New Fall/Winter Menu at Flip Burger Boutique

Hey readers,

A few weeks ago, my guest & I were invited to have lunch at the Flip Burger Boutique located on Howell Mill to preview their new fall/winter menu items (a HUGE thank you & shout out go to Morgan & ML+A and Flip Burger teams). If you follow me on instagram (@bellavivere), you probably know that I'm already a huge fan of Flip Burger, especially of their liquid nitrogen milkshakes and chorizo burger to name a few. But before I go into this review, I have to share some fun facts about myself since it definitely plays a part in how my healthy obsession with FBB came to light. I don't know about ya'll, but I binge watch fierce cooking competition shows such as Chopped and Iron Chef America on Food Network and Top Chef on Bravo TV-I can't help it, it's my guilty pleasure. Rather than going out on the weekends, I'd much rather stay at home in my pajamas and watch new episodes or reruns instead. When you're someone who enjoys eating food and enjoys  watching how it's prepared and presented, then you'll definitely understand where I'm coming from. Although there's only one winner at the end of each show, I love watching how creative these chefs get with the key ingredient and the amount of effort they put into their dishes in such a short amount of time. I know I've probably mentioned this elsewhere in my blog, but I'm a huge fan of Chef Richard Blais. He's appeared on many of these aforementioned TV shows and was even the winner of Top Chef: All-Stars. The main thing I liked about Blais was how professional and courteous he always was and his unique, modern twist to each and every one of the dishes he created-it's almost as if everything he touched turned into pure gold! Additionally, I may just slightly be biased because he also owns one of my favorite burger joints in the city, Flip Burger, but he also introduced me to gourmet 'haute dogs' and waffle fries with maple-oy sauce when he opened HD1 (now closed) a few years back. Although he no longer resides in Atlanta, he continues to remain on-board as Flip Burger's creative director and plays an active role in shaping the ever-changing menu. Having graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and trained at notable Michelin restaurants across the country which include The French Laundry, Daniel, Chez Panisse and el Bulli, Blais continues to remain a force to be reckoned with in the culinary world. With all this being said, there was absolutely no way I could turn down an invite to check out Flip Burger's twist to all things sweet potato and Thanksgiving Day related for the month of November. So, my guest & I bundled up on a chilly yet sunny Tuesday afternoon and headed to Midtown for a quick lunch before heading to the airport to pick up a few out-of-town family members flying in for the holidays.

Let's get started:

☆Exterior 

☆Menu

☆Apple Bourbon Pecan and Nutella + Burnt Marshmallow Milkshakes: If I had to use one word to describe how I felt about these milkshakes, it would have to be "OMG!" Okay, not really one word, but you get what I mean! The apple bourbon pecan shake, which was the November shake of the month, tasted like an incredible apple pie with plenty of candied pecans mixed throughout. The cinnamon/nutmeg combination as well as the diced apple bits helped tone down the sweetness of it, which I appreciated. And because no visit to FLIP is complete without ordering a nutella and burnt marshmallow milkshake, I couldn't resist ordering one. Come on, nutella and ice cream blended into a milkshake and topped with toasted marshmallows that make you reminisce of the good old days of toasting marshmallows over an open fire--you just can't go wrong! 

☆Sweet Potato Pecan Salad and Sweet Potato Tots with Marshmallow Foam: While I'm typically not a fan of salads made with mayo with the exception of tuna and chicken salad, I will say that I surprisingly enjoyed FLIP's sweet potato pecan salad with chunks of diced sweet potato and crunchy pecans tossed in a tangy mayo-based sauce. The sweet potato tots were equally delicious with its perfectly fried exterior and moist sweet potato center-yum!

☆Turkey Dinner Burger (Turkey burger patty topped with brown butter-sage mascarpone cheese, fresh spinach, candied cranberry mayo and fried pickled onions) with Sweet Potato Chips and Marshmallow Foam): The turkey burger was absolutely delicious! The patty itself was beautifully seasoned and flavorful, while the crunch of the fried onions paired incredibly well with the semi-sweet cranberry mayo, fresh spinach and buttered brioche bun. Additionally, the sweet potato chips had just the right amount of crunch, were lightly salted and tasted delicious with the marshmallow foam.

As you can probably tell, there was certainly no shortage of sweet potato deliciousness going on here and both my sister & I had a wonderful lunch at Flip Burger. From the moment we stepped into this trendy, local hot spot, we were immediately greeted and seated after a short wait (Totally our fault though since we were running late!). When it came time for us to be seated, we decided to sit at one of the high top tables in the center of the dining room instead of the booths in order to get maximal picture-taking lighting. As we were getting situated, our server, Rachael, immediately brought over our menus and took our drink orders. Once she returned with our drinks in-hand, she provided us with some information on the "media course," which included a taste of all of the foods you see in this blog post, with the exception of the Nutella and burnt marshmallow milkshake. Not long after she took our order, the famous liquid nitrogen or LN2 milkshakes that we had ordered were dropped off at our table, complete with a cloud of cold steam. Made fresh to order, these milkshakes are some of the tastiest and most creative flavors you'll find in the city-they're AMAZING & are just one of the many goodies that Flip Burger is known for. Rachael did a wonderful job taking care of us, despite the lunch rush, and we appreciated the fact that Leslie, the general manager, came by our table a few times to ask how everything was and to see if we needed anything else. The two of them were very friendly, attentive and personable, which made our visit that much more enjoyable. When our dishes began arriving one at a time, I will admit that I was a bit surprised in that I assumed both my guest and I would receive our own individual burger, but that wasn't necessarily the case, so we split the burger 50/50, which ended up filling up the both of us just fine. I also ordered an additional chorizo burger to-go (not part of the comped meal) just in case I got hungry again. The food as always, was fantastic, especially if you're a sweet potato lover like I am. Personally, I could eat sweet potato all year round and when it's fall, you can find it on just about every restaurant menu, which I absolutely love! In regards to the decor, it's a playful combination of upscale meets modern and edgy. At the Howell Mill location, the moment you enter, you'll immediately notice the extended bar area to the right of the restaurant complete with a row of bar stools, followed by two long tables spanning the center of the dining room, 4-5 booths to the left of those tables and a sprinkling of smaller tables right by the front entrance. The red, black and white color combination adds a bold yet elegant touch and meshes nicely with the light wooden oak furnishings and metallic silver chairs. The TV sets, which are encased in vintage frames at the bar, add a gorgeous touch this already aesthetically beautiful restaurant. And if that weren't enough, the outdoor patio here complete with heaters and umbrellas make this the ultimate destination if you love eating outside, no matter what season it is. So whether you're looking to grab an extraordinary, out-of-the-ordinary burger, sides and milkshakes, then look no further than Flip Burger! I mean, where else in the city can you get your hands on a chorizo burger with a side of vodka battered onion rings with beer mustard and a liquid nitrogen milkshake made fresh and in front of you? My guesses are that you probably can't, so what are you waiting for? While the Turkey Dinner burger may no longer be available since it was only a November special, a little birdy told me that for the month of December, they've got some awesome new specials going on including their burger of the month called The Rudolph burger {venison burger with blackberry ketchup, baby kale, pickled grape tomatoes, red onion juniper jam and tome cheese snow}, gingerbread-spiced potato twigs {brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, clove-spiced shoe string potatoes} and Deer Track Shake {chocolate ice cream, LN2 whoppers, salted caramel, balsamic reduction and vanilla whipped cream}. So head into your closest Flip Burger location today and get your grub on! Just one last note before wrapping it up, I wanted to give thanks to Morgan & the ML+A and Flip Burger teams, especially Rachael and Leslie, for the great lunch experience and for allowing us to get a taste of the new menu items. I'm definitely looking forward to trying all of December's specials, so I'll be seeing you again very soon! ;)

Have a delicious day,
-Sandy

FTC: Although this was a media event and my meal was comped, I will always provide an honest review & experience of the restaurant.

If you'd like to invite Bella Vivere to cover & share your restaurant's media events, tastings or parties, feel free to shoot me an email at bellavivere {at} gmail {dot} com-Thanks!