Does the intown traffic on the west side seem even worse than usual? Blame some of the backup on Flip Burger Boutique — a restaurant that opened just over a week ago on Howell Mill Road near the intersection with Chattahoochee Avenue and has seen a steady stream of cars heading in and out of its parking lot.
The draw? A menu of seriously fun and occasionally wacky fare designed by Atlanta's famous pop-art chef, Richard Blais. (The operating chef is Mark Nanna.) A finalist on last season's "Top Chef," the peripatetic Blais brings his humorously deconstructive approach to cooking to all-American hamburgers and milkshakes. The patties here range from beef to codfish, mushroom and lamb. There's even a deep-fried Southern burger topped with pimiento cheese and green tomato ketchup. Try it with a side of rutabaga fries.
And the milkshakes? How about a Krispy Kreme version made with ground-doughnuts and frozen with smoking liquid nitrogen?
As Blais, 36, gets ready to sign partnership papers on Flip with owners Barry Mills and Ron Stewart, now might be the time to quickly recap the chef's hyperactive nine-year career in Atlanta restaurants.
Here's the lineup, not counting a couple of spots where he consulted:
2000 to 2003: Fishbone. A now-defunct restaurant in South Buckhead where he made a name for thoughtful and unique treatments of seafood.
Famous for: Fried calamari served with spicy harissa and preserved lemon.
Blais says: "I get a rap for moving around a lot, but I was there for almost three years."
Late 2003 to mid-2004: Blais. His eponymous Buckhead restaurant where he debuted his "molecular gastronomy" with gels, foams and loads of tiny one-bite courses. Atlanta wasn't quite ready.
Famous for: The foie gras milkshake (which he brought back to the Flip menu).
Blais says: "It was a year in the making, but only lasted a few months."
Mid-2004: Bazzaar. Midtown lounge where the chef landed for a few months.
Famous for: All small-plates menu.
Blais says: "That job for me was like the girl you pick up at the bar in 4 in the morning. Not that I've ever done that ... "
Mid-2005 to mid-2006: One Midtown Kitchen. The chef revitalized this popular but flagging spot and appeared on "Iron Chef America" during his tenure here.
Famous for: Oysters with cocktail sorbet.
Blais says: "I was in my liquid nitrogen phase and was getting pretty heavy into sous vide."
Mid 2007 to late 2007: Element. Casual Midtown lounge where Blais reappeared locally after a year in Miami. The restaurant closed while he was in seclusion in Chicago on the "Top Chef" shoot.
Famous for: Panna cotta with frozen Coke rocks.
Blais says: "I worked on a lot of techniques there, such as reverse spherification. The mood was casual and fun, which I liked."
Mid-2008: Home. Elegant former home to Seeger's in Buckhead where he worked during the "Top Chef" finale.
Famous for: Sashimi topped with chicken skin.
Blais says: "We played around with a lot of Southern flavors."
December 2008: Flip Burger Boutique. Witty design and menu that thinks outside the bun. Since Blais intends to buy into the business, his association with it should last.
Famous for: Too early to tell, but the "Butcher's Cut" beef burger with caramelized onions, Cabrales blue cheese and red wine jam is a serious contender.
Blais says: "You can see some of everything I've done at all the other restaurants on the menu here. That red wine jam is the same one we used to serve at Fishbone."
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