Flip Burger

It's a busy weekend for Team Dawmilam. Our adventures started yesterday with an outing to Flip Burger with Laura (ADPi sister who's known me since I was the quiet girl with bad bangs & scrunchies) and her husband, Heyward, who happen to live dangerously close to Flip. I've been to Flip twice before - once with Christy, once with Lindsey - and both times I was impressed. Dave was getting a little upset that I'd been without him; last night, halfway through what he thought was the best burger ever, he said, "I'm officially mad that you've eaten food this good twice without me." If you're ever in Atlanta, and wanting a burger, this is the place to go.

As my official review of the restaurant, I'd like to start out with the negative: the waitresses, waiters, and hostesses look like they need to eat a few cheeseburgers or drink a couple of the amazing milkshakes there. Really, I'd like to sit down with them and force them to partake of the greasy goodness they're serving up. Upon being seated by a size 00 bleach blonde young woman who didn't know how to smile or make eye contact, Heyward pondered aloud if it hurts to be that trendy all the time. I have to agree: the people who work there aren't so much welcoming or warm. They're pretty, but they don't look happy. My guess, again, is that if they'd just eat a cheeseburger, they'd feel better. But, that's coming from a non-size-00, so maybe I'm totally missing the point.

But, there really isn't anything else negative about this place. We started our meal with the "duck nuggets," ordered primarily because it's not often you can say the words "duck" and "nuggets" in the same sentence and be taken seriously. I'd never actually had duck before, and it's a shame, because there's no way the next time I eat duck it will be that delicious. Anything cooked in its own fat, fried, and topped with a spicy sauce is bound to be delicious. The outside was crispy; the inside was a nice, creamy texture contrast. And the blood orange chili sauce added a delicious sweet kick.

We got one of all the "fried" items last night. My parmesan zucchini fries were delicious, even without their special mayo. Laura's whole pod fried okra was yumtastic, especially with the Sriacha mayonnaise. Heyward got fries, and Dave got onion rings, which apparently were just "mediocre," but this place's mediocre is like everyone else's "good." Our burgers were to die for. I relished every greasy, delicious bite of my bacon cheddar burger that had some sort of special sauce on it. Lemme tell you: it was special. Dave was in burger heaven with his chosen creation, which had a red wine jam, caramelized onions, and blue cheese. And, for dessert, we all got milkshakes.

My favorite thing about Flip WAS the Nutella & burnt marshmallow milkshake - a sweet treat that cannot be missed. But, Dave and I split a different milkshake last night, and it's my new favorite. The turtle was divine. The ice cream was a perfect vanilla, and the caramel was delicious, especially when combined with the lightly salted, toasted pecans atop a cloud of whipped cream.

To add some excitement to the night, we were so happy to run into Frank, Steve and their friend who was visiting from out of town! Great minds definitely thought alike for dinner last night. They were on their way to the Liza Minnelli concert at Chastain. Expect a similar restaurant review after our meal together next weekend at Ballenger's in Rome... a place that Frank insists is one of the best places ever.

After we gorged ourselves, we went back to Laura & Heyward's and enjoyed a relaxing evening out on their screened in porch, chatting mostly about our animals, other funny animal stories and food (welcome to life as married-without-children!). We're definitely glad to have these guys close by and are already planning our next foodie adventure together.

As for the rest of the weekend? Today, I'm preparing for the Peachtree Road Race with Lindsey, who'll be running with me. This is our second year to run, but this year, neither of us is in really good condition to run 6.2 on a hot summer day. Our motivation for running sort of waned after the half marathon in March. It really took a lot out of us! I ran 5 yesterday, so I theoretically *should* be able to run 6 tomorrow. But, neither of us expect to run at our best pace, nor have we ruled out giving up about mile 4, taking one of the beers that so many spectators try to push on the runners, and just walking the remainder of the course. Maybe I should make sure to run with a koozie? Our preparations for today will include laying out by the pool, drinking lots of water, and eating a carbo-heavy dinner tonight. I'm rather excited about getting some relaxing pool time in this weekend!

The adventures will continue tomorrow, as after the Peachtree, we have a fun day at Lake Allatoona planned with the Changs, some of their friends, Genay, Amy & Lindsey. We'll be celebrating lots of things: the fact that Lindsey and I will have survived the race, Independence Day, and Genay's birthday. Pictures & stories will follow soon!