The Vortex

The original plan was to go to Ann's Snack Bar on Memorial drive because Raymond Sokolov of the Wall Street Journal claims it's the best burger in America, and it just happens to be in Atlanta. I will tell you that I have been to Ann's, twice, and both times it was really lovely and quite the experience. The first time I went I got yelled at by Miss Ann for not knowing what I wanted (the menu isn't very clear) and the second time I was more than prepared, but my friend got yelled at for the same thing.

Ann's is a tiny little shack off of Memorial Dr in East Atlanta and it's famous for "The Ghetto Burger", which is a double cheese burger piled high with chili and deep fried bacon and "The Hood Burger", which offers the same with the extra topping of Cole Slaw. Both sound nasty to me, so I have always opted for the basic cheeseburger.

I was hoping to take Brian here seeing how Ann's is somewhat of an Atlanta institution since the Wall Street Journal article, but sadly, it's also the reason for the sometimes upward of 2 hour wait and I had a plane to catch at 4:00.

I feel as if I can make the claims in this entry because in Sokolov's article, I have had 5 of the burgers listed. Ann's Snack Bar, The Earl (also in Alanta), In-N-Out, The Apple Pan, and The Vortex; which is where I took Brian instead.

The Vortex, Home of Atlanta's Best Burger! (or so they say...)
878 Peachtree St NE # 4
Atlanta, GA 30309

(404) 875-1667

The entrance to the one in Little 5 Points is through the mouth of a giant tripped out skull, which I find rather charming and is the main reason I go to this one.

Brian outside the entrance.

Inside is a mish mosh of Biker-esque decorum, vintage posters, and kitschy knick-knacks, hanging from every possible location.

Inside The Vortex's L5P location.

We sat down and got to staring at our menus. I recommend that you really read everything on it, as its good for a laugh.

The Vortex's Menu:Full of Lulz

One of the things they are famous for is their Double Coronary Bypass Burger. Brian asked the waitress how often if was ordered and she told us its a lot more often than you think. The thing is made up of a big sirloin patty topped with 2 fried eggs, 4 slices of American cheese, 5 slices of bacon, and a big fat side of mayo, with 2 grilled cheese sandwiches replacing the buns. It's something you would find on This is Why You're Fat. Sadly no one ordered it while we were there or we would have snapped a photo. (Luckily another Foodbuzzer blogged about it and I linked it above if you're curious!) In fact if you want, you can make your own!

Horrible and blurry attempt at Macro lens of The Vortex's Menu
showing Double Coronary Burger. This is just for proof.

We started off with the Fried Cheddar Bites. Deep fried balls of white cheddar, and served with a yummy horseradish sauce that to me was reminiscent of the stuff they serve with a Bloomin' Onion at Outback.

Deep Fried Cheddar Bites with Horseradish dipping sauce.

Serious, swear to you, these things were AMAZING. I had never ordered them before and Brian spotted them on the menu and the waitress concurred that they shouldn't be missed.

Brian, enjoying delicious Cheddar Bites.

I ordered the Vortex burger with American cheese, grilled onions and extra pickles, and a side of fried zucchini with ranch. Good luck finding much here that isn't deep fried or covered in cheese.

Vortex Burger with American Cheese and Grilled Onions and Fried Zucchini.

Brian opted for the Black&Blue burger. It's coated in Cajun spices with a HUGE (and I mean HUGE) glob of their Blue Cheese Spread. He got Onion rings as his side and I gave him one of my pickles.

Black & Blue Burger with Onion Rings.

He liked it, but these burgers are seriously huge. We could have easily gotten one and shared but we have different, discerning tastes. Neither of our plates we're even close to being cleaned, and Brian took most of the left overs home.

The Vortex Cheeseburger, scale to my face, and I have a HUGE face.

When I asked the unbelievably easy to please with cooked meat Brian whether or not the Vortex was one of the best burgers he's ever had, he replied with a simple and to the point "yea" and then he called me "newspaper lady".

I think that speaks for itself.

Fat Matt's Rib Shack

A few words to describe Baby Back Ribs are, delicious, amazing, messy, and tedious. The first two make me want to have them all the time, the second two remind me to steer clear of them. I've tried all kinds of them, from all different kinds of places, and even made my own, but none compare to the deliciousness that is Fat Matt's Rib Shack of Atlanta, GA.

Fat Matt's Rib Shack 1811 Piedmont Ave Ne Atlanta GA
404-607-1622

I mean come on, this place is so good its been featured on both Tasty Travels AND $40 a day! I found it through an ex boyfriend who raved about their tender, fall of the bone, ribs and I just had to try them for myself.

Brian and I showed up for lunch for some white bread, ribs and sweet tea.

Sweet Tea with the "Good Ice"

They seriously have some of the best sweet tea in Atlanta. It's pretty damn good, not too sweet, and nicely chilled, not to mention they have the best ice ever. My sister and I call this kind of tiny crushed ice the "Good Ice" and we know which place serves it and which doesn't. I'm kind of an ice fiend.

We ordered a full slab with extra bread, knowing there would be more than enough for leftovers the next day, or for some midnight snacking, and a side of mac & cheese. Their mac & cheese was very interesting, slightly spicy with a kick. We asked, of course what the secret ingredient was, and they said plain ol' southern hot sauce. We actually made a batch at home later in the week and added some and it tasted amazing.

Full Slab of Matt's famous ribs and a side of mac & cheese.

The meat on these bones is sooo tender that it falls off almost completely with just a little help. I was told once that they first deep fry their ribs first to make them tender and help the fat render off and then they grill them. If that's true it makes sence. They have some of the best BBQ sauce I've ever tasted so I grabbed a bottle to go for $4.50. I have yet to use it yet.

Brian pulling the meat clean off the
bone with the help of only a fork.

My favorite way to eat Fat Matt's ribs, is to take the meat of the bone, and pile it up on some white bread, cover in sauce and eat like a sandwich. Talk about some comfort food. They actually have a "rib sandwich" here that you can get. I got it once expecting this, but instead got 3 ribs on 2 slices of bread. It was more than enough to make a rib sandwich, but you still had to get your hands dirty.

My famous "Berta's Rib Sandwich".

Sometimes they have live blues in the tiny restaurant. (Usually at night, but we were there for lunch) We got lucky while we were there these 2 guys played about a 30 minute set. It was actually really awesome, and made Brian's first experience at Fat Matt's extra special.

Live Blues.

In the end we only got around to maybe 3 ribs each, but as you can see those bones were clean.

Rib bone's picked clean.

Six Feet Under Atlanta

When I was a kid, I was pretty morbid. I was fascinated with serial killers and criminal psychology. I would AskJeeves about them all the time. For all you youngins' this predates google by a few years. This gradually lead to me becoming interested in other things the way kids do, from Wicca, to ghosts and finally ended up with my current and favorite morbid obsession; Cemeteries.

Confederate Section of the Oakland Cemetery.

There really aren't many places in the world that make me feel more alone and yet totally at peace than cemeteries. Especially really old ones. In fact, newer cemeteries with big green rolling hills and flat, flesh with the grass headstones, don't really do it for me at all. My 2 favorite cemeteries of all time are located in the mountains of San Diego in Julian, Ca and right here in Atlanta.

View of downtown Atlanta from the Oakland Cemetery.

I used to live down the street from the Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta and I used to walk there and visit often. This was how I originally found Six Feet Under. At first, the name was enough to catch my eye, but for a girl who has unspeakable horrid repercussions with eating seafood, a pub and fish house seemed like the last place I'd ever be caught dead in (pun so obviously intended).

Six Feet Under as seen from the Jewish section of the Oakland Cemetery.

It wasn't until one night that Michelle and I needed hamburgers so badly, that we decided to go, and the rest, as we say, was foodie history. Over our remaining year in the ATL, Michelle and I would come to visit Six Feet Under multiple times, enjoying not only the burgers, but the excellent selection in NON seafood faire.

When the great tornado of '08 swept through downtown Atlanta, busting out windows in cars and hotels, the city wasn't the only casualty. Oakland Cemetery was hit as well, uprooting trees and smashing headstones predating the turn of the 20th century to bits.

Tornado damage to a Confederate grave site.

It was closed and I never got to say goodbye, so to speak. When Brian and I were deciding on what spots to see on our trip, there was no question in my mind, and the only food I could think of to accompany our trip, was Six Feet Under.

Six Feet Under
437 Memorial Drive S.E.
Atlanta, Ga. 30312
404-523-6664

In the past year, Six Feet Under has moved, just one block south to it's new location on Memorial Blvd, just south of Downtown Atlanta. At first I thought the economy had killed yet another amazing place, but as we sadly drove out of the old parking lot, I saw the new location.

Brian and I weren't very hungry and decided it best to order a smorgasbord of appetizers to hold us off until dinner. One thing I had ALWAYS looked at, and ALWAYS wanted to try, were the Alligator Bites they serve up here.

Brian and I chow down on Alligator and Home Style chips.

I've never eaten alligator, but Brian has had Crocodile in Kenya, and I had tried rattlesnake chili once, so we were both pretty prepared. That's a great thing about Brian, he might be afraid of vegetables, but weird meats are always something he's down for. We rounded off our alligator by ordering the Fried Green Tomatoes and the Home Style Chips.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Horseradish Dill sauce.

Six Feet Under has some of the best Fried Green Tomatoes in Atlanta, the only others that even come close are the ones at The Flying Biscuit Cafe (they have goat cheese and jalapeno pecan chutney!) The sauce they drizzle over these puppies is a sour cream based dill and horseradish sauce that I'm tempted to try to replicate at home.

Home Style Chips.

Their Home Style Chips are really fabulous and if you are a potato chip lover in Atlanta they should not be missed. Crispy, and lightly salted they also come with a side of the dill sauce.

Stuffing thy face.

The main course in our appetizer lunch were the Alligator Bites.

Alligator Bites.

If you've ever eaten anything cold blooded you already know what they taste like. Firm, slightly tough and chewy, they have the consistency of a well done steak and the taste of, I hate to say it but its true, chicken. They also come with the delicious dill sauce.

Cross section of Alligator, trying to look all like chicken.

My sisters boyfriend said that he's had them before and they remind him most of calamari. Nothing I'm running to book my next flight to Atlanta for or anything, but definitely worth a taste. After watching all those "I'll eat anything you put in front of me" type shows on the Travel Channel, turning your nose up to alligator seems rather silly.

Delicious Dip.