Flib Flip

Flip Burger Boutique
West Midtown Atlanta
1587 Howell Mill Rd
Atlanta, GA
404-352-3547 (FLIP)
open 7 days/week for lunch and dinner

I am a fan of Top Chef on Bravo TV, and I really enjoyed season 8 Top Chef All-Stars. I must say, I scheduled my gym workouts on Wednesdays to end in time to get home to turn on Top Chef and be at the end of the couch waiting to see who will be voted off, and who will stay. This season, I routed for Tiffany Derry, Carla Hall, Fabio Viviani and of course Richard Blais. As my top four were being picked off one by one, there was Richard Blais left as one of the final 2.

local burger with Gum Creek pastured beef

Then, Top Chef came down to Richard Blais and another chef. Richard Blais wins Season 8 Top Chef All Stars, beating out some of the best (or at least good characters for tv like Tiffani, Stephen and Marcel). I was thrilled, one of top 4 picks won! I was happy to see him win, and I was happy to hop into my car and drive the 4 - 6 hrs (6 hrs in Atlanta beltway traffic) to West Midtown Atlanta and try one of Richard Blais' Flip Burgers. I arrived at Flip Burger Boutique, and it is a first come, first serve place, there are no reservations. The concept here is excellent burgers, sides, fries, shakes and a bar in a chic building on the edge of Midtown with a hip Soho vibe. There are a wide range of burgers from turkey, chicken, chorizo, shrimp, beef, lamb, chickpea, and local organic pastured beef. There are a wide range of toppings including lettuce, tomato, cheese, smoked mayo, ketchup, caramelized onions, house made pickles, mushrooms, fried egg, sprouts, curry mayo and spicy Sriacha ranch. The bun appears to be homemade as well. There are sides including salads, roasted seasonal veggies (this trip was cauliflower), fries, onion rings, fried okra, and other yummies. The really fun part about this restaurant are the drinks from real milk shakes to a nice wine, specialty beer or martini. Take your pick for the perfect drink with the perfect burger.

fries, onion rings, and fried okra

We all got different burgers, sides and drinks. I got the local organic Gum Creek beef burger with cheddar, caramelized onion, lettuce, tomato, and a homemade pickle. Very good, and less than $12. Actually, all the burgers seemed to be less than $10. It is an a la carte menu, so some of the best fries and onion rings I have had cost extra. Oh, and there was fried okra to, which is a nod to the south, and southern food traditions. I really liked the fried whole okra. They were not slimy at all, and the okra reminds me of a really delicious veggie chip.

All said and done, I think I spent about $20 including tax and tip for my meal. That is a fairly good deal for dining at a "celeb chef" restaurant. I want to say that this place is accessible for the average tourist visiting Atlanta with a few extra dollars to spend on dining out. Actually, Flip Burger Boutique for me was the cheapest dinner I had for the week I was in Atlanta, and Flip Burger Boutique tasted better than many of the meals that I had in downtown Atlanta. I will even go out on a limb, I have to say I would love to go back to Flip Burger Boutique again! There are some "celeb chef" restaurants I have been to that are not all that they are cracked up to be, say ones in Newton MA, New Orleans LA, Phila PA, and NY NY, and I will not go back to any of them and I feel burned spending $50+/pp for averagely to below averagely prepared food. I felt different and happy at Flip Burger Boutique. I want to go back to Flip Burger, the burgers and sides start with good quality ingredients, and are well prepared. The presentation is wonderful giving the humble burger its just props, and the price point is affordable for many tourists, including me. I really think that Richard Blais has a nice concept in Flip Burger Boutique.