Cheap Eats: Grindhouse Killer Burgers
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
GRINDHOUSE KILLER BURGERS: The burger and chili cheese fries
To most people, a burger is just a burger — a timeless American treat worth the occasional caloric splurge. Playful flavor combinations and fancy deconstructions are exciting, but there’s something to be said about a spot, such as Grindhouse Killer Burgers (209 Edgewood Ave., 404-522-3444, www.grindhouseburgers.com), that skips the pretense and gets straight to the beef.
Owner Alex Brounstein (a real estate developer and attorney) chose the Sweet Auburn Curb Market as the restaurant’s location for many reasons. The market already has a captive audience of shoppers with food on the mind, and the overhead is much cheaper than a traditional bricks and mortar space. What’s more, the restaurant’s presence helps revitalize a historic Atlanta food-centric landmark.
Amid the hustle and bustle of the market, tucked away in a corner, sits a curving counter surrounded by stools. The seating faces a semi-open kitchen and a makeshift movie theater where kooky action movies such as Kung Fu Hustle are projected on the wall.
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(Photo by Jennifer Zyman)
RINCON LATINO: Latinos consider chicken soup to be a complete meal. Every country and region has its own version. At Rincon, the caldo de pollo has more of an El Salvadorian slant. A large bowl of clear chicken broth studded with submerged pieces of tender bone-in chicken comes with a bowl of white rice, oversized El Salvadorian corn tortillas, minced cilantro, chopped onion and jalapeño. You can doctor the soup to your tastes or make a few tacos with a juicy chunk of chicken plucked from the broth. 5055 Buford Highway, Doraville. 770-936-8181.
Because there are so many fancy butters on the market, deciding which brand to splurge on is incredibly difficult — and costly.
Dua Vietnamese Noodle Soup: Owners Mylinh Cao and her mother, Tham Mai, strive to bring a taste of Vietnam to downtown, and standard Vietnamese dishes — such as pho and com — abound. The bún dishes provide a refreshing spin on the average lunchtime salad. Chilled rice vermicelli noodles are loaded with your choice of meat (or tofu), shallots, ground peanuts, crunchy shreds of lettuce, fresh herbs and a hacked-up fried spring roll. The accompanying dish of sweet, spicy and tangy n??c ch?m (a concoction of fresh chilis, garlic and fish sauce) ties the whole thing together. 53 Broad St. 404-589-8889. www.yougotpho.com.
Lunchtime for intown workers looking for a quick fix is a monotonous endeavor. Sandwich. Salad. Burger. Repeat. Most nearby ethnic options are either dumbed down or too fancy for their own good. Kabobee (609 Whitehall St., 404-688-8885, www.kabobee.com) is neither.
El Taco Veloz: If you’re turned off by loads of filler stuffed into your burrito, head to this favorite of Mexican transplants and lovers of the cuisine. Any taco filling is available in burrito form — minus the rice and other usual suspects. Instead, the soft flour tortillas are packed with nothing but one of the many fillings such as soft shreds of barbacoa (slow-cooked beef) coated in a silky lacquer of its own fat and juices, or a chile relleno filled with gooey cheese. Some of the locations have a drive-thru, but park it and head inside so you can grab a few goodies from the salsa bar to eat with your meal. 5670 Roswell Road, 404-252-5100; and other metro Atlanta locations.
SOUTHERN SWEETS BAKERY: Nancy Cole’s family-run Decatur dessert mecca makes decadent brownies. The word “brownie” may conjure images of diminutive treats, but there is nothing small about these monsters — they’re almost as big as a box of Raisinets. Cole’s recipe uses two types of imported chocolate, which results in an incredibly rich and sticky treat whether your preference is regular or with toasted walnuts. It’s the stuff of which fudgey brownie dreams are made of. Both choices are finished with a lacy drizzle of deep chocolate ganache to take these destination-worthy beauties over the top. 186 Rio Circle, Decatur. 404-373-8752. www.southernsweets.com.
BLT Steak: The beauty of BLT’s Vegetable Chopped Salad lies in the layering of textures and flavors. A pop of sweetness from some fresh corn, the crunch of romaine lettuce, slices of radish, briny feta, olives and a host of other ingredients bathe in a creamy olive-oil-based dressing. The ample serving in a large square bowl alongside the complimentary popovers served with room temperature butter might just be the perfect summertime lunch. 45 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd. (inside the W Atlanta downtown). 404-577-7601. www.bltsteak.com.
The morning after I moved to Castleberry Hill, I was jonesing for coffee. Unfortunately, my coffee maker was buried somewhere in a mass of boxes and I was too cranky to hunt for it. I set out on foot to find a coffee spot and came up empty. As the years went by, a few coffee places came (and a few went). But the ‘hood didn’t have a proper place to get a hot breakfast until Johnny Cakes (323 Walker St., 678-705-9759) opened in March.
CRAFTBAR: If justifying the cost of dining at the upper level of this two-story New York transplant is downright ridiculous in your book, the restaurant on the lower level has prices that are relatively cheaper for dishes that — for the most part — are just as exceptional. Chef Adam Evans finely minces a mix of grass-fed/grain-fed Harris Ranch tenderloin and sirloin before seasoning it with chives, Dijon mustard, minced shallot, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and a drop of Worcestershire sauce. The three-ounce portion is served in a tiny, round Staub cast-iron pot, topped with a sunshine yellow raw quail egg and a mound of deep golden gaufrette potatoes fried in peanut oil and seasoned with an in-house BBQ seasoning mix. 3376 Peachtree Road. 404-995-7580. www.craftrestaurant.com.
CARVER’S COUNTRY KITCHEN & GROCERY: The facade of Robert and Sharon Carver’s Southern meat-and-two dive is deceivingly spartan. But the inside is cluttered with an eclectic mix of clippings and knick-knacks. Carver’s fried chicken has plenty of crunch and juicy meat. You can either get an order of leg and thigh or a breast so big the Carvers actually call it the “Dolly Parton.” Any of the sides (you get two vegetables and bread with your order) satisfy, but starchy items are the best on the menu — especially the hush puppies and mac-and-cheese creamy with Velveeta. 1118 W. Marietta St. 404-794-4410. www.carverscountrykitchen.com.
How did we go from two-martini business lunches to harried fast-food excursions, sandwiches and nuked leftovers while toiling at our desks? Some would argue it’s a budgetary concern. But you deserve the occasional pause, even if it is on the cheap. And there happens to be just the place smack dab in the middle of downtown Atlanta. It offers not only a major deal at $10.95 per person, but also a civilized sit-down meal on an enclosed “terrace” set inside the bustling grand lobby of Peachtree Tower.