat chunky, but small enough to have fun slurping through the straw. I resent the green coloring - not needed. And the supposed white truffle? Again, non-existent. I'm beginning to think there are no truffles in the whole building.
Is it worth going? Sure. Is it worth standing in line for 3 hours? No. Can I get better grub elsewhere? Maybe. JCT is just down the street and their truffle fries could compete with anything in this city. I believe those fries are worth a 40 mile drive for us.
It is worth to go to Flip, simply to push the envelope ever-so-slightly on your traditional burger offering. Just expect the service to still have some issues to iron-out.
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