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JOSHUA L. JONES
EEZOBCO grub notes
Burger Beat
TWO NEW BEEFY OPTIONS IN ATHENS
By Hillary Brown food@flagpole.com
BURGERTOWN, PT. 1: Sometimes I wonder
if the design of the new shopping cen
ter on Epps Bridge Parkway/the Oconee
Connector is deliberately disorienting, like
a casino, constructed in such a way that one
wanders around not knowing exactly where
to go but unable to find one’s way out.
You may have a slightly hard time locating
the new Groove Burgers (1791 Oconee
Connector, 762-499-5699), which is in
the middle section, shaped like a squashed
hexagon, near Guitar Center and Alumni
Hall, even though a few church BBQ-type
signs attempt to point the way.
Surrounded on all sides by chains, it is,
at least for now, a one-of-a-kind business,
although clearly one with an eye toward
franchising. Brought to you by Bridger
Loftin of Locos, which has successfully
duplicated itself many times throughout
the Southeast, Groove Burgers takes a cue
from Taqueria del Sol. Walk in and order at
the counter, take your number, grab a seat,
and your food is out speedily. If there’s a
line, you can sit at the bar and order there.
Clean accents of corrugated metal, taking
inspiration from the “groove” of the name,
are everywhere, and the look is chill, not
hyper, apart from the TVs tuned to ESPN.
The menu is more thoughtful and
interesting than the average burger joint,
chain or not. Rather than retro (little-bitty
burgers with ketchup and mustard, paper
hats, not much else, maybe some chili), it’s
contemporary, with turkey, chicken and
veggie burgers alongside the beef and actual
vegetables, not just starches, in the “sides”
section. The fries are skinny and simple,
crisp, not soggy, unless you get the poutine,
which tops them with a fairly bland cheese
and a salty brown gravy. The mac and
cheese is ignorable, but the roasted Brussels
sprouts are tasty and the onion rings big
and lightly battered; there’s also asparagus,
sweet potato chips and fried okra.
Maybe the smartest and best thing on
the menu is the “street corn,” Groove’s
version of elote, a popular Mexican snack
food consisting of a whole ear of grilled
corn with the husk bent back and the ker
nels coated in a mixture of chili powder,
mayo, crema and cotija cheese. Intensely
flavored and cutely executed (the husk is
tied in a cute bow that also serves as a neat
handle), it is, in fact, better than the more
authentic version served at the Pendergrass
Flea Market, although you may need some
floss when you’re done.
Everything is a la carte; no combo
platters here. The bun tends to dissolve,
especially if you order a burger with more
toppings, like the Groove Burger
(bacon, “groove sauce,” house pick
les, caramelized onions, Bibb lettuce,
heirloom tomatoes and cheddar).
Flip it upside down, do your best to
eat it quickly, and hope you have a
wet wipe handy. Caramelized onions
show up a lot, but for good reason:
they hold their flavor well, can be
prepared in advance and taste good.
The “groove sauce” is not, for
once, just the same old mixture of
ketchup and mustard, and it also
shows up (along with the onions) on
the Smokin’ Thighs sandwich made
with grilled chicken thighs, another
smart decision by the restaurateur.
Why eat a sad grilled chicken breast
when you could eat an actually good
chicken thigh? The lamb burger is a
bit of a disappointment (too dense;
all the salt is in the tzatziki, not the
patty), and the salted caramel shake
is fine but not mind-blowing, but
the Churrasco burger makes a strong
argument in favor of chimichurri
sauce as a new standard, if you don’t mind
garlic breath. (It’s worth it!)
Groove Burgers is efficient and well put
together, has a patio outside, is open for
lunch and dinner every day and has beer
and wine, including some decent stuff, but
the soft drinks are only Pepsi products.
BURGERTOWN, PT. 2: More briefly, Fatburger
(196 Alps Road, 706-354-6655), the inter
national chain, is open inside Buffalo’s Cafe,
in Beechwood. Walk in and there’s a counter
to your right. You can order there or, if no
one’s manning it, at the hostess station,
then sit in the restaurant or get your stuff
to go. Its menu is smaller than the one at
Groove Burgers and aims for simple excess.
You can add egg, chili, bacon, onion rings
and cheese to your burger, plus a gluten-
free bun. It also offers turkey, chicken
(crispy, grilled or Cajun) and veggie options,
although the latter is both too strong-tast
ing and too bland at the same time.
The burgers are big and messy and
totally acceptable, very similar to the ones
Five Guys offers. Fancy is not the goal, but
it’s still a step up from a drive-thru. Fries
come in fat, skinny (both descriptions
of actual dimensions, not healthiness)
and chili-cheese. The shakes (thumbs up
on strawberry) are topped with whipped
cream. Fatburger is open from 11 a.m.-ll
p.m. daily. ©
Groove Burgers
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