Flip Burger Boutique (Birmingham)

Flip Burger Boutique
220 Summit Blvd.
Birmingham, AL 35243
(205) 968-2000

On our way back to Memphis, we stopped in Birmingham for lunch. I was thrilled when Urbanspoon alerted me to the fact that there was a Flip Burger Boutique. It was on our list for Atlanta, but hadn't made it. It was located in the burbs in a very shwanky, Carriage Crossing type mall.



It had great outdoor seating overlooking the mountains, but we decided to sit inside.



The inside was very posh, but not stuck up. The staff was exceptionally friendly and the place felt very welcoming. We were seated in the middle at a family style table since most of the booths were full. The appeal of the booths is that there is a second, mirror image booth hanging from the ceiling.



I liked our table because I had a great view of the guy making shakes with liquid nitrogen and the guy in the kitchen dressing buns. Satchel liked the fact that he could see the mountains out of the window.



Jiro was sitting next to me and couldn't look at the shakes and not want one. I told him if he ate his lunch, I'd get him one. Our (cute & tattooed) waiter told us that there wasn't a kid's menu but that they would make a burger anyway they wanted. Good enough. I got them each a basic burger with ketchup and pickles and an order of fries to share. Warren and I had a much harder decision to make. There were several burgers we wanted to try. Eventually he settled on the country fried chicken burger and I got the grilled shrimp.

While we waited for our food we did some eavesdropping on the people next to us (they were engaged and lunching with family), took in the ceiling (it was covered in a very graphic pattern with hidden images) and attempted to answer questions such as "How many more miles to Memphis? How many more minutes? How many more seconds?"

Our food came out really quickly and looked fantastic.

Jiro's basic cheeseburger came with homemade pickles, which he rejected.



Their fries were hot & crispy and had ketchup and a smoky mayo for dipping.



Warren's burger was piled high with tasty curried pickles and seasoned with sriracha. Those are zuchini fries on the side.



My grilled shrimp burger was actually a patty. I don't know why this surprised me, but it was a happy surprise. Since they had the option of getting it with a lettuce wrap, I did. Once I figured out how to wrap it up, I was quite pleased with it. (Do places in Memphis do this? I know it was popular when the Atkins Diet took off.)




It was seasoned with Crytsal hot sauce and topped with a fried lemon. Genius! As a side, I got the candy cane beet salad, but as you can see they had golden beets that day. It was really good with the goat cheese and almonds. The Asian rice cracker mix was a little overkill, in my opinion.



The kids had no problem polishing off their burgers, but needed help with the fries. Warren and I were happy to oblige.



Then we were tasked with deciding which shakes to order. We decided to split two. Among our choices: Orangecreme, pineapple upside down cake, Cap'n Crunch, and Nutella with burnt marshmallows. (I've seen other seasonal menus featuring Krispy Kreme donut shakes and even fois gras shakes!) We went with the orangecreme and pineapple upside down.



They came over smoking from the nitrogen and we were instructed to wait for the smoke to clear.



I can safely say that they were among the best shakes I've ever had. Maybe the best. That pineapple was killer.



Our total bill was $59.95 plus tip, which is definitely way more than we'd typically spend on lunch. But it was totally worth it as a treat. If we lived in Birmingham I think Flip would have to be a special occasion place. (Or a sneak over without the kids place.)

A final note, the bathroom was just as shwank as the rest of the place, but had no changing table. A lady who was in there with me commented, "That's the craziest sink I've ever seen." Our dentist has the same sink, so I wasn't as impressed as she was. I did, however, take a picture of the placard on the door.



Boobies! I won't tell you the conversation Warren and I had after seeing this, but let's just say it's a good thing he didn't design the matching placard for the men's room.

When we were about ten miles away, I realized there was a Lululemon store in the mall just across from the restaurant. I was so sad (and relieved--at least for my wallet) that I didn't get to pop in. (I googled Lululemon to see where else they have stores and saw an article saying they were opening in East Memphis in June above Ben & Jerry's by the Paradiso. Is this true? I've driven by since and it doesn't look like anything is there.)

Still, I'm thinking of reasons to go back to Birmingham...hmmm...maybe a I could do a race there? Too hilly?

Ikea Food Market (Atlanta)

IKEA
441 16th Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30363
(404) 745-4532

We didn't get to do much sight seeing while in Atlanta, but we did make a quick trip to Ikea on Saturday night. It was close to dinner time, so we told the kids that they could get a quick bite before we checked them into the kids play area. When I noticed that the food market was having a special "Kids Eat Free" promotion that didn't even require the parents to buy anything, well, even better.



I showed the monkeys the sign and told them to pick an option. I thought for sure Satchel would want meatballs, but they both went with the standard chicken nuggets, fries, and milk.

We had to go through a standard cafeteria style line, and as you can see, the monkeys were a tad jacked up.



I took note of a few other interesting items that diners could choose from. Crayfish, cheese, and crackers? I think there was even some salmon hiding behind it.



Everyone knows that Ikea is crazy family-friendly, so this shouldn't have surprised me.



I think stopping in the Food Market first made me lose a bit of my sparkly-eyed fondness for Ikea. Picadilly has better offerings.




But I did enjoy watching my boys carry their trays around. Look at that concentration!



And well, you can't beat free. (Or, do you get what you pay for?)



The monkeys happily ate their dinners and I took in the other family-friendly touches in the restaurant. Lord knows, I would have appreciated this type of play area when they were smaller.



We didn't make it to the restroom, but I'm sure there was a family one with a changing table. The little things certainly do add up.

The kids spent 40 minutes in the play area while we shopped, then joined us for our final run and check out. There Satchel tried to convince me to let him get a second dinner of meatballs, but the food market had already closed.

I think we spent two hours total there shopping, eating, waiting to check out, etc., and by the end of it, I wasn't sure I ever wanted to come back. While it is a (huge?) step above Wal-Mart and Sam's, shopping there still had an overwhelming/exhausting feel to it. I suppose if we lived closer to one and knew our way around better, it would help. But if we lived closer to one, then I imagine everyone we knew would have all of the same stuff, right?

Bhojanic (Atlanta)

Bhojanic
1363 Clairmont Rd
Decatur, GA 30033
(404) 633-9233

Warren didn't do as well in the Kendo tournament as he had hoped, so to cheer him up, I found Atlanta's best Indian restaurant--Bhojanic. It looked super swank both inside and out, but it was crawling with families. At least at 6pm on a Friday.



We got a table and drinks right away. I told the kids to leave their DSs in the car, so they occupied themselves with their coloring sheets.



Again, we found ourselves perusing a pretty impressive kids' menu.



Still, we weren't exactly sure what anything was. Ditto for the main menu. Thankfully our waitress was very sweet and forth coming about what was what and gave us plenty of time to figure out what we wanted. As we discussed our options, I noted that they had Chicken 65. This is one of our favorite dishes at Maharaja, and as soon as Satchel heard us mention it, he insisted on ordering it. I read the description aloud: "Chicken marinated in yogurt and spices tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and green chilies. A non-fried version of the original!"

Non-fried? No, thanks. (Screw healthy choice!) However, Satchel was insistent. Jiro, on the other hand, didn't seem to want anything. We decided to let them split the Chicken 65 and a rice bowl, which was basically just jasmine rice.

Warren was waffling between an Indian burrito and a platter, so I offered to get the burrito, better known as a Kathi Roll. I went with the homemade layered flat bread rolled with fried egg, Chicken Tikka, Mint Chutney, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and onions, which is served with Raita and Papdam. Warren got the Thalis--or platter--with his choice of meat and veg, plus a side of pickles. The waitress also talked us both into getting a Chai tea.

While we waited for our food we chit chatted and reviewed the Kendo tournament's ups and downs. The restaurant continued to fill up, both with families and hipsters. Our food came out fairly quickly and Warren was in heaven. Behold the Thalis.



I was happy that he was happy. His meat choice was goat and it was spicy and delicious just like we had in Cameroon oh so long ago. And I gotta say, those Indians make a mean burrito.



The bread was amazing. I loved the thin fried egg layered on the inside. And the cucumber dip was fab. Does anyone in Memphis make something like this? If so, I'm in.

Initially Satchel was saddened by the look of the Chicken 65 because it was tandoori-ed, but once he tasted it, he was cool. Jiro was very emphatically refusing to even try it, but we I offered to give him a candy bar for dessert if he ate it and that worked.



That green dip was to die for. It was minty and sweet, not spicy. YUM.

The rice bowl didn't look like much, but the monkeys are huge fans of rice. They even liked the peas.



Also, I should add that they served everything with delicious chapati rather than naan.

We ate every single bite and were ready for the check when our waitress came over to apologize for the long wait on the chai. I had actually forgotten we ordered it! It arrived a few minutes later and ended up being a nice dessert. Once we sweetened it up, the kids wanted it for their own.

Somehow our total bill was only $42.00 plus tip, which seemed like a bargain. If we lived in Atlanta, Bhojanic would definitely be on our regular circuit. They even have a market next door. We didn't get to check it out because we were in a rush to meet up with a friend, but I can only imagine the treasures within. Also, on our way out I noted that the bar had some pretty delicious sounding drinks--ginger margarita, anyone? I can see how it might become a super hipster hang out after 9 when the kids are in bed.

Doc Chey's Noodle House (Atlanta)

Doc Chey's Noodle House
1556 N Decatur Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
(404) 378-8188

Last week we went to Atlanta to watch Warren compete in a Kendo tournament. It was held at Emory University, which is massive and beautiful. After Warren's pre-tournament meeting on Thursday night we went to the nearby Doc Chey's Noodle House. There are three of them in Georgia and one in Asheville, so it's chain-ish, I suppose. It kind of reminded me of Pei Wei but less corporate. As you can see it is pretty casual and has a nice patio.



It was fairly crowded when we arrived, and although it looked like one of those places where you order at the counter, a hostess sat us at the far end of a large family-style table. The kids (Satchel, 9, and Jiro, 7) were given coloring sheets, but they ignored them in favor of trading pokemon.



Warren was busy coordinating the next day's practice and competition with his teammates on the phone. I decided to tackle the ordering. First up, a most impressive kids menu.



Satchel opted for the fried rice with chicken and Jiro chose lo mein with no carrots, double broccoli, and chicken. I was thrilled neither went with the chicken nuggets. They both also wanted miso soup. I didn't notice that they got a free drink until later--when I ordered them milks--so I started them off with water. Warren in an all time speed record, decided on udon plus a side salad. I went with a szechuan stir fry, and then immediately was sad that I didn't notice the bi bim bop special on the board.

The soup and salad came out right away. The kids did not like the addition of sesame seeds to their miso soup. I made an attempt to fish them out, but it was futile.



Jiro also discovered that they added soba noodles. He ate a few bites, but didn't seem to like the change from what he usually thinks of as miso soup. (Sekisui is his reference point.)



Warren's side salad was nothing fancy, but he liked it.



Once our salad was done, the rest of our food quickly arrived. Doc definitely does not skimp on portions. Behold the udon.



My beautiful Szechuan stir fry with tofu and brown rice. (Which was not at all spicy--must be what the Sriracha was for. They also had furikake on the table.)



The kids' meals came in the same size bowl as Warren's udon, but was a slightly smaller serving.



Satchel was not very happy with his fried rice, not because it tasted bad, but because he really wanted Jiro's noodles. Jiro shared with him a bit, but he was actually interested in eating it himself, which is unusual. He held out a piece of broccoli and said, "Here Mommy, try the broccoli. It's juicy and delicious."

Yes, Jiro.

While we ate, we enjoyed looking at the various animals painted on the walls. We soon realized that they represented the Chinese zodiac. We then wracked our brains trying to remember who was what.

Eventually Warren took pity on Satchel and switched bowls with him for awhile. Despite all of our sharing and eating, we still had a ton of food left over. I was super happy to see that instead o styrofoam they used old school paper cartons.



Even though Jiro is a monkey (according to the Chinese zodiac too) I had him pose with a rooster. He's got a rooster in his name--Jiro Oster, get it?)



Our total bill was $39.58 plus tip. Not bad considering we had sake, salad, and two soups.

Now for the funny part--the next day I took the monkeys back for lunch. (Warren ate at the competition with his teammates.) We NEVER go to the same restaurant two days in a row, especially on vacation, but Satchel would not shut up about the "delicious broccoli. He actually gave me his best puppy dog eyes and asked, "Don't you want us to eat healthy?"

Then the clencher--he made the "slurpy noise." The slurpy noise indicates that he thinks something is delicious and he is craving it and won't stop with the sluroy noise until he eats it. I caved.

We soon discovered that at lunch time, you order at the counter. It was no problem since the kids knew what they wanted and we beat the lunch rush. I planned to get the bi bim bop special I overlooked the night before, but it had been replaced with another one of my favorite dishes--Thai beef salad--so I ordered that. Our lunch total came to $24.08, plus a few bucks thrown in the tip jar.

We filled up our drinks at the soda fountain and had a seat. We were given a card to hang on our table and were told they would bring our food out when it was ready. In the two seconds we had to wait, I snapped a picture of the monkeys with the awesome condiments, sriracha and furikake.



A nice waitress brought our food over and as you can see, Satchel was very happy.



Soon his bowl was too.



Jiro only picked at his, so Satchel ended up having lots of leftovers to get him through our next two days in Atlanta. Thankfully we had a fridge and a microwave in our hotel room!



Oh, my Thai beef salad? YUM. It was actually spicy without me adding anything, and the noodles, peppers and cabbage were a nice touch. I ate every bite.



Before we left, I made a quick trip to the restroom. It was a one top. Clean and replete with a changing table.

Despite it's semi-chainyness, I think overall Doc Chey's is very kid and budget friendly. The food is good and the service is great.